Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Life Thereafter ❯ Feathers ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: How I wish I owned Trigun. Sadly, I own it not.

 

A/N: PLOT! I have arrived at a main plot point after about two months of writing. Everybody congratulate me! Also, go check out the reviewer responses on my Xanga. My name is the same there! I shall also post the inspiration pic for this chapter there AND in my profile.

And now, on to the fic!

 

 

Feathers

 

Meryl froze, almost dropping the plate of spaghetti, as her heart leaping into her throat in fear at Knives's sudden, and quite frightening, appearance. Her mind hardly registered that Vash's brother was standing in front of her, topless. In any other situation, she would have blushed violently and screeched for the culprit to put some clothes on.

However, Meryl's eyes were drawn, almost hypnotically to the long, lethal blades sprouting from Knives's left arm. They quivered with anticipation, almost as if the feathery blades themselves longed to slice open her flesh and spill her blood upon the floor. Managing to drag her eyes away from the sight, Meryl looked up fearfully at Knives.

There was no pity in his arctic blue eyes. Mercy was not to be had from this Plant. Meryl watched in horror as a smile of sadistic pleasure wreathed a face so much like Vash's. She quivered beneath his gaze, his eyes filled with disgust and loathing for her.

“My brother won't save you this time,” Knives grinned, raising his left arm to strike the killing blow.

Then, without any thought to the consequences, Meryl squeezed her eyes shut and threw the plate of food into Knives face. She stumbled back from the force of her movement, her back hitting the wall hard. Meryl opened her eyes, greeted by the sight of Millions Knives, exterminator of the human race, whose face was covered with spaghetti noodles and sauce.

If it was not for the severity of the situation, Meryl was certain she would have laughed.

The look of surprise and fury on Knives's face suddenly alerted Meryl to her peril. Knives snarled as he wiped the crimson sauce of his face with his right hand, the color smearing across his face. Meryl pressed further against the wall, aware that going backwards wasn't an option.

Knives's eyes glowed with malice, his entire body radiating a palpable rage. His left arm responded accordingly, the blades twitching violently in her direction.

Suddenly, he attacked, his bladed arm coming down sharply over her head. Meryl threw herself to the side at the last moment, the sound of wood being splintered as the lethal weapon sliced through the wall. She fell heavily to the floor with a thud. Her body ached, but Meryl ignored it as she scrambled away.

Her fingers dug into the rough floor's ridges as Meryl pulled herself upright and made a mad dash for her bedroom. She needed something to protect herself with. It was the only way she would have even the slightest chance of surviving this encounter. And even with a gun, it was highly unlikely that Meryl would be able to prevent Knives from destroying her.

Damn him! I'm going to at least hurt him somehow so he remembers I didn't go down without a fight! she thought furiously.

Wrenching the door open, Meryl ran into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it. However, she knew that wouldn't keep Knives out for long. Meryl quickly began to rummage about her room frantically for her derringers. Then, she realized what she had done.

No! I left them downstairs because Millie said she was going to take them for a tune-up today! Meryl thought, aghast.

Her head whipped back and forth as Meryl searched desperately for something that could aid her. Finally, she settled on a broom she had stashed in the corner. Clutching in her shaking hands, Meryl held it at ready.

Then, the door exploded inward violently as it was blown right off its hinges. The door landed on the bed, causing the network of mattress and springs to collapse. Meryl raised the broom defensively, biting her lip with fear, a coppery taste in her mouth as she drew blood.

Knives stood in the doorway, his bladed arm outstretched. Meryl moved backwards cautiously.

He must have knocked the door in just with his one arm. How can I hope to hold my own against that?

Knives grinned, apparently amused by her weapon of choice. “Is this all that remains of your pitiful defense?” he sneered. “I expected better from my brother's favorite pet.”

Meryl's only response was to glower at him fiercely. He chuckled. “The time has come, human,” he announced. “I am going to kill you.”

With that, Knives charged at Meryl. He moved so fast Meryl could barely register it. However, she managed to strike out with the broom. It barely glanced Knives as he batted it aside. The force of his deflection caused the broom, as well as Meryl, to toppled over into the ruins of what had been Meryl's bed.

The wind was knocked out of Meryl as she fell to the floor hard for the second time. Her landing was anything but soft as springs and broken boards dug into her back. Meryl tried to push herself out of the entangled mess, but she realized with alarm that she was stuck! The harder she tried to get out, the more difficult it was to move.

Meryl twisted about, trying to escape. Suddenly, as her fingers clawed underneath the wreckage, she felt something cold and metallic. Meryl closed her fingers about the smooth surface, realizing what she had in her hand.

She had forgotten in all the confusion that she had hidden the two Colts underneath her mattress the day she had gotten them from her boss. Meryl reached out slowly, trying to move without Knives, who was currently striding towards her with a look of anticipation on his face, noticing. When she could feel both of the Colts, Meryl began to pull them closer, hoping Knives didn't see. She managed to position on either side of her by sliding them through the mess. Both hand each curled around a Colt.

The two guns were loaded, but the safeties were on. If I can just get one out, I might have a chance, she thought.

Meryl jerked her gaze upward, suddenly aware that Knives had crouched down in front of her. The breath caught in her throat as she stared into the eyes of her own demise. Knives grinned, lowering the blades until they were right in front of Meryl's nose.

With a cry, Meryl yanked both Colts up and released the safeties on them as she pointed both of them directly at Knives.

Panting slightly, she asked, “What now, huh?”

 

 

Vash let the saloon door slip from his fingers, the wooden flaps swinging back and forth slowly, creaking slightly. He could still see over the top of them, though. The two Nebraska family members, Professor and Gofsef, as well as the red-clad bounty hunter with the boomerang, were standing in the center of town, waiting for Vash to answer their challenge.

Come to think of it, I never did learn that boomerang-carrying bounty hunter's name, he thought wryly.

“What's the matter, Vash the Stampede?” the old man Nebraska spat in his nasally voice. “You too chicken to fight us, huh?”

Vash sighed as he leaned back against the wall next to the swing doors. He was afraid. However, Vash wasn't afraid of the cocky bounty seekers outside. He was afraid for them. After all, Vash couldn't trust himself at the moment. He had only a few minutes ago lost control of his own limb. The feather frenzy had stopped, but the feathers themselves were still there. And, Vash noted apprehensively, they looked longer than they had before.

On the other hand, if Vash didn't go out to fight them, they could wreak havoc on this small town until it was utterly destroyed. Vash would never be able to forgive himself if he stood by and let that happen. He already had enough on his conscience to deal with. He didn't need any more.

But, I don't have any weapons on me. My Colt is long gone, and I lost the gun chamber for my prosthetic arm over a month ago.

Vash poked his head around the corner again, hoping to get a better view. He narrowed his eyes, weighing his options, thankful that the hangover remedy Sam had given him was already taking effect and helping him think more clearly. Vash could wait here until they became impatient and attacked. In the confusion, he could slip out and launch a surprise attack.

Vash frowned. No, that won't work. Sam is still in here. I can't be one hundred percent sure that I'll be able to get both of us out of here in one piece if we're attacked, either by Nebraska's projectile arm or the boomerang. Damn…

“Damn you! Come out and face me!” roared the bounty hunter. “I'll make you pay, you little chicken shit!”

Vash's gun hand twitched. He really wished he hadn't left the silver gun in the desert now. Vash even found himself missing the red coat and old sunglasses. They had made him feel more the part of Vash the Stampede. Conventional clothing just didn't strike fear into the hearts of villains like his crimson duster had.

I better do something fast. Staying here isn't an option anymore, Vash though grimly.

“Vash.”

Letting his gaze flick back briefly, Vash replied shortly, “What is it, Sam?”

Sam had pulled himself into an upright position, clutching what was left of the bar for support, huffing a little. Vash watching the man look about his saloon, seeing flashes of indignation, anger, and finally, resignation, after surveying the damage.

I hope he has a good insurance policy…

“It's a good thing Bernardelli covers this kind of stuff,” Sam muttering, scuffing his boot against the floor.

Bernardelli? Vash thought, horror-stricken. That means Meryl is gonna kill me! Oh, wait, I'm leaving today, Vash said to himself dismally. Guess I'm off the hook.

“I'm going out there,” Vash announced quietly.

Sam blinked. “You don't have a weapon.”

“It doesn't matter,” Vash said heavily. “I still have to go.”

Sam frowned. “Wait here a minute,” he said, before disappearing into what appeared to have been an office.

“Heeheehahahaha!” old Professor Nebraska crowed. “He's too scared to come out! Let's get him, Gofsef!”

“YEAH!” the giant roared.

Vash began to tap his foot anxiously. It sounded like they were getting ready to attack, and Sam wasn't back yet.

“Found it!” Sam's muffled voice drifted in from his office before the man himself actually appeared. “Use this,” he insisted, holding out a black revolver, slightly different in shape and firepower from Vash's old Long Colt. Vash took it, the weapon feeling alien in his hand.

“And here are a few extra rounds,” Sam said, holding out a few extra clips.

Vash accepted them gratefully. “Where'd you get this?”

“I collect guns, but that ammunition I found was pure luck. I've had them for years. Guess it's time they were used,” Sam said, shrugging.

“Really, thanks,” Vash replied.

As he turned to go out the door, Vash paused long enough to roll down his sleeve as far as it would go, hoping it would be enough to cover the feathers. Then after loading the revolver, Vash strolled out into the mid-morning sunlight, heat radiating down in waves.

“Hey, are you sure that's Vash the Stampede?” the bounty hunter growled at the two Nebraskas. “He looks different.”

“Of course, I'm sure!” Professor Nebraska grated out. “It's a disguise, Descartes, you stupid idiot!”

Descartes? Vash mused.

“Hey! I told you not to call me that!” Descartes roared.

Vash couldn't help himself. He began to laugh. Vash tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to smother his laughter at the incompetence of the three would-be bounty collectors. For some reason, he found them unbearably funny.

“Shut up!” the wizened old man screeched from his son's side. “Now look what you did! He's laughing at us!”

Descartes scowled. “That's not my fault!”

The two bickered for several minutes, with Gofsef only interjecting random, booming comments, every now and then, while Vash almost died laughing. In all, the whole scene amounted to the most bizarre spectacle anyone in town had seen for a long time.

Finally, Descartes shouted, “You shit-for-brains! He's been laughing this whole time while we've been arguing! You want him to get away, you dumbass?”

Old man Nebraska shut up for a moment after that. Noticing the relative silence, Vash ceased laughing, feeling a bit unnerved at how much had had laughed at something which was, in all actuality, not that funny.

Am I losing it? he wondered.

Descartes unlatched his boomerang, holding it above and behind him, ready to unleash its might at any time.

“What now, Vash the Stampede?” he called.

Vash sighed, holding the gun loosely in right hand, briefly checking his pockets with his prosthetic hand to see how handy the reloads were.

“I'm ready if you are,” Vash replied calmly.

“Oho! We'll see about that!” Descartes roared as he threw the boomerang, the large weapon hurtling through the air straight at Vash.

 

 

Knives stared at the human, his surprise at seeing her holding his inventions fading as his fury rose.

How dare she! How dare the vile piece of trash touch them! I created them for Vash and myself to use and no other! She disgraces them with her filthy human hands! he raged.

The human Meryl's hands shook violently. He looked at her disdainfully, highly doubtful that she would pull the trigger. She was a weakling after all. If his brother looked up to this woman as he would Rem, then Knives really didn't have anything to worry about. After all, Rem had been a sickening pacifist.

Knives glared at her, the drying sauce on his face making it feel stiff. The very site of this human made him want to slit her throat. He inched his Angel Blade forward in an attempt to get closer to her, aware of the strain growing on him as he tried to maintain the blades.

The sound of a gunshot nearly blasted Knives's eardrums off. He winced at the sound and a sudden feeling of…pain?

The human was staring at him wide-eyed as if she was in shock over what she had just done. Knives felt a streak of hot liquid trickle from the side of his right cheek. Feeling it with his hand, he lifted the appendage away. His fingers were smeared with his own blood.

Enraged, Knives knocked both Colts out of her hands, his bladed arms biting into her skin. The human cried out as her hands were cut. Knives growled. She was lucky he hadn't taken her fingers off.

The female huddled back, cradling her two wounded arms. Knives grinned as he leaned forward again. Gripping her throat in his right hand, he let his Angel Blades rest on her neck, so close that a thin line of blood appeared.

“You will trouble my brother no longer, filthy vermin,” Knives spat.

The woman squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. However, Knives wasn't moved. He prepared to inflict the killing blow…

…when the sound of a loud explosion reverberated across the town.

Knives jerked his head up. His thoughts quickly analyzed what was happening. Vash wasn't here. There were loud explosions coming from the center of the town. He frowned. It was Vash all right.

He shifted his gaze back to the female insect, seeing in her eyes that she understood as well as he what was happening. Now Knives was faced with a dilemma. Should he kill the woman now, or should he go try and prevent his brother from further messing things up?

Another explosion rocked the town. Knives grinded his teeth together. He wanted more than anything to crush the life from the piece of trash that had wormed her way into his brother's heart. However, judging by the sounds coming from town, Vash would be getting himself in even more trouble.

Knives stood up slowly and left the room, aware of the fearful eyes locked onto the back of his head. He quickly scrubbed the sauce and blood off himself. After changing pants and pulling on a shirt, Knives strode back into the room where he found the human still in the same position. She still looked at him with unmistakable fear, but this time, there was a hint of curiosity.

“You were lucky this time, human,” Knives told her indifferently. “I have more pressing matters to attend to than dealing with the likes of you.”

And with that, he marched out the door, down the stares, and outside the house, ready to find his brother.

 

 

Vash nimbly sidestepped the boomerang but only barely. He felt the wind rustle his un-spiked hair as the boomerang whistled by and crashed into a nearby building. Vash frowned slightly, a bit perturbed by his somewhat narrow escape. It would seem the past several days had taken their toll on him.

A few seconds later, the boomerang shot back out of the building back into the hand of its master Descartes. Much to Vash's dismay, the building collapsed soon after, making a loud noise that sounded much like an explosion.

Man, everyone's probably going to blame this one on me to. It never ends! he whined to himself.

Skidding to a stop, Vash looked up to see where his other opponents had gone. He was greeted by the sight of a large fist hurtling towards him at 120 iles per hour. Vash yelped a bit as he threw himself off to the side and landing in the dusty earth, sliding on his belly to a stop.

Ow, that burns!

Yet another building bit the dust. Vash frowned. This couldn't go on. Dodging wasn't going to get him anywhere at this point. The town would only suffer more if he didn't stand and fight.

Vash pushed himself to his feet slowly. The Nebraskas and Descartes had regrouped and were each preparing to launch another attack. Gofsef was reeling in his large, mechanical fist, and Descartes was winding up his boomerang.

How can I turn tables on them? Vash pondered. “Ah, I know…”

“You ready to die?” Vash the Stampede?” old man Nebraska shouted.

“Just shut up and attack, you ass!” Descartes growled at his partner.

Professor Nebraska scowled. “You be quiet! Ready, Gofsef?”

“YEAH!”

Vash waited patiently, his hand loosely on the borrowed revolver. His timing would have to be just right.

“FIRE!” the old man bellowed, just a few seconds before Descartes released his boomerang.

Vash drew quickly, firing five rounds so quickly they almost sounded like a single gunshot. From Vash's perspective, he saw the five bullets enter Gofsef's fist at the same angle, redirecting it at the nearest thing: Descartes's boomerang.

As the whirling projectile arm grazed the boomerang, the boomerang went off in a completely different direction. It hurtled not towards Vash, the intended target, but back towards the one who had thrown it.

Descartes was knocked flat by his own boomerang, who in turn fell into Gofsef. Gofsef, who was already being pulled in a different direction by his redirected arm. The resulting collision of the two caused Gofsef to topple over as well, dragging a screeching old man down with him.

Vash sighed with relief. He had managed to show the would-be bounty hunters the error of their ways. He looked down at his right arm nervously, glad it hadn't acted up when he had been fighting.

Out of the corner of his eye, Vash saw the townspeople coming out of hiding. Some looked grateful. Others, on the other hand, either glared at him hatefully or fearfully. Vash sighed. He should be used to this kind of thing by now. Still, he never did.

Vash walked over to the fallen fighters to make sure they really were down for good. When all they did was groan and mutter obscenities a bit, Vash was confident they had learned their lesson. However, he was mistaken.

“Look out, you fool!”

Vash whirled about in shock. Knives was marching up from amongst the townspeople, many of the people making way for him. Vash gaped at his older twin. Since when was he completely healed?

“Behind you, you fool!” Knives shouted.

Vash turned.

“This ain't over yet!” the old man howled as he whipped out his own gun and fired at Vash.

Vash knew he was too close to dodge. He raised his arms to shield himself from the oncoming bullet, knowing it was in vain.

Then, all of a sudden, Vash felt his right arm being to morph once again. He stared down in horror as the feathers already present on his arm broke out of his sleeve an elongated. Their pearly white hue glistened in the light of the two suns as the feathers stretched forth…

…and caught the bullet.

Vash gaped. He was too stunned to even notice that the rest of the town, including the Nebraskas and Descartes, were gaping at him, too.

His whole body began to shake uncontrollably. Vash felt weak and feverish as he sunk to his knees, dumbly watching the feathers recede once more, only not as much as they had before. The bullet dropped to the ground with a small thump.

“Brother!”

Vash looked bleakly into the eyes of his twin, sure that he had been betrayed.

“What…have…you…done…to me…?” Vash asked accusingly before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed, unconscious, in the sand.

 

 

The plot! It emerges!

Knives: Plot? What plot? That ending was not an introduction to plot, child!

-scowls- Yes, it WAS!

Knives: Bah! And I didn't get to kill the human!

I told you that it wasn't in your contract! Get over it!

Knives: -glares-

Don't even THINK about talking back to me! Anyway, review the chapter now! It tells me that you all love me! XD