Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews,I really appreciate the support. I'm going to try and update at least once a month, but I would like to do it more often. We'll see what happens. Again thanks for your patience and I hope I amdoing Trigun and Vash credit. Later Gaters! (PS. Guns are not my thing so if I mess up any of the lingo...sorry :0P)

Chapter Seven – Dragon's Heart

With Fantus' help, Vash broke camp. He then helped Jenna mount up on Cyric. She reached down her hand and Vash looked at her funny.

Jenna's smile left her face as she looked at his confused expression. "What is the matter? You do want to ride don't you?"

Cyric snorted and jerked his head around to look at her, an evil glint in his eye, Jenna ignored him. At the same time Vash looked up at her and paled visibly.

"Ride?" He put his hands up in front of him and took a step back. "Haha, no thanks." At her quizzical expression he finished rather meekly, "I don't know how."

She laughed her infectious laugh, "Is that all? Its easy. Take my hand and I will show you how."

Vash took one more step back and shook his head. "No thanks. I like to walk, besides he," pointing at Cyric, "looks like he will try and take my leg off." Cyric thrust his head out and snapped his teeth inches from his finger. Vash jumped backwards with a yelp. "See! Just like that!"

Jenna jabbed her ankles into Cyric's flanks. Cyric you promised!

The unicorn stomped his hoof but said nothing.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry Vash, but I guess you are right. Would you like me to walk with you?"

Vash laughed his crazy laugh and said, "Don't be ridiculous, you can barely stand! No you ride, I'll walk along beside you."

Jenna shrugged, "Alright, suit yourself." She then looked off into the distance at the rising sun.

Vash followed her gaze, "We had better get moving if you want to find shelter before the second sun rises." With that he began to walk down the path towards the plane below.

Jenna watched him for a moment, her head tilted in curiosity, "Second sun?" she asked, but he was far enough ahead, and arguing with Fantus again, that he didn't hear her. She kicked Cyric's flanks and he trotted up beside the human, and then slowed to a walk. She asked her question again, "Second sun?"

Vash looked up and her and then back onto the trail, "Yup, two suns and five moons. Makes for a hell of a lot of light! Not to mention the heat in the middle of the day. Phew!"

Jenna's eyes grew large and she looked around at the new world she had landed on. "Two suns." she repeated to herself, "How do things grow?"

Vash snorted "They don't. At least not without a lot of water and help." He looked back up at her and added, "Welcome to GunSmoke My Lady."

"GunSmoke? That's an odd name for a planet. Why did your Elders call it that?"

"We really don't have 'Elders' here, we have people who set themselves up as government officials. It was more like people just started calling it that after guns had been reintroduced after the Great Fall."

"What is the Great Fall? And these guns, what are they? Is that the name of the silver weapon at your side?"

Vash let out a large sigh, and Jenna felt his inner turmoil. "I have asked a question that causes you pain, I am sorry." she said softly.

Vash looked up at her and smiled a sad smile, "Its alright. It happened a very long time ago and it's a very long story. One that I think I should wait to tell you some other time, if that's alright."

She smiled a reassuring smile down at him and said "Of course."

He nodded and then returned her smile with a big grin; he then reached down and drew his gun. "You were right. This is a gun. It can shoot a bullet made of copper and led very quickly out of the nozzle here using a powder that is highly explosive." he opened the cylinder and showed her one of the bullets, then snapped it back shut with a flick of his wrist.

Reaching down she took the gun from his hands and curiously looked it over, being careful not to move anything that might set off this new weapon. "How does it work?" she asked.

Vash reached up as she handed it back down to him. He opened up the barrel to show her where the bullets go. Then he proceeded to explain to her the mechanics of his gun.

Jenna listened very closely, committing every detail to memory. After all, if she was to survive in this world she must learn how to fight in it. When he was done she nodded her head in understanding. "It is like a high powered sling shot."

Vash looked at her funny, and then began to laugh. "I guess you could say that!"

Jenna smiled, and then asked, "Will you teach me how to use one?"

Vash sobered very quickly, "Why? Why would you want to learn to use one?"

"If I am to survive on this new world I must know how to properly defend myself. I know how to use knives, swords, bows and arrows, but they are not used here and therefore I would be at the disadvantage. Please, I would have you teach me to use a gun."

Vash looked into her earnest face, and then at the killing machine in his hands. He looked back at her and nodded his head.

"Thank you Vash. I greatly appreciate this."

He shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing. They continued on in silence, each pondering the words and action of the other.

Finally Fantus couldn't take it any longer. He turned on Vash's shoulder and pointed one clawed finger at Jenna, "I have questions for you missy!"

Jenna had been taken by surprise, "Wh-what?"

"You heard me" said the little drake. "Now, what the hell were you thinking running off in the other direction when I told you not too? And what happened to Mirva? How did you escape and where did you think you were running too?"

Jenna's face paled visibly at the mention of His name. "Fantus, I do not wish to remember my failure at this time."

Fantus looked at her like she was crazy, "Failure? What are you talking about?"

Fresh tears sprang into her eyes, "The mission, I didn't complete it." She bowed her head and said no more.

Vash was about to reach a hand up and comfort her when the drake let out a large barking laugh, which startled all three of his traveling companions.

"Pish Posh! You didn't fail! Far from it!"

"But I never recovered the Stone!" Jenna said with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

The sneaky Drake had on one of his mischievous smiles and waved a finger at her, "You didn't, Little Treasure, But I did." and with that, he reached into his pouch and pulled forth a blood red garnet, the size of a child's fist.

Jenna Gasped, while Vash let out a low whistle, Cyric blew out his nose, both man and beast had stopped moving. All were staring at the glowing Stone in Fantus' Paw.

"You little…" Jenna couldn't finish her sentence, she began to laugh, a laugh of pure joy. "Its over! It's truly over! I didn't fail!" She clapped her hands together. "Fantus give it here! I must put it back where it belongs."

"You monster! You said you were going to show me that last night!" growled Cyric.

Vash finally caught his wits, "What the hell is that thing?"

"This," began Jenna as she took the Stone from Fantus, "Is the DragonStone, or more commonly known as the Dragon's Heart. This is where all this trouble began in the first place. This is the reason for me, er uh, landing on you, I guess." she added with an embarrassed smile and a shrug. "Now, lets fix this mess." She reached over and drew her sword.

"Jenna are you sure you can handle this after what you went through, which you have avoided telling us by the way." said an irritated, yet concerned Fantus.

"Why? What is she planning on doing?" asked Vash, his brow furrowing with worry as he looked from Jenna to Fantus.

"Watch." was all either of them got for an answer.

Jenna raised her sword and before anyone could stop her, she quickly drew the blade across the palm of her hand.

Vash let out a strangled yell and would have pulled her off Cyric had Jenna not held up a hand. Wait, was all she would tell him.

She rubbed her bleeding hand across the entire sword, then she picked up the garnet, and lo! It began to pulse with a light all its own!

Vash took an involuntary step back. Its ok, she whispered into his mind.

She placed her still bleeding hand over the orb and exchanged hands. Turning the sword blade down, she placed the Dragon's Heart below the feet of the dragon that was carved into the pommel.

Vash blinked. The Dragon had moved! Its small ruby eyes were glowing and its claws had anchored themselves into the Stone as if it had meant to be there, while the tail wrapped itself around the Stone, further securing it in place as the pommel stone.

VaniDrâke! She whispered to the sword. The Stone pulsed brighter until it had changed from blood red to fire orange, the sword of a sudden being engulfed in flames. The flames began to spread, she was on fire, and Cyric was on fire. Vash could only watch in horrified shock as the flames spread and engulfed him and Fantus. He closed his eyes tight expecting the worst, yet felt nothing more than a tingle.

VaniDrâke! She shouted and with a Whoosh of wind, the tingling was gone. Vash opened his eyes and except for a slow steady pulse in the stone, like a heartbeat, all was as it was before.

"It is back where it belongs, it is in tune with me once again." Jenna looked intoVash's eyes, "all is as it should be." She swayed in the saddle and fell.

Vash caught her just as she fell, the sword clattering to the ground next to them. "What the hell was that!" he exclaimed.

"She just fixed what an idiot messed up. That 'Stone will only obey her. So she has put it back where it should be." answered Cyric.

"But why the bloo-" he had picked up her hand and saw that the cut that had been made there was gone. He quickly set her gently down on the ground and began to undo the bandages.

"What are you doing boy?" asked Fantus as he few down to his side.

"The cut on her hand, its gone, and I was wondering…" he undid her shoulder and found that he was right. Then he looked at the gash on her chest. Vash blew out a puff of air, "Except for a large scar, all of her injuries from yesterday are healed. How did that happen?"

"I told you, the Dragon'sHeart is attuned to her. It protects her and allows her to summon its powers at need. It must have sensed her wounds from her blood-contact with it, so itmust have some how healed her." came the perplexed response from Cyric. "I myself do not understand it, I don't even think I can begin to try."

Vash looked at the Drake sitting next to him, "'Wait till she wakes up' eh? You were right there my friend."

Fantus looked up and winked at the human, "Told you things would get a lot more interesting."

"Well, I guess I carry her again." with that he scooped her and the sword up, but before he could take a step she groaned.

Her eyes fluttered open and she put a hand to her head. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that."

Fantus began to laugh at her. Cyric flipped his mane. Vash looked at her with concern in his eyes and asked, "You ok?"

She nodded. "I think I'll be ok. Can you put me down?"

"Uh sure. Can you stand alright?"

Jenna gave him a confused look as he set her on her feet, "Why do you ask?"

"Well uh that weird thing that you did with your sword here seemed to heal you." his face reddened a bit, "I uh checked for you."

"You wh-?" she looked down at where her bandages used to be, and sure enough the wounds were healed. She closed the shirt she was wearing up to the base if her neck and turned red as well. She cleared her throat and said, "Thank you Vash. I think I can take it from here." Both looked anywhere but at each other.

Fantus looked from one to the other, then at Cyric, both of them shrugged. Fantus leapt aboard Cyric and he began to continue walking in the direction they were traveling in.

"Hey wait for us!" cried Vash as he saw them begin to move off. Jenna and Vash ran to catch up with the pair. When they reached them, Vash handed Jenna her sword, "Here, you kinda dropped this."

Jenna looked at him with wide eyes but said nothing other than "Thank you" as she took it from him and replaced it in its scabbard. Vash shrugged it off and decided to ask later.

When they were all walking together again, Jenna at Cyric's head, Vash a few feet behind her, Fantus opened up his barrage of questions again.

"Alright you," he said demandingly from his perch atop Cyric's head, "you never answered any of my questions."

Jenna glanced up at him and the continued to look forward, "Which were?"

"What happened after the ceiling began to collapse and why were you out where we found you and how did we get here and-"

"Alright Fantus! I'll answer you, but one at a time." she said exasperatingly.

"Good, cause there were a lot of blanks in the story that I was telling Vash last night." said a satisfied Drake.

Jenna looked over at Vash, her forehead crinkled in curiosity, "What did they tell you?"

Vash looked a bit surprised at the question directed at him and laughed nervously, "Well, um they told me who you were," Jenna rolled her eyes and glared at the Drake who shrugged as if to say 'What?' Vash continued, "Then they told me about someone steeling that" pointing at the softly pulsating gem, "and you had to get it back, being trapped on a cliff and then landing on me." he ended pointing at himself.

"Yeah cause none of us know what else happened cause somebody had to go and do things her own way and nearly get killed!" Fantus growled at Jenna.

Jenna stuck her tongue out at the offensive little creature and turned her attention back to Vash, who was trying very hard not to laugh at the exchange.

"Then I shall fill in the blanks." All three of her companions waited in silence for her to begin. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and looking ahead she began where Fantus had left off the night before.

"After we entered into the tunnel, I was running in the direction that I thought I felt Mirva's presence. It wasn't until it was almost too late that I realized he was guiding us into a trap." she looked over at the Drake, "I didn't have time to explain so I just changed direction and ran. Sorry Fantus." Fantus nodded to her and gestured for her to continue. Jenna looked straight ahead, "When I got to where he was, he sprang at me. I drew my sword and reacted. So I fought him until…" her voice trailed off and she touched the scar on her chest, then sighed, a heavy sad sigh. Vash walked faster until he was right next to her. She looked up at him and smiled, he smiled down at her then looked ahead. His presence next to her seemed to somehow make her feel more at ease. So she continued. The next words were the most painful that she had ever had to relate. "Until he told me how he killed Kale, that's when I paused and got hit. If it wasn't for you Fantus I think he would have won."

Vash could tell she was trying very hard not to cry. Helooked at her and gently asked, "Who is Kale?"

Jenna wouldn't look at him.Vash could feel anguish radiating off of her. He looked at Cyric and Fantus for an explanation; both were looking at her with pity. Vash turned back and looked at her quizzically.

He had almost given up on getting an answer when he heard her pain choked voice answer, "My Husband."

He looked down at her in surprise, and she continued, "Mirva slaughtered him and the others he was riding with on another mission, at a different time." her voice was grim, her eyes had narrowed and her mouth, her pretty mouth was set in a thin line.

Vash swallowed hard. He didn't know what exactly to say to this other than "I'm sorry." He whispered, placing a hand on her stiff shoulder.

She nodded, acknowledging his kindness. They all walked in silence for many moments while she collected herself.

Finally, when she was ready she continued, her face was still set, her voice yet grim, but contained. "After Fantus warned me, and Mirva got his one hit in, I renewed my attack with vigor. I forgot about the Stone, the mission, everything. All I could think about was revenge, that bitter pill that I have warned so many not to swallow." she laughed a bitter laugh, then sobered, "I don't remember how long we fought, I only remember his face when my sword made contact with his gut. I destroyed him." she said with a sort of grim satisfaction and then went silent once more.

Fantus began to sputter behind them, "That's it? That's all your going to tell me about the death of your archenemy? 'I destroyed him.' How? How did you kill him?"

Jenna looked up at Vash's visibly paler face. He felt sick to his stomach, listening to this fragile looking woman discuss the destruction of another. He looked away from her. A single tear ran down his face, "No one has the right to take the life of another."

Jenna watched the agony that her words had caused her new companion and felt an ache grow in her chest. This time it was her turn to comfort him. "I am sorry Vash." She reached out and grabbed his arm. "It had to be done. You are right. No one does have the right to take the life of another.But when that one person causes the horrible death and suffering of an entire nation, in Mirva's case, the world, they must be stopped. The only way sometimes to do so is death." She turned to Fantus, "If you want to know details ask me later. I do not think it is appropriate to discuss such." She turned back to Vash, "I am sorry that you had to hear this. I can truly see that my world is very different from yours."

Vash sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Not really. People can be just as bad here." He stopped and stepped in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders he looked into her startled eyes, "But promise me that while you are here that you won't take a life, please." he pleaded with her.

She looked up into his earnest face, his sad eyes pleading with her to agree. She bit her lip, Something must have happened to him to create such a champion of life. She sighed. "I will promise, while I am here, that I will not take another's life, unless, I am left with no other alternative." She watched his face, his features seemed to relax, and though the pain did not leave his eyes, the smile returned to his face.

He released her just as fast as he had stopped her and began walking again. Jenna stood in a stunned silence, not quite sure what had just taken place inside that spiky head of his.

Cyric stood next to her and Fantus leaned down, "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I am not sure." said Jenna in a bewildered voice.

"He is hiding something. Something terrible." said Cyric.

"Yes I know." she said as she watched him walking. She turned to her companions, "You two heard the promise, and I expect you to help me keep It." she blew at her escaping hair, "This is going to be tough."

Just then Vash turned around and waved at the three of them and yelled, "Hey! You guys come'n?"

The three companions looked at each other and ran to catch up to him. Once they were all together again Vash looked at her and said, "You never finished your story."

"Oh well, after, my uh, encounter, I found the building coming down around me. So I began to run. I didn't know exactly where to, I just knew I had to run. It wasn't until I found my way out and into the feeble sunlight that I realized how injured I was. The pain was so intense I could barely stand. But I had to keep going. So I kept running. When I heard pursuit behind me, I decided I would try and loose them in the forest behind the keep. That of course is where I was shot and almost killed, so you can see that didn't work." Fantus snorted from behind them. "And the rest you know, or was told by these two."

"What about the serge of power I felt right before the portal opened up?" asked Cyric.

"That was my one last effort to save us. I made contact with my Father, and he opened it up for us. I don't know how to explain it other than Lady Fortune finally decided to smile down on us." she shrugged at the last part.

"That's quite an adventure." said Vash enthusiastically.

"One that I would like to soon forget." She replied with a bit of the earlier grimness returning to her voice.

Vash looked at her sideways and decided to try and change the subject. "That should be easy with all the craziness that goes on here."

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

He smiled a quirky little smile and began to tell her about the people, the towns, and to Fantus' delight, the food, Vash gladly turning the conversation from a scary nightmare to the sharing of the cultures of these two different people from two different worlds. It continued this way until they finally made it into town.