I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORYLINE AND CHARACTERS YOU DON'T KNOW FROM THE MANGA/ANIME!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Together Again

Life is all about making choices. Whether they're right or wrong depends on the person and the situation, but not everyone can make the right ones. People find themselves making more and more bad decisions, especially when loved ones are involved. It's how you make up for them that decides your character. There's a saying that two wrongs don't make a right. That might be true, but it can also help with future decisions, too.

"YOU NO GOOD, GOD DAMN, PRIEST!"

"Nice to see you again too, Rush." Wolfwood rubbed his left ear. "I see your pipes are as golden as ever."

"Don't give me that shit, Wolfwood!" Alexander growled. "What the hell are you doing with Gasback?"

"The guy saved me in the desert, so I owed him a favor. Said favor was getting him into this mansion, yes, but now that's over."

Alexia shook her head at the priest in disbelief. "We seriously have to stop letting you travel on your own, Nicholas."

The Priest gave her a grin. "Is that an offering to leave your brother behind and start traveling with me instead?"

Alexander shoved his way in between his sister and friend. "Not on your life, pal. You really think I'm just going to let my sister run off with you when you don't do anything but nearly die from dehydration?!"

"But that's what she's there for! She'll take care of me! And in more ways than one."

"GAH! How are you a priest?!"

Alexia shook her head and turned to the man in red beside her. "So, how are things with Kyri going?"

Vash scratched the back of his head with a sheepish look. "The same, I think? She hasn't tried to hit me when I get close to her so…that's a plus? She still won't talk to me, though."

"That's a shame." Alexia sighed. "Don't get down, though! I'm sure we'll be able to fix things up between the two of you now that we're all back together again."

"I appreciate the help, Alexia, but you being there for her when I wasn't was enough," Vash told her. "I'm going to have to be the one the fix this; it's something that only I could do."

Alexia stared at the tall man with pride. "I'm sure you can, Vash."

Vash smiled and went to reply again but the sound of explosions went off and they all turned to see that something had happened at the plant and the whole thing was now rolling through the town.

"Are you kidding me?!" Alexander stopped his argument with Wolfwood and turned to watch it as well.

"It's rolling?" Wolfwood cried out in disbelief.

The plant rolled right into the arms of the large, bronze statue in the middle of the town and stopped.

"That was close." Vash sighed.

"And it's not even broken?" Wolfwood raised a brow.

Alexander watched as the statue rotated, setting the plant on another dangers trek through the town again after the statue had been ruined. "You were saying?"

The Plant rolled right out of the town and into the waiting arms of the truck that Gasback and arrived in.

(Believe me, the blonde woman sitting on top of said truck was the weirdest shit that I've ever seen on a villain's car in an anime movie. It was freaky, lol)

Gasback and his group wasted no time in hauling ass out of there.

"I wonder why he wanted that," Alexia commented with a frown. "It's not like he can really do anything with it, unless he has another place to hook it up at."

Multiple bounty hunters took off after Gasback, including Vash and Wolfwood trying to take over the car that Alexander and Alexia had traveled from Notila in. Alexander refused to let anyone else drive and had to deal with Vash and Wolfwood screaming in his ear to go faster as his sister laughed at him.

Gasback, obviously not liking the idea of all these people following him, was using the cranes on his machine to knock them away. It had turned into a weird game of dodgeball, especially when the blowup doll of the blonde woman was shot and flew off over several sets of cars.

Vash decided to keep Amelia from shooting Gasback in fear of breaking the plant but she was a stubborn one; but so was Vash.

One bullet went off and Alexia was forced to watch as Vash fell from the car they were in. Immediately, Alexander whipped the car around, Amelia following him. Vash had begun to sink into the sand. Without a second thought, Alexia tied a rope around her waist and tossed it at Wolfwood before jumping into the sand and grabbing Vash. In the end, though, it was all for not. All she was able to grab was his glasses.

Alexander gave a frown as he sat on the hood of his car. "Kyri's going to be pissed."

"Why?" Amelia was the first to talk again as the sun set. "He knew that he was about to die so why did he look so calm? How?"

Wolfwood lit a cigarette, watching as Alexia continued to stare at the glasses that sat in her hands. "That's just the way he is," He finally answered.

"He's telling me not to kill anyone…but it's okay for him to die."

"Vash isn't dead," Alexander announced.

"You saw him shot just like I did!" Amelia cried.

"Over the time that I've traveled with Vash, and Kyri, I've seen both of them inflicted with wounds worse that just a damn gunshot," The man replied. "If something as simple as that can kill the Humanoid Typhoon then he would have died a long time ago."

Amelia glanced away. "So, he really was…he really was Vash the Stampede." She took a breath. "My mother died because he saved Gasback all those years ago, but it wasn't only my mother who had to suffer. There are so many others. People who wouldn't have had to gone through hell if Vash hadn't saved Gasback. So, he rescued someone from a situation that he didn't have to and this is what he gets? I just don't get this at all. Is there any point to it?"

"I told he's not dead." Alexander replied as she turned on him.

"Then where is he?! How are you so sure?!"

"Just trust us," Alexia smiled as she stood up. "He'll show back up; especially if Kyri's around. He always does."

~We walked away with our heads held high

And say we won 'cause we kept our pride

Won't breath a word how we really hurt

Deep Inside~

"I'm disappointed."

The voice rang through the area, bringing a halt to all that was going on. Gasback and his companion, Shane, froze at the voice as Alexia smiled.

"You guys are toast, now."

Amelia had hired Wolfwood to come back with her that morning and take the plant back to the town. Alexia refused to let him go alone and so dragged her brother along with them. Amelia had been caught, though, and held at gunpoint, forcing Alexia to drop her gun. Gasback had just been angling a shot at Wolfwood and Alexander when the voice had cut them all off.

Before anyone could move again, Shane gave out a cry. A large wound appeared on his hand, making him drop his gun and freeing the two women he had before him.

"Kyri!" Alexia's smile was huge at the sight of the older woman that stood there, Shane's blood dripping from the Gunblade she held in her hand.

"You got caught so easily," Kyri replied in a stoic voice, her eights never leaving Gasback. "I'm disappointed. I'll have to retrain you again, Rush."

Alexia gave a gulp. "D-do…do you have to? I still have nightmares."

"I don't know who you are, lady," Gasback called over. "But you keep getting in my way and I'll be forced to do something about it; to all of you."

"If you think you can, be my guest," Kyri called back. "But male sure you can kill him before you even try to kill me, hmm?"

Kyri had lifted a finger and pointed towards Wolfwood and Alexander, making Gasback turn back. He gave a roar.

"HOW?!"

Vash gave a grin as Wolfwood tossed him his sunglasses back. "Surprise!"

"I'll take this out of your ass later," Wolfwood growled at the man beside him.

"Aww, aren't you happy that I'm alive?" Vash smiled.

"I say we beat his ass now." Alexander snarled with a glare.

"That, my man, is something that we can agree on."

Vash pulled a worried face. "That doesn't sound like fun at all."

Gasback gave a sigh as Amelia and Alexia grabbed their weapons again. "Alright, Vash. I want to settle up with you."

"What? Right here?"

"Be quiet! I'll leave this place; right after I finally kill you. Let's find out the verdict on that die you cast." Vash's reply was to place his glasses on his face.

"Wolfwood, Alexander, I don't want you jumping in on this."

Wolfwood gave a sigh and led the duo back out of the way. "Always trying to steal the spotlight."

"Whatever, dude, just hurry it up. Don't keep your girlfriend waiting."

Amelia went to step forward, but Alexia stepped in her way. "Let him do this."

Vash glanced at the women but froze before he could glance back at Gasback. Kyri was staring at him. The last few weeks it had been nothing but side glances and glares. This time it was different. It was still a glare, yes, but not an angry one like it had been. Those bright blue eyes weren't scolding him or angry at him. Right now, all they were telling him was to win. To not embarrass himself. To just get this over so that they could talk.

Vash gave the biggest smile he had since Wolfwood and Alexander had found him.

Alexia didn't care about what happened now, knowing that there was no way in hell that Vash was going to lose, and instead turned to Kyri.

"You always end up in trouble, don't you?"

"It's like a plague," Kyri closed her eyes and glanced at her as Gasback was shot in the leg and taken down with another in the shoulder. She watched as he used that machine on his arm for a moment before closing her eyes again. "Did you find them?"

"You were right," Alexia replied. "Midvalley and Sylvia are in Notila. They're not exactly hiding it, either. Are you sure that the two of them are really part of the Gun-Ho Guns?"

"You know that answer yourself, having met Sylvia before," Kyri answered her. She took a breath. "We have to deal with them next. If the two of them are to team up with Legato and Eryn then you and your brother will be in danger. We have to keep them separated."

"Speaking of which," Alexia reached into one of the pockets on her jacket and tossed something at Kyri. The woman caught it and glanced down. It was half of a golden medallion. Only one medallion left. "Zazie the beast sends his regards."

"Zazie?"

"We ran into him on the way to Notila. Sick bastard was using children. Alexander didn't take kindly to that."

"I would suppose not." Kyri glanced back at the fight to see that Amelia had used some kind of glove to stop Gasback's explosion. It was revealed that Amelia was Gasback's daughter. "So, all that's left is the final four."

"Did you find who you were looking for?" Alexia asked her. "Razlo and…Livio, was it?"

"Yes, I found him, and in turn I found…some answers that I was searching for." She closed her eyes. "We'll see if they're the right choice to take."

Alexia gave her a smile. "Everything will work out in the end, you'll see."

Kyri gave a chuckle as Amelia gave off a shot. "I've been hearing that a lot lately. Maybe it'll just come true."

Alexander gave a sigh of relief. "Who'd have thought the hotties was Gasback's daughter? Must take after her mother."

"Must." Wolfwood agreed, lighting a cigarette.

"GASBACK!"

"And here we go." Alexander sighed.

The Mayor of the town had returned with a rocket, carved in his own likeness, ready to kill Gasback.

"I'm not going to let you get away with this, you bastard! I can't live my life until you're deader than dead!"

"Is this guy serious right now?" Alexander asked, staring at the man.

"This guy's getting on my nerves." Wolfwood grunted. "Have any idea what he wants now?"

Vash gave a sigh of his own. "Whoa, that design's weird." The man began to launch the rocket. "Wolfwood, this one's yours."

The cigarette fell from the man's mouth. "WHAT?!"

"Yep, all yours, pal." Alexander clapped him on the shoulder before following Vash towards the three women.

"You too? Why do you gotta be like that?! Follow this thing through to the end!"

"Consider this my thanks for helping me earlier!" Vash grinned.

"But I don't want to deal with this loser!"

"Prove you're a man, Wolfwood." Alexander teased.

Kyri gave a sigh and moved forward. "I'll deal with this one, Nicholas."

The Priest shook his head. "I can't let a woman do it." He gave a sigh and fired one shot into the head of the rocket; it made it blow up on the mayor without a second to move.

"Not too bad. It's good to see that Chapel's training hasn't gone to waste after all these years."

Wolfwood glared at her, his hand on his trigger. Things were silent for a moment, the two of them left to their own world as Vash and Alexander talked to Amelia and Alexia. "How long?"

Kyri didn't even glance at him, her eyes trained on the dust as it settled again. "Since you revealed that your cross was a gun. I've only seen two others wield a weapon like that. Technically three, if you want to see it that way." She turned her head to face him; he did a doubletake at the smile on her face; it was looking at the Kyri from three years ago. "Livio says hello, by the way. He's in Macca. You should go see him before we leave."

Wolfwood swallowed. "You knew. You knew everything from the beginning and yet you never…revealed anything."

"Why should I?" She turned and began to walk away. "I've done worse than you and you're not one of the ones trying to kill me. I promised Chapel that I would keep you and Livio alive. I'm going to fight Knives and Kyra. If you want to stop now, all I ask is that you take Alexia and Alexander far away from where I'm going."

Wolfwood stared at her in silence, the moments dragging. He then gave a chuckle. "What kind of man would I be if I left you to face this on your own? I might not have known you when you were the leader of the Gun-Ho Guns, but I do remember the stories that Chapel told me. Though you were bloodthirsty and cruel, you cared about your companions. Chapel holds you in such high regard. For him to go against Knives and Kyra, against Legato, means so much. When Chapel first assigned me to keep an eye on you, I thought that it was to kill you in the end. Now I realize that it's not. I'll follow you into the end of all this, Kyri. You can't do it all alone."

Kyri continued to smile. "You're stubborn, just like Chapel. I'll let you come, Priest, but when I tell you to leave, you'd best listen. I would hate to see Alexia cry over your corpse."

Wolfwood chuckled as the woman walked away. "So would I."

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