Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Resurrection Of Nicholas D. Wolfwood ❯ The First Cigarette ( Chapter 19 )

The Resurrection Of Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Part Nineteen: Trouble In Paradise

By Bekka Mouri

(Trigun doesn't belong to me and I am not making any money from this so please don't sue. I can't say much but this is a pivotal chapter. Spoilers.)

Meryl stood at the stove, cooking breakfast while Vash tried to help her with it. Milly had already set the table and was now sitting next to Wolfwood, both of them holding hands under the table. Meryl growled and pointed towards the table, " Go sit down, Vash! I can handle this myself! "

Vash put his hands up in a defensive gesture, " Okay! I was just trying to help! I'm sorry! "

Wolfwood laughed as Vash sat down. " What's wrong, needle noggin? Did your snoring keep her awake last night or did you get caught trying to cop a feel while she slept? "

Vash glared at Wolfwood, " I don't snore and I didn't try to cop a feel! "

" You do too snore, " Wolfwood said. " Why do you think I had to sleep with my head under a pillow during most of the trip? "

" At least I don't wear other people's clothes! " Vash responded. " Those pajamas look really spiffy on you but I know they can't be yours. Yellow and pink just aren't your colors. "

Milly blushed and looked down at the table. Wolfwood growled, " At least these are clean! I had to take two showers after wearing those damn things you had on in Winston and THEN I had to burn them to put them out of their misery! "

" Hey! Those were my favorite jeans! " Vash whined. " I wondered what happened to them! "

" They were fixing to run away but couldn't stand to smell themselves anymore! " Wolfwood snarled.

" Quit it! No fighting at the breakfast table! " Meryl came to the table with the first plates of food and looked around. Her frown deepened, " I don't see Cathy. I thought I told you to wake her up, Vash. "

Vash sighed, " I tried but she wouldn't budge. I'll go try again. "

" Try what? " Cathy asked as she walked into the kitchen, rubbing her left eye with her fist.

Meryl shook her head, " I thought Vash hadn't woke you up. "

Cathy yawned and laughed. " It's okay. I sleep really deep. I thought I was dreaming when he came in there I guess. "

" Okay, " Meryl sat down the plates she was carrying. " Could you please help me with the rest of the food? "

Cathy nodded, " Yes ma'am. "

Meryl and Cathy went to get the other plates. Once their backs were turned, Wolfwood looked at Vash. Vash returned the glance and looked at a plate of food. Wolfwood growled and Milly was thoroughly puzzled by the exchange.

Cathy and Meryl returned before Milly could ask what was going on. Meryl sat down next to Vash after giving everyone a plate and Cathy took a seat next to her. Everything was relatively quiet as they ate but it didn't go unnoticed when Vash's hand would slip under the table every so often and usually the same time Meryl's hand vanished as well. Wolfwood was the first to finish and he stood up, " I have something I need to go take care of in town. "

Milly blinked, " I thought you said you were going to spend the day with me. "

Wolfwood smiled, " I am, honey but I have to go take care of something first. "

" Can I go too? " Vash and Cathy said together then glared at each other.

" I asked first! " Cathy said.

" Well, I've known him longer! " Vash countered.

Cathy grinned wickedly, " That's right. You two know each other really well. "

" We're just friends! " Vash stated.

Wolfwood cleared his throat, " Actually, I need to go take care of this alone. I promise I won't be gone long and Vash will be here to protect you ladies. "

" Please don't be gone too long, " Milly said. " I missed you so much. "

Wolfwood kissed her on the forehead, " I'll be back before you know it, honey. I'm going to go change and then I'll be out of here. Does anyone need anything while I'm gone? "

Vash smiled, " There's this donut place across from the shoe store that makes these really great donuts and… " His words trailed off as Wolfwood rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen. Vash stood up, " Hey! Come back! "

Wolfwood walked to Milly's room and knew Vash would be right behind him. The sound of fast footsteps let him know he was right. " Now, can we talk? " He said and turned to face Vash.

" I guess. What was that glance for earlier? "

Wolfwood smirked, " I saw you watching Meryl and don't think I didn't notice you holding her hand. So, did you make any headway with her? "

Vash paled and put his hands up, " I don't want to talk about it. "

Wolfwood shook his head, " It's okay to be shy. I just wanted to know if you had to stay in the floor all night or not. "

Vash looked at the floor, " No. She got scared and had me get in the bed with her. "

Wolfwood gave Vash a sideways glance, " Don't say anymore. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. If anything happened, it's your business. "

Vash fidgeted, " We just talked. "

Wolfwood nodded, " Okay. I believe you. Now, how good are you at keeping secrets? "

Vash snapped his head up, " What kind of secrets? "

" Oh, I don't know. A secret like me being in league with The Gung-Ho Guns… " Wolfwood watched as Vash went pale again. " That's what I thought. Never mind. "

" I really didn't tell her, " Vash stammered. " I said that you thought the other Gung-Ho Guns had students and she asked how. "

" And you said what? " Wolfwood asked not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

" I said there is still a lot things I don't know about you and you probably found out while you were looking for me after I trashed Augusta, " Vash shook his head. " I didn't want to say anything in case you were going to tell the girls the truth some day. "

Wolfwood leaned against the wall and sighed, " Damn it, needle noggin. That was almost too close. I want to tell them eventually. "

" How soon is eventually? " Vash asked.

" Tonight at dinner… right before I ask Milly to marry me, " Wolfwood shut his eyes. " Shit. I just said too much. You'll probably slip and tell her before then. "

" I can keep a secret, " Vash smiled, " That's great, pal! I hope she says yes. "

" I guess I'll lay all the cards on the table since you said you can keep a secret, " Wolfwood opened his eyes and looked at Vash. " She's going to have my baby so it's the right thing to do and I want to have her as my wife. "

Vash's jaw dropped, " Oh my God! Did you just say what I think you just said? "

Wolfwood nodded, " Yes. Now, do you think you can keep your mouth shut? "

" I think I can, " Vash nodded. " That's great! You're going to be a father… "

Wolfwood grabbed Vash by his nightshirt, " I mean it, needle noggin. You can't even tell Meryl about this. "

" The baby part or the proposal? " Vash asked.

" You know which part, needle noggin. I think Meryl knows about the baby part. She does live with Milly, you know. "

Vash laughed, " Oh yeah. "

Wolfwood let Vash go, " Now, you need to keep an eye on the girls while I am gone and make sure nothing happens to them. "

" Okay. You think the Second Generation is going to try something? " Vash became serious.

Wolfwood shook his head, " I don't know but I'd rather you be here because I know you can handle it. "

Vash nodded, " I guess you're right. Hey… "

" What? " Wolfwood said.

" What was that all about yesterday? You know, when you got really close to that street musician that spoke to Cathy, " Vash looked down the hall to make sure no one was coming. " He looked like you threatened to kill him. "

" That guy was bothering her. She got really agitated when he spoke to her and he kept insisting he knew her from somewhere. I told him to leave her alone, " Wolfwood shook his head. " That poor kid can't go anywhere it seems. "

" She must think her beauty is a curse, " Vash sighed. " She is very pretty if you haven't noticed. "

" I noticed but she's the kind of pretty that always seems to hide something… " Wolfwood grinned at Vash. " Isn't she a little young for you? "

Vash blushed furiously, " I didn't mean anything! I was just saying she's pretty. "

" And you annoy the shit out of her, just like every other woman that crosses your path, " Wolfwood smirked. " Well, except for one… "

Vash shook his head, " I'm not going to listen to this! "

" As much as I would like to stand here and rag on you, I need to get going, " Wolfwood turned to go into Milly's room but turned back to Vash. " Not one word, needle noggin. "

Vash laughed, relived that Wolfwood decided to back off for the moment, " My lips are sealed… if you promise to bring me back a big box of donuts. "

" Okay, you win. At any rate, I'm taking the cross with me just in case anything happens in town. Knowing how my luck is when you are around, something will happen if I don't have it. "

Vash looked very indignant, " What the hell is that supposed to mean? "

" You know exactly what it means. I swear… You'd think you had a black cat following you around as bad as your luck is. "

" Well, it wouldn't be that way if I had any control over it, " Vash huffed and turned away.

" Well you don't so all I can do is watch my ass, " Wolfwood said. Vash turned around and stuck his tongue out. Wolfwood rolled his eyes, " Oh, that was mature. "

" I'm going back to the kitchen, " Vash growled and turned on his heel.

" One more thing, " Wolfwood called after Vash. Vash stopped and turned back.

Wolfwood pointed at Vash and Vash pointed at him. " Not one word! " They said in unison. They blinked and started to chuckle after a long silence.

" Is it me? " Wolfwood smiled, " Or are we starting to read each others minds? "

" I hope not, " Vash smirked. " I really don't want to know what goes on inside YOUR head. "

**

Wolfwood looked down at the jewelry case and sighed. There were all kinds of beautiful rings he thought would look great on Milly but he didn't know which one she would like the best. He looked in his jacket at the feather and felt a little sad.

~Damn it, Momma. I could really use your advice right now, ~ He thought.

A saleswoman came over and smiled, " Can I help you? "

Wolfwood nodded, " I think I need a woman's opinion on this. "

The woman leaned on the case, " You're going to ask a girl to marry you, aren't you? "

Wolfwood smiled and looked away, " Yeah, I am. "

The woman smile broadened, " That is wonderful. Did you have anything particular in mind? "

Wolfwood sighed, " Well, I have a price limit. I really need to save as much money as possible because of… other circumstances. "

The woman looked over the frames of her glasses, " You're going to be a father aren't you? "

Wolfwood nodded, " Yeah. "

" That's okay. You can't expect everything to happen in the right order all the time. Sometimes you just have to play with the hand that fate has dealt to you, " The woman got a far away look in her eyes. " I had my son before I got married and things still worked out good. "

" I'm happy to hear that, " Wolfwood looked down at the rings again.

" Why don't you ask your mother to help you pick one? A lot of men bring them along to help them choose, " The woman said quietly.

Wolfwood shook his head, " That's not possible. My mother has been dead since I was very little. "

The woman gasped, " I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's a shame though. I'm sure she would be very proud of you. "

Wolfwood shook his head, " Don't worry about it. "

" Now, you have a price limit and she's going to have a baby. Let me see… " The woman pushed her glasses up on her nose and stared down at the jewelry case. " Oh! This one is perfect! "

Wolfwood watched as the woman reached into the case and pulled out a golden ring set with a smoky gray stone. She held it up and looked at Wolfwood, smiling. " What? " He asked.

" The stone matches your eyes almost perfectly. Now, what color hair does she have? If it is black like yours, I may have to have my husband reset the stone in something more silvery, " The woman looked down at the case as she tried to find an example of the metal she was speaking of.

" She has honey colored hair, " Wolfwood said.

The woman smiled, " Lovely. This ring will match her too. Now, do you know what size she wears? "

Wolfwood shook his head, " She's got big hands because she is a big girl. "

" Hmmm. How tall? " The woman placed a hand on her chin as she started to think.

Wolfwood held his hand about forehead level, " The top of her head meets me about here. "

" Good lord! She is a tall one! " The woman exclaimed.

" Her best friend barely meets her shoulder, " Wolfwood chuckled.

The woman looked at the ring and furrowed her brow, " Well, I am going to have my husband make a bigger ring based on this design. Let me go see if he can do it for you right now. "

" I can't wait too long, " Wolfwood said. " I promised I would spend the day with her and she wasn't happy that I had to go out this morning. "

" He may be able to do it right now. Let me go check, " The woman went to the back of the store. She came back and smiled, " He is working on it. It should be about twenty minutes. "

" That quick? " Wolfwood arched an eyebrow.

The woman nodded, " He just has to cut it and add a piece to it. Don't worry; it won't weaken it at all. "

Wolfwood sighed and walked to the door, " Well, I have to go get some donuts for a friend. He said he would keep my secret for a big box of them. "

" Oh how funny! Is he going to be your best man? " The woman giggled.

" If he doesn't do something stupid between now and the wedding, he might be, " Wolfwood shook his head. " He's accident-prone. "

" For his sake, I hope he stays out of trouble. I'll see you when you get back, " The woman waved as Wolfwood walked out the door.

Wolfwood walked down the street and looked for the donut shop Vash had told him about. He found it but stopped when he heard an explosion and looked around for the source. A cloud of smoke rose from a ridge overlooking the town and Wolfwood ducked into an alley, knocking over a trash can as he did (^o.o^ Kuroneko-sama moment!) A black cat with huge green eyes fell out of the can and scampered down the alley, meowing in displeasure.

He scanned the ridge and barely made out the figure of a person lying on the ground. He couldn't see much from where he was and the person was too far away for him to make out any distinguishing features. ~I can't move or he'll shoot me but if I stay here, he'll still shoot me. Damn it! ~

Wolfwood noticed the figure hadn't moved to do anything and decided to risk moving. He took a deep breath and dashed towards the Angelina II. When he got there, he went down to the ground and reached into his saddlebag. He rummaged around until he found what appeared to be a pair of binoculars and skittered back to the alley.

He located the figure again and focused the binoculars on it. He stomach clenched as he realized the figure was that of a blood soaked dead person who was dressed similar to Caine The Longshot. Next to the figure was what remained of very long barreled gun and it looked like it had exploded. ~His gun must have jammed, ~ Wolfwood thought and went cold all over.

He got to his feet and made sure there was no one else waiting to make a move. He couldn't see anyone but a few people were staring at him like he was insane. He ran to the bike and got on it. ~The ring is going to have to wait… ~ He thought as he kick started the bike.

**

Wolfwood pulled up to Meryl and Milly's house, shutting off the bike. He engaged the stand and bolted for the front door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw it was wide open and took a few steps back. He went back to the bike and unwrapped the cross, grabbing a couple of guns before approaching the front door again.

He tried to be as quiet as possible as he entered the house. It seemed eerily empty as he moved from room to room. He got to the bedrooms and took a deep breath. The first door he opened was Meryl's and her room was untouched.

The next room was the guest room and it was intact as well. He reached Milly's room and hesitated as he reached for the doorknob. He shut his eyes and opened the door. He opened his eyes and found it was in the same shape as the rest of the house… unscathed.

" Milly? " He called out as he started to move through the house again. There was no answer. " Meryl? Vash? Is anyone here? "

Silence was the only thing that answered Wolfwood and he felt ill. He fell to his hands and knees as he started to cry as he felt like he was helpless for a moment. Why did it have to be today? How did they know and how did they find them so quickly?

Wolfwood sat back on his legs as he gathered his thoughts and looked at the guns in his hands. He growled and tossed them aside before running his hands through his hair. His right hand reflexively went into his jacket and he felt the pack of cigarettes he had placed there the day before. Only one cigarette was missing; the one he smoked as he got the motorcycle from the cargo hold.

He really hadn't had time to smoke any since getting to Milly and Meryl's. He had wanted one after dinner but Meryl stopped him. He had thought about going outside to smoke one but that meant he would have had to leave Milly's side. Cigarettes were important to him, more important than women at one time but not by much and certainly not as important as Milly.

Now, he would have to either cut back or stop entirely since Milly was pregnant. He could handle it because he had been without the entire time he was with Momma but he really didn't have a choice at the time, especially the first month. The next two months had been cigarette free because Momma wouldn't let him have any. In hindsight, it had been easy and he hoped it would easy again in case he had to quit for Milly.

He extracted one of the cigarettes and put it in his mouth before rummaging for the matches. His hand brushed against the feather and he sighed, " I guess you can't be everywhere at once, huh Momma? "

He struck the match and lit the cigarette. He took a couple of puffs and sighed. He listened to the silence as he smoked, wondering where he would start looking for the others. There was no way he would let Nagato and his makeshift band of wannabes get away with this. His breath caught when he heard a dull thump on the wall behind him.

~That's the guest room on the other side of this wall, ~ He stuck the cigarette in the corner of his mouth and grabbed the guns. ~Is one of them still here and getting antsy waiting to ambush me? ~

He got to his feet and slowly made his way to the guest room. When he got there, he went to the closet and flung the door open, aiming the gun with his finger on the trigger. In the corner of the closet, Cathy sat curled up in a tight ball and she was crying. She startled when the door thudded against the wall and looked up at him, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the gun and Wolfwood's finger around the trigger.

" What the hell? " Wolfwood gasped, loosening his finger. Cathy looked a little bruised but was otherwise okay. " I thought everyone had been taken. "

" No. I ran from them and I hid but I heard everything, " Cathy's voice was trembling. " Please don't shoot me, Mr. Preacher. "

Wolfwood crouched down and put the guns on the floor before extending his arms to her, " Come here, kiddo. " Cathy uncurled from the ball and reached for him, grabbing his jacket as she started to cry again. Wolfwood put his arms around her and patted her back, " Shhh, calm down. Tell me everything that happened. "

Cathy pulled at Wolfwood to get him closer to her; " It wasn't long after you left. Someone came to the door. It was a kid with red hair and green eyes. Miss Meryl answered it and then I heard a noise from the kitchen. Miss Milly and Mr. Vash were still in there so I went to check it out. "

" Go on, " Wolfwood said, pulling Cathy to him and holding her. He could tell Cathy needed someone and he would let bygones be bygones for the time being. She was certainly still grieving over her father and this didn't help any, of this Wolfwood was certain.

" It was a woman with long black hair and she had on a tan duster. A patch covered one of her eyes. Mr. Vash cut himself with a knife for some reason and tried to fight the woman. This gun came out of his arm but the woman grabbed Miss Milly and put a gun to her head, " Cathy started to sob.

~The woman must have been Dominique's student and the kid must have been another one of Zazie's victims, ~ Wolfwood thought. " What did Vash do then? "

" He put his gun away as the kid brought Miss Meryl in at gunpoint and he gave up. I took off running when this man with long hair wearing weird clothes appeared. He chased me but I got away. I kicked him in the balls and he went down to his knees, " Cathy sniffled.

" Good move, " Wolfwood commented although he felt a little sympathy pain for the poor bastard. Of everything that could be done to a guy, getting nailed in the nutcrackers had to be one of the worst. " What happened then? "

" The woman said for him to leave me and they needed to get out. She called the man and kid by name, telling them to take Mr. Vash and the others away. She stayed for a few moments then she left too. I was hiding in the closet and I heard you come into the guest room, " Cathy looked at him, " I thought they came back. "

" Sorry for scaring you like that. I was certain those bastards had left someone behind to ambush me, " Wolfwood shook his head. " Do you know if anyone got hurt? "

" Only Mr. Vash and it was self-inflicted. The woman told the men not to harm any of them so I think they may be okay, " Cathy shook her head. " Someone has to save them and I couldn't even if I tried but I knew you could if I helped, that's why I made such an effort to get away from them. "

" Do you recall any of the names the woman said? " Wolfwood asked.

Cathy nodded, " I think they were something like Skylar… No, wait. Skelar and Shin. "

Wolfwood growled, " Okay. Did they say anything about where they were taking the others? "

Cathy shook her head, " No. "

Wolfwood shut his eyes, " There has to be some kind of clue or something so I know where to start looking. "

" That lady stayed for a long time, " Cathy let go of Wolfwood. " Maybe she left a clue of some sort in the kitchen because she was there for so long. "

Wolfwood stood to his feet, " Let's go check. "

Cathy nodded, " Okay. "

Wolfwood went into the kitchen and found everything looked just fine except for a bloody knife on the table. ~Vash must have remembered how to stop the Demon's Eye but that didn't do him any good. ~

He walked across the room and kicked something. He looked down and found an envelope with his name written on it. He leaned down and picked it up. ~What the hell is this? It looks like a note. ~

He opened it and read the enclosed piece of paper…

'To: Nicholas D. Wolfwood

I see you have found my note. If you want your friends back, please come to my master's domain, the mountain 200 iles to the north of December. You must come or my master will be very disappointed and may do something rash. Please do not waste time for he is not a patient man.

R.S.V.P.

M.A.H'

Wolfwood crumpled the letter in his hand and growled. " Did you find something in here? " Cathy asked from the doorway.

" Yes. We have to go to the mountain north of town. Pack up what you need and meet me outside in five minutes. I can't leave you behind. "

Cathy blinked in confusion, " Uh, okay. "

Wolfwood pointed towards the kitchen door when Cathy didn't move, " I said go! "

Cathy jumped and ran to her room, shutting the door. She took a deep breath and slid down to the floor. " What have I gotten myself into? " She asked no one in particular.

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