Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Happily Ever After? ❯ Once in a lifetime encounters... ( Prologue )

Once in a lifetime encounters…

 

Meryl Stryfe once again found herself staring out her window searching for some sign of the red coat worn by the man who had single handedly stolen her heart, and not to mention had a sixty billion double dollar bounty on his head. Not much had happened after Vash went out into the desert to `save' his brother; she wondered how he could possibly save the man who had nothing better to do than ruin his younger brothers life. She had just sent a report last week stating that the humanoid typhoon had taken of into the desert to `save' his brother, a week and a half and still no sign of him. Meryl didn't want to out right say that she was worried about the broom-headed outlaw, but her best friend Milly could see how worried her little sempai was, after all it didn't take a genius to figure out that Meryl had fallen for the outlaw. After all Milly knew what it was like to look for the one person you care most for, she had found the `one' and they both admitted their love to the other, and painfully lost her true love the very next morning. Nobody knew how much Milly just wanted to break down and cry till she could cry no more, but that wouldn't get anyone anywhere. After all she had to be strong for sempai and Vash, but she had just found out that morning after a trip to the doctor's office that she, `Stun gun' Milly Thompson, was pregnant… She didn't want to tell Meryl yet, simply because she was scared and right now she had to be the strong one, for Vash and Meryl's sakes.

 

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A black clad man stood admiring the field of clover mixed with little wildflowers, god how he missed Milly, but hey he was dead not much he could really do to help his beloved `big-girl'. He stood smoking a rumpled cigarette staring at the bright blue sky of purgatory; suddenly he got chills running up his spine. He spun reaching for his cross punisher then remembered it was with Vash, he stood and found himself staring at a little girl sitting in the lush grass. The girl had white hair that shone brightly in the sun; she sat with her back to him as if he wasn't there. As he stepped closer to the girl he heard her singing in a soft sad voice, “Ring around the rosy, pockets full of posies. Ashes, Ashes we all fall down…” She sang it twice more before letting out a deep sad sigh. She spoke softly, “Oh Rem, I wish I weren't so alone here…No one comes to purgatory anymore, they all either go to hell or heaven. I wish some one would wake me up Rem! I'm tired of sleeping! I knew this would happen! I told you not to trust Steve with Vash and Knives!” He could hear her sobbing now, crying out in frustration she spoke again, “Rem how could this happen? You promised me that you would wake me up when we got to our new home! And yet you and Vash only came to see me twice! You promised! You and Vash both lied to me!!! I hate being alone!!! God how I hate being all alone! I just want to wake up and live! Why won't anyone come and wake me up?!?!” She broke out crying fiercely, sobbing she slumped onto the soft grass curled up in a truly sad way. The sight tore at his heart; she was just a little girl… `Wait just a minute! Did she say Rem and Vash? Nah it can't be, how could she have known Rem?' His thought were interrupted when she suddenly stood up, fists clenched tightly she turned to face him. “Who the hell are you?!?! How dare you come here! Why are you here?!?! Just leave me alone!!!!” She cried, and as he turned to leave her alone she shouted, “Don't leave! I'm sorry! Please! I'll make you a deal!” He turned and stared at her with a face that showed just how thoroughly confused he was. She stared at him with pleading crimson eyes, “Please I'm sorry for being so rude, I just don't have many visitors is all…” she stared at the ground, “Please? I can help you get back to Milly! I promise that I can help you! I wouldn't lie about something as serious as this! I've never lied to anyone! You can ask Vash, if he remembers me that is… It's been so long since he and Rem visited me, I want to see my little brother again. I want to see my mommy again too, Rem is my mother Mr. Wolfwood, by blood…”

 

Nicholas D. Wolfwood couldn't help but stare at the little girl, `can she really help me get back to Milly? No, it's not possible. Or is it?' He cleared his throat and asked what she wanted him to do. “You're really going to trust me? Okay. What I want you to do, once you're back in the world of the living, is to wake me up.” He nodded yes. “Ok, well you will have to follow my instructions, understood?” Wolfwood nodded yes again. She motioned for him to sit down and she followed suit. “Okay then. There is a rusty door in the side of the mountain near your grave to the south. Go through the door and down three sets of stairs, then turn left. You will come to another set of stairs that end at a door with a group of buttons on the panel to the right of the door. Enter 198423 into the alpha numeric keypad and the door will open after 2 seconds, go down the hallway till you pass three doors on your left and enter 207931 into the panel next to the fourth door. Go through the door. You will then be in a long hallway with many clear tubes lined on either side, go to the end and open the next door. Behind that door is a small room that looks like a laboratory with a door in the far wall to your right, go through it. There will be a hallway curving to your right, go to the very end of this hallway and you will find one of the tubes covered in frost. There will be an alphabetic keyboard on the front of the frosty tube. Enter the following word into the keypad; SHADOW. You got that?”

“Ok so I have to go through that rusty door and hope everything is like you said, right?”

“Right.”

He stood and said, “Okay, then what are we waiting for? Let's get to it, the faster we get this over with, the sooner I get to see Milly, hopefully.” She looked at him with a strange look in her eyes, and then stood in front of him. “Okay, I want you to close your eyes Mr. Wolfwood. This might sting just a bit; your body will be fully intact. I have even moved it closer to the surface so that you need only to sit up. Okay, are you ready?” He nodded a silent yes. “Alrighty then,” He watched as the girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she then placed her hands on his chest. She opened her eyes and to his surprise they were glowing a violent red, then she screamed in a nearly guttural voice, “Wake up!!!!!” As he closed his eyes he felt something close to an electric shock run through his body, he sat up and opened his eyes gasping for breath. `Wait just a minute! I was standing, wasn't I? What the hell?' Bewildered, he stared out across the vast sea of sand, `What the fuck? How did she do that?' He looked down at the many bullet holes in his filthy suit, `Holy hell…she wasn't lying after all.' He slowly tried standing and fell several times before he remained standing on his unsteady feet. “Well, I guess I ought to go and wake her up then.” He mumbled to himself, he shivered as a small gust of wind blew past him. It was getting dark, and soon he wouldn't be able to see shit out here. He slowly headed toward the barely visible rusted door, `Damn, my muscles feel like I've been beaten three times already. She didn't say shit about this.' He grunted as he shoved the door open, stepping through the door he found himself in a lighted hallway and directly in front of him was a set of stairs. He cautiously made his way down the stairs, being careful to look for a loose step; he made it down the three flights safely. He was lucky that Vash hadn't searched his body, otherwise he would be unarmed. And going into a strange place unarmed didn't appeal to the black clad priest, especially in his line of business anyway. He peered cautiously around the corner when he reached the bottom of the steps. Seeing no signs of anyone, he walked down the dimly lit hall till he came to another flight of stairs. Going down the stairs he came to a door that was tightly shut, he noticed the keypad to his right and entered the code, he stepped to the side as it slowly opened in an entirely spine tingling fashion. He walked down the next hallway counting the doors on his left and stopped in front of the fourth. He punched in the series of numbers and stood to the side in case the door happened to be booby trapped, when nothing jumped out at him he looked around the corner and found himself staring down a long hall with large human sized tubes lining the walls. Striding down the creepy hall, he came to a door and opened it. He looked into the next room and saw that she was indeed telling the truth, the room held a variety of test tubes filled with unidentifiable liquids and objects all covered in a thick layer of fine dust. And sure as hell there was a door on the wall to his far right. As he rounded one of the desks he noticed several smashed vials on the floor along with a dark dried splotch on the white tile floor. He suppressed a shudder and opened the next door. He followed the dark hallway till he came to the end. Under the single bulb he stared at a frost covered tube the size of a large adult. He dusted off the keypad and entered the word SHADOW, he jumped as a series of hisses sounded throughout the area, and he berated himself, `its only pressure being released idiot!' He stared sullenly at the tube as it slowly began to defrost. He watched as clumps of thick ice slid down the tubes cover not paying attention to the occupant. Suddenly he found himself staring at a girls face, the same one from earlier, `So, it wasn't a dream after all.' Without warning the cover was lifted by a large robotic arm that came down from the ceiling, the cover was lifted into the roof of the hallway. He watched as the girl took a ragged breath, almost as if she hadn't taken a breath on her own for a century, he jumped as she suddenly opened her eyes and gasped for air again. He found himself staring into two bewildered, yet disturbingly beautiful crimson eyes, and smiled, “Good morning sleeping beauty. You miss me?” She leaned forward and nearly fell out of the cryo-tube, and muttered, “Shit! Wolfwood can you carry me? My legs aren't working right just yet.” He nodded and smiled, “Yes Ma'am,” and found himself chuckling at her angry scowl; apparently she didn't appreciate being mocked. He noticed how light she was as he picked her up with his muscular arms, he cradled her carefully in his arms as he then made his way out of the concealed tomb-like ship. Once outside he looked around and spotted some lights to the north, he began walking in the direction of the lights. People would definitely help them, after all who wouldn't help a man and a little girl who looked so worn out and beaten as they did by the time he walked into the outskirts of the town. He looked down and noticed she had fallen asleep, her small childish face turned toward the comfort of his strong chest. Her arms were crossed over her stomach; she looked even smaller in his arms than she had in the tube. He came to a lively looking saloon and trudged through the swinging doors his right shoulder first so he didn't hit her head on the doors. Everyone stopped and stared at him like he was a corpse come back from the dead, well technically he was, but still they stared till he cleared his throat and asked, “Can someone help us? Please we were robbed in the desert 50 iles to the south of here; please my daughter is very ill. Please help us, or at least help my daughter, please!” He made sure he made his voice sound pleading; he even got his eyes to tear up trying his best to look convincing. A very attractive bar maid rushed up to him and said that she would help them, and for them to follow her. “Hey Jimmy! I'm taking off early, Tell Susie and April to cover for me, okay?” With that said she led them to a very nice house a few blocks north of the saloon, once she unlocked the door she took the girl from him and led him to a spare room and told him to get some rest, “I'll take care of your daughter okay mister…?” He cleared his throat again and replied, “The name is Damien Wallsworth, my daughters name is Anna. Please take care of her, please?” The dark haired bar maid smiled reassuringly at him and said, “Don't worry Mr. Wallsworth; I'll take good care of her, now you just get some rest. Okay?” He smiled as he closed the door behind her, she was very nice, and it actually felt kind of wrong to take advantage of her like they were. He took of his torn dusty shirt, and lay down on the bed, he marveled at how soft the covers were. And then he drifted off to sleep thinking of Milly. He woke the next day when sunlight flooded the room unexpectedly; he carefully opened his eyes trying to not be blinded by the harsh light. He found himself staring up into the faces of the lovely bar maid and the deep crimson eyes of the girl, He sat up quickly and hugged the girl exclaiming, “Anna! You're awake!” The young bar maid left the room leaving the `father' and `daughter' alone to talk. “Why did she call me `Anna' when I awoke this morning Wolfwood?” He shrugged and told her, “Because I don't even know you're real name kiddo,” he stood and ruffled her long white hair, “and besides you look like an `Anna' to me short stuff.” He smiled as the girl huffed, and spoke, “Well, to clear things up, my name is Summer!” she shouted. “So when are we leaving? I want to find my little brother as soon as possible. Well, Mister Wolfwood, when are we leaving? I'm sure that you want to see `mother' again don't you?” the girl stepped over to him and motioned for him to lean down, she whispered in his ear, “She doesn't trust us; we have to get out of here as soon as possible! She is calling the sheriff as I speak; she is standing outside the door listening as well. She thinks you kidnapped me! So we have to get out of here quickly Nicholas!” She rummaged through the closet as quietly as possible and pulled out several shirts and pairs of jeans that looked his size as well as a Stetson hat for him. She then went to the dresser and found several child sized dresses and a white bucket hat she quickly tossed the folded clothes and undergarments into a pillowcase, she handed him the Stetson and began tucking her hair beneath her bucket hat. Then she changed into some boys clothes she had also found. She really looked like a small boy wearing the khaki cargos, long sleeved white tee, and a red short-sleeved tee over it, the white bucket hat topping off the look; she tucked her black mary-janes into the bag and pulled on some worn looking sneakers she pulled out from beneath the bed. She turned to Wolfwood and said that the lady was down in the kitchen and that now was the time to go, because the sheriff was on his way to arrest them both. She swiftly walked to the door and slowly opened it and peeked out looking both ways; she hissed `come on!' and stepped out the door. They made their way down the stairs as quietly as was possible, they had just made it out the door and around the corner by the time the sound of sirens stopped in front of the house they had just left. He looked around the corner and watched as the sweet looking little bar maid let the sheriff into her home, he nearly jumped out of his skin as the girl grabbed his hand and quickly led him down the alley way toward a vacant looking building. She touched the door and it opened slightly, she pulled him in after her, and was stunned when she began unbuttoning his shirt. “Come on idiot! We have to get you into some different clothes; they will be looking for a little girl in a black dress and a man wearing a black tattered suit. There fore if we dress in different clothes they will over look us. Especially if you go into the bar and order a drink and leave after thirty minutes, meanwhile I will take care of getting some transportation, okay? You will greet me in the bus station in forty-five minutes, understood? Do I need to explain in more detail?” She was starting to look pissed, “Okay, but how the hell will I pay for a drink short-stuff?” She started to change his clothes and watched as she took a pocket knife and cut off her long silky white locks. He then watched as the girl dug into the pillow case and pulled out a leather wallet, “I stole this out of her purse on our way out, and besides it has at least a thousand double dollars in it. There is just enough money to get us away from here anyway.” He stared in stunned silence as she handed him three twenty dollar bills along with a few ones. “Wow, you are one surprising little girl, Summer! Hell, I just thought that Vash was the one with bad luck. He smiled at her scowl and watched as she looked out the door as she left him to change. `That's one strange little girl alright, and so far she's gotten me into a big deal of trouble already, and in less than twenty four hours with her.' He glanced at the pocket watch she had handed him; he still had forty minutes till he had to meet up with her at the station. He pulled on the tan Stetson and his boots, she had taken the pillowcase with her when she left, and he absently shoved the money in his jeans pocket and exited the vacant building. He walked to the saloon closest to the station and sat down at the bar and ordered three shots of jack Daniels whiskey, god did he need a drink. He glanced up at the clock on the wall as he paid the bartender and left, walking toward the bus station he saw the girl sitting inside on one of the benches, he noticed that she had gotten a note book and pencil from somewhere in that forty five minute window of time. She looked up at him and smiled; he sat down next to her and asked casually what she was doing? The kid replied, “Drawing, what does it look like I'm doing mister?” He noticed how she made her voice sound like a little boys voice. She hen whispered without moving her lips much that he should buy a ticket for Inepril city. He got up and bought a ticket for the next bus which was leaving in fifteen minutes. The bus arrived fife minutes ahead of schedule and they boarded and got seats near the back of the bus. Once situated, he asked why they were going to Inepril city. “Because it's as good a place to start as any, besides doesn't Milly work for the Bernardelli Insurance Agency?” Wolfwood stared at the girl like she had sprouted a third eye in the middle of her forehead, “How in the hell did you know that?” She smirked at him and spoke, “I have the ability to read people's minds, and yours happens to be a very easy mind to read, as was the young bar maids mind. You see I can also move at speeds impossible for normal humans to detect with the bare eye. And my eyesight is three times as sharp as that of the average human adult. My body would normally grow at six times the rate of that of a normal child, and I'll eventually age ninety nine times slower than the average adult human female. You see I am a perfect product of the old earth style of science mixed with botany, I'm a humanoid plant. I was the first successful attempt at combining plant and human DNA to create a living being.”

 

 

A/N: Well this is the first chapter of a new fan fic that I just started this evening after watching Deal or no Deal. BTW I just love Trigun! Vash Rules! Meryl rocks! And Milly…well, Milly is just Milly. But I love them all! Even Wolfwood!