Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ An Alternate Ending ❯ Lynch Mob ( Chapter 7 )

An Alternate Ending

Part Seven: Lynch Mob

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Trigun isn't mine and I am not making any money from this so please don't sue. The rewrite/butchering continues!)

" Sorry I'm late… I was up for a long time last night, " Meryl said as she stepped into the bar and was greeted by several angry faces. In the middle of the crowd was Milly, clutching her work helmet to her chest.

" Meryl… Meryl… " Milly said, her voice full of fear and her blue eyes wide. Someone from the crowd pushed Milly towards Meryl and the crowd advanced, backing the girls up against a wall.

" You really had us fooled, " One man said.

" What are you talking about? " Meryl stammered.

" Don't play dumb with us! " Another man shouted.

" You brought THE Vash The Stampede and the last member of his gang to this town! " Yet another angry man shouted.

Meryl pulled away from Milly, " Please! Calm down! "

The village elder stood off to the side and he looked at the floor as he spoke, " Listen, we don't want to die. Please leave immediately and we'll spare your lives. "

" Though we can't say what will happen to those two guys, " Someone said, a hint of cold humor to his voice.

" Enough! " The elder said sharply.

Meryl turned to face the elder, " What do you mean? "

Everyone in the place just glared at Meryl and a wave of panic washed over her. " Don't tell me… NO! "

Meryl ran for the door, Milly behind her and she opened it, the light of the twin suns nearly blinding her. She could hear the sound of engines and the sound of something being drug. She also heard the sounds of shouts and something was being kicked. Her eyes adjusted and she could see several large trucks but only one was moving.

Her stomach fell to her feet when she saw what was being drug behind the truck and what was being kicked. Vash was bound by a rope around his chest and was being pulled behind the truck while another group of men were beating Wolfwood. Wolfwood had probably fought them as hard as he could but he still wasn't up to full strength and was now trying to protect himself from the men that were kicking him.

The truck stopped and the crowd around Wolfwood dispersed and gathered around Vash. One man spat on him, " Did the both of you feel it? Did you feel some of the pain the two of you caused, the pain of those who died because of you and your friends? "

Vash just lay on the ground, shaking in pain as he felt overwhelmed. He felt like he couldn't say anything to make them listen and they hadn't listened to Wolfwood when he had tried to defend him. ~What should I do… what should I do? ~ He kept thinking but couldn't come up with an answer.

" Why don't you say anything in your defense? " The man that had spat on Vash asked. " Make some kind of excuse! "

The man pulled his foot back and kicked Vash as hard as he could. Vash flew a short distance, landing a yar or so from Wolfwood. Jim stood close by and he looked at Simon, " Hey, I think we made a mistake. Could these guys be who we though they were? "

" I'm no so sure now. I never expected Vash or any of his gang to be such pussies, " Simon said.

" You asshole! " Wolfwood growled. He was going to say something else but someone turned around and kicked him in the stomach. He coughed as he clutched his stomach, shaking in pain.

" I… " Vash said, getting to his knees. " I am…Vash The Stampede. You're right about me… I'm nothing but a killer. "

" Shameless bastard! " The first man said, punching Vash in the face. He flew again, landing even closer to Wolfwood. He had barely touched the ground when the man pulled out a gun and started to shoot at the ground around Vash's head. " You two are going to pay for all the lives you've taken with yours! "

The man stopped firing as Vash lay as still as possible on the ground. " Smile! " The man shouted. " I'll at least let you die like a man! Smile you shit so I can kill you then kill your buddy! "

Vash still did not smile and this made the man even madder. " I said smile! " He aimed the gun right at Wolfwood. " If you don't smile, I'll make you watch your buddy die first! "

" Stop! " Milly and Meryl cried together as they pushed through the crowd of men. They had seen enough and couldn't let any more happen. If they did, both Vash and Wolfwood would end up dead.

Meryl crouched down to Vash, lifting him up into a sitting position and Milly gathered Wolfwood to her. Meryl glared at the man with the gun, " This man fought to protect everyone! "

" He tried as hard as he could! " Milly added.

Wolfwood coughed, " They don't listen! I tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen! " He gasped out.

Meryl still looked at the man, " It's the truth! You have to believe me! "

" Don't give me that shit, you little bitch! " The man shouted and pushed Meryl away from Vash. She fell against Wolfwood and he grunted in pain. " Could a normal human being do all of those things? It has to be their doing! "

" You're wrong! " Meryl shouted. " Vash wasn't responsible for those things! "

" And Mr. Wolfwood only did what he had to! " Milly said.

" Then why did Stefan have to die so horribly? " The man aimed the gun again. Everyone was silent as the man looked at Vash, " Answer me! Answer me! "

Meryl got to her feet, " I've… I've watched him for a long time! It's true he can't avoid fighting but he has tried very hard to make sure nobody gets hurt. This man knows how to live like a human being. "

The man fired at Meryl, the bullet whizzing by her ear and causing her flinch. " Don't feed me your garbage! We have a right to shoot this monster! We've lost family… friends… neighbors… even children! We have a right to hate him! "

Meryl faced the man and lifted her arms, " No one has the right to take the life of another. No one…has the right… to take the life of another. "

Vash heard Meryl's words and lifted his head as she continued to speak. " Everyone has a future, " She said and he took a sharp breath. He looked at her and he could see Rem in her… a part of Rem's spirit had transcended time and found a home in the petite little woman that now faced off against a man with a gun. " Isn't that right? "

Meryl started to walk towards the man, her arms extended. Everyone looked at her in surprise as she got closer to the man. " Stop! Stay back! " The man took a shaky step backward. " I said stay back! "

" Stop the fighting, " Meryl said, still advancing on the man.

" Why? Why are you doing this? " The man said, his hand shaking.

" If we don't stop the hate and sorrow sometime, we'll never make any progress. We weren't born to steal, were we? We were never meant to kill, " Meryl closed the gap between her and the man as the crowd collectively gasped. She reached out and put her hand on the gun.

Vash watched it all with wide eyes, seeing Meryl re-enact what Rem had tried to do on the ship when she tried to save Rowan from himself… but this time it would succeed and no one would die. The man lowered the gun and let it fall to the ground before putting his hands over his face and starting to cry…

**

The suns were starting to set when the last of the men left. Everyone who had been there seemed to think differently about Vash and no longer wanted him or Wolfwood dead... just the hell out of their town. Wolfwood leaned on Milly as she held him on his feet. His body was covered in terrible bruises but nothing was broken and his lips were split in a couple of places.

The last man that left had waited so long so he could give them a first aid kit. He muttered an apology and vanished. Meryl finished putting the last bandage on Vash and sighed. Vash looked at her but she was avoiding his eyes.

" How could you two be so reckless? You could have gotten killed, " Vash said quietly.

" You're the last one who should criticize, " Meryl said firmly.

" It's exactly what you have always done, " Milly added. She looked at Wolfwood, " You would have done it too, right? "

" Yes, I would have, " Wolfwood looked at Vash and chuckled a little before wincing in pain, " You're one infectious bastard, you know that? "

Vash looked lost in his own thoughts for a long time before whispering, " That's it. I finally figured it out! "

" Huh? " Wolfwood arched an eyebrow.

" That MUST be it! " Vash got to his feet and launched himself onto Meryl. She gasped as he hugged her as tight as he could.

" Hey! What are you doing? " Meryl gasped, her face turning red but not in anger.

Vash held her for a long time and she relaxed. Wolfwood looked at Milly but she just stared dumbfounded at the little scene. Vash opened his eyes, looking at Milly and Wolfwood. " People have many different ways of thinking. "

" Yeah, " Wolfwood nodded, a little disconcerted with the nearly maniacal look in Vash's eyes. He seemed like he had figured out some great mystery, like the meaning of life. " You just realized that? "

" Even if you make a mistake, if you realize it was a mistake, it's always possible to fix it! Then, if you turn around, you'll see the future! This wisdom must be realized for oneself! " Vash smiled, ignoring Wolfwood's sarcastic comment.

" Are you sure you didn't hit your head on a rock or something when they were dragging you? Maybe someone kicked you in the head, " Wolfwood said as the words started to sink in. He blinked and his expression changed, " That made a lot of sense and was way too profound to come out of your mouth, needle noggin. "

Meryl started to squirm, " Hey. How long are you going to hug me? "

" I finally figured it out! I figured out what it all means! I figured out what she was telling me! " Vash shouted and swung Meryl around like a doll.

" Let go of me, you idiot! " Meryl screamed. She screamed even louder when Vash started rubbing his face against hers and started acting like the idiot she knew all too well. All present were shocked when Vash kissed Meryl full on the mouth out of his sheer joy.

" Jesus, Vash! Now isn't the… " Wolfwood started to say but he was too late. Meryl worked an arm loose and hit Vash square in the forehead. " … Time for that. "

Vash let go of Meryl before he fell to the ground and whimpered, " Hey! You're not supposed to hit the injured! I lost control of myself! I'm sorry! "

" I think you can walk home if you were able to do THAT! " Meryl grumbled as she stormed off. She growled, " And to think I stayed up half the night with you! "

Wolfwood looked at Milly and blinked. " Half the night? Did I just hear that right? "

" Uh, yeah. Let's wait for Mr. Vash so we can walk home together. Something tells me Meryl is going to need some time to cool off, " Milly smirked.