Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Resurrection Of Nicholas D. Wolfwood ❯ Good Friends, Bad News And A Stowaway ( Chapter 13 )

The Resurrection Of Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Part Thirteen: Good Friends, Bad News And A Stowaway

By Bekka Mouri

(Trigun doesn't belong to me and I am not making any money from this so please don't sue me. Vash sends a telegram and hears the news. Minor cussing, crying and spoilers are possible. Please take the necessary precautions.)

The sand steamer rolled to a slow stop at the platform in Inepril City. Vash looked out the window and then looked over at Wolfwood. " Just a few more cities and we'll be with the girls, " He stated before he noticed Wolfwood was staring straight ahead, his bloodshot eyes focused on nothing at all.

Wolfwood wore just his black pants; his jacket had been discarded over the back of a chair the night before and his shirt was open. He was sitting up, his back braced against the wall behind him and his limbs sprawled out. Vash went to the bed and patted his face, " You okay there, pal? You didn't sleep last night, did you? "

" I couldn't, " Wolfwood muttered. " Something just isn't right. "

" Are you still on that? " Vash asked quietly. He cast a quick glance to the full ashtray that sat on the table that sat next to Wolfwood's bed and it looked like Wolfwood had smoked at least a whole pack if not two. The only other time he had seen that many cigarette butts was when he went to tell the girls that he had… died.

Wolfwood nodded, " I can't shake it... this feeling. I wish I knew what it was but I don't. It went away when we were dealing with Brilliant but it came back. Something just isn't right and I know it but I don't know what it is. "

Vash sighed, " I don't know what it could be either. I'll tell you what. You just stay here and try to relax while I go take care of some stuff. I promise not to be gone for too long. "

" That sounds good, " Wolfwood shifted in the bed.

" Would you like something to eat? " Vash asked as he walked to the door.

Wolfwood shook his head, " I'm not hungry but I am out of cigarettes. Get me some more. "

Vash opened the door, " Okay then. I'm off. "

" Whatever, " Wolfwood mumbled and shut his eyes even though he knew he wouldn't sleep.

Vash stepped out in the hall and shut the door to the cabin. He had this gnawing feeling deep in his gut that something was wrong as well but he didn't want to make Wolfwood feel any worse that he already did. ~It's got to be something really bad if it has him so worked up, ~ Vash leaned against the wall and pounded it once with his fist.

" Hey, don't I know you? " A boy with messy brown hair wearing overalls and a t-shirt walked up to Vash, scrutinizing him.

Vash looked over and it took a moment to register that it was someone he knew. " Hey, Kaite! Look at you, kid! You must have grown at least six or seven iches since I saw you last. "

Kaite's eyes lit up, " It IS you! Man, you sure look different. Nice to see you got rid of that broom on your head. "

Vash frowned, " I have had to lay low for a while and nobody will recognize me like this. I happen to like my hair that way versus this but necessity calls for it to be like this. "

" Still hiding, huh? " Kaite smiled, " You were damn lucky no one discovered you considering all the cavalry officers that were on the ship. "

" They got pretty close to discovering me though, " Vash shook his head.

" I heard a guy with a big silver gun helped out last night. That wasn't you, was it? " Kaite arched an eyebrow. " They all said it was a preacher in black. "

" It was my gun but it was my friend using it, " Vash smirked. " I'll tell you the rest of the story later. "

" I thought you were getting off here, " Kaite looked confused.

" Nope. I'm with a friend and we're riding to the end of the line, " Vash pointed to the door to his cabin. " That's my room. "

" How the hell did you manage to swing first class for the whole trip to December? That seems like an awful lot of money and I know you weren't hired for security… " Kaite's jaw dropped. " Don't tell me you were the one who took down McGee. That's the only way you could afford a luxury room like that. "

" Well, actually my friend is the one who took down McGee. I fell on him but Wolfwood did the shooting, " Vash sighed. " The jerk spit on Wolfwood's cross and Wolfwood was not amused by it. "

" What? " Kaite blinked. " His cross? "

" Wolfwood's the priest that stopped Brilliant last night, " Vash smiled. " I thought you had that figured out by now. "

Kaite shook his head, " You meet a weird assortment of people. "

Vash pushed away from the wall, " That's just part of being me. Hey, are you busy? "

" Not really, " Kaite shrugged. " I'm on a break actually. "

Vash patted the boy on the shoulder, " Want to go with me on a food run? "

" I guess it wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, you could probably use the extra hands to bring the stuff back cause I know how you eat, " Kaite jibed.

**

Vash stepped out onto the platform and scanned the area for a telegram station. He wanted to let Meryl know he was coming back and had a surprise. Kaite was still on the ship, taking care of the food purchases and promised Vash he would take everything back to the cabin. Vash would get Wolfwood's cigarettes on his way back in but he wanted to contact the shorthaired insurance girl first.

He pulled out the business card from his pocket and flipped it over. Wolfwood had scribbled her name on it. He smiled, " Meryl Stryfe, " He muttered. He recalled using her name a few times but he tried not to… calling her by name would make him feel close to her… too close.

He recalled the argument they had just before Knives vanished. She had gotten mad at him over something he couldn't really remember but he thought it had something to do with the house he was staying in. He had found an abandoned place on the outskirts of December and had stayed there to take care of Knives. The place hadn't been lived in for years so he was certain no one would give a damn.

~Oh yeah, ~ Vash thought. ~She had a conniption when she found out I wasn't paying rent and that I sort of borrowing the place. Oh well, like I could afford a house anyway. I hope she isn't mad at me anymore. ~

He looked around a little more and saw a station come into view. He walked to it and the man behind the counter smiled. " Can I help you, sir? "

" Yeah. I need to send a telegram to somebody at this address, " Vash pushed the card through the money slot on the window.

The man took it and looked at it, " Ah! We have a direct line to Bernardelli on this network. Would you like to send it there or have it sent to another office and delivered? "

" A direct line? How come? " Vash said.

" When Vash The Stampede was on the loose, they needed it for all the claims they were getting, " The man smiled. " When you have to look after mankind's first localized disaster, you need a machine of your own. "

" I guess so, " Vash chuckled. " Is there a difference? "

" It cost two double dollars to send it to Bernardelli directly although you may scare some folks, " The man grinned mischievously.

" What if I send it to the station and have it delivered? " Vash had already made up his mind but he didn't want to seem to eager to cause the chaos he knew would result from sending the message to the insurance society directly.

" Two double dollars for the message and two more for delivery, " The man acted a little hurt that Vash wasn't too amused at the idea of making the insurance people freak out.

Vash thought for a long moment and smiled, " Let's wake up the insurance office. I'm sure they need some excitement since Vash vanished. "

The man laughed, " I knew you were a smart boy. So, what's the name of the recipient? I can't read this illegible writing on this card. "

Vash blushed involuntarily, " Its Meryl… Meryl Stryfe. "

The man smirked, " Is she your girlfriend? "

Vash shook his head, " No. It's nothing like that… Well, everyone thinks I should… oh man… "

" I think I understand. Okay, I need to know your name now, " The man looked down at the keyboard.

Vash stopped himself before he said his real name and decided to use the name he had in December. " My name is… "

**

A knock at the door caused Wolfwood to open his eyes. " Who's there? " He called out. He hadn't been sleeping but he couldn't keep his eyes open. He had started to entertain the thought of checking all of the butts in the ashtray in case he had left enough behind so he could smoke a little more while he waited for Vash to come back with more cigarettes.

" I'm a friend of Vash, " The person called. " He went outside to do something but he'll be back and he wanted me to drop off the food. "

Wolfwood groaned and got to his feet. He started to fall but he caught himself and stood still, waiting for the dizziness to subside. The only thing he wanted to do was sleep even though he couldn't because of the foreboding feeling he had. He took a deep breath and made his way to the door slowly, leaning against it when he got there.

He unlocked it and opened it to a kid that looked like he was around twelve or thirteen, possibly a little older but he didn't feel like making any other guess because his brain was too tired to think. He held a big paper sack full of food that apparently came from the concession stand. " You're one of Vash's friends, huh? " He muttered.

" Yeah, I'm Kaite. "

Wolfwood nodded, " Nice to meet you, Kaite. I am Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Vash told me about you. You helped out when Brilliant Dynamites Neon hijacked the steamer on the way to May City, right? "

Kaite looked at the floor as shiver went through him, " Well, I helped Brilliant at first but then he was going to wreck it so I tried to save it. "

" And Neon ended up saving it himself, " Wolfwood reached out and patted Kaite on the head. " It's okay, Vash told me about it last night after the Marshall took care Brilliant. You were very brave from what I heard. "

" Thanks, " Kaite cracked a little smile. " He wanted me to keep an eye on you until he got back. He sounded pretty worried about you. "

" Yeah, I have been a bit of a pain in the ass the last couple of days, " Wolfwood let Kaite in and shut the door. " As hard as I try, I can't get to sleep. I even tried drinking yesterday but it wasn't helping. "

Kaite looked at the ashtray on the table, ~Man! I don't think anyone could sleep after smoking that much! ~ He thought trying not to stare.

" I guess Vash is bringing the cigarettes, huh? " Wolfwood sat down on the bed.

" Yeah, " Kaite nodded. " They don't let kids buy them on the ship. "

Wolfwood shrugged, " It's for your own good. I should have never started back up again myself but they're just too addictive and I don't know what I would do with myself if I didn't have them. "

Kaite looked a little uneasy, his eyes scanning the room to find something to talk about. He noticed the cross and looked back at Wolfwood, " So, Vash said you are a priest? "

Wolfwood nodded, " Yeah. It's not a very big church and it's more of an orphanage than anything else but we get by. I used to take in kids with no place to go or no living family so they have someplace safe to stay but I got sidetracked about three months ago. "

Kaite was silent as he recalled the news story he had heard over the satellite and read in the paper. Matter of fact, it was probably the big news story just about everywhere. " Wow, that's so cool. Where is your orphanage? " Kaite didn't want to think about what he had read. He couldn't imagine anyone being so heartless that they would murder a bunch of orphans for seemingly no reason.

" 300 iles from December. I have some business I need to take care of in the city then I am going to go back to them. Something happened and I have been gone for a while. I know they will be happy to see me come back. The kids hate that I have to travel so much, " Wolfwood looked Kaite, " What's wrong? "

" N-n-n-nothing, " Kaite felt like his entire body was locked up in a vise. The orphanage where the massacre had been was 300 iles from December. Was it possible that Wolfwood didn't know what had happened? Maybe it was another orphanage… Kaite knew it would be a good idea not to mention it either way until he heard more information about it.

" Don't give me that. You look like you've seen a ghost, " Wolfwood was certain Kaite knew something that he wasn't telling him.

Kaite grabbed the bag of food and pulled out a canteen of water, " Are you thirsty, Mr. Wolfwood? "

Wolfwood nodded and took the canteen, " Yeah but I want to know why you went so pale on me, kid. Is there something you're not telling me? "

" No sir. What would make you think that? " Kaite put his hand behind his head and tried to play off his reaction.

Wolfwood opened the canteen and took a big drink from it, " Never mind. Where did you say Vash went? "

" He said he needed to do something but he wouldn't tell me what and he would be back in no time. He should be coming back any moment, " Kaite watched as Wolfwood took another big drink.

Wolfwood drained the canteen and looked at Kaite, " Well, he better hurry up with those cigarettes. I'm probably scaring you, huh? "

" Not at all. Vash said it wouldn't take long, " Kaite tried not to watch Wolfwood too closely as he waited for the sedative he slipped into the water to kick in. He had done the same to Vash way back but this was for Wolfwood's own good or at least that is what Vash said. Vash had told Kaite that Wolfwood hadn't been able to sleep for a couple of days and he needed to rest. Vash felt bad about having to stoop so low but it was better than watching Wolfwood make himself sick.

" Damn needle noggin… Probably went to hit on some girl when he has a perfectly good one waiting for him in December… " Wolfwood's words trailed off and he fell back on the bed.

Kaite sighed, happy that the sedative had taken effect before Wolfwood started to grill him again about why he was acting weird. He would get Vash to help him make Wolfwood comfortable when he got back. ~I wonder if Vash knows what happened and if this guy is from that orphanage? ~

**

Vash stared at the paper, his eyes wide as saucers and jaw dropped open in shock. He had read the story two times already but it still didn't register as reality. " Mister? " The newspaper boy looked at him, " Are you going to pay for that? You know the steamer leaves in ten minutes, don't you? "

" Uh yeah, " Vash gave the kid some money as he continued to look at the paper. He looked up to locate the entrance to the steamer and headed for it, his eyes fixed on the headline. ~Nobody but The Gung-Ho Guns could do such a horrible thing but they're all dead, aren't they? Was Wolfwood's hunch right about the others having students? ~

Vash shook his head and folded the paper in half. He couldn't let Wolfwood see it because he knew it would destroy him. Something deep in Vash's heart let him know that he had made the right decision to have Kaite slip Wolfwood the sedative. Perhaps he would sleep the rest of the trip and Vash could prepare himself to break the news to Wolfwood that his hunch looked like had been right.

As he boarded the ship, he heard a familiar girl's voice saying, " Get your hands off of me! I really do belong on this ship and you can't make me get off! I have to find my friends! "

He looked around and located it. It was coming from the middle of a group of three ship hands. " No way! We said your getting off here, you little stowaway! " One of the men barked.

" But I have to find them because they have my ticket! " The girl argued as she struggled.

Vash's eyes lit up with recognition and decided to move in. " Cathy? " He called out.

The men stopped trying to hold the girl and looked at Vash. " Do you know this overgrown brat? " One of the men asked.

Cathy could see Vash and her face lit up, " Sir! I found you! "

" Yeah. I see you made here okay, " Vash nodded, trying not to stare at Cathy's outfit. She wore a white halter-top and some black jeans that looked like they were painted on.

Cathy pulled away from the men and ran to Vash, hugging him. " They wouldn't believe me when I said I was supposed to be on the ship but I was late and you had my ticket! "

Vash blinked but he decided to play along, " Oh yeah! I think I left it my room. "

The biggest of the three men came over, " Well, she had better have a ticket. "

Vash put a hand behind his head, " Sure, sir. I'll look for it and bring it to you. I'll get her another one if I can't find it. "

The man shook his head, " There's no need for that. Come on, guys. "

When the men were a good distance away, Vash looked down at Cathy and whispered " Why are you here? "

Cathy's eyes welled up with tears and she threw her arms around him, " I couldn't go to my family in May City. My grandma is a drunk and slaps me around. My creepy uncle always tries to get at me too! "

Vash blinked, ~That story sounds very familiar, ~ He thought and narrowed his eyes.

Cathy sniffled and looked at Vash. " Don't you believe me? "

Vash sighed, " I guess I do. "

Cathy backed up and took her backpack off of her back, setting it on the floor. A silver heart locket dangled from one of the ties and Vash focused his attention on it instead of the massive amount of cleavage Cathy was showing as she leaned over the bag. " And I think this belongs to the preacher man. "

Vash's eyes grew wide at the sight of the silver feather Wolfwood had claimed came from the angel. " Where did you get that? "

" I found it at the hotel before the doctor came to take me to May City. Something deep in my heart told me he would want it back, " Cathy held it out to Vash.

" Well, why don't you come with me and you can give it to him, " Vash sighed, taking the feather for a moment then handing it back to her. " Put it back in your backpack until we get to him.

" Okay, " Cathy nodded.

They went to the cabin and opened the door. Kaite stood up when they came in and Vash looked at Wolfwood. He looked like he was sleeping even though the position he was in didn't look too comfortable and Vash was relieved. " So it worked? " He asked Kaite.

Kaite didn't pay much attention to Cathy and nodded, " They were his, weren't they? "

" What? " Vash sensed that Kaite was on the verge of crying. Cathy looked at them and wondered what was going on.

" It was his orphans… Wasn't it? " A tear slipped down Kaite's cheek as he motioned to Wolfwood. " You have read the paper, haven't you? It said the cavalry couldn't find the priest that ran the place… is it him? "

Vash nodded, " Yeah, I just got the paper but we can't tell him about it. We can't tell him until later… until we have figured out how to tell him. "

Kaite ran to Vash and threw his arms around him. He couldn't hold back his tears any longer and sobbed against him, " This is so horrible! How could anyone do such a thing? "

Vash's state of shock shattered and tears finally broke free. " I don't know, Kaite but we have to be strong. I'll find out exactly who did this and they will pay. They. Will. Pay. "

Cathy gasped, " Oh God no! You can't mean it! Was that his orphanage I read about in the paper? Is that what you are saying? "

" It's true, Cathy, " Vash whispered. " But he doesn't know yet. "

Cathy's legs trembled and went out from under her. She fell to her knees and put her hands over her face. " I was such a little bitch to the both of you! I feel so horrible now! "

Vash shook his head as Kaite continued to cry, " Don't worry about that now, Cathy. Let's worry about how we are going to tell him. "

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