Author's Note: From now on this shall be a regularly updated story until its conclusion. On with the show.
Legato: (Smiling wider then ever) That was…impressive. You're not only strong, but agile and resourceful. My Master agrees that you will be enough for what is planned next. Now come here and we shall discuss the details of the plan.
Grave walks within half a foot of Legato and glares down at him. He brings both his guns up and puts the barrels against either side of Legato's head. However, his fingers suddenly bend painfully back away from the triggers.
Legato: (Smile gone from his face) Your attempts to murder me are getting tiresome. Now sit down.
Grave drops both his guns behind him and then he drops like a stone on top of them. His legs then cross themselves and his hands grip his knees firmly.
Legato: (Smiling wickedly again) Good boy. Now sit quietly and listen.
Legato shuts his eyes for a moment and Grave's eye goes wide. Legato walks over and crouches down next to where Grave is sitting he looks thoughtfully at Grave's profile. Grave is still staring straight forward, but he's not seeing what's around him. In front of him stands Vash the Stampede, who suddenly darts to the left and leaps to the side pulling out his gun and firing, seemingly, at Grave.
Legato: (Whispering in Grave's ear) This man is Vash the Stampede, you're going to hunt him down and kill him…or you'll be killed by him. Neither will be an easy task, even for someone of your skill.
Grave watches a montage of Vash fighting with the Bad Lads, Nebraska Family, and pretty much all the enemies up to this point in the anime, with the exception of Monev the Gale (in other words, he is shown all of Vash's combat moves except the Hidden Gun).
Legato: As you notice, he does not kill his opponents. My master would like you to be the one to break this trend of his. I know how strong you are, he can't stop you without killing you. But, he will try to "talk you out of it" as it were. When he does this, kill his friends.
Grave glares at Legato.
Legato: He has three traveling companions: a priest and two women. Unbeknownst to him the priest is the disciple of the last remaining Gung-Ho Gun. (Pauses) I think it would be best to kill him to begin with, it'll make him angry and that much closer to killing you. I'll arrange a meeting with you and the priest; I want you to kill him and his master who'll be waiting in the wings. My master no longer has any use for the Gung-Ho Guns with you here.
Legato stands and walks a short distance away from Grave. Grave watches Legato, but remains where he is.
Legato: However, if he still refuses to kill you even after his friends are dead… my master would prefer if you made his death as swift as possible. He also would like this man to have an open casket funeral, so please, shoot him in that bleeding heart of his. Afterwards you'll be free to go where ever you wish. (Turns around to face Grave) But, if you should take a fall during this fight, or if you hesitate to pull the trigger for even a moment; I will have you march from town to town guns blazing until you choke on the ashes of every worthless human you kill.
Grave is released from Legato's power and collapses to the ground breathing heavily. Legato picks up Grave's guns and puts them back into the Coffin. Legato then pulls him back onto his feet despite the fact that Grave is almost double his size.
Legato: You'll meet the priest in a church on the outskirts of Augusta. It's about three thousand iles (points to the left) that way. The meeting will be in three weeks from today that should give you plenty of time.
Legato's carriage pulls up and he silently enters. As the carriage turns around to speed away Legato looks at Grave through the small window and waves. Graves turns around and walks toward the suns low on the horizon.
-Jenora Rock-
Vash the Stampede walks into town carrying a two person car seat on his back and sitting on top the car seat is Meryl Stryfe and Millie Thompson. Vash gently sets the seat down and collapses.
Meryl: At last, we're finally here.
Millie: (Looking down at Vash): You look bad, are you alright?
Vash: (Panting) How can you even have the nerve to ask me that!?
Meryl dangles a canteen of water in front of Vash's face and lets out a taunting laugh. Vash snatches the canteen and jumps up gulping the contents as quickly as possible.
Vash: (Joyously shouting) I'm alive again! Boy, that was really close.
Millie: (Looking down the street) Hey, what's going on there?
In front of the nearby saloon, a crowd has formed around the entrance. Vash and the girls elbow past through the crowd. Vash approaches the waiter (You know, the one who was harassed by the Rodericks) who is standing outside the door.
Vash: (Trying to peek past him) Hey, what's going on here?
Waiter: (Almost dazed) You wouldn't believe it; some guy wasted the Roderick gang. We got over a dozen guys all shot up in here.
Meryl pushes past him and crouches down by the nearest body.
Waiter: Hey! You shouldn't be in here!
Meryl: Its okay, I'm Meryl Stryfe with…
Vash: (Walking past the man with Millie right behind him) The Bernardelli Insurance Society. She's a disaster investigator, you know. Oh…!
Vash grimaces at the sight of the bodies strewn around the blood splattered room. The place is blown to shambles. Millie looks around with barely contained fear; she approaches a crater in the floor
Millie: Meryl, this doesn't look like a normal gunfight.
Millie looks into the crater Grave made with his coffin and lets out a yelp and backs away several paces.
Waiter: Yeah, that's not exactly something I think a lady should see.
As the waiter is talking Vash walks over to the hole and looks in. He immediately cups his hand to his mouth and runs to the nearest trash can and retches.
Waiter: (To Meryl who stands up from examining the body) Well, uh, since you all are from Bernardelli, I guess should give you a statement of what happened here. For the record or whatever.
The waiter goes to sit at one of the remaining tables, the others join him.
Waiter: Well, the Roderick's came in here to celebrate their latest plundering. They had brought a couple of ladies, uh captives that is. Well, one of the captives started to stare at a guy at the bar when one of the Rodericks, that fellow (points to the mess that was once a man against the far wall), he started smacking the lady around. (Gets a remorseful look on his face) You have to understand they were all well armed, there was nothing we could do to get them to stop.
Vash: It's alright, go on.
Waiter: Well, that's when this big guy sitting at the other end of the bar, he got up as if he had something to say. Now this guy was about twice the size of you (indicates Vash) and he was dressed all in black. He also had this weird coffin shaped, er, thing chained to him. Besides that his face caught my attention, he long hair, glasses, and a big hat on, but from what I could see he looked kind of old and haggard a bit, I could see part of a scar on the left side. Uh, but yeah, when he stood up the guy who was abusing the lady walked over to him and pulled his gun on him. That's when things got ugly. The Big Guy pulls out the two biggest handguns I've ever seen and just blows the guy clear across the room. After that, we all kind of ran and hid, but I couldn't find a good spot so I got to see it all go down. He was jumping around the room like an acrobat and just gunning them down as they came. Here's where things get even more weird, he ended up missing one who got the drop him and the Roderick got off a shot right at the Big Guy's face. I see this flash of like blue light and the bullet has stopped in mid-air. The Roderick keeps on firing as the Big Guy walks towards him, but nothing reaches him and then he flipped his Coffin forward and uh… (Points to the crater).
Meryl: What did he do afterward?
Waiter: After the shoot out, he just lifts the captive ladies onto their feet and just walks out. The ladies are at the Sheriff's station by the way, kind of in shock. It was amazing in the whole fiasco he managed to avoid any casualties. I mean, a couple musicians caught a little buckshot and the bartender got a dislocated shoulder when the Big Guy tossed him out of the way, but they should be fine.
Vash: (Looking sadly around the room) I see a lot of casualties from where I'm sitting.
Vash pushes away from the table, puts on his sunglasses, and walks across the room. The waiter drops his head a little with an apologetic look on his face.
Meryl: When I was looking at the body by the door I noticed something odd. His gun shot wounds are all surrounded by scorch marks and heat blisters.
Vash: (Looking at the shot up wooden beams) And all the wood is charred…
The waiter gets up and walks over to the bar. He picks up a small set of tongs and an ashtray with a black bullet the size of a thumb inside it. He goes back to the table.
Waiter: (To Meryl) Hold out your hand.
Meryl puts out her open hand and the bartender tips the ashtray so the bullet rolls out onto her hand. She yelps and drops the bullet onto the table.
Meryl: (Holding her hand) That's really hot!
Waiter: We found that imbedded in a metal pole. We found about three hours ago.
Millie: (Cautiously touches the bullet and then pulls her hand away) And it's still this hot?!
The waiter picks up the bullet with the tongs and then drops it in a glass of water. The water hisses out a small bit of steam as the bullet sinks to the bottom. Vash walks over and pulls the bullet out of the glass. He rolls it in his fingers and takes notice of the silver cross emblazoned on one side.
Vash: Can I keep this?
Waiter: Sure, we got tons around here.
Vash: (looking dead serious) I have kind of an odd question, was there a man in a white coat here, the coat would have a weird thing that looks like a torture device sticking out of the shoulder.
Waiter: (Slightly confused) Yeah actually, that was the guy the one girl was staring at. There was something really odd about that guy. When the shooting started he just kept sitting there (indicates the one remaining bar stool) and he was smiling. After it was all done he muttered something while looking up and then just left after the Big Guy. (Shudders) He kind of freaked me out.
Vash: Where is the nearest hotel?
Waiter: Um, there's one just a little ways down the street.
Vash: Thanks for all the info. (To the girls) Come on, we're going.
Meryl looks like she wants to protest but follows him to the door along with Millie. As they're about to go out the door the waiter runs over to them.
Waiter: Something just occurred to me, in the whole time the Big Guy was blasting away with those big guns of his, he never reloaded. Not once…
-Hours Later-
Vash and the girls are sitting in the hotel's bar/restaurant. Meryl and Millie are filling out paperwork on the incident as Vash stares at the black bullet in his hand. The girls gather up their paperwork.
Millie: Mr. Vash, we're going to turn in so…
Vash doesn't even look up. Millie sighs and starts walking away with Meryl close by.
Vash: (Thinking) Legato is at the bar where this man in black massacres a bunch of thugs only a few hours before I show up, it can't be a coincidence. And this man in black, he's capable of such slaughter and yet he went out of his way to protect these people, but if he's connected to Legato… It doesn't make sense.
Millie: (Off camera gasp) You!?
Vash hears a gun cock and quickly looks up to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun. A gun held by…
Wolfwood: Vash the Stampede, we have to talk.