TRIGUN BETA: Series 1
Episode 012: Dance Dance, part 5
.o.o.o.
Bert made his way out of the house, carrying the package that Rula had instructed him to take.
But then, something struck him from behind.
Legato lowered his hand and looked down at the man. He reached down and picked up the box. "Soon now, Vash, soon everything will come to completion." He remarked to himself.
.o.o.o.
"What do you mean, Vash?" Maggie asked him.
"The last time I had this kind of feeling, a lot of innocent people died." He explained. "It's a strange faceless presence- but it is evil."
"Evil!" Meryl exclaimed. "I can't believe this, just as I was beginning to think that you weren't the person I'd read about, you tell me this."
Vash shook his head. "I won't deny that trouble follows me, I've tried to do the right thing, but things have a way of going wrong, Meryl." He explained.
The short girl shook her head. "No, I refuse to accept this!" She declared. "We can't just let fear rule our lives, we have to do something."
"No, I have to do something- you two are not involved in this." Vash corrected.
Meryl scowled at him and pointed a finger at him. "Listen to me, we're in this together, it's my job to follow you- and do whatever it takes to keep you out of trouble, so I'm not going anywhere!"
Maggie nodded. "I'm staying too; I wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for you." She added with a gentle smile.
Vash looked first at the short dark-haired girl with the deep gray eyes and then at the tall girl with the thoughtful magenta eyes and the thick dark hair. He smiled at both of them and then wiped his eyes.
"Vash?" Meryl asked suddenly.
He cleared his eyes and looked over at them. "Sorry to worry you, I'm just not used to people being concerned for me." He admitted. "Before I met you two, I was alone, but now I have others to live for." He added.
Meryl sighed. "Oh Vash. . ." She thought, repressing to the urge to take his hand.
Maggie blushed at the words and stuffed her hands into her pockets of her long dark brown coat.
Vash looked off into the horizon quietly. "Tomorrow is the big day; we have to be ready for anything." He remarked cryptically to the girls.
Meryl reached out, feeling for the familiar form of her Derringers inside her coat.
.o.o.o.
Vash waited in the Pavilion for the others. He turned around and spotted Mina approaching him.
He smiled. "I'm glad you're here." He remarked to her.
.o.o.o.
The man ran frantically into the town. "Everyone, something happened down at Miller's farm!" He exclaimed.
"What's going on, Hooper?" The Mayor asked.
"Sir," he gasped. "They're all dead!"
Everyone became deathly silent.
"What in the hell did you just say!" The Mayor demanded.
"Dead, all of 'em- one of them was even nailed up on the scaffold like a scarecrow—"
The mayor ran out into the open. "Everyone remain calm!" He exclaimed. He then turned to Hooper. "Damnit man, calm down!"
"And Miller, oh god—"
"What about him!" The Mayor demanded, grabbing onto him by the collars.
"His face, it looked like he died of fright!"
The Mayor released him and stepped back. "Get Rula. . ." He told someone nearby.
Nearby, a woman with dark purple hair smiled to herself.
.o.o.o.
Vash was busy talking with Meryl and Maggie, when Mina looked over and saw a little girl walk up to her.
She turned and smiled down at the child, who- in turn- handed her a bouquet a flowers. "Oh, they're so pretty, who are they from?" She asked.
The girl smiled. "From a secret admirer who wishes you good luck."
"Thank you." Mina replied.
.o.o.o.
"What do you mean you can't find her?"
The man shook his head. "Sir, I checked her room and she wasn't there."
The mayor looked away. "There's a killer lurking around and no one knows where my daughter is!" He exclaimed. "What's going on. . .?"
.o.o.o.
Vash suddenly froze as a strange sensation shot down his spine. He turned around and saw Mina standing a few meters away, holding a cluster of flowers in her arms. "No…" he remarked.
He started to run towards her, but there was a bright flash of light and everything fell into a panic.
Vash was face down on the ground, under the covering of the pavilion. He finally lifted his head up and peered over towards the source of the blast. "Oh my god. . ."
He then rolled onto his back and reached into his coat. He sat up, holding his gun in his hand. He looked over and saw a small girl with blond hair and wearing a pink dress smiling at him, but there was something around her, like a shadow. Vash drew the gun on her.
Meryl gasped. "Vash, what the hell are you doing!"
"QUIET!" Vash yelled. "He aimed the gun at her head. "What are you, and why are you doing this?"
The girl smiled.
"Vash, are you crazy, you're going to shoot a little girl!" Meryl exclaimed, and stepped forward. But Maggie stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"No Meryl, he's right- that girl is not normal."
Vash narrowed his eyes. "Answer me!"
"Or what, you'll shoot me?" The Girl asked in a strange disembodied voice. "Go ahead, I'm just borrowing her body for a little while, and I've finished what I came here to do."
"Why are you doing this?"
She smiled. "Vash, you know so little of the way the world really works, humans were never meant to have the kind of power they have, so we are setting things right, starting it all over." She paused. "As for this little outing, well we just wanted to let you know we exist and that we will be watching you." She smiled and waived at him.
Vash drew the gun back and sighed, as the girl fell unconscious. "They're gone."
He put his gun away and crawled over the child and picked her up. He walked over to Maggie and handed her to the tall woman.
It took very little to discern from Mina's motionless form, what had happened to her. Maggie and Meryl walked up beside him.
"They killed her, and…" He paused.
Just then someone rushed in and finished what Vash was about to say.
'Rula is dead.' Was the simple statement.
A single word kept resonating through his head. Over and over, the word flickered before his thoughts.
'Legato. . .'
(- End of Chapter 12 -)
.o.o.o.
The story will return soon in the next block of episodes. Thank you for reading this.
