Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, and am making no money from this.
Vash the Stampede?
What was he talking about?
Vash the Stampede was a bogeyman, a fairy tale used to frighten children. 'Go to bed or Vash the Stampede will get you.' No one I knew ever spoke of the tales of the Humanoid Typhoon without laughing at their absurdity. Single-handedly reduced two of the towns to rubble? Absurd. Put the hole in the fifth moon? Impossible. Defeated all manner of outlaws and scum without killing anyone? No way. No way that any one man could really do all those things. And even if such an impossible man might exist, there's no way he could be my father! Dad's way too young!
Right?
So why didn't dad say anything? Why didn't he tell everyone how absurd it was for him to be Vash? I mean his name is Alex!
... Wait, no it isn't. No one calls him "Alex", they call him "...Alex" and oh my is he really...
My father stood there, unmoving. No one moved. Finally the man in black spoke again. "So, you choose not to deny it... good. That makes this so much easier. I am called Hart, the Death Knell Thunder. So you have two choices, Humanoid Typhoon. You can come quietly, or we can kill people. Either way, I'll end up a rich man. After all, 62 billion, 301 million double dollars is a lot of money."
My dad's face finally moved, and what he said made me even more confused. "Hey, whatever happened to 60 billion, huh? That was such a nice, round number..."
"Two years ago a new law required all old bounties to be adjusted for inflation."
"I see. But it's still just not the same!"
The tension mounted as the people gathered, myself included, considered the possibility that Vash the Stampede, the infamous outlaw himself, really stood before us. With several guns pointed at him. I hope the bank is still standing when this is over...
Then I "heard" my Uncle's voice once more. Be ready to act, Spiderfly. Try not to shoot Vash by mistake, or I'll have to hurt you.
Okay, this was too much. Now my creepy, antisocial, and (apparently) telepathic, uncle was calling him Vash too! Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Annie reaching for her gun. Quick mental calculations time! I figured I could overturn the table behind us and use it for cover quickly...
That was as far as I got planning when all hell broke loose.
A black cat meowed in a window.
This caused three of the twitchy gunmen to turn their aim suddenly to the cat.
Dad used the opportunity to leap to the left, drawing his gun and shooting the gun out of the robed man's hand.
My Uncle stood there, unmoving.
I overturned the table, and Annie and I raced behind it, drawing our own weapons.
The remaining gunmen took potshots at various spots along my dad's trajectory, all missing.
Hart drew a metal staff from within his robes. It had short, spike-covered chains hanging off either end. He readied, as if to jump.
The bystanders panicked, and began mad dashes to cover, doors, windows, and even the floor in a few cases.
Dad shot down a chandelier, causing it to crash into five of the gunmen.
My Uncle casually walked toward the exit.
Hart leaped over the chandelier and toward my dad's position, ready to strike.
My bullet intercepted his staff, causing it to veer from it course to my dad's skull.
Annie shot at the gunmen, causing them to duck for partial cover before returning their equally ineffective fire.
Bystanders continued panicking.
Hart again swung his staff at my dad, who dodged each swipe in precariously impossible ways. His face looked genuinely scared of each swing that left him balancing in akward positions as he avoided the blows.
Uncle simply glared at the proceedings.
I fired at a loose nail in the woodwork of the wall, causing a beam to fall and bonk a thug on his head.
Annie laid down some cover fire to keep them from coming out of cover.
Hart spared a glance to see that he only had two functioning gunmen against me, Annie, and Uncle (who still did nothing.) He grimaced, and leaped backward to the door. "This isn't over, Vash the Stampede!"
"Gee, Mr. Thunder, you're really fast!"
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was all over. Hart, the Death Knell Thunder (what a stupid name!) and his cronies retreated. The energy and adrenaline went out of me like a popped souffle.
As I reloaded my gun and collected my thoughts, the bank manager's shadow loomed over my family.
As I tasted the dust of the street outside the bank, I heard my dad yell inside with his whiney voice. "Hey, can't we at least withdraw some money! After all, I am a paying customer!" His response was a slammed door.
"Well, guys, let's go home then. Meryl won't be too pleased that I didn't get the money, and after all, we still need to have that conversation, sport!"
I interrupted Annie's confused look by saying "Yeah, about that..."
"Sorry, son, all questions must wait until after the lecture, and your mom's my assistant teacher!"
Annie finally worked up the courage to speak. "Um... Uncle?"
"Oh, yeah. Well, Annie, I guess you should be in on that conversation too." My dad continued speaking as we walked back toward our car. "When we get home, I'm going to tell Nick here all about it!"
The walk, and then ride, was silent until we exited town. Maybe it was my imagination, but Annie seemed to be sitting closer to me than normal. I know it wasn't my imagination that she was visibly tensed, and shaking a bit. After a few minutes dad turned and looked back at Annie and me in the back seat. "You guys doing okay back there?" Annie mutely nodded.
"I'll be doing a lot better once you explain all this."
"Well, we should be home in another hour or so. I'll make sure the insurance girls are waiting for us." In my still-dazed state it took me a moment to remember that dad sometimes collectively called Mom and Aunt Milly that. It apparently had to do with an old job of theirs...
Annie finally seemed to sink back into reality. "So, are you really V... V..."
"Didn't he tell you he would explain when we arrive, child?" My Uncle glowered with more hate than I'd ever seen in his eyes.
"Well, if I had to introduce myself..." As he spoke it almost seemed that the air sparkled around him, his face boyishly dazzling. "I'd say that I'm a hunter of peace who chases the mayfly known as love!" Then his face once again became serious. Smiling, but serious. "But just to tide you over, yes. I am the 60 billion double dollar man. Well, 62 billion, 301 million anyway. But no more until Meryl's in on it!"
Another hour passed in relative silence, and as promised we soon arrived back at my comfortable old house on the outskirts of town. Also just as promised, Mom and Aunt Milly were sitting on the porch, teacups in hand.
Annie raced out of the car and did her darndest to envelop her mother in a hug. Of course, Aunt Milly was too big for that, but she enveloped right back. "M-m-m-mooooom! Uncle Alex is V... V..."
Aunt Milly interrupted, her usual sweet smile on her face as she confirmed the truth. "Vash the Stampede? Yup, that's the Legendary Gunman all right! Hey, don't feel bad dear. Your Aunt Meryl couldn't believe it either, not for a long time."
"Yeah, short-girl, I recall you doubted my incredible abilities until I single-handedly defeated the entire Nebraska Family!"
Mom got all huffy. She usually did when called short-girl. "Oh? I seem to remember that I defeated half of them at that farm, not you!" Dad sweatdropped. "What? Don't tell me you fired that shot too! I told you to stay out of it!"
"Aw, come on Meryl, can't we let bygones be bygones?"
I just stared, dumbfounded, as Mom chased dad all around the yard, screaming bloody murder. Aunt Milly was still comforting Annie, who didn't seem to be taking things well. Uncle stepped up beside me. "I can't believe he chose this life..."
I sighed. Today was not my day.
A/N: Hey, I hope you guys like this chapter! To be perfectly honest, it's my first time doing a real action scene, so if you review please let me know if it was any good!
Aine of Knockaine: Wow, I didn't expect a review from you! Might I take this opportunity to praise Forever Mine as highly as I can:) But in response to your comment, I for one find it incongruous to think that Vash wouldn't stick around. I mean, the closing credits make it abundantly clear to me that Vash and Meryl want to start a life together...