Geranium Legacy 2 Sound Investments

A Trigun Fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, and am making no money from this.

"Well of course you are, son! Whatever made you think otherwise? Ah-hahahahaha!" At this Dad slapped me on the back. For a second there, I sighed, relieved, and started to smile again.

Then I actually thought. And looked at the expression on Dad's face.

"... ALL human?" Dad stopped laughing, and got his mock-frustrated look on.

"You're pretty sharp, I'll give you that. Tell you what, sport! Why don't you hold that thought until we get home? It's a long story, and your mother will want to be in on this conversation."

I considered this, and he had a good point. Mom got scary when Dad left her out of things. Like really scary. When I was little, my Dad would help me with the "monsters under my bed" by saying that Mom would be mad at them. And it worked. "Okay, but I will want to know..."

"Don't worry son, I think it's about time you knew anyway." Dad smiled down at me, and I knew that whatever he was keeping from me, he had only done it with my best interest in mind. Relieved of a 15-year burden, I smiled as I walked around the car.

Uncle wandered back soon after, and eventually Annie sauntered back in too. The mood overall much brighter (even Uncle was smiling for some reason, and he never smiled!) we continued our journey.

The arrival in town was unremarkable, really. We parked the car, and as we got out Annie asked "So, Uncle, when do we meet back up here?"

"Oh, let's see... how about we meet back up at lunch? That'll give you two lovebirds about two hours to explore!"

"Dad!" I blushed.

Annie just smiled and grabbed my arm. "Come on!" She ran off, dragging me with her.

The next two hours were a fun-filled blur. Well, they were for Annie. I mostly got to carry her shopping bags as she gleefully raced from store to store. A rather loud part of my mind found this annoying, demeaning, and just plain no fun. But there was also this little voice in the back that piped up, 'But she likes it...' Bah. I ask you, how can it be so normal for a guy to change around a girl? Even if she is really cute...

All at once, Annie's body, normally almost blurry it moved so fast, came to a complete stop. Peeking from behind a large paper bag filled with silly gifts for everyone, I strained to see what had caught her eye. I almost had to catch my own breath, it was so beautiful. There in the jewelry shop was a silver cross shaped to look like two long-barreled guns, barrel down. Their handles formed the cross-piece, and the ornate hammers were the top. It was amazing. I was snapped out of my reverie as an ear-piercing cry filled the air. "It's HOW much?" Annie was now assaulting the poor salesman; she'd jumped on him and was holding his collar, yelling right in his face. "Come on, mister! I know it looks really pretty but don't you think 200 double dollars is a bit pricey? I mean, come on, I could get like three bus rides for that!"

"Okay, okay, 150 double dollars, but that's as low as I go missy! Any lower and I'm losing money!" Annie bounced off the poor man, grabbed her purse, and started to desperately count out her remaining money.

"I've been saving my allowance for 6 months for this shopping trip, and that'd better be enough!" I did some quick mental math. I should mention that mental math is another area in which I am subtly but inescapably better than normal... Knowing her allowance, and how much she'd bought already, I figured she'd be a little short. I desperately tried to free a hand to get at my wallet. Precariously balancing the bags, I managed to pull out a 20 double dollar bill, just in time for Annie to come up short.

"137 double dollars and 15 cenz!" She forlornly declared. "Come on Mister, surely that's good enough?" she was putting on her best puppy-dog look, but apparently the salesman wasn't as susceptible to it as I was, because he started shaking his head. Fortunately, I was able to waddle over (still holding all the bags with one hand!) and put my money in the man's hand. Annie looked up from her pout and stared at me in awe. "Oh, Nick! You don't have to!"

I blushed furiously, and looked down at my feet. "Well, it is for a pretty thing..."

"Oh, thank you!" She proceeded to give me a furious hug that nearly made me drop the bags. As she scampered away holding her "pretty thing" aloft, I paused to catch my breath.

"Good luck with that one, sonny. Seems like you got your work cut out for you!" I was too mortified to speak, I just nodded and followed after my pretty thing.

At long last, it was time for lunch. Annie skipped over to greet "Uncle" Alex and "Mister" Richard, then sat down at the table that our restaurant had. Dad looked around, confused, and asked, "Hey, where's Nick?" Annie became confused, and looked around for me.

"He was here a minute ago..." I then put down my burden, revealing that I was not in fact a pile of bags with legs, I was Nicholas Saverem. Everyone but Uncle had a good laugh at my expense over this.

As we ate, Annie took the opportunity to show off her new trinket to the adults. "Isn't it amazing? It's so beautiful and I love it and I'm gonna give it to Mommy just as soon as we get back!"

Dad got an almost sad look in his eyes, but he was smiling all the same. "I know she'll love it Annie. It reminds me of your Father, so I know she'll love it." Annie smiled again, and put the cross back in it's box.

Lunch passed peacefully, and then we headed to our last stop in town - the bank. As we approached the doors, I saw a car parked coming down the block. I only caught a glimpse of the men inside due to cross traffic, but what I saw scared me. Several looked thuggish, but one of the men riding in back was covered, head to toe, in black robes. He had some sort of dome over his head, and I couldn't see his face. Spikes graced his belt and shoulders. Then we were inside.

As we stood in line, bored out of our skulls, Annie turned to me and said "Hey, thanks for your money. I'll pay you back as soon as I can!" I was about to reply when the door opened. And when I say opened, I mean was forced inward by an explosion. As everyone dove for cover, I saw, almost as if in slow-motion, all the men in the truck save the one in black. They ran in, guns out, yelling incomprehensible things at everyone. When the dust settled they leveled their guns at the crowd.

"This is a robbery, ya! We are going to take the money, ya! And a little volunteer from the audience to keep the police off us, ya ya!" The one who had spoken then pointed his gun at a random woman. "You, you will be our volunteer, ya! Ha ha!"

I fingered the gun I had in my back pocket. My parents had gotten it for me two years ago and taught me not only how to shoot, but how not to shoot to kill, how to shoot the gun out of someone's hand, and so on. I pondered how many of the thugs I could disarm before they could react when I ...heard my uncle's voice, sort of.

Not yet, Spiderfly.

I stared in amazement. Was that my Uncle? In my mind? As I watched him, his expression unchanging, he continued. Your father has his own ways of ...handling this.

And so he did. If I wasn't so busy being shocked that my uncle was a telepath, I would have been just as shocked as everyone else that my dad stood up, hands in the air. "Hey, I couldn't let you do that to such a lovely young lady. How about I be your insurance instead, huh?"

Several guns cocked and re-aimed at my father. "No, no, it must be woman, ya?"

"Surely we can work this out peacefully?"

And then, as if I weren't surprised and flabbergasted enough already, the man in black walked in. "That will be sufficient, Gustav. I think we've finally succeeded." Turning to my dad, he asked, "Did you know that in four cities and five small towns, not one other man has done what you have done. Not one man has been so self-sacrificing. And you match the description quite well. Blonde hair, tall, dislikes violence, but is quite capable of it. So why don't you tell them."

No one moved. No one breathed. I thought to myself, tell them what?

"Why don't you tell them the monster they've been harboring here all these years. Why don't you tell them how much money you're really worth. Why don't you tell them who you are..."

He drew a pistol and aimed it at my unmoving father.

"VASH THE STAMPEDE!"

A/N: Wow, you guys are awesome. I never expected such a positive response. Sorry there's no action in this one, but I figure that the action's meaningless without context. You gotta care about Nicholas and Annie before I can put them in danger, right? I promise, next update should sate your lust for Vash's particular way of handling thugs. After all, he has a shootout and bank robbery to deal with!

Huh, it seems won't let me use the dollar sign symbol for double dollars. Can anyone tell me if there's a way to do so?