The Usual Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, Meryl, Milly, Wolfwood, Rem, Knives, or Vash, as much as I wish I owned one particular character. . . .Oh, well. I can dream, can't I?
Glory
Chapter Eight: Nicholas D. Wolfwood
Glory laughed, watching Vash. He was trying to do the things she'd done moments before, trying to teach him some of the Plant powers she'd learned over time. She didn't know many attacks, but several tricks that were useful for hiding or tricking others. Right now he was trying to levitate a chair because she made a coaster dart across the room, as though some invisible hand had picked it up and chucked it.
"You're trying too hard," she warned him. "It's going to snap. . ."
Frustrated as he was, he snapped at her. "Will you let me do this?!"
"You're going to snap it," she repeated.
No sooner had she said the words than the chair lifted - and then snapped in several places, becoming a pile of wood. Glory gave a whistle.
"I warned you," she said, trying not to make it sound like I told you so.
"She told you so," Knives put in, smirking. Vash was particularly irritated because Knives had tried first, and rather easily spun a candle in the air on his first try. He could get up and walk now, albeit slowly and painfully. It was to be expected from three weeks' worth of healing.
"Don't read my mind," Glory hissed as him. Before Vash could snap like the chair did, she walked over to him and let her hand rest on his good shoulder, eyes shut. She tried to keep his mind calm and relaxed as he tried again, aiming for the table to make it flip over. It took him a few tries but he did it, and yelled in triumph as it set back down.
"Showed you, didn't I?" he demanded of Knives, acting childish for the simple reason that it was always excused.
"Sorry, but no," Knives replied, still smirking.
"Alright then," Glory said, returning to the center of the room. "Vash gets to try first next time." She said this pointedly at Knives, who didn't give in.
"By all means, let him try first," Knives said, lounging happily on the couch. "It will be that much more entertaining when I do better."
Vash gave him a glare and Glory shut her eyes, trying particularly for something she knew Vash would be better at. Lifting her right hand above her head, she called her power as easily as though she were snapping her fingers. A white ball of light gathered in her hands, smallish, and then she dropped her hand to be parallel to the ground and spun, the light becoming a ring. She lifted her hands slowly as she empowered the ring, hands pausing at her shoulders to thrust back down. Her chin lifted as wind-like power rushed up and engulfed her invisibly, and when it ended, Glory sighed sharply and fell to her knees, nearly burnt out.
"And that," she said heavily, "is how you regenerate your body - wounds, blood, skin, muscles. It heals aches and pains and sows gashes."
Vash was beside her already, helping her stand and guiding her towards the couch. "Unfortunately," she added to Knives, "it doesn't instantly heal cuts or gashes, or bullet holes. The most it can do is help your skin gather together over the wound."
"Right," Knives said, but left it at that.
They both watched as Vash tried, mimicking her movements as Glory talked him through it, what to do and when. "You don't have to lift your arm. . .yes, you have to spin. . .don't let go of the power until you feel you have enough. . .take your time. . .Don't worry, you can try again. . . I know, it really wears you out. . ."
Once Vash did it, it was Knives' turn, but dinner was served before he could try. Both Meryl and Milly had been watching and listening to them every now and again as they fixed dinner, and now, as they all sat and ate, they asked questions about how everything was going.
Just a day ago Glory had informed Milly that she was pregnant, and she seemed to be glowing at the knowledge. Knives seemed the most interested though, never having been around a pregnant woman before - well, not to his knowledge, anyway. He was impatient, though, that he couldn't feel the child, and that she wasn't showing. Glory told him that human women generally didn't show until at least two or three months into pregnancy unless it was a case of multiple birth, but that didn't seem to help much. In fact, he'd said,
"So make her have twins or triplets."
He obviously didn't get it. Glory had gone into a full launch about how human women were impregnated, and Knives was looking worse for wear by the end of it. As she'd expected, he didn't ask any other questions for fear of other such answers about sex.
Vash laughed through all of it.
But Milly was starting to get mild cases of morning sickness, and as well, got a little more depressed each day that Nicholas wouldn't be around to see his child, as well as the child never knowing his or her father. That gave Glory an idea, but first she had to teach Vash the rest of his plant powers that she knew of. If she'd known Nick before, this wouldn't be a problem, but she didn't know him personally and couldn't be of much help. That's where Vash came in.
Who knew Nicholas D. Wolfwood better than Vash, who had come to be his model as well as best friend?
Church where Nicholas died, a week later
Glory stood at the doorway and looked inside, smiling at the way Vash had paid respects. There was a single coffin in the center of the church, and a note in the center of the lid. Stepping closer, she read it out loud. "Messenger of God, best friend, perfect man. May you find eternal peace in Heaven. We all love you."
She smiled at Vash over her shoulder and moved to remove the lid, kneeling beside it.
"I can't believe you're doing this," Vash said, coming closer. "It doesn't seem possible."
"Neither does a Plant born outside bulb who lived to give birth to twin boys and a girl," Glory argued, and set the lid to the side. The body inside was cold and slightly shriveled, but not blue or green or discolored at all, really, except for the white skin. As expected, the smell of decomposition came up as she removed the lid, but that was easily ignored.
"Remember why you're here?" Glory asked, looking up at Vash.
"I have to find his soul. But don't you think this is like playing with God's will?"
"Not at all," Glory said. "If God intended for us to fail, then we will. We won't know until we try. Come here; sit down."
After swallowing Vash nodded and sat down beside Glory. Knives stood by the doorway, leaning against the paneling. He came by of his own free will, interested in seeing if they actually had such power as to bring a dead body back to life, and bring its soul back to its body. He was most interested in Chapel's response to such a thing. He himself could curse souls to living forever in between dimensions, before you enter Heaven of Hell but after you leave the plane of the living. It is a dark, dismal place, where only your screams can be heard.
Placing her hands against Nicholas' chest, she shut her eyes and lifted her powers, waking them up and sending them into his body. It grasped his heart first, starting to make it pump and then opened the deflated lungs, making the dead, still form begin breathing. Renewed blood flowed through dried, dead veins and gathered from the back of the body, drawn back into circulation.
This was just the beginning, and the easy part. Now Glory had to make sure every part of him regenerated, including the parts of his brain that had died. Unless she was sure his brain was brought back fully, he wouldn't be fully himself again, with or without his soul.
Now, she told Vash. Find his soul. Only you can. Do it!
Vash cursed at her rush and sent out his mind as she'd taught him, feeling for souls. He couldn't feel any yet, and strained, reaching out farther and spreading through planes of existence, finding lost souls and pushing through them as he searched for one particular familiar soul.
"Faster, Vash!" Glory prodded. "You have to bring him before he wakes up or his boy will reject him!"
"Patience!" Vash hissed back, feeling carefully around the varied souls. Wolfwood! he exclaimed, and then again and again. Damnit, where are you? he finally shouted, amid the wandering souls. They all kept moving, going in their own directions, and then something sparked in Vash's mind, like a star shimmering.
"Needle-noggin?" a familiar voice asked. "What're you doing here? You're not dead."
It's a long story, Vash replied. I don't have time to tell you now. Just answer me - do you want to come back, be alive?
"Do I -" the voice paused there, and then laughed. "Of course, but how'd you find me? What're you talking about?"
I can't explain right niow, Vash returned sharply. Did you know that Milly's pregnant? She misses you. She wants you back.
"Milly? Yeah, I knew. But she still is?" Another pause. "You can bring me back again?"
Just follow me, Vash said, reaching out with his power towards Wolfwood's gleam. I can lead you back. We don't have much time to discuss this.
There was another pause. After a while Wolfwood laughed. "Take me home, needle-noggin!" he said at last, and drew closer to Vash's presence. Vash receded slowly, but at an accelerated rate, and came back to himself so sharply his head snapped back.
Glory gasped sharply and jerked back, her hands burning. The body was alive, eyes partially opened and looking as youthful as ever - perhaps better than before - but she couldn't sense Nicholas' soul yet. Had Vash done it? He'd better have. Glory didn't want to kill this body after it died so unpleasantly those weeks ago.
She looked over at Vash, who was wearing a dazed expression and blinking. He looked back at her and smiled, "I found him. He's coming."
"He'd better get here soon," Glory responded, looking back at the body. Nicholas' head was turning slowly from side to side, gathering bits of information. The body had Nicholas' memories, but without the soul, there was no potential whatsoever. That's why souls were so important; they made you who you are. Without it, you could easily turn in either direction, be it good or evil, sane or mad.
"Come on," she whispered. Slowly her eyes shut and focused on finding rushing souls, and felt just one. It was pointed direction towards Nicholas' body, but was still so far away - and had yet to break through into this plane. With a mental crack that was deafening, it broke the barrier and slammed into the mind of Nicholas' body, and it was all Glory could do to hope that this was Nicholas D. Wolfwood and not a different soul that wanted a body.
Vash's face said it all. With a glance over at him she knew. Nicholas was back, in body in soul. Truthfully, she and Vash were a great team; she brings back bodies, and he finds their souls within the time barrier.
"Welcome back," Vash said, reaching out to help Nicholas sit up.
Wolfwood groaned and rubbed his arm. "It's hard to move."
"And it will be," Glory replied, "until you get those muscles stretched. They've been dead for over three weeks; what do you expect?"
"A better welcome home?" Wolfwood suggested. Looking at her, he added, "And who are you, anyway?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Glory asked, and leaned close to Vash, mimicking his smile, cheek to cheek.
"What, are the triplet?" Wolfwood asked, and slowly got up.
"Little sister," Glory explained, standing as well. Vash put an arm around Wolfwood and helped him walk, but Wolfwood stopped dead when he saw Knives.
"It's Knives," Wolfwood said.
"Chapel," Knives returned.
"Don't worry; he's harmless," Vash promised. "Right now he's recovering."
"From what?" Wolfwood replied, shocked.
"Four gunshot wounds," Glory said, making a gun with her hands and pointing at Knives as Vash and Wolfwood began walking again. She shot four times. "One in each shoulder, one in each thigh. You've been dead for three weeks, as I said. He's lucky to have made it this far and only walking half the way."
"You want to end up in that coffin?" Knives asked, but lifted an arm so Glory could help him limp along.
With her left arm around Knives' waist, she picked up her boomerang - which had been leaning against the paneling opposite Knives - and slung it over her shoulder. The four of them, Glory and Vash helping Knives and Wolfwood, went all the way out to the jeep Glory - err - borrowed for the trip and helped in the two injured males.
Vash took up driver as Knives sighed into the first passenger seat, and Glory sat behind Knives, with Wolfwood still looking like he was in pain in the left back seat. Leaning back, Glory smirked at Nicholas.
"If you need to lay down, go ahead," she told him. "My lap is surprisingly comfy."
Nicholas looked surprised at her, and then gave a laugh. "I think I've slept enough, thank you."
Glory laughed back. "Your loss."
And so ends chapter 8. Like it? How nice of Glory, to have Wolfwood do the Lazarus. If you dunno what that is, here's a little story for you: Lazarus is a man who came back to life. The story gave the word "Lazarus" the meaning of being brought back from the dead, but not as a zombie or vampire. If you need proof, then here.
"Wolfwood" has the spellcheck squiggly red line.
"Lazarus" just needs to be capitalized. Is all good.
As you can tell, I decided to let the story keep going. Better love me, people. Three updates now. (Unless I screwed up in my counting, which I hope I didn't.)
DL
