The deserts of No Man's Land were just as unforgiving as they'd always been. But Vash the Stampede seemed even more unbothered by it than usual. Sitting cross legged under the shade of a long abandoned ship, he bit into a sandwich as he contemplated his next move. He would need some more preparation time. The longer he took though, the more the news would spread. He was already cutting it close. As long as he kept out of sight, there wouldn't be any issues. Or so he told himself.
He stared up towards the sky as a couple of worms flew by. East… East wasn't a bad direction to go. After all, out that way was…
"Octovera," Vash mumbled to himself through his food.
Yes. That wasn't a bad direction to go at all. After all, there was at least one person there he was hoping to give to more than anything.
"Today, we bring you a strange news update… Residents of May City have reported receiving packages that appeared out of nowhere at their homes. These packages contained harmless items such as clothing and toys, but there's no lead on who could have left them. No one has reported seeing anything out of the ordinary the night before or the day they discovered these items. However, this isn't the first city to have this occurrence. A similar incident was reported in December City just a week ago. The investigation continues into who might be behind these oddities. And now, for the weather report–"
An elderly man sighed as he turned the radio down. "Some creep's giving people stuff, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if they're actually poisoned."
"Oh, come now… Why would someone go through the trouble of poisoning a whole city? That sounds like a lot for one person," an elderly woman argued.
"Who said it was one person? It could be terrorists trying to thin out the herd so they can have more for themselves!"
The woman groaned. "There you go, being all cynical again…"
"Cynical? I call it realism!"
While the two continued to squabble, a young woman just listened with interest as she wiped down the windows at the front of a ceramics store. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to come up with her own theories of why someone would pull such an elaborate stunt. Leaving packages at people's doors in the dead of night? It did sound creepy… But reportedly, there was no harm done to anyone. So what was the point? Were they trying to send some kind of message? There had to be a better way to do it. And then there was the mystery of where this person (or persons) was getting all this stuff. There was no way anyone had that much to spare. Were they stealing from other cities and distributing their spoils? But then, wouldn't there have been reports of widespread theft? And why not keep the stuff for themselves?
She sighed and wiped her forehead. The weirdness of it all was making her head hurt.
Whatever… As long as some weirdo isn't leaving things at my door, then they can do whatever they want, she thought.
Just the same as always, the city of Octovera settled down as the sun set, the lights turning off one by one. Everyone hunkered down in their homes, keeping their windows shut and doors locked. No one seemed to be any more suspicious than they normally were, despite the broadcast from earlier in the day. They all slept soundly, just thinking about what tomorrow would bring…
The next morning arrived. Annie dragged herself out of bed and readied herself for the day in her solely occupied house, squinting at the bright sun as she opened her door to go to work. Just as she took a step, her right foot caught on something, causing her to almost face plant onto the ground. She looked down in annoyance at what almost ruined her morning. Her eyes widened.
"What the–?"
There, right in front of the door, was a box. It was enclosed with twine and adorned with a small note written on top. Despite her reservations, Annie picked it up: "From, Santa."
"Santa…?" She raised an eyebrow at the letters before shaking the box lightly. Maybe that wasn't the best move given the mysteriousness of the contents, but she couldn't help herself.
As she continued examining the outside of the package, the mutterings of her neighbors caught her ears. Looking around, it was plain to see that she wasn't the only one who'd gotten it; everyone seemed to have gotten one. Some even had several waiting for them, presumably determined by how many people were in the house.
"Mom! Mom! Look what I got!" One boy was already running around the street, holding a toy resembling a man in his hand. He smiled as she showed his mother.
"Huh? Where did that come from…?" The mother looked him over in concern.
Annie watched the mixed reactions of everyone around her. The kids seemed overjoyed while the adults seemed to be afraid… They'd been struck by the same culprit from the other towns. But the contents, from what they could see, weren't malicious… for now. Only time would tell. Maybe the elderly man had been right, and there was secretly poison inside. How long would it take for the effects to hit?
Cautiously, Annie turned back into her home and set the package down on a table. She took a deep breath as her curiosity took hold.
It's gonna be fine, right? And if it's not, I'll just come back from the grave and haunt this "Santa" guy, no problem, she thought to ease her worries.
Slowly undoing the twine and revealing the contents of the box, Annie found nestled inside… a ring. She gently picked it up and ran over it with her hands. The band was mostly a standard silver, but it had a lovely white gemstone set in it. And a small engraving down the sides that read "forever yours". A chill went down her spine.
"How… How did they…?" Paranoia crept into her mind. It felt like a pair of eyes were watching her. She scanned around the room, peered out the windows, and checked her rooms. There was no way… No way anyone outside of a few folks could have known. And yet, there it was, resting in her hands. She felt her eyes instinctively wander towards the wall where a framed picture of her and a man standing side by side was hung. No… No, it couldn't be…
The eeriness of the situation was too much. She threw the ring back into the box with a huff and went back out the door, not willing to pay it another thought.
The mysterious packages were all anyone could talk about. For some, the objects seemed like things they were vaguely interested in, but didn't hold any personal meaning. For others, it was a similar situation to Annie; the significance of what they received shook them to the core. Everyone started throwing around more theories, these ones more directed than before. It had to have been someone from outside the city, right? There was no way anyone in Octovera would go through the trouble of traveling all over to give things to people. Had anyone strange shown up in the past week? No one seemed to recall. What would motivate someone to only give out things that benefit others? None of it made any sense.
Annie kept up with her work, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling she had when she opened that box. Did she have some kind of stalker? Then why would they get everyone else something too? And how did they have an understanding of what each household would want? She continued to think about it as she wiped down the ceramic store's shelves. All this commotion was making her nauseous.
As she turned to look out one of the windows, something caught her eye: a glimpse of a person… They were standing just by the alley of the building adjacent to them. She stared at them for a moment, watching their posture. They seemed to be peering around the corner, watching the people go by. Or maybe listening in?
While Annie continued to stare, the stranger suddenly seemed to notice her, jerking their head as the light gleamed off their sunglasses. Their expression turned to panic as they ducked around the corner fully. Annie tilted her head slightly, not sure what to make of the display. There was no doubt it was fishy…
"Ray, I'll be back in a minute."
"Alright… Wait, where are you going?!" Annie's manager could only call out as Annie took off out the door.
She ran towards the alley, remembering the spot where they had been. She turned around the corner. No one was there… Or so she thought. She stepped further in, catching a small glimpse at the stranger again. They didn't seem to be in a hurry, maybe thinking they were safely out of sight. The bright red color of their coat made them stick out like a sore thumb. And their left arm… why was it such a strange color?
Annie quietly started to follow, worried what they might do if they knew she was onto them. They seemed to be ducking towards another alley and keeping their gaze out towards the street. Annie took the chance to sneak up closer to them.
"Hey!"
The stranger jumped and let out a small yell, dropping the large tan bag that had been slung around their shoulder. They whirled around to face Annie with shock. After a moment, they sheepishly smiled and waved.
"Oh, uh… hey."
Annie put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing? Are you spying on everyone or something?"
"Eh? Oh, no, no!" The stranger waved his hands in front of him. "I was just, uh… doing some sightseeing."
"From an… alley?" Annie just looked at him skeptically.
"Yeah! Gotta start somewhere, right?" He put on a grin and chortled.
"Right…" She looked him up and down. She'd certainly never met someone like him before.
A few awkward moments of silence passed. The faint bustle of the city streets was the only sound the two could hear as they just stared at each other, one more nervously than the other.
"Um…" The stranger hesitantly broke the silence. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I should get going." He pointed his thumbs behind him, picked up his bag, and started backing away.
"I don't even know who you are." Annie clearly wasn't letting him get away that easily.
"Anyways, it was nice meeting you!" The stranger repeated as he waved before darting off towards the street.
"Wait!" Annie called to his back, rushing after him.
What was once a problem between two people had become more open. The stranger's feet skidded against the dirt as he rounded the corner, narrowly avoiding hitting a passerby. He managed to let out a quick apology as he ran on. He was going back in the direction of the shop…
As Annie tried to keep up, she saw him running straight towards Ray. The store manager had just enough time to turn and see him before he could run past.
"...Vash?" A look of recognition immediately came to her eyes.
The stranger skidded to a halt, managing to stop himself just a foot in front of Ray. He looked at the woman for a moment as a relieved smile crossed his face.
"Ah, sorry for the commotion…" He chuckled, putting his free hand behind his head.
Annie ran up behind him, her breathing heavy as she looked between him and Ray in bewilderment. "You… You know this guy?"
"Of course! Vash has helped me many times in the past. And he inspired many of my pieces." Ray gleamed at him. "It's so good to see you again."
"Vash?" Annie tried to wrack her brain. The name sounded familiar… but from where? Wait… There had been rumors about him around town, stories that people told. That's right. He was… "As in Vash the Stampede?"
"Yeah, that's me." Vash flashed a grin towards her, not seeming to realize the implication behind his name.
Annie glowered at him before turning to her boss. "Ray, should you really be greeting someone like this so–?"
"Oh, please, come in!" Ray opened the door to the shop and gestured for Vash to follow. It seemed that Annie's words fell on deaf ears.
"Thanks!" Vash just followed along without a care.
Annie stayed outside in disbelief. How could Ray be so casual about all this? She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Great…"
After reluctantly going back inside, Annie could only watch as Ray showed Vash around.
"Things haven't changed much since you were here last."
"Really? These pots are new though, aren't they?" Vash pointed to one of the pieces on the shelf.
"Ah, good eye!" Ray nodded enthusiastically. "I made those last month. I was trying a new technique with those."
Annie awkwardly went back to what she was doing before the whole debacle, dusting the shelves and pieces on display while Vash and Ray laughed together like old friends.
"And I see you've met Annie. She just started here soon after you left."
"Yeah. Although, it was a little bit of a messy introduction," Vash chuckled.
"Speaking of which… Why were you chasing Vash around outside?" Ray looked pointedly towards Annie.
Annie glanced at Ray then back to her work, a scowl on her face. "He was acting suspicious. And now that I know who he is, I was right to be weary. He shouldn't be here."
"Nonsense!" Ray waved her hand at the accusation and turned back to Vash. "No matter what anyone says, you'll always be welcome here."
Annie couldn't help but roll her eyes. Why would anyone make friends with such a troublemaker? He seemed like the type who would just take whatever he wanted, no matter who got hurt in the process. The last thing she wanted was to be acquainted with someone like that.
Unbeknownst to her, Vash's gaze was on her. His eyes seemed almost… pitying. Or were they just worried?
"I'm sorry for how everyone's been acting today," Ray sighed as she gathered a seat for her guest. "The town's been stirring since this morning."
"Yeah… I just got in when I started hearing all the buzz. Did something happen?" Vash's stare lingered on Annie a moment longer before turning back to Ray.
"We were struck with this strange… gift giver? Present enthusiast? Whatever they are. Someone who seems to have a pension for leaving things on people's doors with no explanation. Say, you travel around a lot; have you heard anything from the other cities about this? Or any suspects on who it might be?"
"Hm…" Vash crossed his arms and slowly nodded. "I did hear about that. I can't say I've heard anything more than you have. There are a lot of interesting people out there, but I've never met anyone who would do something like this. Sorry." He smiled apologetically.
"That's alright. It was just wishful thinking on my part. Here, sit." She patted the chair in front of her. "I'll get you some water. And Annie, try not to be too frigid today."
"Yes, ma'am," Annie responded half-heartedly.
Few patrons passed through the shop that day, giving Ray and Vash plenty of time to catch up. What had the infamous Humanoid Typhoon been up to since last they spoke? Was he staying out of trouble? Were there any major updates or changes around the other cities? Was the food in town the same as he remembered? Should Ray continue her dream of pursuing other art forms?
While the two prattled on and on, Annie just kept herself busy at a comfortable distance, watching, studying… Just who was this man? His sudden appearance was far too coincidental. Ray had to see that too, right? He was the odd one out in this scenario. He could feign innocence all he liked, but Annie wouldn't buy it; not without some legitimate explanations.
When evening came and it was time to close the shop, Ray told Annie and Vash to go ahead while she took care of some things. Annie reluctantly left, not necessarily wanting to be left alone with this stranger. On the other hand, it would be the perfect opportunity to question him.
"What's your deal?" Annie asked directly once they had stepped onto the street.
"Eh?" Vash just looked at her in bewilderment.
"Don't give me that. What are you doing in this city? And don't tell me it's just 'sightseeing' again."
"Come on… that's the truth." Vash's shoulders slumped forward as if he was deflated. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to give me more than just flimsy excuses. You said you got here this morning. The same morning we all got weird boxes on our doors. You're telling me that's not just a coincidence?"
"It's not like that–"
"That's an awfully big bag you have." Annie glanced around him at the bag he had with him from the start.
"What else am I supposed to carry my stuff in?"
"You're just full of lies, aren't you?"
Rather than getting annoyed or angry, Vash just seemed… sad. Like a child being scolded. He looked down at the ground and pouted, almost like he was trying to win pity points.
"What? Nothing else to say for yourself?" Annie crossed her arms with her eyebrows furrowed.
A few moments passed. Vash stayed silent, as if he wouldn't answer. Then, he lifted his head, his countenance more sincere and even than before. He looked straight into Annie's eyes. "Why are you so determined to catch this person?"
Now it was Annie's turn to be confused. Her eyes widened slightly at the question.
"I mean… I haven't seen anyone angry about any of this. No one's really complaining, right? They're confused, sure. But that's natural. No one's gotten hurt in this city or the others. Everyone seemed happy once they realized there's no harm."
"Well… It's… It's not that simple!" Annie stumbled over her insistence as her arms slowly relaxed.
"Why not?" Vash didn't back down. "If everyone's happy, isn't that enough? Why does there have to be some ulterior motive? What if someone just wanted to show some kindness?"
Annie's mouth opened, preparing for some kind of comeback… but the words never formed. Someone showing some kindness just because? No way… That wasn't the kind of world they lived in. Why would anyone do something like that without wanting something in return, or to put someone else down? It sounded ridiculous. But his eyes… he was so certain. So absolutely confident in what he was saying. There was no doubt in Annie's mind anymore. But then… What did that mean? A man like that, doing something kind? Surely it was impossible.
"Vash! It's Vash!"
"Huh?" Vash turned to see a group of kids running down the street towards him. He chuckled and waved at them.
"Vash, Vash! Look what I got!" One of the kids held out a doll.
"I got something too!" Another one held up a yo-yo.
"Me three!" Another held up a toy car.
"Whoa!" Vash's eyes widened as he crouched down and looked at each of them. "Are they new?"
"Yeah! Santa gave them to us!"
" 'Santa'?"
"Yeah! At least… that's what it said on the box. Do you know who that is, Vash?"
Vash put the knuckle of his right index finger up to his chin and raised his left eyebrow. "I've never met anyone named 'Santa' before."
"Hey, will you teach us a new game, Vash?"
"Sure." Vash smiled. "Did you get tired of the other ones?"
"We still like playing them, but we wanna have some more to pick from!"
"Alright then. How about… 'Toma, Toma, Worm'?"
"That's a weird name! Did you make it up?"
"No, no! It's a classic, I promise! Here, I'll show you."
Annie watched on as Vash demonstrated this new game. They all sat around in a circle before one got up and tapped the other's heads. She couldn't tell if it was lack of knowing or lack of care that would possess a parent to leave their child unsupervised with a stranger like this. But… they didn't seem to be in any danger. They were all having fun, laughing and smiling without a care in the world. It almost made her jealous. If he was capable of doing all that… maybe there was a reason for Ray to trust him.
Without another word, Annie walked home, not knowing what to think anymore. She opened her door to find the crux of the issue staring back at her. She hesitantly approached the table once more where the box sat. She peered over the edge and dared to pick up the ring once more. It was like a dream and a nightmare merged into one.
Why are you so determined to catch this person?
That's right. There was more than just a moral reason for her to find the culprit. She had to know; how? How had they gotten this ring? How did they know it was hers?
She sat for a moment, staring at in disbelief, almost afraid that if she looked away, it would be gone. Gently, she slipped it onto her left ring finger. Tomorrow… Tomorrow she would get her answers.
She hardly slept that night, contemplating how she would get the answers she wanted. Was it selfish of her to try to disillusion the whole thing? To confront someone who seemed to want to do right? It didn't matter. She just had to know.
120 Years Earlier…
"And so, Santa would always bring little kids who had been good all year presents on Christmas day with the help of his flying reindeer and elves at the workshop."
"Wow! He did that all in one night?"
"That's right."
"But then… what if the children were bad?"
"Well… some of them got presents too. But it's also said that they got coal in their stockings instead."
"That's so sad…"
In the comfort of one of the SEEDs ships, a young Vash and Nai sat next to Rem, who was regaling them with stories of cultures and traditions long passed. While Vash was more than enthused to hear about it all, Nai looked less than impressed.
"That can't be true, can it? How would anyone deliver so much to that many people in such a short time?"
"They were using magic! Right, Rem?"
"Humans can't use magic."
"Maybe at one point they could…" Vash grumbled.
Rem sighed as she watched the two bicker. "Magic or no magic, children always received presents on Christmas. That's why…"
She reached behind her. The twins watched her curiously. She brought her arms back in front of her, one neatly wrapped box in each hand. "These are for you!"
The twins each reached forward and grabbed a box. Vash's eyes gleamed as he examined it while Nai's eyes just widened. They both exchanged a look before putting their ears up to the presents and shaking them.
"Go ahead and open them." Rem watched on eagerly.
Wasting no time, the brothers tore off the wrapping paper to reveal the boxes underneath. Once opened, they each picked up what rested inside: ornaments. One for each of them. While they were both spherical in shape, Vash's was delicately painted with various types of food. Nai's on the other hand was painted with various items featured in western movies. They both turned their respective ornaments in their hands, gazing at them.
"Whoa… Thank you, Rem!" Vash grinned at her.
"You're very welcome! How about we hang them on the tree later? Oh! And I'll see if I can get some lights for it too. We'll make this a true Christmas!"
The joy, the laughter, the music… Even if it wasn't as traditional as the Christmases on Earth, the spirit of the holiday hadn't been lost. By the time the day was done, Vash had already started planning what they could all do for Christmas the next year. Was there some way he could get gifts for Nai and Rem? Could he add more decorations? Get everything to be as authentic as possible? His mind just kept spinning on the possibilities, hoping he could see it through some day.
Vash was in the shop when Annie arrived the next morning, just as she'd hoped. Ray gave Annie her tasks for the day, which she completed wordlessly. Various people came and went. Most of them were happy to see Vash, asking how he was. Some gave him dirty looks and refused to interact. Yet his demeanor remained just as sunny as it had been around everyone else. It was like the town was glowing all of a sudden, teeming with the joy that had settled from the initial anxieties around their gifts. All the while, a creeping sense of guilt came over Annie. But it couldn't sway her away from her goal.
"Annie, I'm going out for a bit. Keep an eye on things until I'm back," Ray called out as she left the shop.
"Alright."
And then there were two. Thankfully, the buzz of the early morning had worn down, meaning all the customers had moved on with their days. Annie nervously kept her eyes on the shelves, her hand running a rag over the wood over, and over, and over, and over. It was as if a piece of her was tugging at her from the inside, begging her not to speak. The tension was almost unbearable. Vash just perused the shop, bending down to see the pieces on the lower shelves with intrigue, none the wiser. Annie's inner self kept pulling, kept resisting. But she had to. She took a deep breath.
"How did you know?"
"Huh?" Vash turned at the sound of her voice.
She gulped before stopping her hand and turning as well, her eyes struggling to meet his. "How did you know about this?" She reached her left hand forward with the back of her fingers facing him. The ring she'd found in the box was there plain as day.
Vash didn't seem fazed by the question. He just stared at it for a moment with an even, almost pitying expression.
"I know it was you. So don't you dare–"
"Ray told me."
Annie's eyes widened. Her mouth gaped open slightly as she carefully lowered her hand.
Vash looked at the ground. "The last time I was here. She told me about what happened to you. About your fiancé. She said that he got sick and died before you could get married." His gaze lifted up to meet hers again. "While you were still grieving, some thieves came and stole your engagement ring. She said you weren't the same after that, that you shut yourself away for months. She was still trying to convince you to come and work for her back then…" He gave a small smile. "I'm glad she was able to reach you."
A moment of silence passed. Annie just continued to stare at him, unable to find the words. Why would Ray divulge all of that to him?
"Then… how did you get it back? How could you have known who stole it?"
Vash rubbed the back of his head and gave an embarrassed smile. "Well, when you've been around as much as I have, you see all kinds of different people. Some good, some not as good. I knew where to look."
"But… why?"
Vash lowered his hand back down, his expression soft. "Everyone needs a reason to smile."
The reality started to sink in. All that time… All that time fretting and mourning over something she could never get back was finally over. And it was thanks to the kindness of a complete stranger: a stranger she had ridiculed from the moment she saw him. Now, all she could feel was relief and gratitude for regaining what she lost.
Vash's face grew worried as he watched Annie's face quiver. He nervously stepped towards her. "W-Well, I hoped you would be happy about it. I wasn't trying to make you sad again or any–"
Tears started to bead and fall from Annie's face. "Th… Thank you… Thank you…!" That was all she could manage to say. Those words weren't enough to express how she felt, but it would have to do.
Vash's demeanor relaxed again. He smiled warmly. "It was the least I could do."
As the shop closed for the day, Vash packed up his things. He asked Annie to keep quiet about it, saying the less people that knew the better.
"You're not sticking around?" Annie asked.
"I try not to stay in one place for too long," he grinned as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
"And you have a lot more work to do, right?" Annie winked with a small smile of her own.
Vash chuckled. "Right. I've got time, but… I don't want to keep anyone waiting."
"Then… I guess this is goodbye. Thanks again. And safe travels."
With one last smile and wave, Vash turned around, heading away from Octovera. Annie managed to wave back, though she felt some tears pushing against her eyes again. "Geez… what's with me?" She wondered aloud with a small laugh.
Barely a hundred yards away from where he left, Vash suddenly remembered something. He turned on his heel to face Annie again. "Oh, and Merry Christmas!" He shouted with his free hand cupped next to his mouth.
"...Huh?" Annie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as her hand slowly lowered to her side. What could he possibly mean by "Christmas"? But Vash just waved enthusiastically with a big grin.
"What a weirdo." Annie sighed before turning around, beaming the whole way home as she glanced down at her ring.
As The Humanoid Typhoon continued on his way, he couldn't stop smiling. Even if the joy he saw on people's faces was only temporary, it was more than enough to carry him forward. And if it helped carry them forward too, then that was all he could ask for. It was a lot of work: a lot of work. But it was worth it in the end, if only to see more of Rem's hopes come to fruition.
He continued to walk alone for a while, gazing out at the horizon of endless sand. Only the sound of the occasional breeze and sand crunching under his boots accompanied him as he went. He took a deep breath and stared up at the sky.
"Alright… Where to next?"