A/N: I am sorry for not updating in such I long time, I really lost interest in this story, but by chance I read Comment45's review, and felt so good, I made up my mind that I should add another chapter. Ah, and I want to double-check that everyone remembers that Knives has the mechanical gun-arm, not Vash. Vash's brother never shot it off, because he was never evil, evil smile remember?

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or its characters. sigh I only wish I did...

Chapter 13 Bleeding Sun

Rei-Dei The Blade

Vash's lips curled as the freshly written name stunk of rotten blood. Wolfwood rolled around in a U-turn, kicking up more dry dirt into the already clouded air, and skidded to a halt behind the menacing man. Wolfwood's large black sunglasses slid down his nose and he licked his dry lips in awe.

The Stampede's eyes squinted to shut out the blaring sun. His face felt hot, and the black coat flapping around him didn't help. His brain was in a jumble, like he had just awaken from a dream and fleeting images of memories long since passed flashed in his eyes like a slide show on fast-forward. His mouth gaped open and his red eyes widened in the horror of his situation.

Dust flew into his face and the smell of gasoline sputtered around the air around him. The wild beast roaring to his left stopped at the switch of a key and its rider threw one leg over the side to climb down from the worn away cushion that served as a seat. Wolfwood's hair tousled in the wind that only blew to throw heat and sand into their faces. His gray and lifeless eyes stared at the large slab with unknowing curiousness.

"Knives." He whispered aloud in the barren town. Vash felt a chill run down his spine and anger boil behind his ears. "Are both of you raving lunatics?" he asked under his breath. Vash chuckled despite the hatred burning in his blood.

"Tell me," he said while turning slowly to face Wolfwood, "what is it about you that has kept you alive for this long in my company?" Vash's hair ruffled in a breeze and Wolfwood's eyes darted around them, feeling like he was a mouse being driven into the corner by the cat. He chewed the inside of his cheek while trying to find the answer himself while desperately wishing he had not smoked through another pack of cigarettes already.

Vash sneered as no reply came from his companion. "That's what I thought." His hand slid slowly to the handle of his gun, and with a wild fling, he swung it up and shot. The bullet flew from the metal barrel and sailed through the air, spinning as it ripped through dirt and wind in a straight line, and sank deep into the man's flesh – and tore through the other side.

Wolfwood stared wide-eyed at Vash, whose gun was pointing over his shoulder at a man behind him, who was wailing a writhing on the ground. Wolfwood jumped back and watched Vash sneer and turn slowly to look at the man he had just shot.

"You're not in any pain." Vash said with a frown. The man twisting and screaming in the dirt stopped abruptly and looked up at Vash with a smile.

"Is it that obvious?" He stood and shrugged while rubbing the hole in his leg, testing for any real pain. "I never was that much of an actor as a child." He said while straightening his gi. Vash continued frowning while the strange man finished dusting himself off and finally looked flatly at his dull eyes.

"I guess you were expecting this." Rei-Dei sighed and gripped the handle of his sword. "I'm a messenger of Knives. I'm ordered to put a stop to your killings here and now." He slowly pulled the blade from the sheath and steadied it eye-level across his face. "I shall show no mercy."

Vash grinned sadistically. "I don't expect any." He squeezed the trigger of his gun, but never pointed it anywhere. The gun made an empty "woof" sound and blew air at the ground. He frowned once more and steadied his sunglasses while keeping a close eye on the urban samurai.

This was no good position... Had he realized he was out of bullets he would not have so willingly shot the last one at his leg. He would have aimed to kill. He grinned again. No matter, there were more ways than one to catch a mouse.

Vash abandoned his gun to the ground and tipped his head insanely. Rei-Dei tightened his hold of the sword and swung it down as he spread his feet to prepare to launch himself forward. Another gust flew by, clouding everyone's vision, and an ear-piercing bang! sounded.

The dust ball vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and all that stood was Wolfwood with his cross-punisher unwrapped with guns hanging in the sunlight by their barrels. The silver glinted brightly, and Wolfwood slowly lowered his gun arm.

Rei-Dei's wide eyes quivered as he lay on his side in the ground. Vash was laying face-first in the dirt with the tails to his black coat flapping around him.

The wind carried no sound and the thick air swung around the three men lazily, like it had expected this to happen. A breath blew through Wolfwood's lips in relief, and he quickly charged forward with no time to lose. He ignored the motionless Typhoon lying without breathing, and swiftly grabbed the scruff of Rei-Dei's kimono. His face leaned towards the samurai's and he pointed his gun directly at the Blade's temple.

"Let God have mercy on your soul…" Wolfwood whispered in mock sympathy. "It's a blessing I got to you before he did." He said while motioning to the lifeless body of the Stampede. Rei-Dei drew in one of his numbered breaths, and spat blood in Wolfwood's face.

"Y-you have j-just hel-helped a g-g-great evil…" Rei-Dei the Blade gasped. His eyes narrowed and he pointed the blade of his sword at the madman pointedly. "Y-you are d-d-damning all m-man…kind…" he growled. Wolfwood looked away, slightly ashamed.

"I know what I'm doing. I'm helping put an end to this while losing as little lives as possible." He glanced at Vash's body, which still had not moved. Had he seriously hurt him when he shot him? His intentions were to shoot through the lunatic and hit Rei-Dei in order to put Vash out of the way for a few moments – but he had never meant to kill the deranged being. He shook off the guilt and turned back to the Gung-ho.

"Tell me, who is Knives?" Wolfwood asked. Rei-Dei chuckled, blood dripping down his chin and to the dirt. The ground sucked up the moisture greedily, but left a red stain to tarnish its cover.

"A peace s-seeker…really… H-he w-w-wanted noth-ing more th…than his br-brother's happiness," Rei-Dei gasped. Wolfwood's gray eyes widened and his gun pressed harder against the Blade's head.

"They are brothers?" Wolfwood muttered. Rei-Dei nodded and smiled as death began closing in on him.

"Knives w-worked hard t-to… help Vash." He spat the Stampede's name angrily. Knives suffered because his brother could never see the light, and Rei-Dei solely blamed Knives' pain on Vash the Stampede. The man he had always admired for never losing hope, for always trying to make things right, and he knew his misery was caused by the Typhoon. Rei-Dei had committed himself to helping Knives' cause since the first day he had met the blonde-headed man, and he was going to die failing. He frowned at the thought.

"L-lord Knives… y-you will n-n-not be disap-p-pointed in me… I'mmm n-not like the others…" Rei-Dei whispered while closing his eyes. Wolfwood's eyes narrowed and he cursed as the sword that had been pointed at Vash clicked, then banged.

Wolfwood threw the Blade down and only half-heard the man giving up his last breaths to victorious laughter as he scrambled towards the Stampede clumsily.

"Vash! Yo Spikey!" He finally reached Vash and started shaking him, not sure why he was so desperate to keep him alive when he had caused so much pain for others. He slapped the dark man's expressionless face, and then rolled him over to see where the bullet had struck him. The hole was inches from his head in his shoulder. It went from the top straight down, and to Wolfwood's guess the bullet was probably lodged somewhere in his arm. It wasn't a fatal wound – the bullet he had shot through him might have been. He searched for a hole in the black material, but scowled, as he couldn't tell button from hole. The jacket had been ripped up so much already it was impossible to tell which one was his. Not even a blood mark would show on fabric this dark…

He looked at Vash's face in horror as it slowly dawned on him what he should do to counter the non-breathing state the Stampede was in. He desperately pounded on Vash's chest, trying to save himself the humiliation of having to perform CPR on the world's largest menace.

"Spikey! Spikey! Wake up now dammit unless you wanna get kissed by me! I don't wanna kiss you, you crazy bastard! Wake up!"

Vash's hand flew up and his leather-bound fingers curled around Wolfwood's neck threateningly. His eyes shot open, and his sunglasses glinted in the light.

"Are you threatening to kiss me if I die?" Vash asked while raising an eyebrow and turning his head to face Wolfwood. Nicholas was clawing at his fingers urgently as he gasped for air. He should start learning to stand arms-length away from the Typhoon when he was unconscious.

"It's called CPR you dummy! But it always looked like kissin' to me!" Wolfwood cried out while still trying to pry the lunatic's hand off. The Stampede let him go and rubbed his chest where the first bullet had torn through, then rubbed his shoulder wearily. With a disgusting "plup" sound the bullet in his shoulder worked its way out of his body and hit the ground.

Wolfwood massaged his neck and stared at him in wonder. "You really aren't human, are you?" Vash shrugged and looked at the dead samurai with half-lidded eyes.

"You killed him." He said quietly. Wolfwood nodded.

"I told you I wasn't new to the territory."

His cross-punisher sat silhouetted behind them, the guns draping out in neat rows innocently, but they still displayed the message of death – and God's "mercy".

Thank you everyone who's reviewed! I'll try and update more, but I'm supposed to be writing ANOTHER story for my guild - the Castle of the Wolves in neopets (my username is paranoiaagentfan). Anyway, I'm so happy everyone likes this story so much, and for all you silent readers - it'd be REALLY nice if you could just...

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