Disclaimer: Don't own Trigun, just the story and my OC's.
Yay! All you Vash-lovers (Like myself) will get a surprise in this chapter. Oh, and congratulations to everyone who guessed the man in the black trench coat correctly. He will be making an appearance shortly… ^_^
Engel: Sacrifice
Chapter Seven
Vash The Stampede
"A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking
He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, It's not enough."
-Pink Floyd (Lyrics from Sorrow)
The blast came so swiftly that the movement of it could be perceived as a blur. People fell all around Demonte, as bloodshed was spilled everywhere. Demonte forced himself back into the present, and reached for his gun.
Then everything became reality, and the slow motion was gone. The men were shooting at him and BDN now. Everyone else…
…was dead.
"DAMN YOU!" BDN shouted as he held his own gun, one that Demonte had never seen before. "THEY WERE GOOD PEOPLE!"
The gun lit up in multifarious colors, power surging through it. Then all at once, the gun exploded into a white light and rained fire down upon the gunmen. They skillfully dodged and secreted themselves behind overturned tables and the counter.
"Get down!" Demonte knocked his friend to the floor as multiple bullets passed above them. Demonte pushed the table over in their favor and then leaned back against the table's surface. He breathed deeply and turned to look at BDN. "Now what?"
"We have to kill them," Came the reply.
"Are these the guys who assassinated the Mayor?"
"…No."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because, their fighting style is different than what I saw."
"You SAW the Mayor murdered?"
"From a clear distance. The murderer was gone by the time I got there."
"Well now," Demonte paused as a bullet nearly singed his ear. "It's ShowTime," Demonte remarked, turning on his side. He closed his eyes and lightning began to cackle up and down his arm. Simultaneously, another figure stepped into the doorway and the electricity circling Demonte's arm dissolved into nothingness.
"Who the hell are you!?" One of the assassins shouted to the vague silhouette in the doorway. "Are you here to cause trouble too!?"
"What purpose do you have for coming to kill all of these people!?" BDN shouted from behind his hiding place.
"The sport," Another one of the men replied, laughing. "You should try it sometime."
"You…You…" BDN jumped to his feet, gun in hand. "I'll massacre you…!" But he was caught off guard as the men collapsed from behind the counter, rolled onto their stomachs, and brought their guns out into the open, releasing fire. BDN's arm froze as he watched the speeding bullets, and felt another body collide with him to the floor.
"Stupid!" Demonte shouted. "Do you have a death wish!?"
The mysterious man stepped into the light, his black trench coat slightly flowing behind him. Gold buttons were sewn down his trench coat and he kept a gloved hand on his bloodstained glasses, concealing his eyes. Silver strands of spiked hair stood out from atop his head and were ruffled by an unseen force. In his hand he held a golden .45 colt, which he was now aiming at the closest assassin. His pale face remained emotionless; not even a sign of resilience lay with his expression.
"Answer me you fool!" The assassin closest to this adversary cocked his gun and shot at him. The bullet barreled through the air towards the mysterious man, but miraculously dissolved into dust before it could pierce him.
"Wh-What..?" The men were taken aback as the man advanced forward and rose the gun above his head, holding it with both hands.
"Who the hell is this?" Demonte asked himself as he and BDN watched the man take over the fight. The gun was surrounded by an evil shadow and fire emerged from the gun, as a large eclipse of darkness formed around the man's fingertips and the gun itself. He let the gun go with one hand and aimed it at the men.
"Annihilation…" He whispered.
The apprehension from the faces of the men disappeared as a large pillar blasted forth and disintegrated the men in a single moment. The room lit up, as debris went flying and then melted into dark, oozy, liquid. Demonte glanced up and realized the roof and the walls were gone. They had been destroyed with the light.
But the man did not stop after his targets were gone, nor did the pillar of darkness. Fire surfaced almost immediately after the saloon had been obliterated and consumed everything that remained standing.
"Quick kid! Let's get out of here!" BDN took Demonte's arm and dragged him out into the street, avoiding the persistent flames that attempted to follow after. They turned to look back at the uprising smoke and violent flares arousing in the night.
They watched breathlessly as ash fell from the sky and the smoke rose higher into the night. Demonte turned to BDN, discontentment replacing his usual indifferent demeanor.
"What about him!?" Demonte protested.
But as if on cue, the man emerged from the uproar of flames, unharmed and stalked towards the two.
"What kind of power was that?" BDN found himself asking. Demonte felt relieved to see the man was unharmed.
"He saved us. We should thank him." Demonte stepped forward to the oncoming figure. "You have our gratitude," He told him. "Thank you so…"
Without warning, the golden colt was aimed in his direction, and Demonte stopped mid-sentence.
"Hey!" BDN looked confused. "What are you doing!? We aren't your enemy!"
But the man did not give in. Instead, he cocked his gun and tugged on the trigger. Demonte's eyes widened as he understood. This man, who wielded Forbidden Magicks, was not as merciful as Demonte was. This man killed whoever saw him expose his powers, just like a plague. In a flash, Demonte had reached for his own gun and aimed it at the man's lower torso. "So, you can use Forbidden Magicks," He told the man and then lowered his voice in a threatening tone. "I know that. But you don't want to get in my way."
…Because I can too.
The man paused, and then dropped his gun and turned away.
"Hey, where do you think that you're going!?" BDN paused, realizing something that he had not before, and then anger rose within him. "Red eyes, silver hair, black coat…Y-YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED THE MAYOR!"
But Demonte was too preoccupied with understanding the man's sudden change of heart. It was as though the man could read his mind after he had told himself mentally that he possessed Forbidden Magicks as well. What kind of explanation could he come up with that?
"COME BACK HERE!" BDN swiped through the air to grab the man, only to find out that he was already gone. "What?"
"He escaped." Demonte said, putting his gun back into its holster.
BDN turned to look at him. "That was the man. I don't know how he knew what was going on inside of the bar or why he didn't shoot you or how he got away so damn fast, but that's the bastard who killed the Mayor. We have to catch him and quickly!"
"And just where are you planning to look?" Demonte asked, watching the panicking man pace back and forth in the road.
"I don't know, but we have to search. He'll kill someone else, I know he will."
Then a loud moaning came from inside of one of the alleyways. Demonte turned his head in which the direction came and reached for his gun again. "Someone's there."
BDN reached for his own gun. "Shhh, maybe it's that guy again."
"I doubt it."
But BDN ignored his partner and crept down the alley, holding his gun close. "Who's there?" He called out.
No voices, but loud moaning.
"Someone's hurt," Demonte said, glancing back and forth down the alley.
"Are you okay?" BDN asked to the air. "Where are you?"
But then the moaning stopped and BDN rushed forward.
"Hold on we're coming!" He shouted as he advanced deeper into the alley. Demonte's ears perked up at the sound of feet scuffing across the ground and then a large thud.
"Umpf!" It was BDN.
"Hey!" Demonte ran in the direction he had seen his companion go in. "Are you okay!?"
"Yeah," BDN said, growling. "I tripped over something big."
Demonte diverted his attention downwards and saw the dark outline of his comrade. He turned his head and pushed his body down towards the ground, waiting for any sudden movement. Warm breath tickled the side of this face.
"It's a body," He whispered.
"Is he breathing?" BDN asked, standing up.
"Yeah, heavily, TOO heavily. I think he's hurt…"
"Hey," BDN leaned down. "Are you okay pal?"
No answer.
"Yeah, he's hurt all right," BDN bent down and hoisted the body over his shoulder. "I can't see who it is right now. Do you have anywhere we can go to take him?"
"Yeah, I have a room at the Inn," Demonte said. "But we'd better hurry back before we get caught up in the commotion of the incident back at the saloon."
"You're right kid. Let's go."
The two padded back to the entrance of the alleyway and halted abruptly as they observed a mob of people gathering around the burning bar, throwing water on the flames, and screaming bewilderedly.
"Too late," Demonte turned his head slightly. "Now what, genius?"
"This way," BDN motioned his head through another alleyway. "It's a shortcut, that much I know."
"All right, lead the way." Demonte nodded absently and followed his comrade into the darkness.
"Here we are," Demonte unlocked the door to his room on the second floor and stepped aside as BDN hurried past him. He turned and let the man drop to the bed. Turning on the lights, Demonte followed BDN into the room, shutting the door behind him.
He stiffened as he heard a slight gasp escape from BDN's mouth.
"It can't be…" His eyes widened, "That stupid fool…it can't be him…"
"What are you mumbling on about old timer?" Demonte followed his companion's gaze and stared closely at the man they had saved for the first time.
"That man," It was Demonte's turn to become petrified. "He was the man I saw back in Dankin…Yes, he tried to stop a fight between another man and myself. How ironic that we would meet again."
"No," Demonte heard BDN whisper. "This man…he…he's the legendary Vash the Stampede!"
"WHAT!?" Demonte screeched. "Him!? HIM!?" He pointed to the man on the bed, staring at BDN skeptically. "VASH THE STAMPEDE!? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!? VASH THE STAMPEDE IS DEAD!"
"No," BDN examined the man further. "I am almost positive that this is the yellow-haired bastard. It's brilliant that he's alive!"
"And just HOW the HELL do you know VASH!?" Demonte stumbled backwards. "I need to sit down…"
"Several years ago, I hijacked a sand steamer with my clan, the Bad Lads. Apparently, Vash the Stampede was on that same sand steamer at the time. He beat my men back and I challenged him to a duel for the safety of the sand steamer." BDN almost laughed. "And, of course, he won. I expected no less."
"THAT'S how you know Vash!?" Demonte asked, disbelief residing in his voice. "That's crazy! You expect me to believe that crap!?"
"I'm not asking you to believe it." BDN crossed his arms over his chest. "I was real broken up after I heard about the demise of Vash the Stampede. But I knew that a man like him wouldn't just curl up and die. I wonder why he's stayed in hiding for the past four years."
"You can't be SURE that this is Vash, you know…" Demonte pointed out.
"True, but we'll find out soon enough, eh?" BDN turned around, and nodded. "In the meantime, you don't mind if he takes your bed until he snaps out of it, right?"
"But…" Demonte protested.
"Good. I knew you'd be a man about this. I'm gonna go stand guard outside in case that silver-haired bastard decides to show up again. Also, the civilians of this town may want to find out who burned down their saloon. I don't blame them for being so pissed. A bar is another word for 'sanctuary' anyway." He gave a good, hardy laugh. "Call me if you need me." Demonte heard the door slam shut and his companion was out the door.
He turned to look at the body claiming his bed rights. Could it be? Was this really Vash the Stampede? If it was true, Hell's Mafia would love to find out about this.
Demonte readied himself for bed, preparing a spare mattress by the foot of the bed. He turned over and kicked off his boots, but left his cloak on. Pulling the covers over his head, Demonte snuggled deeper under the warmth of the blankets. He would wait to find out the truth from this man about 'Vash the Stampede' before resuming his journey to Ashon to visit Stan.
"Who are you?"
This voice…it was old and fragile…
"Where are you from?"
A softer voice this time. No, it couldn't have been his parents. These voices had a hint of joy in them, as though they had discovered something new.
"There's no need to be afraid, child…"
"Who are your parents?"
The young boy who was being prosecuted shifted his weight in the chair and looked down miserably.
"We're not going to hurt you," The softer voice this time. Someone was holding his hand, stroking it.
"We want to help you…"
"Help you…"
…Help you…
Then fire engulfed the premises, leaving the boy to feel only the heat of death. The two voices that had been trying to console him earlier were now drowned out by the cackle of hideous laughter. Both a man and woman of darkness emerged, and the boy was torn from limb to limb.
"God please help me, God they're gonna get me…Please…Please…"
"HELP ME!!!" Two strong arms pinned Demonte to the floor as he shouted and revolted.
"Take it easy!" An unfamiliar voice commanded. "Stop thrashing around will you!?" Demonte slipped from the man's grasp and dashed for the lights. With a swat of his hand, light filled the room and Demonte was staring face to face with the man known as Vash the Stampede.
Demonte paused, his breathing quickening after the earlier struggle. "You were having a nightmare," Vash whispered. Demonte stiffened as he felt the light gleam in his eyes and he realized that the hood from his cloak had fallen down.
Reaching an arm for his hood, he spun on his heel and shot down the stairs, calling for BDN.
"Quiet boy, you'll wake the dead!" BDN whispered harshly as Demonte burst onto the front porch. "What's the matter?"
"The man…" Demonte huffed. "He's awake!"
The corners of BDN's mouth turned upwards in a smirk. "Well it's about time. Let's go pay a visit to that ol' chum, shall we?" BDN paused. "Geez Dem, did Vash scare you?"
"No," Demonte felt belittled. "Absolutely not. He merely startled me, that's all." Demonte hid the fact that his nightmare was the real startle.
BDN hid a smile and continued up to the room where his longtime friend was staying. As the door swung open, Vash's eyes widened in astonishment. This familiar man…could it be?
"So, are you Vash the Stampede?" BDN asked, bluntly.
"No," BDN's face frowned at this man's reply. "That man died a long time ago."
"So then," Demonte stepped forward. "Who are you?"
"My name is irrelevant," The man said, lowering his gaze to the oak wood floor. "But some do call me Vash."
"Vash," BDN pushed the name through his lips. "So just what did happen to Vash the Stampede?"
"He's no longer needed," Vash said. "That man no longer exists. He was killed by…ambition."
"Ambition huh?" BDN smiled as Demonte's gaze diverted between the two. "So how has life been treating you, Vash? It's been a long time you know."
"I didn't recognize you at first, Brilliant Dynamites Neon. I remember your hair being a lot messier. Now it's just tied back neatly."
"I got a haircut," BDN laughed, heartily. "It is you, Vash, I knew it."
"You!?" Demonte felt his knees go weak at the sight of the truth. "You're the infamous Vash the Stampede!?"
"Was, I'd like to say. As I said before, I don't go by that…actually come to think of it, it never really was a name of choice that I had given myself." Vash smiled. "So how's the Bad Lad Gang, Brilliant?"
"I retired from that actually. Just a few years ago too. Lately I've been on my own mission, just to pick up loose change here and there. Well I stumbled upon this little town and there's been a little accident. The Mayor was murdered and I decided to take it upon myself to find his murderer. Well, upon hostile intents, I met up with Demonte here," BDN gestured to the man behind him.
"I've already met him," Vash said. "Back in Dankin, right?"
"So, you remember too?" Demonte said as Vash nodded.
"Anyway, things led from one thing to another and by the time we knew what was going on, we had found you strung out in an abandoned alley way." BDN continued.
Vash stiffened.
"So we brought you back here." Demonte finished.
"Now that we've made a long story short," BDN smiled. "How about sharing some of your stories with us?"
"W-What do you mean?" Vash pretended to play ignorant.
"You know what. What happened after the sand steamer? Why did you go into hiding and conceal yourself for four years? Everyone's been wondering about that, Vash, even those girls who used to travel with you."
A deep anger boiled within Vash's eyes at the mentioning of 'girls'.
"Who cares about the girls? They were just an eyesore anyway, always following me around and driving me crazy! I'm glad to be rid of them. That should've been the top reason I hid myself in the first place." Temper, temper, Demonte said to himself.
"So you DO admit to hiding out, eh?" BDN chuckled and sat down on the bed next to Vash. "Are you gonna explain?"
"About the last seven years?" Vash blinked. "Can't we settle down for chit-chat in the morning?"
"No way, Vash. You aren't weaseling yourself out of this question. A lot of us were really torn apart to hear of your demise I'll have you know." BDN said, his voice tensing upon the moment.
Demonte leaned closer. So this was the infamous Vash the Stampede, eh? Not quite how Demonte had envisioned him. Actually, Demonte still wasn't quite convinced that this droopy-eyed moron was really the legendary Vash the Stampede. Demonte leaned his body against the wall, anticipating the upcoming conversation. He had pictured more of a green-scaled monster with greasy fangs and ten arms.
Vash hesitated. "My past…you want me to tell you about my past?"
"In a nutshell." BDN watched as his friend proceeded to bite his lip.
"A lot has happened you know. Mostly bad…are you sure you want to hear this?"
"Don't you think we have a right to know where you've been for the last few years?" BDN pressed on the subject.
Vash the Stampede doesn't have friends, Demonte thought to himself. That's why he's beating around the bush. To him, this topic is of no one else's concern. Or maybe it's true that he is a complete faker after all. Vash the Stampede was rumored as a monster, not just a…MAN like this person.
"You're making this difficult," Vash said. "But if you want to know…I'll tell you what I remember." Vash hesitated. "I walked into a good friend of mine's church…and blood had stained the carpet…"
***
^_^ Yay! Vash is back! Aren't you guys happy? The whole gang is gonna be reunited shortly, but is there tension between Vash and the Insurance Girls? Flares are going to be rising tonight with these newfound questions that will be answered momentarily.
Let me know what you think of the story thus far and critiques (Nice ones) are always welcome as well as if questions or if you find something wrong with the story. As always, please R&R. Don't be lazy! Your words do count! ~_~' Heh, heh…
BLD