Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Epidemic ❯ The Art Of Vehicular Mechanics ( Chapter 4 )

~*Chapter Four - The Art Of Vehicular Mechanics*~

"What IS it with you and moving vehicles?!"

"Calm down, Meryl! It's not a big deal…see? All we need is a little bit of water and-"

"WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO FIND WATER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING DESERT?!"

The infuriated voice of Vash the Stampede echoed over the gleaming dunes as he glared incredulously at Nicholas D. Wolfwood's unabashed face. They'd only been traveling for a little over a day, and already, the priest had managed to tear the radiator asunder with his wily driving skills. The desert seemed to stretch endlessly around them, desolate, barren, and most importantly, scorching hot.

Sighing, the priest leaned against the hood of the derelict jeep, letting the cigarette smolder gently in his lips as he thought. Sweat shined lightly on his tanned face, and he ran a hand through his raven hair, brushing aside the hair that had begun to cling to his face and the back of his neck. That was a very good question that Vash had presented. Just where were they going to find a water supply sufficient enough to fill the ripped radiator back up once it was patched up?

"Honestly, Mr. Wolfwood," Meryl said irritably, wiping her face lightly with her hand, "if your driving hadn't have killed us, then the desert certainly will do the trick!"

"Meryl, Meryl…" Wolfwood chided gently, as though he were kindly berating a small child. "I promise you, it's not the desert or my driving that you should be worried about killing you. There's a reason I got you and Millie out of there as fast as possible. The two of you are in very real danger with that disease running around." He paused then, and turned to Vash with a curious expression. "Come to think of it, Tongari, why exactly did you let them follow you to May in the first place?"

"Now, don't start blaming this on me, Wolfwood," Vash said, strands of flaxen hair drooping into his face from the mixture of sweat and heat. "I DID leave on my own! It's their own fault they decided to follow me," he remarked, remembering well the rather painful slap he had received upon meeting up with them.

"Well, Millie and I couldn't just let you run off by yourself again! Who knows what sort of trouble you could cause!" Meryl retorted, crossing her arms emphatically. She stopped for a moment after she spoke, and looked around vaguely for a moment. "Come to think of it, where IS Millie?" she asked, looking slightly concerned.

The three that had remained congregated near the dusty, steadfastly stationary jeep looked around quickly as they realized that the fourth member of their quartet was rather obviously missing.

"She couldn't have gone far," Nicholas asserted as he stepped away from the jeep and began to trudge a few feet over the crest of the nearest rocky dune. "She was with us when the jeep broke down, and it's too hot to walk very far-"

"Mr. Priest!!"

Looking up at the familiar nickname, Nicholas turned and looked past Vash and Meryl to see Millie running up on the other side of the jeep, looking remarkably refreshed for someone who was faced with walking several hundreds of miles in the desert.

"Where'd you run off to, Millie? You should tell us before you leave or you'll worry us sick," Meryl said with a relieved smile as the taller woman ran up, looking surprisingly cheerful.

"Not very far," she began, slightly breathless. "Right over that dune over there, there's a water hole!"

Clearly, the enormity of this statement went unnoticed by Millie, who smiled pleasantly into the incredulous faces of her companions.

"I guess there's an underground geoplant running underground nearby, and it just sprung up," she said brightly, her cheerful eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

"Aha!" Nicholas proclaimed mightily, grinning rakishly. "And there, my dear Vash the Stampede, is where we will find water in the desert!"

Vash made it a very important point to glare at Nicholas as the angel opened the car door and began to push the jeep towards where Millie had said the water was. "It was just a stroke of luck! That's all!" he cried as he tromped after them, looking forward to something to drink despite it all. The outlaw did have his pride, after all.

"Believers will be redeemed in the end, Tongari!" came the good-natured reply. Vash narrowed his eyes and quickly caught up to Wolfwood as they came over the ridge and into the small basin that held the geoplant.

"If you were a real angel," Vash began, waving a gloved finger at Wolfwood as they strode down the last slope, "Then you'd have this thing fixed with just a wave of the hand and we'd be on our way!"

Wolfwood stopped dead in his tracks and reached out, grabbing Vash's hand and yanking him in, glaring at him so closely that their noses were almost touching. "Tell me, Vash…would you rather be stranded out here in the desert…or…would you rather I had left you at the mercy of those demons in May City?"

Vash cringed slightly at the thought, and as he met those smoldering cobalt eyes, he quickly decided that...maybe being stranded out here in the desert with Nicholas D. Wolfwood wasn't so bad a fate after all…

"Ah...no…no…" he said finally, blinking for a moment as he tried not to return the grip that Nicholas had his hand in. "I vote for the desert…the desert's nice…"

A slightly roguish grin settled on Wolfwood's face at Vash's expression, but he didn't relent in his grasp of Vash's hand. He met those viridian eyes for a moment, quirking a raven eyebrow. "Mmhmm…that's what I thought…"

"Ahem."

Slowly, Vash and Wolfwood turned their eyes towards the sound of a female throat clearing, and their eyes fell on the slightly irritated face of Meryl Stryfe, her arms crossed and her foot tapping the ground impatiently.

"When you two are done gazing into each others' eyes," she remarked tersely, "Would you two kindly let go of each others' hands and get to work fixing this damn thing before we fry?"

It was more of a command rather than a request, really.

"But he's the one that blew the radiator out!" Vash began, Wolfwood's eyes completely forgotten. "I really don't see why I should have to help him out!"

"Oh, don't even start with me, Vash the Stampede!" came the sharp retort as Nicholas slammed the car door shut and turned to face the outlaw vehemently. "If it weren't for me, you'd probably be dead right now, so stop your whining and help me fix this car!"

"Well, no one ASKED for your help in the first place!"

"Oh, so you'd rather that I'd left you all to die! Fine!"

"Don't start putting words in my mouth, Wolfwood-"

"Excuse me!" Meryl suddenly interjected, storming forward and shoving herself between the two men as she glared at them both venomously. "If you two are QUITE finished, Millie and I would like to get out of the desert any time! For crying out loud, you two act like you're married!"

"You can really tell that you two like each other!" Millie piped up brightly from the other side of the Jeep. "You can tell by the way you fight! It's kinda cute!"

"We do not!" came the simultaneous outburst, indignation and embarrassment evident in their voices. Vash's cheeks had gone a very bright shade of red, and Wolfwood simply had the grace to look incensed. They had quickly let go of each other's hands, and, in a quick movement to change the subject, the priest turned back to the jeep and proceeded to finish pushing the vehicle towards the small, rather impromptu oasis. Vash crossed his arms and made it a point to not look in the angel's direction, face still flushing in discomfiture, as he trudged down the slope of the basin, following the tire tracks. By the time he reached the edge of the water hole, Millie and Meryl were already seated below one of the few trees' shade near the edge of the water, and Wolfwood had discarded his blazer and had rolled his sleeves up to avoid getting grease on it. His head was currently hidden under the hood of the jeep, and he was rummaging around, mumbling irritably to himself. Words such as "lazy bum" and "can't believe he couldn't at least give me a hand" floated up from under the hood, and a twinge of guilt seized Vash's heart.

"Er…" he said as he stepped up to the jeep, looking a bit ashamed. "Still…want a hand?" he asked, viridian eyes apologetic. There was silence for a moment, as though Nicholas was considering this, and Vash was about to hesitate and ask again when Wolfwood's face appeared from behind the hood, a bit of a smile on his face.

"Yeah," he remarked, his face slightly smeared with grime. "Fill your canteen up with water and bring it back over here," he said, and sighed before going back to his work. Slightly surprised by Wolfwood's smile and lack of a grudge, Vash pulled his canteen out of his coat and walked over to the water, kneeling and filling it carefully. He peered down at his reflection for a moment, regarding the several healing scratches on his face that had been inflicted by the demons, and looked over his shoulder at Wolfwood, who was bent over the jeep and has his back facing the outlaw. Vash took a breath; a part of him still could barely believe that Nicholas D. Wolfwood was here with him once again…a traveling partner once more…

Remembering himself, he shook himself out of his rhapsodizing and stood, carefully making sure that the water didn't spill as he strode back over to where the priest was still working on the radiator. "Here's the water," he offered, but Wolfwood waved a hand at him dismissively.

"Just hold it right now, Vash," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "I've gotta get the tubes reconnected and stuff or the water'll just leak right back out again," he finished, and dipped his arm deeper into the oily, greasy mess, eyebrows furrowed.

Peering in over Wolfwood's head at the jumble of piping and tubing, Vash frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure that the radiator's water container didn't just get a rip in it from a rock instead of the tubes coming loose?" he asked.

"Wha-" Nicholas began, and brought his head up quickly. There was a sounding smack as the back of the priest's head came into swift, painful contact with Vash's forehead, and the outlaw yelped, pulling his head back quickly and narrowly missing the underside of the hood. Wolfwood cursed and brought a hand to the back his head, rubbing it painfully, and looked up at Vash, who had bent over slightly, a gloved hand covering his eyes and forehead.

"Ow! Damn…you've got a hard head!"

"I'm sorry…" Wolfwood said apologetically, wincing slightly as his fingers moved over the sensitive bump. "You alright?"

"I'm fine…" Vash muttered, and sighed, lowering his head. Blinking slightly, he shook his head and cringed a bit before pointing at the radiator. "What I said was that are you sure that the radiator itself isn't just torn and that it's not the tubes?"

Nicholas frowned for a moment at Vash's assertion, and peered back down into the car intently for a moment. He moved aside a few tubes, and suddenly, his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, I'll be damned," he muttered, and sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Well, unless you three have any bright ideas or a spare radiator and a toolbox handy, we're screwed," he remarked, leaning against the bumper dejectedly.

"What?!" Millie and Meryl responded in union, looking up at the slightly grungy priest in shock.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Millie asked, and Wolfwood looked up at her for a moment before closing his eyes with a sigh.

"Yeah…there's one thing I can do," he replied, and extended a hand towards Meryl. "Let me borrow a Derringer," he asked blandly. Slightly bemused, Meryl reached into her cloak and pulled out one of the tiny pistols, setting it into his hands. Nodding a thank you, Wolfwood turned back to the jeep, raised the pistol, and with a very precise aim, shot the radiator with a resounding pop. All near him jumped a bit at the rather spontaneous action, and as he returned the Derringer to its owner, Meryl gave him a Look.

"And just what was that supposed to accomplish?"

"Absolutely nothing, but it made me feel better," he remarked, and slammed the hood down bitterly before plopping himself atop the front of the car, leaning forward and lighting up another cigarette. Vash looked at his canteen of water, still full and unused, and smiled faintly. Taking a step up to the edge of the car, he sat up beside the priest and sidled up next to him, drawing his knees up, and turned his head slightly as he offered the canteen to Wolfwood.

"Thirsty?"

Looking at the canteen briefly before raising his cobalt eyes and meeting Vash's kindhearted gaze, Wolfwood gave the outlaw a gentle look. Pulling the cigarette from his lips, he reached over and took the canteen, smiling warmly.

"Thanks, Vash," he said, and brought the neck to his lips, tilting it back a little and taking a long draught of the slightly cooled water. He was careful not to drink too much; after all, Vash probably needed it more than he did. Sighing in a sated manner, he lowered the container from his lips and smiled, running his tongue quickly over his lips to catch any remaining drops. He smiled as he handed it back to the outlaw, letting his eyes linger on the many scratches that marked Vash's face, and sighed faintly.

Vash reclaimed the canteen pleasantly and tilted it back, chugging the water as if there were no tomorrow, and sighed happily, a bit of water trickling down from the corner of his lips as he finished. "Aaah! That hit the spot-"

His refreshed comment was cut off as he felt a gentle hand grace a few of the fresh cuts on his cheekbone, and jumped as he turned and saw that Nicholas was looking at the scratches with a gentle, inquisitive gaze. Vash felt his cheeks flush as he felt those light fingertips run the length of one of the longer gashes, and quickly averted his eyes, forcing his pulse to stop racing.

"Those don't look near as bad in the sunlight…" Wolfwood said gently, furrowing his brow somewhat as he withdrew his hand. He sighed and shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry I couldn't heal those though…I can heal disease and smite demons, but that's about it…"

A little taken aback by the sudden attention from the angel, Vash looked down pointedly at his canteen and shrugged. "It's alright…you got us away from those demons…I don't know if we'd have been able to get out of there without you."

Wolfwood's radiant eyes lit up a bit at the comment, and put a hand warmly on Vash's shoulder. "Hey…I'm glad I could help…I'm glad I'm here…again…" he said, and trailed off, turning his gaze to the two girls. Millie, who seemed to have been watching them rather attentively, waved cheerfully at the priest, and, Wolfwood noticed with a raised eyebrow, she seemed to be blushing faintly and glancing at Vash and himself knowingly. Meryl was holding a canteen similar to Vash's, and was dozing vaguely under the shade of the tree. He noticed with a slight frown that she seemed to be a bit paler than usual…

"Meryl?" he asked, standing and leaving Vash to his own devices for the moment. He walked over to the pair of girls. He squatted down next to them, and gently shook Meryl, who awoke rather easily. She looked up at the concerned angel and frowned sleepily.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Wolfwood?" she asked, reaching up and rubbing her eyes gently. She stopped, however, when he put a hand to her forehead, brushing her ebony hair from her face lightly. He frowned, and leaned back, looking at her intensely.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, worry and unease playing his eyes. Vash had joined them by now, and had knelt beside Nicholas as well, watching the both of them carefully.

"Yes…" she said slowly, raising an eyebrow warily at the two men. "I'm just a bit tired that's all. We have been sitting out here in the sun all day, and with your driving, I'm amazed we got any sleep at all," she said disapprovingly.

Nicholas rolled his eyes slightly and stood, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"Alright, you pass inspection. You're healthy enough to gripe at me, so you must be okay!" he replied with a grin, and chuckled. He looked out over the horizon, which was steadily growing a dark shade of indigo, and gestured for the jeep. "We'll sleep in the jeep tonight, and tomorrow we'll set off walking. It shouldn't be too far to the nearest town."

~*~

"So…"

"Master…our scouts have just reported in from May…they spoke of an angel matching the description of Nicholas D. Wolfwood helping Vash the Stampede out of May…"

Knives turned slowly and regarded his three generals, smiling coldly at their familiar faces as he heard this news. His icy eyes gleamed calculatingly, and after a moment, he chuckled darkly.

"So…Nicholas D. Wolfwood has returned…we should give him a proper reception, don't you think?" he asked with the quirk of his lips. "The three of you…go…follow my brother and Wolfwood…we don't want them thinking that we've forgotten about them, after all." He smiled darkly, and turned his back to the three men brought back from the depths of the Abyss to serve him once more.

"Get rid of the angel and the girls…but leave my brother to find me…I'll be the one to do the teaching this time, Vash…"

~*~

Phew! So, that was Chapter Four. A lot longer and fluffier than I expected! I had this one all planned out. It was going to be the short "filler" chapter, but it took on a life of its own! And yes, Meryl's paleness is foreshadowing.

AHH The VxW implications! It made me happy…but you'd better enjoy it. This is as fluffy as it gets. There will be romance, of course, but it'll be more of the dramatic and sad sort.

Chapter Five is going to be longer than this one, and Chapter Six will be even longer, so…don't expect them out as quickly as this one! Again, thanks for the reviews! ^___^