Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Purgatory ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

The sun shone warm and bright in the lightening sky as Wolfwood headed up the street, a dark silhouette against the horizon. Looking above, he marveled at the whiteness of the sky, the early morning moisture in the air, the balmy breeze against his skin. He closed his eyes and savored the heat for a moment. Hard to believe everything that had happened since yesterday morning when he felt so…alive. This place was nothing like his home, but he felt strangely at peace here. Almost happy. He laughed to himself at the thought.

Happy…when was I ever really happy? There were a few times for sure--not many--memories that mostly revolved around his kids--the orphanage. And her.

For the last twenty-four hours, the priest had denied himself the luxury of thinking about his insurance girl. Years of living hand to mouth, running headfirst into trouble, handling (and to be honest, often creating) deadly situations had made him instinctively cut off what Chapel would have called “weak thinking.” And yes, she did make him weak. But she also had made him strong--gave him the will to do things he didn’t think he was capable of any longer. Through her stubbornness and simple goodness, she had inspired him to uncover depths inside that he thought were lost forever. Milly’s courage had given him hope--not just for himself, but for their future together, and for the people of his world. His experience with the Gung Ho Guns had dulled his sympathy for the common man, perhaps by necessity. But being around Milly had changed him. She was like an emotional time machine who had returned him somewhere he thought he could no longer find--a place that no longer existed for him. He didn’t want to lose that again…he desperately didn’t.

And that damn Needle Noggin…he was probably as much to blame for Wolfwood’s transformation as anyone. “Love & Peace,” forever and ever Amen, thought the priest with a smile on his lips, as he continued walking up the street.

Fumbling in his suit jacket, he pulled out what felt like his last cigarette. He regarded it sadly. Sticking it in his mouth, Wolfwood realized he was also out of matches. Absently patting his pockets, he stopped walking and looked around, wondering how he was going to buy some new smokes with the little money he had.

He was standing in front of a small building alongside some overgrown railroad tracks. It looked very old but clean, and an unlit neon sign in the frosted window proclaimed “DINER.” Wolfwood’s stomach rumbled. Somehow dinner last night had only made him more conscious of how little he had eaten in the last few days. He pulled out his wallet and counted…$$6.80. Should be enough…or maybe there would be a nice waitress he could sweet talk into a free breakfast. Or a few sinners needing to unburden their consciences over a cup of coffee.

He opened the door and walked in.

The place was packed. He hadn’t been able to see from the outside, but it didn’t look like there was an open spot anywhere. The hustle and bustle was welcoming though, and he stood there in the doorway, trying to decide what to do, when a pink-and-white aproned girl approached him and said, “Need a light, sugar?”

Deciding his holy orders would serve him best when seeking charity here, he replied, “Yes, bless you, my child. I know as a man of the cloth I shouldn’t indulge in such a vice, but…” he shrugged his shoulders self-deprecatingly, grinning at the waitress.

“Oh, forgive me Father, didn’t realize…without your collar…” she stammered, then, remembering what had been offered, whipped out a cheap plastic lighter and handed it to him. “Keep it, please.”

“Thank you, you were too kind to come over, especially since you are so busy here.” Wolfwood intoned, as he lit his last smoke and let his eyes wander meaningfully around the room.

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry we don’t have a free table…let me see what I can do--shouldn’t be too long of a wait,” she chirped, and strode briskly towards the counter.

Wolfwood leaned against the doorframe and inhaled deeply. The people here didn’t seem to have noticed him as a stranger in their midst. Perhaps this town was too large for someone like him to draw much attention. Just as well, he figured. The majority of the clientele seemed to be middle-aged men, stopping for some steak and eggs on their way to work. There were a few families seated around tables, and some couples in booths towards the back. All in all, looked like a nice joint to grab some food.

Wolfwood’s eyes hardened as a young man got up from one of the booths and headed in his direction. His hand reflexively went to his hip before he remembered he was unarmed. He stiffened and stood up straight, wondering what this guy wanted.

The man stopped directly in front of him and looked him up and down, as if he was trying to ascertain exactly who Wolfwood was, or perhaps recording his appearance mentally for later recall. The man was dressed neatly but casually, in dark blue jeans and a green pullover that was stretched tight across his wide shoulders. His hair was a sandy brown and his eyes were an odd shade of turquoise--actually quite similar to Vash’s. He gave no hint of his intentions until he thrust out his hand and burst into a smile, “Hi! You must be new around here…”

Grinning back, but still cautious, Wolfwood shook his hand firmly, “Guilty as charged, friend.”

Inclining his head back towards the booths, the man said, “We’ve got a table back there…we were hoping you would join us. It’s a bit crowded today, Father.”

Wondering for a minute how the guy knew he was a priest, Wolfwood decided the waitress must have petitioned her customers for a free seat, and dismissed the question. “I’m much obliged, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“We’d very much enjoy getting to know you, Father. By the way, my name is Alex.”

“Nicholas D. Wolfwood, at your service, Alex,” responded the priest, “and enough of that “Father” stuff…regular names do just fine.”

“Well, come on then, you must be hungry! Oh, and would you mind…” Alex mimed stubbing out the cigarette that Wolfwood had only just lit. Sighing, the hungry priest took a final drag, then crushed the butt into a nearby ashtray before following after Alex. They weaved through the mass of tables and bodies to a small booth in the back where a young woman sat waiting with a smile.

“Glad you could join us,” she said sincerely to Wolfwood. She sounded a bit tired, as if it had been a long night. Alex slid into the booth next to her and the waitress hurried over, setting a new place for the priest at the table.

He sat down gratefully and smiled at his new companions. “Thank you very much for your kindness to a stranger…” he was about to continue, something about the charitable road to Samaria perhaps, trying to gauge if he was going to be able to land a free meal from these folks, when Alex’s companion cut him off.

“We’d love it if you allowed us to treat you to breakfast…you’ve come a long way,” she said.

Well, that was easier than expected, Wolfwood thought, raising an eyebrow. “If you insist…” he responded, feeling a bit off guard, but relieved nonetheless.

“We do,” Alex stated firmly. “We know what it’s like…” he stopped as his female friend laid a hand on his arm.

Curious about this couple, but needing to attend to the urgent matter of his hunger first, Wolfwood simply smiled blankly and opened the menu. They waited politely while he ordered and then made mindless chit-chat until his coffee arrived.

Drinking the steamy black water, Wolfwood felt himself relax again. The couple seemed nice and genuine. They were obviously in love--one only needed to see how they looked at each other to know that was a fact. They were cute together too. She was a little tall, long dark hair, dressed as casually as Alex, in jeans and a white shirt. Her large eyes dominated her delicate features, and Wolfwood realized with a shock that she bore no small resemblance to the small girl. I’m going to flip if her name is Meryl, he thought to himself.

“I’m forgetting my manners, ma’am,” he smiled winningly at her. “I’m Nicholas D. Wolfwood, fortunate stranger to have found such kind folks in an unfamiliar town.”

She looked straight into his eyes and smiled. Wolfwood suddenly felt as if his chest was caving in. In that face, Wolfwood saw all the joy and suffering of the world. It was a heart-breaking smile. It was an ageless smile. It was Vash’s smile.

“I’m Rem.”