The ominous figure softly walked through the shadowy and abandoned halls of
nowhere. His blue hair gently falling over the left side of his face, as
his golden gaze continued to look hypnotically at his left hand and arm.
He grasped his arm with his right hand and slowly massaged his forearm
slowly, as if petting it for a job well done. A satisfied grin stretched
over his face, but he quickly averted his attention to the scene in front
of him and allowed his arm to fall to his side.
We see before him what looks like an old building complex that was long forgotten. The stench of death infests the naked halls, and could overcome any normal human being. But unlike normal human beings, this man smiled. This blue haired assassin stared forward with the same sinister smile he had since leaving the city of July. He his eyes only stared forward, as the halls began to gain a bit of luminosity. A strange blue glow began to shine at the end of the empty halls, as the light ran over the golden eyed warrior's face to reveal his true identity. He was a man that the one called Vash the Stampede knew all to well.
The mysterious figure, dressed in a strange white coat decorated in human skulls, continued forth towards the hypnotic blue light. As he got closer to the illuminating hue, the source of the glow could be made clearer with every step his took towards it. The object wasn't clear in definition, but its features were quickly noticed. It looked as if it were some sort of large glass holding area, filled with a glowing blue liquid. Within the liquid filled glass was a mysterious figure, floating softly within the tanks liquid. The shadowy figure, which seemed to be upside down, was connected to numerous life support systems that were attached to every main vein in his body.
The blue haired menacing man stepped forward towards the tank, and once he remained in front of it he knelt down to one knee. It wasn't as if he was weakened, it was a show of respect. As if he were bowing down to a greater power, he lowered his head (as if not worthy to see his king's face) and rested his elbow upon his knee. Through his mind, he heard the voice of his mentor, and responded justly.
"The termination of Vash the Stampede is underway, I have placed the men in separate cities to await the foolish warrior," he spoke calmly as he listened further through his mind. There was no audible response from the floating figure, but it seemed they were connected telepathically. It was also obvious that whatever this 'figure' told him sent a bit of amusement in the blue haired warrior.
"So, there seems to be a battle ensuing within the city of July," he said with an amused grin, "Has Midvalley reached Vash the Stampede?"
A strong buzz overcame the room, and caused the golden eyed man to narrow his eyes in confusion, "He is battling another? Is he a threat?"
...
"I see," he said, this time with a blank expression on his face. He looked up to his god and only nodded before standing up from his knelt (bowing down) position. He stared hard at the floating man and nodded in agreement to the telepathic message, "I guess we have nothing to worry about. It seems we are not the only ones after Vash the Stampede. Do not fear, master, I will make sure that it is us who deal the hand of death to him, and no other. No bounty hunter shall keep us from achieving out utopia. Our utopia will be his grave. I, Legato Bluesummers, shall not allow the vermin of human kind take what is rightfully ours"
"No one shall stand in our way of our utopia. We will eliminate Vash the Stampede, and no lowly human can beat us to it," Legato stated coldly. He turned his back to his 'master', and walked the same path he had come from. But as he continued walking, a loud buzz overcame the room and the tank began to glow a bright hue of green and yellow. Legato looked over his shoulder calmly, with a serious expression across his face. Whatever the 'master' told him, he agreed with a simple nod.
"I'm sure /b will meet him there"
***
Spike's finger continued to press a bit more on the trigger, preparing to blow this man's head off. Spike was never really one to endorse death, but for a man who killed an entire city; he had it coming to him. Spike, with a serious expression across his face, was not going to take chances with this man. Although his only weapon was a saxophone, something about this man didn't set well with Spike. And as he always said, follow your feelings.
"Do you think you're any threat to me?" the man asked behind a chuckle, "A word to the not so wise: Don't judge a book by its cover"
"And a word to the oblivious: Never underestimate an opponent," quickly retorted Spike as he pulled the trigger and fired free one of the bullets, aiming it directly at the murderer. It was as if time had slowed down to a snail's crawl, as the bullet traveled straight towards its target. Spike looked directly into the eyes of his adversary, still feeling a bit uneasy at why this man seemed so calm. How did he kill all of those men with no weapon? – is all he could think as his bullet went through the air waves and closer to its target.
Spike watched the eyes of his latest enemy, and noticed nothing but calmness in his expression. The man known as Midvalley (unbeknownst to Spike at the time) glared directly into Spike's eyes, as he reached over to his horn and allowed the mouth piece to rest in between his lips. And just as the bullet seemed all but a couple of feet away from the target sand quickly stormed upward from the ground! Spike's eyes widened in shock, as Midvalley had played a simple tune on his horn at the exact moment that the sand rose from the ground, forming a scratchy sand wall that would slowly disappear back into the ground.
But as the sand cleared, the figure was gone. Spike looked in amazement as he looked dead into the bullet hole he had made, directly where his opponent had been standing. Spiegel, in his confused (and shocked) expression, regretted to keep his eye on his target.
"Do you understand what I said before now?"
The calm, yet cool, voice came from behind Spiegel's shoulder. Spiegel quickly spun around with his pistol held high and fired quickly over his shoulder. The bullet completely missed Midvalley, and allowed the Hornfreak to blast another tune and allowed a strip of air waves to fly through the ground. Spike watched, as he rolled on the ground, as it seemed like an earthquake was erupting beneath him. But it was something more.
As Spike stood up, and the waves of sand got closer to him...it hit him hard in the shoulder. It was like getting hit with a wrecking ball. The pain was great, and harsh, as it sent the bounty hunter spinning in mid air and crashing back onto the ground.
"What the hell?" grunted out Spiegel, as he quickly grabbed his shoulder in pain, attempting to keep pressure on it, "What the hell was that?"
The whispered grunts were audibly heard by Midvalley, who responded with a devilish, and sensual, grin. He looked over at Spiegel once more and winked in his direction, before playing a tune on his horn again and began gliding across the sandy ground. Waves came barreling forward like miniature subway trains, all of them aiming at Spiegel. Spike in a feeble attempt to get away rolled to his stomach and pushed off the ground with both feet. With a great amount of strength, Spike managed to spring backward enough to back flip and avoid two of the waves. Unfortunately, a third came careening behind him and hit him hard in the back. The secondary hit sent Spike flying forward into the ground. Spike's face planted into the sandy dunes, and his body struggling to get up. This had caused Midvalley to chuckle a bit before adding insult to injury via some verbal abuse.
"What happened to the man who seemed so sure of disposing of me?" Midvalley chimed in a satisfied tone.
"Who the hell are you?" Spike grunted out behind struggled breathes of air.
"Why do you wish to know?" Midvalley asked calmly.
It was at this moment, Midvalley cocked an eyebrow up in confusion. The reason for it was simple: His opponent, who had just been given two harsh blows to his body, was actually grinning. Spike, behind a sandy face, grinned devilishly in a clandestine manner. He lifted his head slightly and allowed his gleam to peer into Midvalley's eyes.
"Because I like to know my victims before I eliminate them," Spike said arrogantly.
Midvalley only responded with a playful humph and responded, "I am Midvalley the Hornfreak. I must say, you are quite cocky. But what can I expect from a simple minded human being such as yourself?" he rhetorically asked. He raised his saxophone up once more and inhaled. Just as he looked to play, he suddenly heard a bullet being fired. Midvalley found it quite amusing that Spike would attempt the same thing once more and was quick to divert it with the same technique used before (his wave wall). But as he glided over to reach behind Spike, something happened.
Spike was not there.
The shifty bounty hunter had quickly dived into the nearby empty market store, and in his place was a timed grenade. Midvalley's eyes widened, as Spike rolled behind the inner wall and quickly flipped the switch. Midvalley roared out in an attempt to block the impact, but all he could do was prevent death with his sound waves and gliding. The explosion was immense, and sent Midvalley soaring through the air like a submarine missile in water (going horizontally at a rapid speed). Like a rag doll, Midvalley was hurled into one of the cement house's walls. The impact of the explosion caused Midvalley's body into the wall a few inches, before collapsing to the ground.
As a smoky residue filled the barren town of July from the explosion, Spike found this the perfect opportunity to take advantage. With a quick swipe of his hand, lifting his gun from the floor, Spike began charging through the smoke in search of his opposition.
Midvalley, who still remained unmoving on his face and stomach, could hear the footsteps of Spike Spiegel getting closer to his fallen body. With a quick showmanship of strength, Midvalley grabbed his saxophone and blew into it as hard as he could, sending a HUGE wave into the smoky clouds left behind from the attack. Midvalley's body ached, and lifting the sax itself was a chore, but he had no choice. In order to live, he would have to push himself.
And as the wave hit the smoke, the bloody roar of Spike Spiegel could be heard, and his body hitting the ground was a sound that made Midvalley smile. The Hornfreak quickly slumped against the broken wall, allowing his body to rest. Whether his opponent was dead or not didn't matter to him, this was his chance to regain some strength.
"So tell me, do you like my playing?" he whispered rhetorically between heavy breaths.
***
We are taken to the village of March once again. The small town, called a city due to the lack of population on the planet, was a quiet and joyous city. It was the type of place where everyone knew who everyone else was, and a place where friends were around the corner no matter where you went. It was a peaceful place to live, and a place where one could enjoy their life. But seeing as how the city of March was so tight in relationships, that also meant that news and rumors spread quicker than any other city nearby. The rumors of Vash the Stampede being in their small city spread like wild fire. Emotions of fear, anger, and frustration couldn't help but rise from the town. Some feared their lives, others hated the outlaw, and some were too frustrated with daily life to want to deal with something else.
But the most frustrated out of the whole town was a female who had rented a hotel for this outlaw to stay at, only to find out...
"He checked out?!"
The displeasure in Meryl's voice was quite noticeable as she protested firmly against the desk clerk. The clerk of the hotel only raised his arms in peace, to show no harm, and looked to audibly respond, if he hadn't been cut off by Meryl. The young dark haired Insurance employee was wearing nothing more than her white pajama tops and bottoms. It was early in the morning that she checked in on Vash's room (of course they got separate rooms. She wouldn't dare allow Vash into HER room...that pervert). Last night, Vash explained to the girls of his situation with the bulky bounty hunter. And although the man survived, the guilt was still ridden in Vash's soul.
But after all Meryl did: Digging up enough money to get Vash his own hotel room, and to wake up to a missing Vash for the hundredth time. Who the hell did he think he was?
"And you just let him go? Do you know who that was?" argued Meryl.
"Of course I knew," responded the elderly clerk, who dressed very formal for such a slow job, "That's why I let him go missy. I don't want any trouble in this here hotel complex, and bringing a guy like him is just asking for trouble. You think I want a gun fight in the middle of my place of business? Hell no!"
"That wasn't going to happen," Meryl quickly retorted.
"Psht, says you," grunted out the clerk, "I don't know where you've been hiding the last century lady, but that there was Vash the Stampede. He destroyed two cities all on his own and shot a hole through our moon right there. You must be crazy to think I'll coax him to stay longer! If a guy like that wants to leave...he'll leave on his own accord, missy"
Frustration was the only emotion filling Meryl's status, as she shook an angry fist in front of her and swiftly turned her back to the clerk. With no further dialogue being said between herself and the clerk, she stomped off in a huff. On her way back to her room, Milly was seen groggily stepping forward from the open door. Rubbing her eyes and attempting to wipe off the exhaustion of waking up, she called out to Meryl blindly.
"Meryl, what are you doing up so early?" she questioned tiredly, and behind a yawn.
Meryl grunted past Milly and stomped back into the room. Milly's eyes widened in confusion of the 'cold shoulder', and quickly went to see what had happened. With nothing but concern, Milly walked over to Meryl. Meryl had seated herself harshly into her bed and planted her face into her pillow sideways, only exposing half of her face to Milly. A worried Milly sat beside her comrade and looked down at her obviously angry face.
"Meryl, what happened?" she said, looking around the room and obliviously assuming, "Did Mr. Vash sneak in her last night or something?"
Meryl's eye twitched in frustration, and she reaction by closing her eyes and digging her face fully into the pillow. Behind a muffled tone (muffled due to the pillow and its casing covering her mouth) she responded to Milly's concern.
"He left again," she said in her angry and muffled tone.
"Why did he leave? Did you two have a fight or something?" Milly asked curiously.
"I didn't do anything of the sort, he just left. He just left like he always does, with no reason behind it," Meryl stated 'matter-of-factly'.
"Do you think he's got to attend other business?"
"What other business could he have? Honestly, Milly," Meryl hissed out as she lifted her head from her pillow a bit to eye Milly. Milly only responded with her usual cheerful smile and pat on her Meryl's shoulder.
"Well, we can't worry too much about it," Milly said happily, attempting to shift the tone of the conversation, "Well, I'm going to make us some coffee, and after that, I guess we'll just have to find Mr. Vash again. He couldn't have gone to far now, considering he couldn't have left more than five hours ago. If we leave soon, we can find him quickly, what do you say?"
Without any audible response from Meryl, Milly got up from the bed and headed to the hotel room kitchen. With a song in her heart, and a hum filling the air, Milly began to make the arising liquid of the morning. As Milly went about her morning chores, Meryl sat up from her bed in contemplation. As her face blankly stared into the wall, and the window allowed rays of light to spill upon her body, she could only fathom a few reasons for Vash's constant disappearance. The most frequent reason being: He's hiding something.
***
The wind had a chill to it on that morning day, something very unusual for the planet in which he had inhabited for so many years. Vash the Stampede left just a few hours ago, and began his journey by foot towards another town. Some would consider him a traveler, or a wanderer; others (like Meryl and Milly) would consider him a sleaze ball for leaving them. He was neither of them in reality. Vash was not a traveler, because travelers only travel for enjoyment and this was not a vacation for him. And Vash was not a betrayer; he only left for one reason. This one reason was the only reason that Vash would ever leave such beautiful girls; he wanted to save them from the dangers of his life. In his mind, there was no question that trouble followed him more than a baby calf follows its mother.
He had walked through the barren desert ever since narrowly escaping the girls early in the morning. With his clothing, some food, and a few other items stashed in an over-the-shoulder storage bag, he walked towards the edge of a cliff and looked down over its horizon. Below the thick cliff was the city he had just escaped, the city of March. With regret in his heart, and a deep sigh spilling from deep within his chest, he sadly smiled at the city and nodded in its direction.
"I'm sorry Insurance girls," he said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry I have to leave you again, I hope you can forgive me"
"Aww, are you having girl problems, Vash the Stampede?"
The voice came from behind Vash, and held a raspy arrogant tone to it. Vash quickly turned around to see the man behind the voice. Behind him stood a short man with a black veil over his face and a body surrounded by a circular armor covered in shiny silver spikes. Vash eyed the odd looking figure and narrowed his eyes in a mixture of angry emotions. He could sense this man was not here to be kind, nor was he here to be a friend of Vash.
"Who are you?" ordered Vash the Stampede.
"I am Mine the E.G. Mine, you little maggot, and you should consider yourself a very lucky man," he said arrogantly, "Firstly you have just saved that town below, because if I went there and did not find you...well, there would be more deaths caused by you than ever before. And secondly, you should feel very lucky and honored that the man that will kill you...will be someone as skilled as I"
Vash's hand quickly grazed his Silver Pistol, as his eyes locked dead into Mine's.
"Why do you want my life? The bounty?" Vash hissed in question.
Mine couldn't help but chuckle at Vash's ignorance, "Fool, do you honestly think I give a damn about that bounty on your head. What do I look like? Some kind of lowly bounty hunter? Sorry, but unlike them I have two things: class and skill. So, I'm sorry Vash but the price on your head doesn't interest me in the slightest"
"Than what does?"
"Well, you're Vash the Stampede," he said with a devilish smile behind his black veil, "And killing you would place me as the greatest Gung-Ho Gun of all time"
The name of the GHG caused Vash to suddenly freeze up in his tracks. The name of the sinful group of murderers sent a chill up Vash's spine, and caused him to suddenly grow a sense of fear. He had heard of the group, and had encountered them in the past, but they were of different people and under different leadership. The scars on his body proved to the world that he was indeed a survivor of the GHG in the past, but now it seemed they looked for more.
"So, Johan sent you for revenge," he said. In Vash's memory banks, it was a man named Johan who once headed the devilish group of the Gung-Ho Guns. He was a simple man with a genius mind, who would kill all who stepped in his way for domination. Unfortunately, three years ago, he had vanished...many celebrated, hoping his death. But it seemed Vash, and the people, celebrated too soon.
But a mighty laugh broke Vash's question, "Johan? That moron died three years ago. Are you that clueless to the dangers that you are in? Is Vash the Stampede that much of a dumb blonde? Jesus Christ, Johan was over thrown by us a long time ago. Not to mention with a little help from our new leader"
Vash's eyes narrowed, "And who is that? Did he send you after me?"
"He's a man that won't make the mistake that Johan did. Unlike Johan, this man won't be defeated by such a jackass such as yourself. Legato is much more intelligent than that"
"Legato?!"
The name was quickly recognized by Vash the Stampede. One of the many history lessons on Vash that many have not known quickly arose in Vash's mind. Flash backs of a young man standing behind a shadowy figure that seemed to hold a gun to Vash's frame. It was of a long time ago, and Vash could not help but have his flash back zoom in on the young apprentice's eyes. They had a gold tint to them, and a dead look upon them. It was Legato at his younger age, under the influence of a greater evil. The greater evil of the shadowed figure before Legato.
"So you're working for him," Vash said as he grabbed his silver pistol and raised it. He lifted the pistol up just far enough and aimed directly at Mine. Mine responded with a hearty laugh and a few insults and comments.
"Oh, it seems Vash the Stampede has some life in him after all. Is this the coward who I hear won't kill?" Mine said matter-of-factly, "Well, here's a bit of advice. The only way you can stop me from killing you...is by killing me. So how the hell are you going to stop me without death, huh?"
Unfortunately for Mine, his inane insults and bantering allowed Vash to fully scan his opposition. He looked all over Mine for some sort of opening to shot at without killing the man. Mine was covered by a thick circular shield of armor, and each side holding a silver spike to prevent any striking attacks. The only thing that was left open was his face; or was it? As Mine's gums continued to flap with a few provoking words, Vash noticed one area on Mine's body that could be shot and end the battle all together. He saw Mine's hands, strapped to thin lines that almost seemed like pieces of thing cable wire. With a bit of concentration, Vash could hear the lines attached to something metallic.
"HEY! Are you listening to me?" Mine asked angrily.
With a dumbfounded smile on his face, Vash closed his eyes amusingly as he scratched the back of his head, "Well to be honest with you – not really"
Mine's eye began to twitch and his teeth began to grind against each other, "Oh, I see, try to be an arrogant prick with me, will you? I'll make you pay for that decision pretty boy"
And within a millisecond, Vash found exactly what those wires were attached to. Mine's fingers pressed downwards and suddenly a large BOOM was heard exploding from his armor. The silver spikes that provided extra protection suddenly flung free from their prison and spread out from their respective areas. Vash's eyes widened in shock as he quickly began to dodge the flying objects ready to impale him. But with almost cat like speed, Vash dove underneath three spikes, rolled forward and found himself face to face with Mine.
The usually arrogant Mine suddenly began to sweat coldly as he found Vash's pistol right up to his chest. With a flash of an instant, the bullet released itself from the barrel and found itself hitting Mine's hands and breaking the threads that controlled the armor's spiky offense. Mine quickly roared out in pain, as he felt the bullet go straight through his palms and exit into the desert ground. Almost immediately following the gunshot, the armor quickly fell apart and crashed onto the floor in pieces beside Mine.
Mine fell to his knees in pain, and stared hypnotically at his hands which now had a gaping bullet hole through them. Blood poured profusely from the open wound, and nearly caused Mine to throw up from the site of his own blood. Vash closed his eyes in a regretful fashion and quickly grabbed the back of Mine's shirt and tore off a large amount of it. He threw it to Mine's arm and began to walk past the injured offender. Vash looked at the scene before him: Spikes lay across the plain, and shattered armor spilled across the sand. He placed his tinted sunglasses on and spoke over his shoulder at Mine.
"Tell Legato that I'm ready for anything he's going to dish out. But this time tell him to target me, not others," Vash said coldly as he continued to walk down the desert plains, "And wrap that wound up, you don't want to loose too much blood"
***
Faye Valentine; today she would be known as the definition of insane worry. It had been hours since she had played with the radio, and it had been hours since she had been able to contact Jet or Spike. She was notably worried, and was desperately looking for a town to just reassure herself that she wasn't the only living thing on this barren wasteland. The Redtail continued to glide over the skies, as Faye's eyes scanned nervously over the areas surrounding her as she sped through the atmosphere.
"There has just got to be a place somewhere near here with actual living people," she pleaded to herself, "I can't be the only living being around here, there just has to be a town or something"
She repeated similar audible pleas over and over, convincing herself to continue her search for life. A search that was once for a village to find information on Vash the Stampede was now a search for any living beings. For some reason, a female who was usually a loner seemed to long for some sort of company. She figured it must be because she was in a foreign place with no technology around her. In these days, technology does form itself into a temporary device of keeping oneself from getting lonely.
Faye's beautiful gaze was now one of pale fear, as she looked frenziedly looked for some sort of village. And just as all hope seemed lost, her radar had detected something. Granted, the radar was not one to pick up life-forms (unless DNA was placed in the search engine), and usually picked up high electrical frequencies. Faye cocked an eyebrow up in confusion.
"I thought this planet lacked any sufficient electrical units," she muttered in confusion to herself.
She followed her radar to about twenty miles due north, and glided her Redtail over a village. She nearly wept from joy at the sight of the busy town. The houses were not made of the usual metallic structure of her galaxy, but of rough cement (which is very rare to Faye these days). The town kind of reminded her of old western films from before she was awakened from her cryogenic state. She peered over the village, and found the source of what triggered her radar.
It looked like a large light bulb attached to numerous cables and supported by metal pillars. She narrowed her eyes in deep thought, attempting to figure out exactly what she was seeing. But after drawing a blank, she sighed deeply and just shrugged.
"Why question it? If they have a power source like that, maybe they have something to repair this piece of crap," and with a hissed tune, Faye slapped the radio at the side annoyingly and decided to move the Redtail into landing mode. As the Redtail lowered to the ground, she couldn't help but smile in relief at all the people who crowded its streets. She was not alone; not like she cared, of course.
We see before him what looks like an old building complex that was long forgotten. The stench of death infests the naked halls, and could overcome any normal human being. But unlike normal human beings, this man smiled. This blue haired assassin stared forward with the same sinister smile he had since leaving the city of July. He his eyes only stared forward, as the halls began to gain a bit of luminosity. A strange blue glow began to shine at the end of the empty halls, as the light ran over the golden eyed warrior's face to reveal his true identity. He was a man that the one called Vash the Stampede knew all to well.
The mysterious figure, dressed in a strange white coat decorated in human skulls, continued forth towards the hypnotic blue light. As he got closer to the illuminating hue, the source of the glow could be made clearer with every step his took towards it. The object wasn't clear in definition, but its features were quickly noticed. It looked as if it were some sort of large glass holding area, filled with a glowing blue liquid. Within the liquid filled glass was a mysterious figure, floating softly within the tanks liquid. The shadowy figure, which seemed to be upside down, was connected to numerous life support systems that were attached to every main vein in his body.
The blue haired menacing man stepped forward towards the tank, and once he remained in front of it he knelt down to one knee. It wasn't as if he was weakened, it was a show of respect. As if he were bowing down to a greater power, he lowered his head (as if not worthy to see his king's face) and rested his elbow upon his knee. Through his mind, he heard the voice of his mentor, and responded justly.
"The termination of Vash the Stampede is underway, I have placed the men in separate cities to await the foolish warrior," he spoke calmly as he listened further through his mind. There was no audible response from the floating figure, but it seemed they were connected telepathically. It was also obvious that whatever this 'figure' told him sent a bit of amusement in the blue haired warrior.
"So, there seems to be a battle ensuing within the city of July," he said with an amused grin, "Has Midvalley reached Vash the Stampede?"
A strong buzz overcame the room, and caused the golden eyed man to narrow his eyes in confusion, "He is battling another? Is he a threat?"
...
"I see," he said, this time with a blank expression on his face. He looked up to his god and only nodded before standing up from his knelt (bowing down) position. He stared hard at the floating man and nodded in agreement to the telepathic message, "I guess we have nothing to worry about. It seems we are not the only ones after Vash the Stampede. Do not fear, master, I will make sure that it is us who deal the hand of death to him, and no other. No bounty hunter shall keep us from achieving out utopia. Our utopia will be his grave. I, Legato Bluesummers, shall not allow the vermin of human kind take what is rightfully ours"
"No one shall stand in our way of our utopia. We will eliminate Vash the Stampede, and no lowly human can beat us to it," Legato stated coldly. He turned his back to his 'master', and walked the same path he had come from. But as he continued walking, a loud buzz overcame the room and the tank began to glow a bright hue of green and yellow. Legato looked over his shoulder calmly, with a serious expression across his face. Whatever the 'master' told him, he agreed with a simple nod.
"I'm sure /b will meet him there"
***
Spike's finger continued to press a bit more on the trigger, preparing to blow this man's head off. Spike was never really one to endorse death, but for a man who killed an entire city; he had it coming to him. Spike, with a serious expression across his face, was not going to take chances with this man. Although his only weapon was a saxophone, something about this man didn't set well with Spike. And as he always said, follow your feelings.
"Do you think you're any threat to me?" the man asked behind a chuckle, "A word to the not so wise: Don't judge a book by its cover"
"And a word to the oblivious: Never underestimate an opponent," quickly retorted Spike as he pulled the trigger and fired free one of the bullets, aiming it directly at the murderer. It was as if time had slowed down to a snail's crawl, as the bullet traveled straight towards its target. Spike looked directly into the eyes of his adversary, still feeling a bit uneasy at why this man seemed so calm. How did he kill all of those men with no weapon? – is all he could think as his bullet went through the air waves and closer to its target.
Spike watched the eyes of his latest enemy, and noticed nothing but calmness in his expression. The man known as Midvalley (unbeknownst to Spike at the time) glared directly into Spike's eyes, as he reached over to his horn and allowed the mouth piece to rest in between his lips. And just as the bullet seemed all but a couple of feet away from the target sand quickly stormed upward from the ground! Spike's eyes widened in shock, as Midvalley had played a simple tune on his horn at the exact moment that the sand rose from the ground, forming a scratchy sand wall that would slowly disappear back into the ground.
But as the sand cleared, the figure was gone. Spike looked in amazement as he looked dead into the bullet hole he had made, directly where his opponent had been standing. Spiegel, in his confused (and shocked) expression, regretted to keep his eye on his target.
"Do you understand what I said before now?"
The calm, yet cool, voice came from behind Spiegel's shoulder. Spiegel quickly spun around with his pistol held high and fired quickly over his shoulder. The bullet completely missed Midvalley, and allowed the Hornfreak to blast another tune and allowed a strip of air waves to fly through the ground. Spike watched, as he rolled on the ground, as it seemed like an earthquake was erupting beneath him. But it was something more.
As Spike stood up, and the waves of sand got closer to him...it hit him hard in the shoulder. It was like getting hit with a wrecking ball. The pain was great, and harsh, as it sent the bounty hunter spinning in mid air and crashing back onto the ground.
"What the hell?" grunted out Spiegel, as he quickly grabbed his shoulder in pain, attempting to keep pressure on it, "What the hell was that?"
The whispered grunts were audibly heard by Midvalley, who responded with a devilish, and sensual, grin. He looked over at Spiegel once more and winked in his direction, before playing a tune on his horn again and began gliding across the sandy ground. Waves came barreling forward like miniature subway trains, all of them aiming at Spiegel. Spike in a feeble attempt to get away rolled to his stomach and pushed off the ground with both feet. With a great amount of strength, Spike managed to spring backward enough to back flip and avoid two of the waves. Unfortunately, a third came careening behind him and hit him hard in the back. The secondary hit sent Spike flying forward into the ground. Spike's face planted into the sandy dunes, and his body struggling to get up. This had caused Midvalley to chuckle a bit before adding insult to injury via some verbal abuse.
"What happened to the man who seemed so sure of disposing of me?" Midvalley chimed in a satisfied tone.
"Who the hell are you?" Spike grunted out behind struggled breathes of air.
"Why do you wish to know?" Midvalley asked calmly.
It was at this moment, Midvalley cocked an eyebrow up in confusion. The reason for it was simple: His opponent, who had just been given two harsh blows to his body, was actually grinning. Spike, behind a sandy face, grinned devilishly in a clandestine manner. He lifted his head slightly and allowed his gleam to peer into Midvalley's eyes.
"Because I like to know my victims before I eliminate them," Spike said arrogantly.
Midvalley only responded with a playful humph and responded, "I am Midvalley the Hornfreak. I must say, you are quite cocky. But what can I expect from a simple minded human being such as yourself?" he rhetorically asked. He raised his saxophone up once more and inhaled. Just as he looked to play, he suddenly heard a bullet being fired. Midvalley found it quite amusing that Spike would attempt the same thing once more and was quick to divert it with the same technique used before (his wave wall). But as he glided over to reach behind Spike, something happened.
Spike was not there.
The shifty bounty hunter had quickly dived into the nearby empty market store, and in his place was a timed grenade. Midvalley's eyes widened, as Spike rolled behind the inner wall and quickly flipped the switch. Midvalley roared out in an attempt to block the impact, but all he could do was prevent death with his sound waves and gliding. The explosion was immense, and sent Midvalley soaring through the air like a submarine missile in water (going horizontally at a rapid speed). Like a rag doll, Midvalley was hurled into one of the cement house's walls. The impact of the explosion caused Midvalley's body into the wall a few inches, before collapsing to the ground.
As a smoky residue filled the barren town of July from the explosion, Spike found this the perfect opportunity to take advantage. With a quick swipe of his hand, lifting his gun from the floor, Spike began charging through the smoke in search of his opposition.
Midvalley, who still remained unmoving on his face and stomach, could hear the footsteps of Spike Spiegel getting closer to his fallen body. With a quick showmanship of strength, Midvalley grabbed his saxophone and blew into it as hard as he could, sending a HUGE wave into the smoky clouds left behind from the attack. Midvalley's body ached, and lifting the sax itself was a chore, but he had no choice. In order to live, he would have to push himself.
And as the wave hit the smoke, the bloody roar of Spike Spiegel could be heard, and his body hitting the ground was a sound that made Midvalley smile. The Hornfreak quickly slumped against the broken wall, allowing his body to rest. Whether his opponent was dead or not didn't matter to him, this was his chance to regain some strength.
"So tell me, do you like my playing?" he whispered rhetorically between heavy breaths.
***
We are taken to the village of March once again. The small town, called a city due to the lack of population on the planet, was a quiet and joyous city. It was the type of place where everyone knew who everyone else was, and a place where friends were around the corner no matter where you went. It was a peaceful place to live, and a place where one could enjoy their life. But seeing as how the city of March was so tight in relationships, that also meant that news and rumors spread quicker than any other city nearby. The rumors of Vash the Stampede being in their small city spread like wild fire. Emotions of fear, anger, and frustration couldn't help but rise from the town. Some feared their lives, others hated the outlaw, and some were too frustrated with daily life to want to deal with something else.
But the most frustrated out of the whole town was a female who had rented a hotel for this outlaw to stay at, only to find out...
"He checked out?!"
The displeasure in Meryl's voice was quite noticeable as she protested firmly against the desk clerk. The clerk of the hotel only raised his arms in peace, to show no harm, and looked to audibly respond, if he hadn't been cut off by Meryl. The young dark haired Insurance employee was wearing nothing more than her white pajama tops and bottoms. It was early in the morning that she checked in on Vash's room (of course they got separate rooms. She wouldn't dare allow Vash into HER room...that pervert). Last night, Vash explained to the girls of his situation with the bulky bounty hunter. And although the man survived, the guilt was still ridden in Vash's soul.
But after all Meryl did: Digging up enough money to get Vash his own hotel room, and to wake up to a missing Vash for the hundredth time. Who the hell did he think he was?
"And you just let him go? Do you know who that was?" argued Meryl.
"Of course I knew," responded the elderly clerk, who dressed very formal for such a slow job, "That's why I let him go missy. I don't want any trouble in this here hotel complex, and bringing a guy like him is just asking for trouble. You think I want a gun fight in the middle of my place of business? Hell no!"
"That wasn't going to happen," Meryl quickly retorted.
"Psht, says you," grunted out the clerk, "I don't know where you've been hiding the last century lady, but that there was Vash the Stampede. He destroyed two cities all on his own and shot a hole through our moon right there. You must be crazy to think I'll coax him to stay longer! If a guy like that wants to leave...he'll leave on his own accord, missy"
Frustration was the only emotion filling Meryl's status, as she shook an angry fist in front of her and swiftly turned her back to the clerk. With no further dialogue being said between herself and the clerk, she stomped off in a huff. On her way back to her room, Milly was seen groggily stepping forward from the open door. Rubbing her eyes and attempting to wipe off the exhaustion of waking up, she called out to Meryl blindly.
"Meryl, what are you doing up so early?" she questioned tiredly, and behind a yawn.
Meryl grunted past Milly and stomped back into the room. Milly's eyes widened in confusion of the 'cold shoulder', and quickly went to see what had happened. With nothing but concern, Milly walked over to Meryl. Meryl had seated herself harshly into her bed and planted her face into her pillow sideways, only exposing half of her face to Milly. A worried Milly sat beside her comrade and looked down at her obviously angry face.
"Meryl, what happened?" she said, looking around the room and obliviously assuming, "Did Mr. Vash sneak in her last night or something?"
Meryl's eye twitched in frustration, and she reaction by closing her eyes and digging her face fully into the pillow. Behind a muffled tone (muffled due to the pillow and its casing covering her mouth) she responded to Milly's concern.
"He left again," she said in her angry and muffled tone.
"Why did he leave? Did you two have a fight or something?" Milly asked curiously.
"I didn't do anything of the sort, he just left. He just left like he always does, with no reason behind it," Meryl stated 'matter-of-factly'.
"Do you think he's got to attend other business?"
"What other business could he have? Honestly, Milly," Meryl hissed out as she lifted her head from her pillow a bit to eye Milly. Milly only responded with her usual cheerful smile and pat on her Meryl's shoulder.
"Well, we can't worry too much about it," Milly said happily, attempting to shift the tone of the conversation, "Well, I'm going to make us some coffee, and after that, I guess we'll just have to find Mr. Vash again. He couldn't have gone to far now, considering he couldn't have left more than five hours ago. If we leave soon, we can find him quickly, what do you say?"
Without any audible response from Meryl, Milly got up from the bed and headed to the hotel room kitchen. With a song in her heart, and a hum filling the air, Milly began to make the arising liquid of the morning. As Milly went about her morning chores, Meryl sat up from her bed in contemplation. As her face blankly stared into the wall, and the window allowed rays of light to spill upon her body, she could only fathom a few reasons for Vash's constant disappearance. The most frequent reason being: He's hiding something.
***
The wind had a chill to it on that morning day, something very unusual for the planet in which he had inhabited for so many years. Vash the Stampede left just a few hours ago, and began his journey by foot towards another town. Some would consider him a traveler, or a wanderer; others (like Meryl and Milly) would consider him a sleaze ball for leaving them. He was neither of them in reality. Vash was not a traveler, because travelers only travel for enjoyment and this was not a vacation for him. And Vash was not a betrayer; he only left for one reason. This one reason was the only reason that Vash would ever leave such beautiful girls; he wanted to save them from the dangers of his life. In his mind, there was no question that trouble followed him more than a baby calf follows its mother.
He had walked through the barren desert ever since narrowly escaping the girls early in the morning. With his clothing, some food, and a few other items stashed in an over-the-shoulder storage bag, he walked towards the edge of a cliff and looked down over its horizon. Below the thick cliff was the city he had just escaped, the city of March. With regret in his heart, and a deep sigh spilling from deep within his chest, he sadly smiled at the city and nodded in its direction.
"I'm sorry Insurance girls," he said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry I have to leave you again, I hope you can forgive me"
"Aww, are you having girl problems, Vash the Stampede?"
The voice came from behind Vash, and held a raspy arrogant tone to it. Vash quickly turned around to see the man behind the voice. Behind him stood a short man with a black veil over his face and a body surrounded by a circular armor covered in shiny silver spikes. Vash eyed the odd looking figure and narrowed his eyes in a mixture of angry emotions. He could sense this man was not here to be kind, nor was he here to be a friend of Vash.
"Who are you?" ordered Vash the Stampede.
"I am Mine the E.G. Mine, you little maggot, and you should consider yourself a very lucky man," he said arrogantly, "Firstly you have just saved that town below, because if I went there and did not find you...well, there would be more deaths caused by you than ever before. And secondly, you should feel very lucky and honored that the man that will kill you...will be someone as skilled as I"
Vash's hand quickly grazed his Silver Pistol, as his eyes locked dead into Mine's.
"Why do you want my life? The bounty?" Vash hissed in question.
Mine couldn't help but chuckle at Vash's ignorance, "Fool, do you honestly think I give a damn about that bounty on your head. What do I look like? Some kind of lowly bounty hunter? Sorry, but unlike them I have two things: class and skill. So, I'm sorry Vash but the price on your head doesn't interest me in the slightest"
"Than what does?"
"Well, you're Vash the Stampede," he said with a devilish smile behind his black veil, "And killing you would place me as the greatest Gung-Ho Gun of all time"
The name of the GHG caused Vash to suddenly freeze up in his tracks. The name of the sinful group of murderers sent a chill up Vash's spine, and caused him to suddenly grow a sense of fear. He had heard of the group, and had encountered them in the past, but they were of different people and under different leadership. The scars on his body proved to the world that he was indeed a survivor of the GHG in the past, but now it seemed they looked for more.
"So, Johan sent you for revenge," he said. In Vash's memory banks, it was a man named Johan who once headed the devilish group of the Gung-Ho Guns. He was a simple man with a genius mind, who would kill all who stepped in his way for domination. Unfortunately, three years ago, he had vanished...many celebrated, hoping his death. But it seemed Vash, and the people, celebrated too soon.
But a mighty laugh broke Vash's question, "Johan? That moron died three years ago. Are you that clueless to the dangers that you are in? Is Vash the Stampede that much of a dumb blonde? Jesus Christ, Johan was over thrown by us a long time ago. Not to mention with a little help from our new leader"
Vash's eyes narrowed, "And who is that? Did he send you after me?"
"He's a man that won't make the mistake that Johan did. Unlike Johan, this man won't be defeated by such a jackass such as yourself. Legato is much more intelligent than that"
"Legato?!"
The name was quickly recognized by Vash the Stampede. One of the many history lessons on Vash that many have not known quickly arose in Vash's mind. Flash backs of a young man standing behind a shadowy figure that seemed to hold a gun to Vash's frame. It was of a long time ago, and Vash could not help but have his flash back zoom in on the young apprentice's eyes. They had a gold tint to them, and a dead look upon them. It was Legato at his younger age, under the influence of a greater evil. The greater evil of the shadowed figure before Legato.
"So you're working for him," Vash said as he grabbed his silver pistol and raised it. He lifted the pistol up just far enough and aimed directly at Mine. Mine responded with a hearty laugh and a few insults and comments.
"Oh, it seems Vash the Stampede has some life in him after all. Is this the coward who I hear won't kill?" Mine said matter-of-factly, "Well, here's a bit of advice. The only way you can stop me from killing you...is by killing me. So how the hell are you going to stop me without death, huh?"
Unfortunately for Mine, his inane insults and bantering allowed Vash to fully scan his opposition. He looked all over Mine for some sort of opening to shot at without killing the man. Mine was covered by a thick circular shield of armor, and each side holding a silver spike to prevent any striking attacks. The only thing that was left open was his face; or was it? As Mine's gums continued to flap with a few provoking words, Vash noticed one area on Mine's body that could be shot and end the battle all together. He saw Mine's hands, strapped to thin lines that almost seemed like pieces of thing cable wire. With a bit of concentration, Vash could hear the lines attached to something metallic.
"HEY! Are you listening to me?" Mine asked angrily.
With a dumbfounded smile on his face, Vash closed his eyes amusingly as he scratched the back of his head, "Well to be honest with you – not really"
Mine's eye began to twitch and his teeth began to grind against each other, "Oh, I see, try to be an arrogant prick with me, will you? I'll make you pay for that decision pretty boy"
And within a millisecond, Vash found exactly what those wires were attached to. Mine's fingers pressed downwards and suddenly a large BOOM was heard exploding from his armor. The silver spikes that provided extra protection suddenly flung free from their prison and spread out from their respective areas. Vash's eyes widened in shock as he quickly began to dodge the flying objects ready to impale him. But with almost cat like speed, Vash dove underneath three spikes, rolled forward and found himself face to face with Mine.
The usually arrogant Mine suddenly began to sweat coldly as he found Vash's pistol right up to his chest. With a flash of an instant, the bullet released itself from the barrel and found itself hitting Mine's hands and breaking the threads that controlled the armor's spiky offense. Mine quickly roared out in pain, as he felt the bullet go straight through his palms and exit into the desert ground. Almost immediately following the gunshot, the armor quickly fell apart and crashed onto the floor in pieces beside Mine.
Mine fell to his knees in pain, and stared hypnotically at his hands which now had a gaping bullet hole through them. Blood poured profusely from the open wound, and nearly caused Mine to throw up from the site of his own blood. Vash closed his eyes in a regretful fashion and quickly grabbed the back of Mine's shirt and tore off a large amount of it. He threw it to Mine's arm and began to walk past the injured offender. Vash looked at the scene before him: Spikes lay across the plain, and shattered armor spilled across the sand. He placed his tinted sunglasses on and spoke over his shoulder at Mine.
"Tell Legato that I'm ready for anything he's going to dish out. But this time tell him to target me, not others," Vash said coldly as he continued to walk down the desert plains, "And wrap that wound up, you don't want to loose too much blood"
***
Faye Valentine; today she would be known as the definition of insane worry. It had been hours since she had played with the radio, and it had been hours since she had been able to contact Jet or Spike. She was notably worried, and was desperately looking for a town to just reassure herself that she wasn't the only living thing on this barren wasteland. The Redtail continued to glide over the skies, as Faye's eyes scanned nervously over the areas surrounding her as she sped through the atmosphere.
"There has just got to be a place somewhere near here with actual living people," she pleaded to herself, "I can't be the only living being around here, there just has to be a town or something"
She repeated similar audible pleas over and over, convincing herself to continue her search for life. A search that was once for a village to find information on Vash the Stampede was now a search for any living beings. For some reason, a female who was usually a loner seemed to long for some sort of company. She figured it must be because she was in a foreign place with no technology around her. In these days, technology does form itself into a temporary device of keeping oneself from getting lonely.
Faye's beautiful gaze was now one of pale fear, as she looked frenziedly looked for some sort of village. And just as all hope seemed lost, her radar had detected something. Granted, the radar was not one to pick up life-forms (unless DNA was placed in the search engine), and usually picked up high electrical frequencies. Faye cocked an eyebrow up in confusion.
"I thought this planet lacked any sufficient electrical units," she muttered in confusion to herself.
She followed her radar to about twenty miles due north, and glided her Redtail over a village. She nearly wept from joy at the sight of the busy town. The houses were not made of the usual metallic structure of her galaxy, but of rough cement (which is very rare to Faye these days). The town kind of reminded her of old western films from before she was awakened from her cryogenic state. She peered over the village, and found the source of what triggered her radar.
It looked like a large light bulb attached to numerous cables and supported by metal pillars. She narrowed her eyes in deep thought, attempting to figure out exactly what she was seeing. But after drawing a blank, she sighed deeply and just shrugged.
"Why question it? If they have a power source like that, maybe they have something to repair this piece of crap," and with a hissed tune, Faye slapped the radio at the side annoyingly and decided to move the Redtail into landing mode. As the Redtail lowered to the ground, she couldn't help but smile in relief at all the people who crowded its streets. She was not alone; not like she cared, of course.