Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, Vash the Stampede, Millions Knives, Meryl Stryfe, Millie Thompson, the deceased Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Rem Seiburem (Saverem), the late Legato Bluesummers, the Gung-ho-Guns, Planet Gunsmoke, any of the Seven Cities, Project S.E.E.D.S., "Sound Life", geraniums, frozen people, or pretty much anything that appears in this fanfic! If any of that changes, you, the readers, will be the first to know!
A/N: I'd like to thank CaptainMurphysMistress, Baku, Keosis, geranium and MidgetMinion for their awesome reviews! Thanks for being so supportive of my writing!
Also, just so you know, geranium, this fic takes place after the conclusion of the series. At the end, he takes off his red coat, and tosses it into the air. Under that, he has his black outfit. Well, in heat, black is the worst colour to wear. So, for the record, Vash got hot, and presumably took it off to cool down some. That's why he isn't wearing his shirt.
Here's the fourth chapter of "Golden Recluse"! Read, leave me reviews, and maybe a few favourites would be rather nice!
Chapter IV: Renaissance
'Rem... I will continue to believe in you! But from now on, I'll look to my own words for guidance...'
Rem...it's really you...
It was an impossible dream, believing that she was there. In his mind, Vash knew that very well. He knew that Rem was only a thing of the past, and could never return to the world of the living. He was fully aware who and what had killed the woman of his childhood. However, sometimes thought is performed by the heart, in place of the mind.
Vash could feel the cold, refreshing water soothing his parched mouth, life flooding back into his infirm body. His blood was flowing again; he was once again aware of a pulse, as well as a painful throbbing in his throat. There was a dull ache in the gunman's side, just below his ribs, which served as a lucid reminder of the fact that he'd gone without food for nearly two weeks.
It's been so long...
Along the Humanoid Typhoon's stomach was an array of small slashes caused by the coarse sand in the wind. As a result of not eating regularly, Vash's stomach sloped in drastically, his ribs plainly visible to the eye. His all-together gaunt appearance caused his numerous scars to stand out even more than usual.
And here you are... with me...
Using what little strength he'd managed to retain, Vash managed a feeble smile.
"I... knew you'd... come b-back," the lanky hybrid stated hoarsely.
I love you...
Steadily, Vash's vision was beginning to clear. While his eyes still felt dry and itched terribly, he made an effort to look at the dark-haired woman. Her face drifted in and out of focus, despite how hard the Stampede concentrated. Vaguely, he could distinguish the outline of her body as she wiped several sweaty, gritty locks of blonde hair away from his eyes.
'This is turning out to be quite a trim! I never noticed before, but you're really handsome!'
'Do you think so?'
'Hey, I just got an idea, handsome!'
Carefully, the raven-haired mentor styled the child's hair into a style which closely resembled the end of a broom...
'It's standing up!'
A weak laugh escaped Vash's now moist lips at the thought of his first haircut, though, the laugh soon turned into a sputtering cough. His throat still ached uncomfortably, but he ignored it. It didn't matter; nothing mattered anymore.
I've missed you so much...
"You poor thing," he heard someone say.
Against his rough skin, the humanoid felt a much softer material. The woman, he realized, was wiping his wounds off with a bit of cloth. There was a slight stinging sensation as she poured a small amount of water onto his skin, which traveled through the crevices of his scars, giving an appearance of a river flowing over rocks. Involuntarily, he winced.
"It'll be okay," the placid voice cooed. "Just relax."
That's... not her voice...
So many times in his mind had the Stampede hear Rem's voice, almost as if her voice were recorded, and played back at random. Sometimes, at night, the only thing that would bring sleep was the sound of her voice, singing "Sound Life" to him. It was a sound he wasn't likely to forget.
That's not Rem's voice...
"R-Rem?" Vash asked, his eyes finally escaping the haze that had masked her face.
It's not her...
"Rem?" the stooped woman echoed.
How could it be?
Tears of disappointment sprang to his aquamarine eyes, as he gazed at the woman before him. True, she did possess black hair, wavier than he had thought, and was of a similar build to Rem; however, the face was that of another's.
'No, no! Don't go, Rem!!'
Rem was gone.
"What's wrong? What hurts?"
My heart...
"Just show me where it hurts," she instructed him, carefully placing a hand atop his.
His chest heaving erratically from the sobs, Vash laid a hand over the metal grate on the left side of his chest, adhered directly over his heart.
"Your chest is hurting?"
He nodded dimly, unable to stifle the strident gasps.
"Try to calm down," she told him, her azure eyes widening. "You have to calm down, okay?"
Thinking quickly, the fair-skinned lady grasped his right hand, and held it against her own chest. He could feel it moving steadily in and out, and he was able to faintly detect her rhythmic heartbeat.
"Breathe with me; listen to the sound of my breathing. You're going to be all right."
Gradually, Vash's sobs faded, and he was capable of breathing normally again. His eyes were closed in thought, as his muscles relaxed. His hand still rest beneath hers, not so much in an effort to regulate his breathing, but more so to stave off his feeling of isolation. As long as her hand was touching his, he knew he was alive.
"Thank you," he muttered, opening his eyes and meeting hers.
I have to let go...
She nodded, and smiled faintly.
"What is it you called me earlier? Rem, was it?"
"I'm sorry."
"I'm Amaranta."
Confused, the blonde man blinked up at her. Noticing his bewilderment, the girl smiled light-heartedly, settling into a more comfortable sitting position.
"It's my name. 'The flower that never fades'."
Impossible...
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C/N: Another chapter! Yes!
Well, now that you've read the fourth chapter, what do you think? Did you enjoy it? Despise it? Want to pelt me with rotten vegetables? Let me know!
The general rule is, the more reviews you leave me, the sooner I update. If you leave me a nice one, or even add something to your favourites list, the next chapter will be posted very shortly! Thanks for reading!
Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow
"Golden Recluse" © Kawaii Youko