Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Unknown Variable ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

(A/N) (Recording) "We at Neko Bell Inc. care about the opinions of our readers. Should you have any comments, questions, or suggestions please don't hesitate to let us to let us know. Just leave a review and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day. (End of recording.)

Disclaimer: a) I do not, nor will I ever own Trigun (despite great hopes) and its characters.
b) I do not make any money off of this. I don�ft have any either.

*I do however own certain characters and places. All of which should be blatantly obvious.*
�@
Redemption

By Neko Bell

Edited by Medatsu

Part 2: Unknown Variable

�@Vash freezes, horror coursing through him. 'Oh no. It can't be.'

�@"Oh, but it can Vash." Knives peers evilly at him from behind the stunned Milly. When their eyes connect Vash wakes up, his hand going directly to his gun. Though eye contact is never broken, Knives anticipates this move, and reacts by throwing Milly at him. Vash instinctively catches her. Knives, using this moment of unbalance to his advantage, lunges forward regaining his black colt. Vash quickly rests Milly on the floor, turning to his brother, gun half drawn *Bang*.

�@The bullet strikes him in the right shoulder, just below the collarbone. Gritting his teeth, Vash raises his gun. Too late! Knives' grabs his brother's real arm pulling him forward, grabbing the silver colt and tripping Vash as he goes. *Thud*

�@"Ah!" he slams hard into the wall. He releases his cyber gun *Bang* his other shoulder begins to bleed, his left arm dropping to his lap.

�@Knives is now in possession of both the black and silver colts. "Vash, why do you bother with this garbage? So pathetic." He sneers at the Father, now sitting on the floor, rosary in hand, praying. His eyes fall upon the wounded Laina, who is breathing heavily. "You continue to try and save such worthless creatures. You really need to learn your lesson." Turning around he looks into Vash's eyes. "The invalid first I think, I'll save your friends for last.�h Standing at the end of the bed, the light begins to fill the room, as his Angel arm begins to form.

�@"Knives!" Vash shouts, but to no avail.

�@Yellow eyes snap open. *Crash**Thunk**Crack* ...It happened so fast none of them saw it. But there, on the other side of the room, is the woman. Her yellow eyes are wide, her teeth bared, and a low growling noise is filling the air. Her left hand twists Knives' right arm while her right presses against his throat. His feet are dangling a foot from the floor. His breathing is slowing, as he gasps for air. *Thunk* the black colt drops to the floor, joining the silver. Her grip doesn't waver. As Knives begins to purple, Vash realizes she has no intention of letting go.

�@"... Don't! Please..." Vash tries to call to her, but his thoughts drown his instincts. 'What if she does kill him. He couldn't hurt anyone else...But he's alive, I can't just watch my brother die!' "Please!" His voice is strong again, "Don't kill him! Ugh..." he props himself up "Laina, Please!" At the sound of her name her hard eyes soften as she is brought back to reality. It takes only a second for her to realize what she is doing, and instantly release Knives. He falls to the floor, still breathing... unconscious, but breathing.

�@She moves back several steps; both frightened and surprised at herself. Her eyes remain focused on Knives. Silence fills the air, no one moves, all are barely breathing. Father Baldwin and Vash can only stare at the marvel they've just seen. As far as both men were concerned, she should have barley been able to move, let alone stand.

�@"Hunh" she wavers, her wounds reminding her of the true state of her body. Then she too surrenders to the floor, unconscious once again.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@

�@Hour's later; Vash sits alone in the chapel, wounds bandaged beneath his clothes. 'How could I let this happen?' he thinks. 'I can't believe I brought him hear. Meryl was right. It's all my fault, if I'd only listened she and Milly wouldn't have gotten hurt.' Overwhelmed by guilt he begins to cry. 'What am I supposed to do? Knives isn't going to change, no matter what I do. He'll just keep hating and killing till there's no one left.' Footsteps sound down the hall. Quickly he wipes away the tears.

�@"Well young man your friends are resting. And your brother, is it? Is still unconscious, like the young lady.�h He notices several tears Vash had missed with his sleeve. "Hmm." he brightens his voice "Come with me to the kitchen. You look like you could use some coffee, and I believe we have some apple pie." He set a gentle hand on Vash's back, and looks at him with a soft smile.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@

�@Hot coffee pours into a mug. "What's on your mind?"

�@"Huh?" Vash looks questioningly at him.

�@"Young man I've been around for a while, and as a priest I've seen many people with problems. To put it plainly, I can spot a guilty conscience an ile away." He looks him in the eyes. "And yours looks about as bad as they come." He placed a slice of pie in front of Vash. "However, it is none of my business. But I do know that talking is the first step to solving most problems." He slices himself a piece of pie and sits across from Vash.

Vash looks at his reflection in the liquid. "It's a long story. Which is more than a little hard to believe."

"Young man all stories have unbelievable moments that not everyone can hope to understand, but I can try. Besides I have all the time in the world for a troubled soul." Vash hesitates, weighing the pros and cons. He wanted to get it out, but what would be this man's reaction; after all he really didn't need any more enemies. In the end emotions won, but he thought it best to leave out the details. He began with their childhood, (space ships excluded), he then moved on to his brother's ideals and his own, their confrontations and their distance. Ending with their showdown which had left Knives unconscious and bedridden for months.

Father Baldwin sits silently for a few moments digesting all this interesting information, while a black cat finishes off the remainder of his apple pie. It lets out a tiny �gNiya!�h and jumps off the table.

Shortly afterwards the Father takes a deep breath, sighs and looks Vash square in the face. "Young man you are far too hard on yourself. You can't blame yourself for the path your brother chooses. I'll admit he needs help, but you've tried. That is all you or anyone else can expect of you. After all you're only human."

"Right."

"What's more you were concerned with others at the time. Which appears to be a pattern. After all with your reputation you wouldn't have gotten all those scars if you didn't care about the well-being of others, Mr. Stamped." Vash starts at him. He had said nothing about his criminal record or title at all. "No need to worry" he holds up a reassuring hand. "I have no intention of turning you over to the authorities. You have the confidence of Nicholas and that is reason enough for me to trust you."

"How...how did you...?" Vash is still in awe.

"About your scars or your title?"

"Both."

"Simple, I hung back a bit in case you changed your mind about allowing me to assist you with your wounds. I must say, I was taken a little aback at first." He looks up thoughtfully. "As for who you are, I was suspicious when you told me your name." Vash suddenly realizes that he had been using his real name. All that time in L.R. he hadn't needed his alias. "And it was confirmed not only by your movements in a rather dangerous situation, but by your contact with Nicholas." He points a wrinkled finger at Vash "I may seem like a doddering old man, but I do know how put two and two together." He Notices Vash's quizzical look, "After all Nicholas' nature and methods in life would lead him to a person such as yourself. He was good man, but he did tend toward a very rough life. In that he was bound to end up running into you."

There is a brief moment of silence as Vash digests the fact that he underestimated Father Baldwin, while the Father thinks about what to say next.

"...Um, Father?"

"Yes?"

"Why did Wolfwood leave? He always talked fondly of this place."

"Yes, well, he did love it here. And the children cared for him a great deal. But circumstances can lead anyone on a path they didn't want nor choose. He unfortunately was met with such circumstances. However, I think there was more to it than that. There was something that he needed to discover for himself. Something that he felt he could only find in his way of life. And I only hope he found what he was looking for." He glances at his rosary "but enough about that. Tell me more about your brother, and perhaps we may yet find way to help him."
The two talked. Father Baldwin listened tentatively absorbing all he could, occasionally asking questions and making suggestions. After about nine hours the suns begin to rise.

"My goodness, time does fly." The father slowly rises to his feet. "The children will be up in a few hours. So we had best get some sleep."

"I'm sorry I kept you up so late."

"Goodness me, do you always beat yourself up like this over such insignificant details?" he looked at him sternly. "The world is not dependent on you. You are not responsible for the lives of everyone. You need to learn that this world and its inhabitants are big and ugly enough to look after themselves. Sure, on occasion they need a push in the right direction, but they don't all need it from you and you alone. I wouldn't have offered if sleep were what was important to me. You act as though my life depends on sleep. If that were true I'd have died a very long time ago."

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@

The days pass slowly, at the December orphanage, as Vash grows accustomed to their way of life. He spends a great deal of time with the children, learning all 67 names in less than three days. The children love him, especially the youngest ones, spending as much time as they can around him. Helping him with things in the garden, hanging the laundry, and many even volunteer to help him look after his friends. Their attentions give Vash a new sense of home, easing his guilt and at times letting him forget it, but his duties to his friends reinforce the felling. And although Milly and Meryl weren't permanently damaged, they had suffered severe shock to the system. Soon a week past and both of them remained unconscious. Though on occasion Vash would allow the children to help him look after Milly and Meryl, he refused to even entertain the thought of having them go near Knives. As for the girl, Laina, a fever had set in, and he didn't think it best to expose already infected wounds to more bacteria than necessary. There was something else though; he wasn't sure what it was. He had felt something coming from her when she attacked Knives, something dangerous, almost vicious.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@

Bright light floods the stone window, eyes twitch under its warmth. Slowly they open, greeting the morning. Memories rush in and she sits up fast with fear. Much to her displeasure, a massive headache lodges its complaint about the motion.

"Ooh..."

"Meryl! You're awake!" Vash comes rushing in.

"Not so loud." She scolds holding her throbbing head.

He kneels by the bed, a huge smile covering his face. She turns her head to look at him. She can't help but smile back. They stay that way for a moment. Then her memories dawn on her once again. She lunges forward grabbing hold of the collar of his shirt. "Vash what happened to Milly?! Where is she?! Did he hurt her?!"

"Whoa Meryl. Calm down. Milly will be alright, she was just in shock like you."

"But she looked so awful, how can she be alright?" she recalls the way Milly dangled form Knives' grasp, looking as though she were dead.

"It was mind control. The shock to her system was bad, but she should be ok."

" 'Should be' Vash. I don't like sound of that." She looks in his eyes and can tell he has no idea how to help Milly. She knew that Vash wasn't as proficient as Knives in his plant abilities. And although she knows it isn't his fault, she can�ft help but blame him for it. Her silence is deafening to him. Threatening to engulf what little peace he had found in the last week. He'd learned long ago how to read peoples emotions, he can tell. He doesn't want to start crying in front of her, so he turns to leave, and there in the doorway is Milly.

"Hi" She has a chipper smile on her face and a little black haired girl in her arms.

"Milly!!" They say simultaneously.

"You both look so worried."

Meryl gets up and hugs Milly. "I was worried. I thought you were dead."

"Don't be silly Meryl it'll take more than that to stop me."

"Hey! You're squishing me!" Comes a small voice. Both look down at a pair of big brown eyes.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Meryl smiles apologetically. "What's your name?"

"Cyan. And I'm four." She says holding up the appropriate number of digits.

"It's nice to meet you Cyan. I'm Meryl." She smiles.

"Mr. Vash?" Cyan looks shyly at him. He smiles at her with a nod. "Since two of your friends are better now, does that mean you'll have more time to play?"

"I guess so." Suddenly her little face beams with happiness.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@

Hours later... They are all sitting in the old chapel, which doubles as a reception room. "Well I'm glad to see that both of you are alright." Father Baldwin had examined them thoroughly upon finding out they were awake. "Now all that's left is the young man and the other young lady." Being so cheerful he didn't notice Meryl and Milly wince when he mentioned Knives. "I'll make us some hot coffee and tea. We can even try some of the children's lovely baking." With a pleasant air he disappeared down the hall.

All three of them are quiet, each equally afraid to voice the question on all of their minds. Meryl finally finds the words, "So, what do you intend to do?" She looks into her hands; afraid of the answer he might give her.

"I'm not sure. I guess the best thing would be for me to take him as far away from populated areas as possible. Maybe, there he might be easier to control."

That's what she was afraid of, that he would go off and she'd never see him again, but she knew there was no other way. She didn't want to see any more people get hurt because of Knives. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're a people person Vash, you can't deny it. Going out there all alone, ... you won't be you anymore."

"Though I hate to admit it, sometimes the lesser of two evils is the only choice. As long as no one else has to die because of him, I'll..." She could tell it would destroy him. Still she couldn't think of a decent argument.

"Here we are!....?" Father Baldwin comes in carrying a tray of delicious things. When he notices all the gloomy faces he opens his mouth to ask what's wrong, but is interrupted by *Knock* *Knock* He sets the tray down and moves to the massive oak doors. "Yes? Oh, hello Bernard, what can I do for you?" He steps aside allowing an average height red-haired man with a mustache and a sheriff's uniform on to enter the substantial room.

" 'ello father. How 'ave you been?" His voice was ragged, but genuine in warmth.

"Fine, fine. Is Martha well?"

"Oh yeah. She wanted me ter say 'ello for her. She also sent you a sponge cake." He hands the father a square box that has a bit of orange ribbon tied around it.

"Lovely! I do adore Martha's cooking." He takes the box graciously. From both their manners it was obvious the two had known each other for some time, but the sheriff gave the impression that he was talking to a father figure. "We were about to have some coffee and tea, do join us."

" 'fraid I can't to day. I'm here on business."

The Father cocks his head to one side. "Oh? What about?"

"You know that scientist that came through last month? The one with them animals to show the children?"

"Oh yes. He was teaching the children about proper care of wildlife. What was his name? Oh yes a Mr. Orlend wasn't it?"

"Yeah dat's him. Do ya recall anything about his visit? Maybe �ee said somethin' about where �ee was �eeaded next? Or was �ee actin' strange at all?"

"Well, he did say something about studying a new area where they had been hearing rumors about strange animal sightings. As to his mannerisms, he seemed perfectly normal to me. Why, if I may, do you ask?"

"He's missin'. They say he never arrived in May to drop off the animals. And according to the information we have you and the kids were the last people to �eave seen him."

"Oh my. I hope nothing happened to the poor man." He cast his eyes down in a brief silent prayer. Then the sheriffs last sentence registers. "Surely you don't think an old man and a bunch of children are responsible do you?"

"Ha! Father you worry too much, no man that knows you would ever consider accusing you of such a thing. I'm just doing my job. I best get going now, Martha's already furious for me bother'n you. Bye."

The father hangs his head. "That poor man."

After coffee Father Baldwin leaves to say his prayers for the lost man. The three friends sit in silence once again.

"I'd better go check on Knives and get ready to leave." Vash exits solemnly.

"Oh Milly! We can't just let him do this!"

"I know Meryl, but what can we do?"

A harsh holler rings through the stone building "KNIVES!!?!!" Vash comes into the chapel, as both girls go white with fear.

"Vash?!" the girls say together.

"He's gone. The ropes are there, I don't know how he got out of them."

"I'll get my derringers."

"I'll need my stun gun." Both girls get up.

"No! I don't know where he is. You need to stick with me." The girls oblige and follow him down the main corridor. They move slowly down the hall checking every room. Soon they entered the Kitchen. Vash is looking down the cellar stairs.

"Vash?" Meryl whispers.

"Yeah?" He turns to look at her, and notices that she's looking at the kitchen door hanging wide open. From there he can see a dark figure standing in the desert moonlight. "Stay here." he says quietly moving toward the door. He steps out onto the porch. "Knives!" he calls out. The figure perks up at the address, and slowly turns to face him.

Knives has a questioning look on his face that verges on innocence. His eyes aren't hard but soft.

"Hello" His tone is equally soft, "Who are you?"


Next: Why is Knives not himself? Has he really lost his memory? They say a sharp blow to the head can do that. But what does that mean for the brothers? And we still don't know who that strange woman is!

Find out next time in Part Three: A Terrible Thing to Lose


(A/N) Now we're starting to get the interesting stuff. And yes, you will eventually find out who Laina is.

So, if you expect me to update any time soon please Read & then Review. (Ok, I'll even accept Review & then Read.) O.o