Today.

It's just a word for most people. Just something that they say. Today is never as good as yesterday. Today never holds as much hope as tomorrow. Everyone takes today for granted. But what if yesterday wasn't as good as today? What if you didn't know if tomorrow was going to come? You would think people on Gunsmoke would put a little more stock in today.

Today. It's just a word for most people.

But for me, today is everything. Today is the single most important day of my life. Today is the consummation of all those long periods of time I spent out in the desert, both alone and with my teacher. It was like my entire life I had been waiting for this today. For today.

Waiting.

No one can wait like I can.

You would think that someone with a sixty billion double dollar bounty on his head would lay a little low. You would think. But it proved no challenge for me to find him. I just sat in the main square of the town and watched all the little people walk by. And sure enough after I had watched enough, I just saw him walking by. He looked exactly like he did in the wanted poster. A red trench coat, golden blonde hair, and tiny little sunglasses.

And what pleased me even more was who was with him. Vash was walking around the town with a man and a woman, no doubt very close to his heart. The man looked strikingly similar to him, though with shorter, lighter hair and a much more serious countenance. They looked so much alike. A brother maybe? Yes. Yes that was it.

The woman was of particular interest to me. She was short, almost miniature compared to the two towering men who walked on either side of her. She had a sort of mousy look about her, but she pulled it off well and was very attractive. But more interesting to me than her looks was that she was holding hands with the Humanoid Typhoon. I might be able to inflict even more pain on Vash the Stampede then I originally has thought.

I followed them back to their little home, sticking close to the buildings. Looking but not looking. Not even someone as skilled as Vash knew I was watching. They lived in a modest two story house on the western edge of the city. As far as I could tell only the three of them lived there.

I set up my kit in a building a block or two away. The people who owned the home were very nice. Very trusting. It was a pity I had to kill them. They were very, very nice.

Now of course I could have set up my rifle a good mile away from the city and use the heat vision on my scope to kill them anyway. But that was so impersonal. And my reasons for wanting to hurt Vash the Stampede were very personal. I had also heard Vash had a code about killing people, even those trying 

to harm him. So being close to all the innocent people certainly gave me an advantage. I set up my thing and I waited.

They came home around the middle of the afternoon. It looked like they had been grocery shopping. How quaint. It's funny how a mass murderer could be living such a cute, perfect little life. I was going to blow it all to hell. Just like he had blown this city to hell all those years ago.

What was I saying? Was I even hearing the shit spewing forth from the corners of my mind? What do I care about this God forsaken city. It was nothing but a great black pit that deserved to be wiped off the face of this ugly, desolate little planet.

"Calm yourself."

I slowed my breathing. Closed my eyes. Focus. Focus. Focus. Focus.

Focus.

I looked down the barrel of my gun. Down through the sights, seeing with eyes that could see miles and miles. I looked through the window, the kitchen window I think, and I watched as the three of them walked back and forth, back and forth. I would take out the serious looking one first. For some reason I felt like he was much more dangerous than Vash or the woman. Finally he stopped in front of the window.

Focus.

Then as I was moving to pull the trigger another figure walked across the window. It was a woman, of that much I was certain. She had long brown hair, and she was tall. Very tall. She removed the large coat she was wearing and turned around towards the window. She was gorgeous. Breathtakingly beautiful, well endowed, with the prettiest set of eyes I had ever seen.

No.

I had seen those eyes before. There's only one set of eye that I had ever seen that were that blue. I picked my head up and shook. I closed my eyes hard. I was imagining things. There was no possible way.

But when I dropped my eyes back down through the scope there was no doubt. This was the same girl who had seen me laying there in the desert that long time ago. And just like that long time ago, she saw me.

I don't know if it was the sunlight reflecting off of my scope or if it was simply her power of perception. But she saw me. And even worse than last time, even worse than waving at me, she pointed me out.

I began raining shots down on the little house. To hell with my training. To hell with this miserable place. To hell with those God damned eyes. I nearly tore that house in two with my bullets. When I finally ran dry I jumped out of the window and ran across the street.

And just liked I had anticipated the serious man came running into the house, gun drawn.



"Vash he isn't…"

I detonated a small explosive device I had left in the upstairs bedroom. The explosion sent wood splintering in all direction.

"Knives!"

I rolled out into the street and began firing my weapon. I would have gotten the drop on most men. Most men would have fallen over dead in the street, all of my slugs lodged firmly in their chest. Most men would be dead.

But Vash the Stampede is not most men.

He jumped out of the way and took cover behind a building. He stuck his gun around the corner, careful not to expose to much of himself, and began raining hot lead down upon me. But even such an expert marksmen as the Humanoid Typhoon and shoot around corners. But I can.

I tense the particular muscles in my arm. I pull it forward from behind my back, and give a gentle twist of my wrist which fires the specific nerve endings in my finger tips. I do it once. Twice. Three times. Faster than a person can blink. I watch as the bullets soar through the air, and bend around the curvature of the building.

"Ahh!"

The screams of pain emanating from his throat give me such elation I can barely contain myself. I do it three more times and I hear him cry out once more. Then I listen to the thudding of boots on the sand as he runs back behind another house.

"Vash! Vash are you ok."

The mousy little woman comes running to the aid of the killer. I can only assume that they are in love. Such a strange thing , love. I have never know love, and I doubt I ever will. I decide to deal with the little woman. I would have liked to rape her in front of Vash, but as long as she dies and he suffers it is of not great concern.

"He's dying woman. Just like you are."

I raise my weapon.

"Meryl!"

I put my finger around the trigger.

"Vash!"

But before I can pull it I feel a searing pain in my arm. I take my gaze off the woman and look to see why the gun hasn't fired yet. Only then do I realize that I'm not holding the gun anymore. I'm not holding 

anything because there is nothing where my hand should be. There's nothing but a bloody stump where my elbow used to be.

Then another shot rings out and everything goes black. I reach up and I can feel the blood pouring down my face, and I can smell the smoke as the flesh around my eyes burns. I can't see. Why is everything so dark.

Things are going in and out now. I see flashes and colors. I look to where I heard the shots. During a flash I see the serious man. Vash's brother. How careless of me to not check and see if he was dead. He's raising his gun again. No doubt to finish me off.

"Knives! Knives no!"

The shots ring out, and I feel three bullets bore their way into my chest. I feel the warm blood bubble up in my throat and it makes me want to vomit.

I collapse. Teacher lied to me. I am not beyond life. I am not the desert.

I am miserable. And my miserable life will end in the very same place my miserable life began.