Yes! Another insanely short chapter! Sorry, just trying to space it right. I've been writing the whole thing on one W.P. page. Technology really is a bitch when you can't use it right. Oh well, I'll learn I'm sure.
Disclaimer: I own no Trigun! This whole disclaimer thing is stupid. If I owned Trigun, why would I make a Fanfiction? If you DO own Trigun, and you DO write Fanfiction (which doesn't make sense) do you have to write this stupid disclaimer?
CHAPTER FOURSkye stared out of the sandsteamer porthole, with much interest. She watched the desert speed past her eyes, and she tried to absorb everything she saw. It was relatively cool inside the room, and right now Nicholas was watching her from the other side.
"Didn't you used to be the captain of a sandsteamer? Why so interested?"
"I've never seen what it was like to be a passenger." She replied coolly.
The large machine clunked when they went over a dune. Skye was a bit shaken, because she was used to riding smoothly in airships.
I don't trust this machine at all. She decided.
"We'll be there soon." He said.
"Where is there?" she asked.
"I dunno. We'll find out when we get there."
Skye began to wonder if her choice to go with him was a good one. She wasn't all too bright at times, and she was bound to say something stupid and give herself away.
"Don't you have a job now? Apparently you aren't a captain anymore."
"I'll always be a captain." Skye answered, "But no, I have no job currently."
"I see. Is that money you have just left over from your last profession?"
"Actually, no. You're red-coated friend gave it to me to cover the expenses of your burial."
Nicholas laughed a bit, and shook his head. Then he became serious again.
"Was anyone else with him? Two girls maybe?"
Skye shook her head no.
"Damn." He muttered, taking a cigarette from his pocket and placing it in his mouth. Skye had never been an advocate for smoking. She got up and crossed the room.
"I don't plan on reviving you again if you keel over and die." Skye said, plucking the cigarette from his lips. "Try to cut back, okay?"
Nicholas just grumbled to himself, maybe second guessing his acceptance to her presence.
"You sound like Milly."
"Who?" Skye asked.
"No one." He responded quickly.
He fell silent and began reading the bible from the hotel. Skye sighed and went back to looking out the porthole.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Wake up."
Skye was shaken awake to find it once again light outside. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at who was shaking her.
"Thanks for not leaving me or something." She said.
"I said I'd take you with me. I'm not about to let you stay on this sandsteamer while I have to hoof it."
Skye smiled; glad to see him talking again. She put on her green coat, and saw that Nicholas had gotten a glimpse of it's contents.
"That's a healthy supply of bullets you have there." He said
"I haven't had to use one yet." Was all she answered.
They were quick to exit the sandsteamer, maybe Skye a bit more than Nicholas. That was the last time she would ride on one of those buckets of bolts. They found themselves in a small town, and it looked to Skye like it had just rained everywhere.
Rain? Here?
"Why is this place all wet?" Nicholas asked, apparently unfamiliar to the affects of rain.
"Well, thanks to some outside help, we struck water underground."
Skye and Nicholas turned to the owner of this new voice. He was a large man with a pickaxe and overalls. He looked dirty and sweaty. Skye took a step back. She was a very clean person.
"Really?" Nicholas asked, looking around.
Indeed, everything was soaked. It looked like it had happened only a few hours ago.
"When did it happen?" Nicholas asked.
"Oh, about a week or so ago. It just happened again for the second time. Can you believe it? Vash the Stampede helped us finish the job. Vash the Stampede!"
The man walked away laughing. Not to seem ignorant, Skye didn't ask who Vash the Stampede was, or why him helping was so cool. Instead, she followed Nicholas's lead into a bar next to a dingy motel with a rocking chair in the front.
He pushed open the door and was greeted immediately with hearty laughs and good times. There was beer and people and fun everywhere. It took Skye all of three seconds to make her way to the bar and order a beer. Nicholas disappeared to the back, and at this point, Skye didn't care.
"I'll have a beer, please." She said to the bartender.
He was a large man with a mean face. His pipe was hanging by just a bit at the end of his mouth, and he had numerous tattoos.
"It's on the house." He said smiling, handing her the beer.
"Hey, thanks!" she said, gulping it down immediately.
She went through about four pre-paid for beers before starting to wonder where Wolfwood had run off to. She got off of her stool, swaying a bit, and made her way to the back of the bar, where she last saw Nicholas. Sure enough, he was sitting with a tall man in a white shirt. He had hair that stood up like it defied gravity. It was a shocking blonde.
She sat down next to Nicholas, and listened to them talk. It didn't take long for them to notice she was there.
"Uh, Skye?"
"Yeah." She answered Nicholas, who was slamming beers faster than her.
"This is Vash. Vash, Skye."
"A pleasure." She said, shaking his hand.
He smiled at her, and then looked at Nicholas, than back at her.
"Thank you for saving my friend!" He said, sobbing.
Skye was a bit taken aback. She had never seen a grown man cry before. This guy really didn't look like the crying type.
"It's really no big deal." She said, trying to calm him, " I needed the money for groceries anyway."
Trying to add humor didn't help, he only cried harder.
"Don't mind him, he's drunker than I am." Nicholas downed another beer and helped his friend up.
"You can stay over at the hotel with me and Vash. There are two girls there to, and Vash's brother apparently."
"Cool." Skye replied, helping Wolfwood with Vash.
"Pick up the tab, will you?"
Nicholas left Skye sitting at the table as he carried Vash out the door. She pouted, and the barmaid came up to her.
"Don't worry about it sweaty, all drinks are on the house tonight."
I guess it wasn't just me then.
She thanked the barmaid and left the establishment. She made for the hotel next door, and then it hit her, how in the hell would she know what room Nicholas was in? He didn't tell her a room number or anything.
She saw a small woman rocking back and forth on the front porch of the hotel. She had short black hair, and grayish eyes. She was strikingly pretty, and her head perked up when Skye stepped on the porch. She looked really twitchy.
"Are you Skye Benderick?" the woman asked.
She couldn't have been more than twenty-five. She eyed Skye's ears and coat when asking.
"Yes, pleased to meet you…"
"I'm Meryl Strife." The woman answered.
"Ah, well, Meryl, are you staying with Vash and Nicholas, or are you just here to show me where they are?"
She laughed.
"I and my associate, Milly Thompson, were assigned by the Bernardelli Insurance agency to watch over Vash the Stampede as risk prevention."
"I see." Skye said, a bit bored.
"Um, so, follow me then, I guess."
Skye noticed that she looked even twitchier than before. Almost to the point of having a full on seizure. She rushed down the long hall that looked like it was about to fall on top of them, and near ran into a room on the left.
The room had two doors connecting to it. The first door was open, and led to a kitchenette, that led to a bathroom. The second was also open, and led into a second bedroom. The bedroom they were now in had a small window, and a large bed. There was a man lying very still on the bed, and he looked a bit like Vash, except less drunk. He had short white-blonde hair, and Skye would have thought him sleeping if she hadn't noticed the bloody bandages wrapped around his legs, arms, and torso. Twitchy Meryl was starring frantically at the other two men in the room. They were both sitting in chairs looking at the man on the bed. Vash was more slumped over, but sitting nonetheless.
"Sooo, have you seen Milly yet?" Meryl asked Nicholas.
He silently shook his head, not looking up at Meryl.
"I think you should. Why are you still alive, anyway? I mean, I'm not upset that you are, but you could have told us, I mean, oh forget it. You know what I mean."
Nicholas was still staring at the immobile and unconscious man, but he nodded at Meryl's comment.
"Where is Milly?" he asked.
Skye recognized the name immediately as the one she had been compared to. She nodded to herself in silent understanding.
"At the market. You'll give her a heart attack if she sees you. Mine might fail me soon!" she took gasping breaths and almost fainted.
Skye helped her up, and turned to Nicholas who was finally standing.
"Fill her in." he said with a cigarette in his mouth.
He tried to walk past her, but Skye stopped him. She plucked the cigarette from his mouth and waved him past. She could see him draw another when he was far enough down the hall.
Meryl looked up at her as if she was expecting her to do tricks. Then she remembered what Nicholas had asked her to do.
"Uhhh…" she started.
This was going to be hard if they didn't sit down.
"Lets go into the other room."
Skye led a shaky Meryl into the second bedroom, which definitely looked like a girls one, and took a deep breath.
"How about this… I tell you my story if you tell me yours."
Sooo, all the gang is finally here. What shall happen next? Only I know. Muahhahahahahahaaaa! Sorry, it's the apple juice again.