Chapter 7:Ties
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or its characters.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and I apologize for any confusion, or spelling errors. Joedobell: Thanks for the pointers, I tried to follow them in this chapter, and I plan to go back and fix the others. My grammar, and all around language skills are horrible, so any pointers are appreciated As for the question about Reeve; I guess I didn't explain the situation right. My intention was to portray Reeve as a Villain from Vash's past that had been planning revenge for about thirty years. The reason he gave up the story so easily was because of Vash basically falling into his lap, and to revel in his own misguided genius. In short, yeah he was just that arrogant. As for the guns, Lazarus giving up the guns easily was intentional, and an explanation for it will be in later chapters. There are clues in chapters 3, Intermission, and this chapter as to why Lazarus parted with the guns, but rest assured I plan to explain it in detail later.
BLacKBodian: Thanks for the reviews. Your comment really did get me to start writing again.
Also I'm sorry about the plot's slow pace, but it is going to speed up soon.
(Warrens City) Meryl stood in front of the window, watching Vash as he made his way up the street. She placed her hands on the window frame, and leaned out. He looks like he's in a good mood, Meryl thought as she watched him walk into the hotel with a smile. With her brow furrowed in puzzlement, she sat down at the table to wait for him. Vash knocked on the door a few minutes later, and then entered with the smile still on his face.
He was about to say something, when he looked around in confusion. "Where are Millie and Jim?" Meryl smiled, "You know Millie, she went in search of pudding and took Jim with her." Vash chuckled, and took a seat at the table across from Meryl. "How did your meeting with Frank Marlin go?" Vash grinned, "It went great, better than I expected." Meryl studied his face, He does look happier than he was a few days ago. "So, were you able to get a new gun made?" Vash scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, something like that", he chuckled.
Meryl fixed him with a flat stare, and crossed her arms. "Ok Vash, out with it." Vash's grin threatened to split his face. "What do you mean?" Meryl's eyes shrank into slits. "You're hiding something." Vash reached behind him, and pulled the twin revolvers out of his waistband. He laid them down on the table in front of a shocked, and sputtering Insurance girl. "H-how...I thought...." Vash nodded, "I did." Meryl's face was the picture of confusion, if a question mark would have suddenly appeared over her head, Vash would not have been surprised. "If you left them in the desert, then how did they find their way here?" Vash shrugged, "Frank said that a drifter came through here with them. Frank recognized my gun, and convinced the drifter to sell it to him."
Meryl eyed the guns with suspicion, and cast a worried glance at the black revolver, "Is that...?" Vash picked up the black revolver, and ran his eyes over it with an unreadable expression. "Yes...this is the gun that belonged to Knives." Meryl stared at the black gun with fear, and a little awe. The gun of Millions Knives...the weapon of Vash's Brother. She tore her eyes away from the gun, and looked at Vash with uncertainty. "I don't know Vash, isn't this just a little too convenient?" Vash sighed, and rubbed his chin with his artificial hand. "Yeah... it does seem a little off doesn't it."
He placed the black gun back on the table, and once again Meryl's attention was drawn to it. She seemed as if under a spell as she hesitantly reached out to touch Knives weapon. Vash's hand softly intercepted her own, and clasped it firmly. His voice sounded pained as he spoke to her. "Don't Meryl, please." She stared at his hand, her thoughts in disarray while she sorted through the different feelings his touch always awakened. There was sadness in his eyes when she looked up at them, a pain hidden in two pools of blue-green. Vash broke out into a smile, and made some silly remark about Meryl's hand, but she wasn't listening.
Her stare looked past the goofy smile, and silly antics, into the part of him that he kept from her. "It's ok", she whispered. Vash's smiled faltered, and he began to draw his hand back, but stopped as both of Meryl's hands wrapped around his own. "Its alright Vash, to let us know your sad." "I know ", he said in a wavering voice, "I'll try to, but please don't ever touch that gun...I know its stupid, and irrational, but it just doesn't feel right." Meryl sighed, "Ok." She smiled at him as a thought occurred to her. "We hardly ever talk like this, its nice." Vash smiled in return, "Yeah, I know." Meryl raised an eyebrow, "You think you know everything", she said teasingly. Vash laughed, and took on a mock mysterious expression. "Maybe I do." Meryl shook her head, "You broom- head", she replied as she drew her hands back.
Vash just chuckled, and holstered the revolvers in the waistband of his pants. Meryl watched him, and then asked a question that had been nagging at the back of her mind. "Vash? What was that mans name? The one who brought the guns to Frank Marlin." Vash thought a moment, trying to remember what Frank told him. "It was Laz...Laz Arussel." "That's a strange name", Meryl added. Vash shrugged, "According to Frank the guy was weird in general. Frank said the guy's eyes would glaze over at times, like he was dreaming, or wasn't all there." Meryl nodded, "Hmm that does sound strange." Vash took a deep breath, and told Meryl the last bit of information Frank had given him. "There is something we have to deal with." "What is it?" Meryl asked. "Well, Vash replied sheepishly, "He has Wolfwood's cross..." "What!" Meryl exploded out of her chair, and grabbed Vash by his collar, "Do you have any idea what kind of damage someone can do with that thing?" Vash held his arms up defensively, "I couldn't help it; the man who has it already left town." Meryl let go of his collar, and sat down with a sigh.
"Should we go after him?" She asked. "Eventually, Vash replied, "But first I was thinking we night make a pit stop in December." "You're thinking about taking Jim to Mr. Wolfwood's orphanage", Meryl stated with a knowing look. Vash crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah...I think it would be a good place for him, and I made a promise to Wolfwood. I Promised I'd look after the place in his...absence." Several months had passed, and still Vash couldn't bring himself to say it, that Wolfwood was dead. Meryl saw his gloomy expression and sighed, "Hey Vash. Why don't you go take a nap, and I'll go pick up something for dinner, ok?" "Doughnuts?" Vash asked hopefully. Meryl rolled her eyes, and acted like he was asking her the impossible.
"I suppose I could pick some up for desert". Vash was out of his seat before she could blink. He hugged her tightly, causing Meryl to blush. "Thanks Meryl", he said with a grin, and then rushed out of the room leaving one dazed insurance girl in his wake.
(Abandoned town, Three Days Later)
The old church sat alone, away from the other empty buildings of the deserted town. Soft moonlight glinted off its white walls, and painted glass windows, reflecting a rainbow pattern on the dusty ground. A buzz filled the air, and soon grew to a steady crackling sound. Suddenly golden light burst from inside the church, eclipsing the light of the moons, and turned night into day.
The light soon dimmed, and faded completely. The crackling became a buzzing sound again, and it too faded to nothing. The door of the church opened with creaky hinges, and Lazarus stumbled out into the night. He was tired, dead tired, and sweating profusely. "This better be worth it Wolfwood", he rasped out loud. He took a few shaky steps before collapsing to the ground. Lazarus made a few feeble attempts to rise, before giving up, and deciding that staying on the ground wasn't so bad. His eyelids closed wearily, and his breath stirred the dust as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or its characters.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and I apologize for any confusion, or spelling errors. Joedobell: Thanks for the pointers, I tried to follow them in this chapter, and I plan to go back and fix the others. My grammar, and all around language skills are horrible, so any pointers are appreciated As for the question about Reeve; I guess I didn't explain the situation right. My intention was to portray Reeve as a Villain from Vash's past that had been planning revenge for about thirty years. The reason he gave up the story so easily was because of Vash basically falling into his lap, and to revel in his own misguided genius. In short, yeah he was just that arrogant. As for the guns, Lazarus giving up the guns easily was intentional, and an explanation for it will be in later chapters. There are clues in chapters 3, Intermission, and this chapter as to why Lazarus parted with the guns, but rest assured I plan to explain it in detail later.
BLacKBodian: Thanks for the reviews. Your comment really did get me to start writing again.
Also I'm sorry about the plot's slow pace, but it is going to speed up soon.
(Warrens City) Meryl stood in front of the window, watching Vash as he made his way up the street. She placed her hands on the window frame, and leaned out. He looks like he's in a good mood, Meryl thought as she watched him walk into the hotel with a smile. With her brow furrowed in puzzlement, she sat down at the table to wait for him. Vash knocked on the door a few minutes later, and then entered with the smile still on his face.
He was about to say something, when he looked around in confusion. "Where are Millie and Jim?" Meryl smiled, "You know Millie, she went in search of pudding and took Jim with her." Vash chuckled, and took a seat at the table across from Meryl. "How did your meeting with Frank Marlin go?" Vash grinned, "It went great, better than I expected." Meryl studied his face, He does look happier than he was a few days ago. "So, were you able to get a new gun made?" Vash scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, something like that", he chuckled.
Meryl fixed him with a flat stare, and crossed her arms. "Ok Vash, out with it." Vash's grin threatened to split his face. "What do you mean?" Meryl's eyes shrank into slits. "You're hiding something." Vash reached behind him, and pulled the twin revolvers out of his waistband. He laid them down on the table in front of a shocked, and sputtering Insurance girl. "H-how...I thought...." Vash nodded, "I did." Meryl's face was the picture of confusion, if a question mark would have suddenly appeared over her head, Vash would not have been surprised. "If you left them in the desert, then how did they find their way here?" Vash shrugged, "Frank said that a drifter came through here with them. Frank recognized my gun, and convinced the drifter to sell it to him."
Meryl eyed the guns with suspicion, and cast a worried glance at the black revolver, "Is that...?" Vash picked up the black revolver, and ran his eyes over it with an unreadable expression. "Yes...this is the gun that belonged to Knives." Meryl stared at the black gun with fear, and a little awe. The gun of Millions Knives...the weapon of Vash's Brother. She tore her eyes away from the gun, and looked at Vash with uncertainty. "I don't know Vash, isn't this just a little too convenient?" Vash sighed, and rubbed his chin with his artificial hand. "Yeah... it does seem a little off doesn't it."
He placed the black gun back on the table, and once again Meryl's attention was drawn to it. She seemed as if under a spell as she hesitantly reached out to touch Knives weapon. Vash's hand softly intercepted her own, and clasped it firmly. His voice sounded pained as he spoke to her. "Don't Meryl, please." She stared at his hand, her thoughts in disarray while she sorted through the different feelings his touch always awakened. There was sadness in his eyes when she looked up at them, a pain hidden in two pools of blue-green. Vash broke out into a smile, and made some silly remark about Meryl's hand, but she wasn't listening.
Her stare looked past the goofy smile, and silly antics, into the part of him that he kept from her. "It's ok", she whispered. Vash's smiled faltered, and he began to draw his hand back, but stopped as both of Meryl's hands wrapped around his own. "Its alright Vash, to let us know your sad." "I know ", he said in a wavering voice, "I'll try to, but please don't ever touch that gun...I know its stupid, and irrational, but it just doesn't feel right." Meryl sighed, "Ok." She smiled at him as a thought occurred to her. "We hardly ever talk like this, its nice." Vash smiled in return, "Yeah, I know." Meryl raised an eyebrow, "You think you know everything", she said teasingly. Vash laughed, and took on a mock mysterious expression. "Maybe I do." Meryl shook her head, "You broom- head", she replied as she drew her hands back.
Vash just chuckled, and holstered the revolvers in the waistband of his pants. Meryl watched him, and then asked a question that had been nagging at the back of her mind. "Vash? What was that mans name? The one who brought the guns to Frank Marlin." Vash thought a moment, trying to remember what Frank told him. "It was Laz...Laz Arussel." "That's a strange name", Meryl added. Vash shrugged, "According to Frank the guy was weird in general. Frank said the guy's eyes would glaze over at times, like he was dreaming, or wasn't all there." Meryl nodded, "Hmm that does sound strange." Vash took a deep breath, and told Meryl the last bit of information Frank had given him. "There is something we have to deal with." "What is it?" Meryl asked. "Well, Vash replied sheepishly, "He has Wolfwood's cross..." "What!" Meryl exploded out of her chair, and grabbed Vash by his collar, "Do you have any idea what kind of damage someone can do with that thing?" Vash held his arms up defensively, "I couldn't help it; the man who has it already left town." Meryl let go of his collar, and sat down with a sigh.
"Should we go after him?" She asked. "Eventually, Vash replied, "But first I was thinking we night make a pit stop in December." "You're thinking about taking Jim to Mr. Wolfwood's orphanage", Meryl stated with a knowing look. Vash crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah...I think it would be a good place for him, and I made a promise to Wolfwood. I Promised I'd look after the place in his...absence." Several months had passed, and still Vash couldn't bring himself to say it, that Wolfwood was dead. Meryl saw his gloomy expression and sighed, "Hey Vash. Why don't you go take a nap, and I'll go pick up something for dinner, ok?" "Doughnuts?" Vash asked hopefully. Meryl rolled her eyes, and acted like he was asking her the impossible.
"I suppose I could pick some up for desert". Vash was out of his seat before she could blink. He hugged her tightly, causing Meryl to blush. "Thanks Meryl", he said with a grin, and then rushed out of the room leaving one dazed insurance girl in his wake.
(Abandoned town, Three Days Later)
The old church sat alone, away from the other empty buildings of the deserted town. Soft moonlight glinted off its white walls, and painted glass windows, reflecting a rainbow pattern on the dusty ground. A buzz filled the air, and soon grew to a steady crackling sound. Suddenly golden light burst from inside the church, eclipsing the light of the moons, and turned night into day.
The light soon dimmed, and faded completely. The crackling became a buzzing sound again, and it too faded to nothing. The door of the church opened with creaky hinges, and Lazarus stumbled out into the night. He was tired, dead tired, and sweating profusely. "This better be worth it Wolfwood", he rasped out loud. He took a few shaky steps before collapsing to the ground. Lazarus made a few feeble attempts to rise, before giving up, and deciding that staying on the ground wasn't so bad. His eyelids closed wearily, and his breath stirred the dust as he slipped into unconsciousness.