Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Trigun, neither the Anime (which this is based on) nor the manga.
(Again, I apologize for the late update, it's been a long time since I watched Trigun and it's hard for me to set stuff up with limited knowledge. Not to mention, fights are hard to describe lol. Thanx again for your patience :D)
hsss...ss...en...ge...engage the target...sssss...
In the sanctuary of the grove, Vash is consumed by the sorrow of his past.
He pushed everyone away after Meryl died no longer confidant he could protect them. He blamed himself for her death, and though they tried no one could persuade him otherwise. Her death had been the last nail in the coffin of his happiness. The loss of what seemed like peace at last drove him over the edge. With his love gone and hope destroyed he wandered the planet seeking only solitude. But no man, not even Vash, can run from memory or escape from their past.
"Aww, is the poor wounded hero crying?" whines a voice from behind. "Just hold still hot shot and I'll make it all better." Vash spins around to find a tall dark haired man silhouetted against the sun. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" He spits. "Who..who are you?" stammers Vash. Smiling widely He replies "Malcolm's the name and I'm your bad day."
On the other side of town, a train pulls into the station bringing with it a thin young man dressed in black with his own cross to bare.
"C'mon, fight back already! Surely the Disaster himself can put up a better fight!" The gunshots roar across the cemetery shattering headstones and perforating tombs. "If you don't make this more interesting I won't want to play anymore!" "What do you want!" screams Vash, as he runs between the graves, desperate to escape this newfound enemy. Quickly ducking behind one of the desecrated monuments, Vash reloads and prepares to go on the offensive.
With gunshots ringing out from the cemetery, the people of New July run for cover leaving the town center nearly deserted. Through drawn shades and closed blinds frightened eyes watch as a lone man walks silently down the road carrying salvation, or at the very least judgment.
What was once a resting place for the dearly departed now stands as a battlefield riddled with bullets, sprayed with blood, and covered by smoke. The fog of war covers everything, revealing only the shadowed forms of two warriors as they battle amidst the graves. "What do you want," screams Vash " Answer me!" Suprisingly he is met with only silence, and quickly he realizes that he can no longer make out Malcolm's shape amidst the smoke. "What's the matter Vash, going blind are we? Must be the old age kicking in, here I'll make it easier for you" A shot rings out as a bullet carves its path through the smoke.
The gate to the cemetery swings freely now as the mysterious man walks calmly through. He smells the gunpowder and sees the smoke. He hears the shots and quickens his pace, " What a mess."
Frustrated and tired, Vash kneels behind a gravestone as he takes a moment to reload his gun and his mind. "Where is he?" "Oh come on, don't tell me you're giving up?" sighs Malcolm from somewhere in the fog, "Very well, we'll end this now." Vash leaps out of the way as another gunshot tears into the gravestone next to him, only to find himself at Malcolm's feet. "Hello there." smiles Malcolm as his foot sends Vash reeling down a shallow hill. Malcolm meets him at the bottom stepping on his left arm while kicking away his gun. "You know, I was only supposed to assess your abilities but if this is all the fight you've got in you I might as well end you now." Saying this, Malcolm lowers his gun into Vash's face and pulls the hammer back. "Oh, the others will be angry with me I'm sure, but what's the point if you're not going to be any fu..." A shot rings out from the smoke and Malcolm flies back onto the ground. "Who...who." Another shot and all is silent.
A soft wind blows and the smoke finally begins to clear. Vash leans on his elbow and stares as the fog rolls back revealing an eerily familiar figure. Lighting a cigarette he lowers the cross he carries, smoke still flowing from the end.
"...Wolfwood?"
