Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Guided Steps ❯ Standing In Harm's Way ( Chapter 13 )

“Die.”

 

Three hundred miles above the surface another ship from Earth exploded in bright orange flame quickly snuffed by the vacuum of space.

 

Knives' face contorted in a rictus born of fury. It was the sixth he'd destroyed and it still wasn't enough. He'd expected interference from the humans and from Vash, but he'd never imagined something like this could happen.

 

All the remaining ships, even the last remaining one from the planet below him were all focusing some kind of high-frequency pulse at his Ark. They were all in perfect coordination and he was unable to block it out. The discordant strain subtly eroded the carefully constructed song he'd forged with the other plants, rendering him motionless even as it began to break his connection to them. He couldn't warp them all away to safety, nor could he focus an attack on the fleet as a whole.

 

One by one the panicked clamor of his siblings' voices slipped away from his consciousness. Knives scrambled, bringing all his formidable will to bear on that terrible disruptive pulse but he couldn't block or silence it. With an angry yell he dispatched yet another ship, but he could feel his own power diminishing with each voice he lost.

 

The humans. Weak. Parasitic. They were too stupid to pull this off on their own. Even the plants he'd touched on the Earth ships - some of them so like himself and Vash - could not have known what they were walking into. They had help. Access to information that none of them should have had.

 

Vash.

 

A source of energy on the planet resonated with that contemptuous thought and Knives marked it with a hatred that consumed him.

 

Those of his siblings who'd been forced out of the collective consciousness early began plummeting to the surface of the planet. Their power would normally save them from a deadly re-entry and impact, but the feathers that trailed their paths down to the surface showed just how much of their energy was fractured off by the pulse. And their immense power could only sustain those who made it safely to the surface for so long; they would quickly die without their protective enclosures. The savage humans were more likely to kill them than help them.

 

They would die, and it would be on Vash's head for interfering with his plans.

 

Vash's weakness. Vash's failure. Vash's fault for opposing him.

 

The Ark began to break up all around him and he realized he had lost this battle. He turned his wrath on two more of the ships before deciding to abandon his dying vessel. He had to deal with Vash, had to hold him accountable for what was sure to be a violent, senseless massacre of plants by humans. After siphoning off as much power as he could from the dwindling connection Knives zeroed in on that bright beacon on a dark, barren world. He reached out for his last remaining weapon and brought it with him in an afterthought, thinking it might still be of some use.

 

Vash. This is all your fault. This time we finish it, brother.

 

~*~

 

“Are we out far enough out in the middle of nowhere yet?” Wolfwood asked for the third time in an hour.

 

In the passenger seat Vash was preoccupied and barely paying attention to him. It took him a few seconds, but he finally answered. “Yes. It's almost over for him up there. We can stop now.”

 

“About time,” the priest huffed, bringing the Jeep to a slow stop. They got out, leaving behind supplies and packs for weapons and ammunition. Wolfwood looked over in time to see Vash grimacing up at the sky yet again. He'd been doing it for an hour and a half. Wolfwood's already frayed nerves couldn't take it anymore. “Will you cut that out?! They'll be fine!”

 

“I can't help it. Luida, Milly, Meryl… none of them should be involved. So much is riding on them, I just-”

 

“Hey!” Vash let out an involuntary squeak as he found himself suddenly with a face full of indignant Livio. “Are you saying my Milly can't handle her job?! Don't you underestimate her. She can do anything!”

 

“Of course she can!” Vash laughed nervously, flapping his hands in what he hoped was a placating gesture. “That just didn't come out right!” He looked to Wolfwood for rescue, but the priest was too busy sniggering behind his hand to be of any use.

 

Thankfully Livio was mollified enough to back down graciously. “All right. But you just watch your mouth, mister!” he warned.

 

Wolfwood finally decided to become helpful. “Have you ever known Luida-san or the insurance girls to fail at anything?”

 

“No…”

 

“Then quit worrying about it. We came up with a good plan. We know Milly and Meryl are as good as their word, and Luida said you could count on her and those other ships to break up the co… uh… the uh…”

 

Vash couldn't help smiling. “The co-integration of the Knives and the other plants.”

 

“Yeah, that… thing.”

 

Vash's smile widened. “You didn't understand a word of that, did you?”

 

“Shaddap! I got most of it!”

 

Vash hooked an arm around Livio's shoulder and walked away a bit, clucking sadly. “I only keep him around for his looks. Dumb as a brick, you know. If it weren't for that body he'd be a total loss.”

 

Vash froze with a squeak at the tangible aura of malice that wrapped around him from behind. Livio slipped smoothly away from Vash to avoid whatever was coming.

 

“The point is,” Wolfwood ground out from behind clenched teeth. “You should focus on doing your job and trust them to do theirs.”

 

At that moment Vash dropped to his knees with a small cry, grasping his head in his hands. All the annoyance Wolfwood felt was gone in an instant. Without a second glance he gave the Punisher a shove toward Livio who caught it easily. He managed to grab Vash by the shoulders as he fell, saving him from hitting the ground. “Tongari! What's-”

 

He looked up as a strange buzzing sound interrupted him. It amplified until it was a deafening roar so powerful it shook the ground. A pulse of crimson light scorched its way downward across the sky and then there was silence.

 

Livio had to cover his ears to ride out the storm, and when it was over it took him a few moments to get his equilibrium back. He turned to Vash and Wolfwood just in time to see Vash fall limp in Wolfwood's arms. “What the hell was that? Is he all right?”

 

“He thought this might happen; just give him a minute.” Wolfwood lowered them both to the ground, bringing Vash closer to him and cradling his head comfortably in his lap. “With any luck Knives just went through `dissolution and re-entry.' It just shocked him.” He saw Livio blinking widely at him and added, “What? Just `cause I don't understand a word he says sometimes doesn't mean I'm not listening.”

 

Livio regarded him dubiously. “Are you sure? Shouldn't we get him back to the ship, just in case? How do you know he's okay?”

 

“Same way I know when you're okay and when you're not,” Wolfwood murmured absently, stroking the side of Vash's face with his thumb. Livio just watched it with a wistful smile. “Yeah, how's that?”

 

“I've been cursed with the ability to understand the inner workings of the minds of idiots. And you're the second biggest idiot I know, so I know you pretty well.”

 

“Asshole!”

 

Wolfwood chuckled without ever taking his eyes off of Vash.

 

~*~

 

Meryl ran as fast as she could, trying to shove her way through the angry crowd that had gathered on the outskirts of Gunsmoke's last inhabited city. She cursed heavily when she realized how ineffectual her actions were, and began to use her small size to dart through any opening she could find. The angry yells and shouts were enough to make her ears hurt.

 

Finally she reached the end of the clamoring mass and her heart caught in her throat. The few security officers Luida had managed to send them were of little use in holding back the tide. The ones who hadn't sided with the mob in the end were easily overwhelmed, crippled by Luida's `non-lethal force only' directive. With only clubs and muscle power there was only so much they could do to keep the crowd away from the target of their wrath until Vash's plan could unfold.

 

Instead, it was Milly who stood firm against the throng. A bloody gash ran down the left side of her face, probably from some improvised projectile launched from the crowd and still she refused to be cowed. She blinked rapidly to keep her vision clear and Meryl couldn't help but be awed. Milly held the mob back more by force of determination than by her size or the stun gun she held at the ready.

 

And about fifty yartz behind her in a defenseless heap were the fallen plants that she and the guards were so desperately attempting to defend. They screamed and moaned terribly, but their pitiful wails and desperate cries failed to move the crowd toward compassion.

 

Without a thought to her own safety Meryl launched herself out of the throng and slid to a stop at Milly's side, adding her Derringers to mix in the hopes that the threat of gun violence would be enough. “Stand back!” she shouted. “They aren't responsible for this! If you kill them you could be sentencing us all to death!” Her attempt to reason with them just seemed to incite the mob further. They were past reason, past thinking. They wanted blood, payback for the devastation they'd lived through and here before them were easy, vulnerable targets.

 

“Senpai,” Milly said grimly without taking her eyes off the crowd. “We don't have much time. Did something go wrong? Vash-san was so sure…”

 

“He wasn't wrong; don't lose faith in him now. It's just taking longer than any of us expected.”

 

Suddenly a man armed with a two-by-four broke free of the rest and made a run at them. Milly stopped him with a shot from her stun gun, but his move had emboldened the rest. A wave of people came at them and a jolt of fear shot down Meryl's spine. `We're between them and their target. They won't stop. We'll be killed!' Her guns fell from nerveless fingers. She knew she didn't stand a chance but Milly had a good shot at muscling her way through to safety if she ran right now.

 

Before she could yell to Milly to run the bigger woman dropped her weapon and threw herself over her, protecting her from being trampled. Meryl could feel the hits Milly was taking, muffled by her body.

 

Listening to Milly's pained grunts and gasps turned seconds into an eternity for Meryl. Finally the clamor passed them by and faded. Milly slid to the ground with a groan and Meryl did her best to ease her descent.

 

Blood flowed freely from a new wound on the back of her head and she clutched at her right side with both hands. Meryl quickly decided the head wound posed the most danger and frantically tore at her own shirt for cloth to staunch the bleeding. All the while she scolded and even yelled at Milly, trying desperately to get her wandering eyes to focus, to get her to say something but the bigger woman was too woozy to respond.

 

Meryl's chest tightened. Milly, her strength, her most cherished person lay broken in her arms. The barriers she held to survive these times all crumbled at once and she wept out of fear.

 

A shaky hand brushed across her cheek and Meryl grabbed it and held it there like a lifeline. “I'm so sorry!” she cried. “This is all my fault! If you hadn't protected me… Why didn't you just run?!” She watched as Milly mouthed the words, “Because I love you, senpai. Don't cry. It'll be okay. I just… need to rest… for a…”

 

Milly's eyes slowly drifted closed.

 

The sound of rushing feet behind her slowed and Meryl knew that the crowd had closed in on its helpless prey. There were startled sounds of confusion that didn't fit, but she couldn't turn to see what was happening. She couldn't even move. A small, silvery feather drifted down from the sky and settled just above her forehead, but it went unnoticed because the hand in hers went slack at the same moment.

 

Meryl screamed out her terror, and those in the crowd who had themselves caught similar falling feathers froze in their tracks, shaken by the force of her grief transmitted to them through the unearthly objects.

 

The shock of it didn't last long, but it was long enough for more of those feathers to fall. None of the gathered humans knew that they held tangible, powerful pieces of the plants' souls; they only knew that thoughts and feelings could now truly be shared.

 

The feathers continued to drift down onto both groups and one by one every human out in the open was subjected not only to the plants' terror and helplessness, but also to their genuine wish to help humanity and their overwhelming sorrow at having been taken from their charges and used to bring them so much pain and death.

 

Then something miraculous happened.

 

Jarred by the same images and emotions as the others, Meryl turned to see every human there throw down their makeshift weapons and organize as one to help the fallen plants. Fresh tears formed in her eyes as the plants' gratitude, relief and joy rippled through her. Within that joy a name echoed gratefully. `Vash, freedom thank you brother, Vash…'

 

“They know,” Meryl choked through her sobs. “They know he made this possible… To forge an understanding, to build something better for us all.” Meryl gathered Milly close in her arms and whispered, “It's happened, Milly. It's really happened.”

 

“Of course it has. Didn't I tell you… everything would be okay? You and Livio both… worry too much.”

 

Milly's voice was weak, but it was the sweetest sound Meryl had ever heard and she wept all the harder through her elation. “You're going to be all right, you hear me? You're going to be just fine!” she ordered.

 

Milly chuckled weakly. “Okay, senpai. But I think you might… have to find me a doctor first…”

 

~*~

 

Long minutes ticked by and Livio fought the urge to fidget. As much as he didn't want to disturb the scene in front of him, he felt like he was intruding.

 

“All right,” Wolfwood finally said with a slightly sad smile. “That's long enough. We got work to do, Tongari.”

 

Vash came to life at that, groaning theatrically and thrashing only as much as he could without dislodging himself from his guide's lap. Livio panicked. “What's wrong with him!?”

 

“Nothing.” Wolfwood just dumped him off into the sand and stood, brushing his hands on his thighs before taking the Punisher back from Livio. “He came around a couple of minutes ago, the lazy bastard. It was a good try, though.”

 

“But it was so nice!” Vash whined, climbing to his feet.

 

“That's not funny, I was really worried!”

 

Vash held his hands up in a placating gesture and smiled. “Sorry! I really did need a minute there, though. Nick was right about the Ark breaking up.” He took a deep breath and shared a look with his guide. He had needed the calm moment with Wolfwood because they might not have the chance again. `Knives is here.'

 

“Knives managed to get away before the Ark broke up; felt me and came here just like I thought he would.”

 

Livio's eyes widened. He knew it was a long shot, knew that Vash had so much else to think about but he couldn't help asking. “Do you know… could you tell if Milly made it through?”

 

Vash's lips thinned out into a line and he shook his head. “I'm sorry, but I can't get anything that specific. But if she isn't out of danger yet she will be soon, I'm sure,” he said with a reassuring smile. “She can handle anything, right?” Livio released a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiled back at Vash.

 

“Now for the sixty-billion double dollar question,” Wolfwood interrupted coolly. “Where's Knives?”

 

“Out here somewhere close. And…” Vash trailed off, swallowing hard around a sudden lump of fear. “He brought Legato with him.”

 

Wolfwood snorted. “Didn't I tell you?

 

“Yes, but I was hoping you were wrong.”

 

“Can you locate Knives?”

 

Vash closed his eyes for a moment and the air pressure increased substantially. Livio staggered a bit, looking to Wolfwood in alarm but he had already shifted his weight for better balance as if he'd expected the change. Whatever Vash was doing seemed to suck in any light that touched him, appearing to leave him at the heart of a black hole. Cold fear kicked Livio hard in the gut at the sight. `And this is the one of the two brothers who is trying to save us. If those two fight… will there be anything left of this world…?'

 

He took a deep breath as the air around him returned to normal. Vash's countenance shifted back from the demonic to the friendly - if very troubled - man he had come to know. `Steady,' he reminded himself. `Vash is still Vash, lamenter of lost lives and overeater of donuts. I already knew what he was, what he is. Seeing his true nature firsthand changes nothing.'

 

If Vash noticed his inner conflict he only acknowledged it with a quick glance and a small but grateful smile. “Knives is twenty iles north of here, give or take. He's alone. I think… no. I know he's waiting for me.”

 

Livio swallowed hard then asked the obvious question. “If he's alone, then where's Legato?”

 

Something glinting metallically in the sky caught Wolfwood's attention and he noted with a frown that it was rapidly getting bigger as it approached them. “I think Knives gift-wrapped him for us.”

 

The object landed with a heavy thud, burying itself halfway into thickly packed sand not thirty yartz away from them. Vash barely had time to register that it was a life pod much like the one that Rem had shoved he and Knives into to save their lives before the exposed part of it burst apart from the inside.

 

None of them so much as flinched as pieces of metal and debris flew past them, revealing a wild-eyed Legato. He didn't acknowledge Livio or Wolfwood; he focused his attention solely on Vash. “Are you out here looking for me? I'm touched. But why did you have to bring an audience, Vash the Stampede? This really should be just between us.”

 

Wolfwood spoke before Vash could respond. “Hate to break it to you, but we're not the audience. Somewhere along the line I traded in `babysitter' for `guard dog.' So if you want him, you're gonna have to go through me.”

 

Legato looked over him, snorted, and then broke out in derisive laughter. “What can you do against me? You can't be serious!”

 

“Oh, I'm serious all right. And I can hurt you plenty.”

 

He brought out his trump card, the thing that would level the playing field enough to give him and Livio a chance. Wolfwood pulled out the recorder Legato had given to Vash and held it up for Legato to see. Legato's calm demeanor vanished in an instant, his smile pulling down into a scowl.

 

Wolfwood had guessed at the thing's real function after hearing Legato's recording, but he was - though he would never admit it to anyone else - a complete idiot when it came to lost technology. So he'd charmed a couple of Luida's technicians into studying the thing on their off time to see what they could find out about it. And so Legato's reaction only confirmed what he already knew.

 

The device would neutralize those deadly wires.

 

“That wasn't meant for you!” Legato ground out.

 

“Then this is really gonna piss you off.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a second device, smaller and less intricate than the one Legato had designed but much sturdier and no less effective. He tossed it to Livio with a vicious smile. “Never give your enemy an advantage. You have no idea how he's gonna use it.”

 

Legato's gold eyes burned with fury. “This is wrong. Wrong!”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Life sucks and then you die. Speaking of which…” Wolfwood unsnapped the Punisher's cover. It fluttered to the ground as he spoke to Vash without turning. “Get going, Tongari. We got this. Don't we, kid?”

 

“Hell yeah,” Livio agreed, unlocking his own Double Fangs. “No problem.”

 

“Nick, I-”

 

“Gray the Ninelives. Midvalley the Hornfreak,” Wolfwood interrupted. “You've always walked away and trusted me to win. You were even ready to do it after you got my letter, at least until Short Girl talked you out of it.” He finally took his eyes off Legato and turned slightly, just enough for Vash to see the small smile on his lips. “I love you. But I need you to trust me one more time. Walk away and go save this world. I don't care where you land when this is all over. I'll find you. So get to it, idiot.”

 

Vash returned the smile as his guide's words gave him more peace with their plan than he'd thought possible. “I'll be waiting for you. Don't take too long.”

 

The blond turned to walk away and Legato felt all of his dreams shattering around him. “This… can't be,” he mumbled to himself. He believed, truly believed in the perfection of his loyalty to Knives. But what was belief without a trial by fire? Long ago he'd marked Vash for this test. All of his games, his machinations were for this end: to test his perfect, ineffectual loyalty against perfect ineffectual strength. Vash.

 

Both he and Vash possessed incredible power, power enough to control this planet if they wished it. And yet, he lacked the ability to become something that Knives valued. Neither could Vash manage to protect himself or even his most loved ones from harm.

 

`For all our power, we are both useless. And yet, Knives-sama still wishes you to be at his side. If you are no longer an option… might he instead… choose me…?'

The two they intended him to face were… traitors. Inconsequential. Such low beings were hardly fitting of such a noble trial as he intended and Wolfwood… even for his indefensible betrayal of Knives, he had succeeded where he himself had failed. Those he set out to protect remained safe. Despite great hardship he had been useful to those people most important to him.

 

No. No, he needed Vash for this test and refused to allow him to leave. And Legato realized that he knew exactly how to make him stay.

 

Wolfwood saw the desperation in Legato's face give way to a slow, sure smile that sent a paralyzing chill shooting through his body. `Shit. He's gonna run his fucking mouth. I should've realized…'

 

Sure enough, Legato's next words stopped Vash in his tracks. “So you're leaving him to me again, Vash? The other one I'll kill, but Nicholas stays alive. You should know that I don't intend to kill him. I'm going to shatter his mind and keep him as a slave. And believe me, I know very well how to put a slave to good use.”

 

A strangling tightness grew in Wolfwood's chest and he fought to squeeze a few words past it. “Tongari, don't listen to him. Just get moving!”

 

“Yes, by all means, get moving. Don't let me stop you. Leave him alone when he needs you most, yet again. I wonder if he'll call to you for help this time too…? Probably not. He knows it won't do him any good.”

 

Livio looked back and forth between them in confusion. Vash's shoulders tightened with every word that came out of Legato's mouth and Wolfwood had gone pale, his breath so erratic Livio could swear he was forcing himself to breathe. Why the hell wasn't Vash leaving? “What is he talking about, Nicholas?”

 

Legato's eyes widened in genuine surprise before his lips curled into a smirk. “He doesn't know…? How interesting.”

 

Wolfwood felt the air already beginning to take on that peculiar thick quality that only happened when Vash or Knives were about to seriously exercise their power. “Shit, Livio, not now okay?!” he rasped.

 

“If not now then when? He won't have a `later,'” Legato countered with an innocent look that sparkled with malice. He directed his words to Livio even though he was truly speaking to Vash alone. “Don't you have the right to know why these two really dragged you out here to die? I'm sure you've wondered at what these two are hiding from you.”

 

Wolfwood could feel Livio's eyes on him, uncertain. He would walk right into Legato's trap if he didn't say something, do something. He opened his mouth to shout, to yell, to scream, but nothing came out. Next he tried to grab for his gun, but movement failed him as well. Both his body and his will were frozen. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he screamed to himself, `What the fuck is wrong with me? Why can't I do anything?!'

 

Because you're afraid of him. And because Livio deserves to know, a quiet voice supplied. Let him see you for what you really are. Maybe then he'll be able to walk away from you and save his own life.

 

When Wolfwood didn't move or say anything Livio sent out a silent apology. `You said you tried to tell me but you couldn't. I'm sorry that I have to play along with him to find out Nicholas, but… I need to know what's really going on here.' “Just spit it out, Legato.”

 

“Well, let's just say that out of the three of us here, you're the only one who doesn't know how good Little Nicky's ass feels when it's wrapped around your cock,” Legato said with a sick grin. “Although I'm dying to know how you managed it, Vash. I did an exceptional job breaking him, after all. He should have thrown you through a wall rather than let you touch him.”

 

Something cold and painful gripped Livio's heart in its claws and held on. “You… you mean you…”

 

“What? Raped him? Took what little innocence he had left after your so-called master was through with him? Yes, that and much more while his brother…” Legato took a pause to level an accusing finger squarely at Vash's turned back, “…watched. It amused my master greatly. For hours.”

 

“You're lying,” he breathed. “Please, Nicholas. Tell me he's lying.”

 

Wolfwood finally found a bit of his voice. “I wish I could, kid. I really do.”

 

“Why do you sound so upset? It was great!” Legato laughed. He rubbed himself obscenely through his pants and let his eyes drift closed in the bliss of remembrance. “Best fuck I ever had. The more pain you get, the more pleasure your body gives. But I'm sure Vash knows all about that, don't you, Vash-the-Stam-pede?”

 

Wolfwood's breathing had gone from steady to ragged and when he heard the early stages of uncontrolled hyperventilation Vash's vision began to go red. He knew Legato's game, but knowledge did nothing to calm the rising fury. He managed one heavy, stuttering step, then another. Legato's next round of taunts stopped his third step before it could get off the ground.

 

“He had to have fought you; I made sure of that. Just out of curiosity, did you have to hold him down when you shoved yourself into him for the first time? Did he scream for you like he did for me?” Legato saw Vash falling over the edge and couldn't resist giving him another push for good measure. “Now let me tell you the worst part, Double Fang,” he said with a twisted grin. “I took your little friend right out from under Vash's nose. I tortured him. Used him. His body was so broken he could barely stand when I was done with him. He ran right back to dear Vash when it was all over, and did Vash help him? No. Avenge him? Not even close. He never. Even. Noticed. And that is what love means to Vash the Stampede!”

 

That verbal attack hit and then proceeded to stomp all over every nerve Vash had where Wolfwood was concerned. He spun around, his eyes wide and his pupils completely whited out. “Screw it. You've lived too long!” The air started to crackle with undirected energy and Legato's eyes lit up like suns; this was exactly what he'd intended. Mentally Wolfwood ran through every single curse he'd ever heard. Interference from their transmitters was all that kept Legato's wires out of Vash so he couldn't make a move - if he could have moved - until Vash was safely on his way. The part of Livio that wasn't in shock was apparently in full agreement with Vash and he saw no reason to try and stop what was about to happen.

 

His frustration reached the breaking point. Things were going badly at a time when they couldn't afford any mistakes. If he couldn't stop this from happening Legato would wear Vash down needlessly before he could confront Knives, and Knives would kill him. He ground his teeth together thinking about how fucking stupid all of this was. This asshole was making a parade out of the most humiliating, agonizing time of his life in front of the two people from whom he most wanted to hide it. And now he was free, finally free to fight back, to repay blood for blood. He didn't even have to listen to any lectures from Vash on the subject of morality.

 

All he wanted was to pay the bastard back tenfold for the pain he'd caused him, but no, he had fight his way through a panic attack to rein in these two needlessly chivalrous morons. Finally anger gave him the strength to overcome his treacherous body and the dread that held him frozen in its claws. He drew one steady breath. The second brought calm to his trembling muscles.

 

“Okay. That's enough.” He dropped his left hand off the Punisher and drew his pistol in one smooth motion, firing it past Vash's ear without ever taking his eyes off Legato.

 

The gambit worked and Vash's eyes returned to normal. Energies still crackled around him, but he was just staring stunned at Wolfwood. “You… Nick?”

 

“I said that's enough!”

 

Livio snapped to attention at hearing the tone of Wolfwood's voice. He remembered it well from their days at the orphanage; if it wasn't heeded, a painful beating tended to follow.

 

“Why do morons always flock to me? Am I the only idiot whisperer on this entire fucking planet?! You two assholes chill the fuck out right now or I'll kill you myself!”

 

The two of them had the good grace to look chagrined. Vash let his energies dissipate with a sheepish grin and a muttered “Sorry, Nick…” Livio just looked very embarrassed.

 

“Livio, focus! Vash, I am asking you to do this for me. Are you going to listen to me, or are you all pretty talk?”

 

Vash grit his teeth, hovering on indecision before taking a deep breath. “All right,” he ground out. “If you need me to do this then I will. But he's wrong. He never broke you. You're free. I don't care what happens here, he can never touch you again.”

 

“Message received,” Wolfwood said quietly. “Now get the hell out of here.”

 

Legato realized angrily that he'd lost control of the situation when Vash waved and turned to go. “See you later, baby! Don't take too long!”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I'll be home from work soon, honey. Just make sure you've got dinner on the table for me when I get back.”

 

Vash was moving with purpose now and he was in the car before Legato could blink. As he gunned the engine and sped off Legato screamed in rage and tried to follow after him, but a bullet ripped through his leg, stopping him cold. He repaired the damage quickly, but Livio's bullet hadn't been meant to cripple him anyway. “If you don't pay attention, this will be over too quick,” Wolfwood said calmly.

 

Legato looked to the two left before him and snarled. If he couldn't have Vash, he would make them feel his pain. And Wolfwood… Wolfwood had an amazing capacity for suffering. Knives hadn't allowed him to fully explore it last time.

 

This time would be different.

 

Wolfwood watched his opponent carefully. He was off balance and furious. Now it was time to get serious. “It's not too late for you to back out of this,” he said quietly. “Just go; he's too riled up to care if you're here or not. I can finish this alone.”

 

Now that you know. It was unspoken but Livio heard it anyway.

 

“There's a lot I want to say, but seeing as how we are about to fight for our lives here, it's going to have to wait. For the record, I do intend to cry about this later. A lot. But right now I'll settle for putting a lot more bullets into this sick fuck.” He fired off another few rounds to make sure Legato stayed put. “I'm with you. Whenever you're ready.”

 

Wolfwood's lip curled into a slight smile. “You're an idiot. But I'm glad you're here. Keep him there for a minute.”

 

“You got it, but… Back at the orphanage you said you needed something from him. Can you tell me now?”

 

“Yeah. I need answers. I need to know why.”

 

Wolfwood dropped the recorder back into his pocket and tuned out the gunfire, focusing instead on Legato. Finally faced the two locked doors inside himself that he'd so far only cracked open at opportune times. Now he would have to open them completely and let everything out at once; he wouldn't get another chance. Behind the first lived all the pain, humiliation and rage at being so brutally controlled. Behind the second, his true ferocious potential as a fighter, refined and made utterly merciless by the Eye of Michael's training.

 

Legato's eyes went wide to see Wolfwood moving toward him at a speed he had to work to follow, pure and untainted fury in his eyes. The chill that moved up his spine wasn't due to fear, certainly not. But he did begin to understand that this fight would be far more difficult than he'd thought.

***************************************************************** *******

 

Gather `round children, it's math time!

If Wolfwood > Livio/Razlo and Livio/Razlo > Elendira, then Wolfwood > Elendira.

But: Elendira < Legato

So then, are Wolfwood + Livio/Razlo > Legato? We'll find out next chapter!

 

To Hecate18: Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to give such a wonderful review; I'm glad you stopped by the Trigun section! :)