Disclaimer: Trigun is not mine.
Thanks for all the kind reviews!!!
Warnings: Language. And when I wrote this part I kept getting flashes of
Pulp Fiction- you know the guy that says, 'Ezekial 29- The path of the
righteous man is beset on all sides...etc"? For some reason, that quote
always comes to mind when I write about Wolfwood being a badass!!
Vash followed the lone set of tire tracks out of town. He saw a car parked to one side of a group of rocks. He stopped his car, slid out and approached with silent footsteps. A glance over the top of one of the rocks showed him an interesting scene. Meryl and Millie were seated on the ground, surrounded by 5 men with guns. The girls looked okay, though Meryl had a hand on her bad shoulder. Wolfwood was standing, cross punisher next to him, almost toe to toe with Steve.
"I know who you are now Chapel! The master was unhappy that you pretended to be Vash and tricked me like that."
"I'll bet he was more angry that you were fooled." Wolfwood replied coolly. "Everyone knows Vash is a tall blond man in a red coat. Not to mention the fact he looks like Knives. Moron. You've messed up this whole thing. Might as well give up and let those girls go."
"Knives said I could do whatever I needed to! Vash will come rescue these bitches!" Steve shouted. Wolfwood's eyes glowed menacingly. "You know he will!"
"Really? Well if Vash is such a bastard, damning us all to live here, killing so many people in the Fall, why would he come rescue two girls?" Wolfwood pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "It'd be easier to cut his losses and move on, right?"
"Uh..." Steve faltered for a moment and Wolfwood grinned like a hungry wolf.
"I may work for Knives, but I don't believe all of his little fairy tales. Of course, he never told me that one. I didn't need to be lied to- or is that manipulated?"
"How dare you insult our master!"
"Get real, Steve. We're just bugs to him."
"No! He cares for us!!" This made Wolfwood laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh. It was filled with bitterness and anger. He heard Millie's sharp indrawn breath at the sound like a slash across his soul.
"Really? He sent you to kill Vash, right?"
"Yes! It's my duty! And yours!"
"No. He sent me to protect him, by any means necessary. Even if I had to kill off the Gung-ho Guns to do it. He's just playing with us all."
Interesting, Vash thought, watching Wolfwood and Steve argue. Wolfwood was sent by Knives to protect me? What little game was his brother playing now? Meryl was holding her shoulder, her eyes on the two men. She looked up suddenly and met his gaze. She held it for a moment, and then looked back at Steve and Wolfwood.
"You're lying! Knives doesn't want to protect Vash! Vash is a cold- blooded killer!"
"I'm not lying and Vash isn't a cold-blooded killer."
"But all the Gung-ho Guns are dead! Vash killed them all!"
"No, he didn't. Aren't I a Gung-ho Gun?" Wolfwood glanced over at the girls. Millie was pale, face streaked with tears, eyes focused on the ground. He'd lost her now, he knew it. Well, when you don't have anything left... Wolfwood looked back at Steve. "Dominique and Monev were killed by EG Mine. EG was killed by Rai-den. And Rai-den? He was killed by me." Wolfwood smiled mirthlessly. "Rai-den the blade, Lenov the puppet master, Grey the nine-lives, Zazie the beast... they all wanted to kill Vash the Stampede so I killed them."
His blue gaze never wavered, and Steve took a step back. "And now here you are, Engineer Steve. You want to kill Vash and my orders haven't changed."
"You k-killed them?? But why? We all serve him! Th-they were your companions... your..."
"Friends?" His voice was thick with sarcasm and Steve jerked as if he'd been struck. "Right. People like that don't have friends. They were just murderous scum..." Wolfwood's eyes flickered, grew colder. "Like me. Knives wanted them to die. Like he wants you to die. One more life that Vash can't save- can't redeem... we're only Knives's tools to make Vash suffer." Steve sank to his knees.
"Why? I've served him faithfully my whole life... I..." Wolfwood laughed again.
"So did Bluesummers- and now he's dead too."
"Legato is dead? How? Did you kill him too?" Wolfwood stubbed out his cigarette.
"No. He suicided." Steve gasped. "It's what Knives wanted him to do. He wanted Legato to kill himself to make Vash suffer." In a flash, two of Wolfwood's 44s were in his hands, pointed at Steve. "Just like your death at my hands will make Vash suffer." One of the men surrounding the girls took a step closer, but a look from Wolfwood froze him in his tracks. It was the empty merciless gaze of a killer. No pity, no remorse, no hate- only death. Steve swallowed. This man could kill them all without even blinking. He had destroyed the Gung-ho guns. Was what he said about Knives true?
"But... you're a priest!" He protested lamely.
"And you are a sacrifice." Wolfwood's voice was empty of expression now. "A sacrifice to your little god..." He pulled the hammers back.
"What..what if we just leave?" Steve asked in the silence. The blankness on Wolfwood's face was replaced by thoughtfulness.
"I won't stop you. My orders are to protect Vash. If you aren't a threat..." Wolfwood paused.
"I... I need to think about this... I..." Steve's world was tumbling around him. He gestured to his remaining men. "Let's go."
"Boss?" Asked one of the braver ones.
"Now!" They piled themselves into their remaining car and drove off. Wolfwood didn't lower the guns until their car disappeared in the distance. He didn't look at the girls. Millie raised herself to her feet.
"Are you really a...?" She asked Wolfwood quietly, pausing on the word.
"Yes." Wolfwood still wasn't looking at her. "I killed my first man when I was 7. Born and raised to the job, you might say." He tilted his head to the side. "You can come out now, Vash. I know you're there."
"I know." Vash responded, vacating his hiding place. "Legato didn't commit suicide."
"He hurt the girls and told you the only way to save them was to kill him. That's suicide." Vash smiled wearily.
"I guess that's one way to look at it." His smile changed and his voice turned teasing. "If you're a Terrorist-Priest." Wolfwood looked startled. Vash turned to the girls. "Millie, Meryl, you two okay?"
"Just fine," Meryl picked herself off the ground, hand still tight on her shoulder.
"Great, let's all get back to the hotel then. I'm starving- aren't you Wolfwood?"
"Huh?" Wolfwood's jaw dropped and Millie looked flustered.
"But... Mr. Vash- he works for Knives..." she faltered.
"I knew that already." Vash shrugged. "So?"
"You don't care?" Millie asked, the hopeful tone in her voice puzzling to Wolfwood. Meryl was looking at Vash understandingly and Wolfwood realized that both girls must've suspected something all along.
"No." Vash replied easily. "C'mon." His hand landed on Wolfwood's shoulder. "Let's go back, okay?" Vash's hand tightened slightly.
They rode back to the city in silence. Millie had twisted her hands tightly in her lap and was staring at them. Meryl sat next to her, but her eyes were on the horizon. Wolfwood sat beside Vash, who was driving with his yellow shades over his eyes. Wolfwood tried a dozen conversation starters in his head, all of them duds. He had known Vash was on to him- but the girls too? Had they known all along? When they reached the hotel, and gone inside, Vash turned to Millie.
"I think you and Wolfwood need some time to talk." He took Meryl's arm and led her away. Millie opened the door to the girls' room and beckoned him in.
"Rest," Vash pointed to the bed. "Let me check your shoulder."
"It's okay. One of the guys just kind of tapped it..."
"Tapped it?" Vash's eyebrow went up. Meryl sighed and sat down on the bed, tugging her shirt to the side. Vash pulled a chair up in front of her. He touched the area lightly. "It's bruised! What did he tap it with- a rock?"
"His fist," Meryl admitted as she tilted her head to look as well. "But the gunshot wound is healing fine."
"Yay," Vash muttered. "Maybe the next bandit will wing your other side so you can have matching scars."
"Like you?"
"Ha ha." Meryl shifted slightly and glanced towards the door.
"Do you think things are going all right over there?"
"I hope so." Vash leaned back in his chair and looked at her.
"Did you get your errand finished?"
"Uh huh. Now we can get out of this damn city and wander out aimlessly in the desert again." Vash replied.
"It's not aimless, we're looking for... darn it! We should've made Steve tell us where he is!"
"Steve didn't know." Vash replied.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure." She didn't ask how. She frowned instead, her hand rubbing at her wound. Vash stretched out his hand and stopped her. "Don't, you'll just open it up again. Does it hurt?"
"It aches," she answered, her fingers trapped in his.
"We have some more pain meds..." He let her hand go, turning towards the luggage.
"I don't need them, it's not that bad. It's like when I was a kid and I bumped my head or elbow or something... Bearable."
"Did you do that a lot?"
"Oh yes. I always had to keep up with my brother. I got bumped and bruised all the time. Mom or Dad would just give it a kiss and send me on my way."
"A kiss?" Vash looked puzzled.
"Yeah, to make it better. You know..."
"No. That's the first time I've heard of that. It doesn't sound very sanitary." Meryl laughed.
"It's not a sanctioned medical procedure! Parents do it for their kids when they get a small injury- like a bruise. Just a bit of love and attention so the kid feels better- mentally. Didn't Rem? I mean it sounds like something she would've done." Vash smiled.
"She probably would've; but Knives and I never showed our hurts to Rem. They made her feel badly, so we hid the pain."
"When Steve hurt you..." Meryl's eyes darkened and her hand touched her shoulder again, absently.
"Meryl- stop that." Vash pulled her hand away again, then without thinking, bent and touched his lips to the place right above the injury. He felt her shiver and he pulled back a little. "Uh... does it feel better?" A smile touched the edges of her mouth.
"Actually yes," Meryl replied, not adding that his impromptu kiss had blocked out everything but the feel of his mouth on her skin. "No pain left."
"I wish that worked for everything." Vash sighed. He was still close to her and it seemed the easiest thing in the world to lean forward a bit...
She kissed him gently on the mouth, and felt him start in surprise. Then his arms went around her. A few minutes later, she leaned backwards, taking him down onto the bed with her.
"Your injury..." he murmured.
"What injury?"
"Meryl..." He protested, feeling guilty.
"Vash. Shh. Let me make you feel better..."
Vash followed the lone set of tire tracks out of town. He saw a car parked to one side of a group of rocks. He stopped his car, slid out and approached with silent footsteps. A glance over the top of one of the rocks showed him an interesting scene. Meryl and Millie were seated on the ground, surrounded by 5 men with guns. The girls looked okay, though Meryl had a hand on her bad shoulder. Wolfwood was standing, cross punisher next to him, almost toe to toe with Steve.
"I know who you are now Chapel! The master was unhappy that you pretended to be Vash and tricked me like that."
"I'll bet he was more angry that you were fooled." Wolfwood replied coolly. "Everyone knows Vash is a tall blond man in a red coat. Not to mention the fact he looks like Knives. Moron. You've messed up this whole thing. Might as well give up and let those girls go."
"Knives said I could do whatever I needed to! Vash will come rescue these bitches!" Steve shouted. Wolfwood's eyes glowed menacingly. "You know he will!"
"Really? Well if Vash is such a bastard, damning us all to live here, killing so many people in the Fall, why would he come rescue two girls?" Wolfwood pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "It'd be easier to cut his losses and move on, right?"
"Uh..." Steve faltered for a moment and Wolfwood grinned like a hungry wolf.
"I may work for Knives, but I don't believe all of his little fairy tales. Of course, he never told me that one. I didn't need to be lied to- or is that manipulated?"
"How dare you insult our master!"
"Get real, Steve. We're just bugs to him."
"No! He cares for us!!" This made Wolfwood laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh. It was filled with bitterness and anger. He heard Millie's sharp indrawn breath at the sound like a slash across his soul.
"Really? He sent you to kill Vash, right?"
"Yes! It's my duty! And yours!"
"No. He sent me to protect him, by any means necessary. Even if I had to kill off the Gung-ho Guns to do it. He's just playing with us all."
Interesting, Vash thought, watching Wolfwood and Steve argue. Wolfwood was sent by Knives to protect me? What little game was his brother playing now? Meryl was holding her shoulder, her eyes on the two men. She looked up suddenly and met his gaze. She held it for a moment, and then looked back at Steve and Wolfwood.
"You're lying! Knives doesn't want to protect Vash! Vash is a cold- blooded killer!"
"I'm not lying and Vash isn't a cold-blooded killer."
"But all the Gung-ho Guns are dead! Vash killed them all!"
"No, he didn't. Aren't I a Gung-ho Gun?" Wolfwood glanced over at the girls. Millie was pale, face streaked with tears, eyes focused on the ground. He'd lost her now, he knew it. Well, when you don't have anything left... Wolfwood looked back at Steve. "Dominique and Monev were killed by EG Mine. EG was killed by Rai-den. And Rai-den? He was killed by me." Wolfwood smiled mirthlessly. "Rai-den the blade, Lenov the puppet master, Grey the nine-lives, Zazie the beast... they all wanted to kill Vash the Stampede so I killed them."
His blue gaze never wavered, and Steve took a step back. "And now here you are, Engineer Steve. You want to kill Vash and my orders haven't changed."
"You k-killed them?? But why? We all serve him! Th-they were your companions... your..."
"Friends?" His voice was thick with sarcasm and Steve jerked as if he'd been struck. "Right. People like that don't have friends. They were just murderous scum..." Wolfwood's eyes flickered, grew colder. "Like me. Knives wanted them to die. Like he wants you to die. One more life that Vash can't save- can't redeem... we're only Knives's tools to make Vash suffer." Steve sank to his knees.
"Why? I've served him faithfully my whole life... I..." Wolfwood laughed again.
"So did Bluesummers- and now he's dead too."
"Legato is dead? How? Did you kill him too?" Wolfwood stubbed out his cigarette.
"No. He suicided." Steve gasped. "It's what Knives wanted him to do. He wanted Legato to kill himself to make Vash suffer." In a flash, two of Wolfwood's 44s were in his hands, pointed at Steve. "Just like your death at my hands will make Vash suffer." One of the men surrounding the girls took a step closer, but a look from Wolfwood froze him in his tracks. It was the empty merciless gaze of a killer. No pity, no remorse, no hate- only death. Steve swallowed. This man could kill them all without even blinking. He had destroyed the Gung-ho guns. Was what he said about Knives true?
"But... you're a priest!" He protested lamely.
"And you are a sacrifice." Wolfwood's voice was empty of expression now. "A sacrifice to your little god..." He pulled the hammers back.
"What..what if we just leave?" Steve asked in the silence. The blankness on Wolfwood's face was replaced by thoughtfulness.
"I won't stop you. My orders are to protect Vash. If you aren't a threat..." Wolfwood paused.
"I... I need to think about this... I..." Steve's world was tumbling around him. He gestured to his remaining men. "Let's go."
"Boss?" Asked one of the braver ones.
"Now!" They piled themselves into their remaining car and drove off. Wolfwood didn't lower the guns until their car disappeared in the distance. He didn't look at the girls. Millie raised herself to her feet.
"Are you really a...?" She asked Wolfwood quietly, pausing on the word.
"Yes." Wolfwood still wasn't looking at her. "I killed my first man when I was 7. Born and raised to the job, you might say." He tilted his head to the side. "You can come out now, Vash. I know you're there."
"I know." Vash responded, vacating his hiding place. "Legato didn't commit suicide."
"He hurt the girls and told you the only way to save them was to kill him. That's suicide." Vash smiled wearily.
"I guess that's one way to look at it." His smile changed and his voice turned teasing. "If you're a Terrorist-Priest." Wolfwood looked startled. Vash turned to the girls. "Millie, Meryl, you two okay?"
"Just fine," Meryl picked herself off the ground, hand still tight on her shoulder.
"Great, let's all get back to the hotel then. I'm starving- aren't you Wolfwood?"
"Huh?" Wolfwood's jaw dropped and Millie looked flustered.
"But... Mr. Vash- he works for Knives..." she faltered.
"I knew that already." Vash shrugged. "So?"
"You don't care?" Millie asked, the hopeful tone in her voice puzzling to Wolfwood. Meryl was looking at Vash understandingly and Wolfwood realized that both girls must've suspected something all along.
"No." Vash replied easily. "C'mon." His hand landed on Wolfwood's shoulder. "Let's go back, okay?" Vash's hand tightened slightly.
They rode back to the city in silence. Millie had twisted her hands tightly in her lap and was staring at them. Meryl sat next to her, but her eyes were on the horizon. Wolfwood sat beside Vash, who was driving with his yellow shades over his eyes. Wolfwood tried a dozen conversation starters in his head, all of them duds. He had known Vash was on to him- but the girls too? Had they known all along? When they reached the hotel, and gone inside, Vash turned to Millie.
"I think you and Wolfwood need some time to talk." He took Meryl's arm and led her away. Millie opened the door to the girls' room and beckoned him in.
"Rest," Vash pointed to the bed. "Let me check your shoulder."
"It's okay. One of the guys just kind of tapped it..."
"Tapped it?" Vash's eyebrow went up. Meryl sighed and sat down on the bed, tugging her shirt to the side. Vash pulled a chair up in front of her. He touched the area lightly. "It's bruised! What did he tap it with- a rock?"
"His fist," Meryl admitted as she tilted her head to look as well. "But the gunshot wound is healing fine."
"Yay," Vash muttered. "Maybe the next bandit will wing your other side so you can have matching scars."
"Like you?"
"Ha ha." Meryl shifted slightly and glanced towards the door.
"Do you think things are going all right over there?"
"I hope so." Vash leaned back in his chair and looked at her.
"Did you get your errand finished?"
"Uh huh. Now we can get out of this damn city and wander out aimlessly in the desert again." Vash replied.
"It's not aimless, we're looking for... darn it! We should've made Steve tell us where he is!"
"Steve didn't know." Vash replied.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure." She didn't ask how. She frowned instead, her hand rubbing at her wound. Vash stretched out his hand and stopped her. "Don't, you'll just open it up again. Does it hurt?"
"It aches," she answered, her fingers trapped in his.
"We have some more pain meds..." He let her hand go, turning towards the luggage.
"I don't need them, it's not that bad. It's like when I was a kid and I bumped my head or elbow or something... Bearable."
"Did you do that a lot?"
"Oh yes. I always had to keep up with my brother. I got bumped and bruised all the time. Mom or Dad would just give it a kiss and send me on my way."
"A kiss?" Vash looked puzzled.
"Yeah, to make it better. You know..."
"No. That's the first time I've heard of that. It doesn't sound very sanitary." Meryl laughed.
"It's not a sanctioned medical procedure! Parents do it for their kids when they get a small injury- like a bruise. Just a bit of love and attention so the kid feels better- mentally. Didn't Rem? I mean it sounds like something she would've done." Vash smiled.
"She probably would've; but Knives and I never showed our hurts to Rem. They made her feel badly, so we hid the pain."
"When Steve hurt you..." Meryl's eyes darkened and her hand touched her shoulder again, absently.
"Meryl- stop that." Vash pulled her hand away again, then without thinking, bent and touched his lips to the place right above the injury. He felt her shiver and he pulled back a little. "Uh... does it feel better?" A smile touched the edges of her mouth.
"Actually yes," Meryl replied, not adding that his impromptu kiss had blocked out everything but the feel of his mouth on her skin. "No pain left."
"I wish that worked for everything." Vash sighed. He was still close to her and it seemed the easiest thing in the world to lean forward a bit...
She kissed him gently on the mouth, and felt him start in surprise. Then his arms went around her. A few minutes later, she leaned backwards, taking him down onto the bed with her.
"Your injury..." he murmured.
"What injury?"
"Meryl..." He protested, feeling guilty.
"Vash. Shh. Let me make you feel better..."
