Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Shepherd ❯ The Shepherd ( Chapter 2 )

~*Part Two - The Shepherd*~

"Hey…hey, are you alright?"

A concerned voice sounded through the vague blackness of Vash's consciousness, beckoning him, calling to him, and bidding him to awaken. It was faint and distant, as though in a dream, but as the outlaw slowly began to come around, the sensation of warm sand against his cheek and the breath of a warm breeze rustling against his shirt, tickling his back lightly. The sunlight was hot against the back of his head and neck, and as he slowly opened his eyes and went to raise his head, he groaned vaguely, feeling as though an entire herd of thomases had trampled over him. There was a bitter taste of bile on his tongue, and he grimaced a bit at the flavor as he dazedly went to look up.

"Ah, there you are," came the voice again, a warm male tenor. "I was afraid you wouldn't come out of it there for a moment," it remarked with a faint chuckle. Vash frowned as his vision cleared, and found himself looking at a figure hidden in a black cloak kneeling beside him with a warm hand on his shoulder. His face was shrouded completely in the shadows of the hood, but it was evident by the tone of voice that the stranger was smiling a thankful little smile. "Here, you must be thirsty," he remarked, and held out a small canteen full of water.

Vash gasped as he saw the man offer his canteen, and with almost imperceptible speed, his hand reached out and snatched the water away, pulling it to his dry lips and drinking fiercely. He drank so vociferously that several trickles of water spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he found to his surprise that the water was sweet and cool, so unlike the usual, somewhat gritty water found in most wells. The man chuckled as he watched Vash chug the water, a slight, compassionate sound, and put a hand on the outlaw's back.

"Thank you," Vash breathed as he finished, and went to hand the canteen back to the man, somewhat breathless.

"Not at all," the man said kindly as he took the canteen and went to help the gunslinger up. "Come on…let's get to my place, and we have talk more comfortably there. I imagine you're hungry as well, but I can take care of that too." And with that, the cloaked stranger started off slowly to the North, where a small little structure was now visible just ahead. Vash frowned as he stepped unsteadily after the stranger; he must have missed seeing the little place during the sandstorm…that seemed to have dissipated by now…Goodness, how long had he been out? It was a wonder he was still alive!

Which brought another question to Vash's mind. Why was that stranger out in the middle of the desert? No one could live so far out here; they'd die without water or power from one of the plants near the cities…and yet…

"Um, excuse me," Vash asked as he caught up to the man, questions in his eyes.

"Yes, Vash?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Vash stopped and frowned for a moment. "Hey…how did you know my name? I haven't even given it," he pointed out, looking a bit suspicious. People on this planet were supposed to think he was dead!

"Ah…I know everything there is to know about you, Vash the Stampede," the man remarked with a tone that suggested that he was smirking. "From your sixty-billion-double-dollar reward to that custom-made Colt revolver left in Dhimitri long ago to Rem Saverem…"

Vash stared at him, his green eyes wide. How…but…how…No one left alive knew about Dhimitri or…Rem…So how could he…possibly know…

"…Who are you? How can you know all that…" he asked quietly as they came upon the door that led into the small hovel. He couldn't help but be a little creeped out by the almost omniscient manner of this stranger…

The stranger paused at the door, as though in thought.

"…My name isn't important…I am merely a shepherd. You'll understand soon, Vash. You have to be a bit patient…"

Vash lingered in the doorway, a bit wary as he watched the shepherd step into his little house. He wasn't too sure about this one…but his instincts told him that he could trust him, even though he knew entirely too much about him.

"Well, come on in. It's not like I'm going to attack you the moment the door's closed. If I were after your skin, I would have attacked you while you were out of it," the shepherd remarked wryly as he retrieved some food for Vash to eat. The outlaw noticed as he walked in that the strange man didn't seem to have removed his cloak upon entering the house, which perplexed him further. As he sat down, he noticed that the little hovel was neatly furnished with humble items; a small bed, a little table and two chairs, and a bureau, but what was odd about them was that they were made of wood; a precious commodity on this barren planet. Letting his eyes linger on the furniture for a moment, he found his eyes drawn back to the shepherd, who was handing him his food and sitting down across the table from him.

"Oh…thank you…" Vash said as he opened the little box, and found a simple sandwich and, to his surprise, a glazed donut nestled within. Deciding that it would be better not to ask as to how this man knew of his fondness for donuts, he quietly began to eat, though he had several burning questions.

"So, what are you doing out in the middle of the blazing desert without any food or water, dressed like that?" the man asked, a bit curious. Vash paused in his eating to look down at himself at this, looking a bit curious, and was about to answer when the shepherd inquired further. "Did you get lost while trying to get to your destination? Where were you headed?"

Vash sighed as he sat down the sandwich for a moment, looking quietly down at the grain of the table as he thought about his answer.

"I…I don't have a destination. I've been lost for a long time…I have nothing here," he remarked quietly, his voice suddenly a bit brooding.

"No destination…" the man said thoughtfully, and finally nodded. "Well…perhaps you'll find something in Eden…"

"Eden?" Vash asked, looking into the shadows of the cloak curiously. That was odd; Eden was a little spot in the road in between May and Inepriel so small that if you so much as blinked, you'd literally miss it. "But…what on Earth am I supposed to be able to find in Eden besides cheap liquor?" he asked, a bit incredulous.

The shepherd laughed warmly at this and shook his head. "No, Vash…not the same Eden. But don't worry about it. You'll see when we get there, don't worry."

"Um…okay…" Vash said, looking increasingly perplexed. He wanted to ask "why me?", but decided that it would be rude to express such things as he was a guest. So, he settled for yet another question that he'd been meaning to ask.

"Why are you still wearing that cloak? I mean, we're indoors…it seems a bit much for the inside," he remarked as he continued to eat.

The shepherd sighed lightly and shook his head, his true meaning unable to distinguish due to the dark cloak hiding his face.

"So was my part of the bargain…"

"Bargain?"

"Yeah. I agreed that I could not remove the cloak from my head until I arrived in Eden…Don't worry. You'll understand soon, Vash," he remarked, and gestured to his food. "Now go on, eat. I know you're starving, as you've not eaten since you left New Oregon," he asserted, and stood slowly, his chair scraping against the stone floor as he did so. As he passed, he patted Vash warmly on the shoulder, and stepped across the little room to where the bed was, turning it down and making sure it was nice and neat. "You can rest here; I won't need too much sleep," he remarked, gesturing to the bed vaguely. "Now, I've got to go do something, so just take your time and help yourself," he remarked, and stepped out the door with the faint swish of his cloak.

Vash sat there at the table for a long moment, holding his half-eaten sandwich in his hand as his brow creased in thought. Nothing was adding up…Even in the sandstorm, he should have been able to see this little place; it was too close for him to have missed it, even in the whirling sand…And how did this guy that he'd never met before in his life know so much about him…No one left alive knew of those intimate details of his life…besides the bounty, no one knew about Rem…or that his revolver had been created specifically for him…and he had to wonder…just what else did this strange shepherd know? The only person who might know of such things…was Knives…

Vash looked up and towards the door as this thought occurred to him, his green eyes piqued with inquisitive curiosity and hope. Was this stranger his brother whom he'd not seen in so many years helping him? But if so, why would he not show himself…And the shepherd…his mannerisms didn't seem like those that he remembered Knives having…There was more of an easy-going humor about him that didn't seem to be reminiscent of his brother…

Standing, no longer feeling very hungry for the confusion that wracked his mind, the outlaw turned and stepped over to where the bed had been laid out. Outside over the desert, the two suns had begun to sink down over the horizon, casting an eerie pink and purple light over the rocky sand. He watched the sunset, eyes filled with unease, but as he stood there, he noticed that there were no footsteps in the sand where the shepherd had left. It was as though he'd never even left the building. Even stranger still, the outlaw noticed that neither he nor the shepherd had left any footsteps when walking to the little hovel either. Straightening his shoulders as bit as his eyes frowned warily; he took a step back from the window and turned back to face the rest of the rather Spartan house.

Just where had that enigmatic stranger gone…what secrets did he hide under that enveloping cloak of his?

~*~

Author's Notes:

And the plot thickens…Just who is that strange shepherd? And what of this Eden he speaks of? What does he know that Vash doesn't?

All will be revealed in the final installment, coming soon!