Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Sound of Life on Planet Gunsmoke ❯ Episode 28: The Vengeful Youth ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Hungry Sano 
A young man after one of the Gun-ho Guns for the death of his sister appears. He seems to be a hot-headed gun-slinger with a lot to learn, but it also seems that he knows something about the device that revived the Gung-ho Guns.
Anime/Manga: Trigun Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.26.2006 | Updated On: 08.26.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 241 | Status: Work In Progress
A young man after one of the Gun-ho Guns for the death of his sister appears. He seems to be a hot-headed gun-slinger with a lot to learn, but it also seems that he knows something about the device that revived the Gung-ho Guns.
Anime/Manga: Trigun Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.26.2006 | Updated On: 08.26.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 241 | Status: Work In Progress
Sound of Life on Planet the Gunsmokeby Hungry SanoEpisode 28: The Vengeful YouthWolfwood's POV: It's funny how life leads you into situations. From death and back to life again. What a ride. Now I'm seeing people who I never thought I'd see again, the people that I died for. It wasn't clear to me until near the end that these were my true friends, but I can say that now that I know who my real friends are...I'm glad to be alive again. But....why was Knives there? And why didn't Vash seem to mind him being there? In fact Milly and Meryl seemed more surprised to see me than seeing him. Then again, I did die. From the looks of things, it was gonna be interestinghere on out.-------------------------As the Trigun crew dealt with Wolfwood's reappearance, Quinton and Adrian were currently walking to Adrian's house. Quinton walked along side her with his hands shoved in his pocket and bandages around his right arm. Andrea mused about this mysterious boy who saved her life. Despite his rugged outer exterior, he had a particular charm to him. He was quiet, too. He hadn’t really said anything since they started walking, so she decided to break the silence.
"Thank you for coming to my rescue tonight. I don't know what would have happen if you and our friend hadn't shown up," said Adrian with a shy smile, slightly blushing.Quinton shrugged apathetically. "Don't worry about it. You're not hurt, that's all that matters."
His voice sounded soft almost deadpan as he spoke, which almost made it sound like he didn’t mean what he said. Andrea shoved that thought out of her mind and reassured herself that with all the injuries he had, it might be painful for him to speak too loudly. She still kept her smile, hoping that he would at least smile back. Something in the back of her mind said that she was being naïve about things, but she decided at that moment to ignore it.Adrian's face turned a deeper red as she spoke once more, "Well, um....sometimes when a girl is saved by a guy....it leads to other things...." She realized she was now going into wishful thinking. Then again, she was a fan of many romance novels. The knight in shining armor theme was her personal favorite and she always wanted to live out that fantasy. Perhaps, this was her chance?
Quinton raised an eyebrow. "Other things? Like what? You're not asking me to be your personal bodyguard, are you?" Quinton was annoyed now. Great. She was trying to make a pass at him. He knew that she wasn’t asking him to be her bodyguard. He was aware that she was referring to something that he had no time for and also something he didn’t need right now. Here it comes, Quinton. Brace yourself.
Adrian blushed even more. "Oh, no! Nothing like that. I mean something in a romantic sense. You know, like love?"".....AND PEACE!" cried Vash's voice from the inn.Adrian and Quinton both sweat dropped.Quinton sighed. "Sometimes, people get love and gratitude mixed up, especially when their lives are in danger. You should be more careful, Adrian.” Quinton had heard enough. This girl obviously falls too hard and too fast in love. The best thing to do, in his opinion, is get away from her as soon as possible. The thought crossed his mind that the crazy rapist with the silver magnum could return, but right now, he was too injured and too tired to care anymore. Looked at her with a firm expression and asked, “Anyway, you know the way back to your house from here, right?""Yes...." Adrian looked sadly down at the ground as if she wanted to cry. She was turned down so carelessly and he didn't even seem to notice her feelings at all. She simply turned her back slowly and waked away, "Goodnight. Please have a good rest." It was painful for her. Just when she thought she could live the life of her favorite novel, ‘Knight in Shining Armor’, the guy ended up being cold toward her. However, this gave her another idea. Another novel she read called ‘Arctic Heart’ where a woman met a man who was cold toward the people around him and she used her love an affection to melt the ice from his cold heart. Perhaps she could live out THAT fantasy instead! She smiled a little more. I’ll use my love to warm your heart, just you wait and see!Quinton waved. "G'night! And be careful from now on!" He smiled a little as he walked back to the hospital. He turned away and frowned. “How annoying. I just had to save some hopelessly romantic chick. I don’t have time for crap like that!” He really didn’t. With his sister’s murders on the loose, Dr. Arai missing, and the Lazarus machine in the wrong hands, girlfriends were just not on his list of priorities. Even if they were, he’d still try to stay the hell away from that crazy chick.-----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back at the inn…..
"LEGATO?!" Knives cried. "How?! When?! What the hell is going on here?!"Wolfwood took a puff from his cigarette and exhaled. "I already said it twice. There's a scientist out in the desert who made a machine. He named it the Lazarus Gate. It collects souls from the plain of spirits and restores the life of that soul. I dunno how he could create such a thing, but I'm not complaining. Anyways, the resurrection gives the person abilities they never had when they were alive. The doc also said the resurrected person has immunity to what ever killed them, no matter what it was."Vash raised his hand. "I have a question, teacher."Wolfwood acknowledged him. "Yes, my noodle brained student?"Vash raised an eyebrow. "So, if you died from the plague or something that would mean you could never get sick?"Wolfwood shrugged. "I suppose. Anyway, Legato can probably do more than just control thoughts, without a doubt."Milly looked absolutely freaked out. "That's horrible! This means he can do worse than he did last time!"Vash gritted his teeth and turned his back to everyone. "Legato...he must be looking for me....""Surely you're not about to excuse yourself to go alone, are you, Vash?" Knives asked while leaned up against the wall, looking particularly calm about the entire situation. "The best thing to do now is to sleep and sort everything out in the morning. We can't be fully alert if we're all exhausted."Meryl nodded. "Knives has a point. We should all rest for now."Milly clung onto Wolfwood's arm. "I'll be sleeping with my Wolfie-chan!"Vash and Knives both struggled with puffed cheeks to hold in their laughter. Wolfwood gritted his teeth with a vicious frown. He narrowed his eyes at the pair of blondes, "Something FUNNY, fellas?!"Vash and Knives shook their heads with cherry red faces.
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The next morning, a single man with a big, dark blue coat, short black hair, and dark blue shades entered town. He seemed to be paying not attention to all the staring eyes. He looked very intimidating. Parents ordered their children to come inside as he walked by the residential area and people slammed their doors and shutters closed. He sighed at the reaction and thought, "Human beings are so silly...."
man entered the saloon where, by chance, Milly, Meryl, Wolfwood, Knives and Vash were having breakfast. The man sat down in a chair and took of his coat. He smiled as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Man, it feels great to get that coat off! Hey, waitress! Can I have a big plate of pancakes, pretty please?"
The waitress who approached the man’s table, who also seemed to be in her late twenties with a full, womanly figure replied with a smile, "Sure thing, hon. It'll be ready in a few."
The man rubbed his hands together. "Thank you! It's important for a young man like myself to eat good tasting food in order to continue my existence. Therefore, I shall devour everything on my plate! HAHAHAHA!"
Meryl shook her head at the clown who was laughing like a moron. She looked at Vash and scowled. "He reminds me of someone I know..."
Knives sighed. "Never mind that, Meryl. Right now, we must concentrate on our current situation."
Wolfwood nodded, "Knives is right. Legato may use that machine to revive the Gung-Ho Guns. THAT would be bad."
Milly asked, "What should we do then?"
Meryl put her chin down against the table and thought about it before she said anything. She pondered about alternative options to the one that came to mind, but there were none, "Well, I suppose we should find that lab. Wolfwood, do you remember where it was exactly?"
Wolfwood shrugged. "I guess I could find it again, but since I've only been there once, all I know is what it’s near, which would be June City."
Suddenly, the door swung opened to reveal an upset looking Quinton. With an angry scowl he marched to our hero's and heroine's table and slammed down his hand, "Hey! How could you just leave me outta this?! I'm in this, too!"
Knives was about to tell him about how children shouldn't be involved, but Wolfwood cut him off. "Hey, you're just in time! Actually, we need your help. Could you take us to that lab in the desert?"
Quinton grinned. "Sure! I can show you the way."
Wolfwood smiled. "Great. Now sit down and have some breakfast. We're leaving soon."
The man at the table across from our heroes overheard the conversation. "A lab in the desert...hmm...."
As he took in the info about their trip to June, the busty waitress returned with a plate full of pancakes, "Here ya go, darlin'. Plate o' flapjacks."
The man grinned, "Thanks, ma'am!" He then devoured his food like Vash would eliminate donuts. The waitress was speechless as she stared in awe. But after the call of another customer, she was back to work again.
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Meanwhile, a huge, muscular figure stood inside a church bell tower which over looked a great amount of the town. He wore a purple body suit, an orange mask made of bulletproof glass and an evil looking grin. He growled. "Vash the Stampede...."
He raised his arm which was armed with missiles this time around. Monev the Gale was back once again. He took aim at the saloon but decided destroying a more populated building nearby would be more fun. He aimed at the hospital.
Meanwhile, back at the saloon, Milly asked as she grabbed a plate of eggs, "Honey, do you want some of my eggs?"
Wolfwood smiled holding out his plate to Milly. "Sure, sweetie."
*BOOOM!*
The sound of explosion was heard and it was pretty close telling but how the entire saloon shook from the impact. Everyone screamed in terror from the sudden shock. One man stood up and exclaimed, "What the heck was THAT?!"
Vash's eyes narrowed, "Something's happening!" He dashed out of the door right after. Then the rest of the group followed. The man with the dark coat slung his coat back on and threw $$20 on the table. He then dashed out. "Keep the change!"
Meanwhile, outside, everyone was panicked as the explosion cracked one of the foundation pillars of the hospital and caused it to slowly collapse. Doctors were in a hurry to get all of the patients out before the building was reduced to rubble.
Wolfwood exclaimed, "Who in the hell could have done this?"
Knives looked around and then spotted the culprit. "The bell tower! Wolfwood, come with me! Vash, you, Quinton and the insurance girls help those people at the hospital!"
Wolfwood then unveiled his punisher cross as he and Knives rushed to the missile sniper. Monev saw that two of Vash's buddies were running toward his sniper spot. He didn't get a clear view of them, but despite that he exclaimed with evil glee, "Wanna piece of ME?! TAKE THIS!!!"
3 missiles went flying at the daring duo. Wolfwood gritted his teeth as he got down on one knee, aimed and fired off 3 missiles to cancel out Monev's. The plan succeeded, but the explosion blew Knives and Wolfwood back by a few feet. Monev laughed triumphantly. "This is too much fun!"
Meanwhile, Vash carried 2 people out of the hospital, on each shoulder. Milly helped out an old man who could barely walk and Meryl was seen wheeling out a pregnant woman in a wheelchair.
One of the doctors said, "Thank you very much for your help. I think that's everyone."
Meryl gasped. "Wait, where's Quinton?!"
Meanwhile, Wolfwood sneered. "Damn, out of missiles...."
Knives' eyes went wide. "That's not good...."
then finally got a clear look at the two fools who stood in his way, he frowned with narrowed eyes, "Knives and Chapel?! Traitors....you sided with the humans! Well, then if you like them so much, let's see if you can save them in time!!!"
Monev the Gale fired 3 more missiles that shot directly at the hospital and suddenly vanished into thin air.
Suddenly, Vash heard his brother's voice call in his mind, *There are 3 missiles head your way and we can't stop them! Get yourself and everyone else out of there, Vash!*
Vash cursed and then looked at the crowd, "Everybody run! Missiles are coming!!!"
The crowd of people scattered and the doctors also took the people who were immobile out of the area, being that was their duty to make sure patients were safe.
Vash ran toward the hospital as Meryl shouted, "Vash, what are you doing?! You'll get yourself killed!"
Vash thought, "Quinton's still in there, I have to save him!" Vash the Stampede ran into the building and moments later, it went up in a huge explosion. Meryl cried his name as the entire area was lit up with light from the blast.
Wolfwood and Knives rushed back to see what was going on, as the missile maniac had disappeared without a trace. They came back to see a huge hole in the ground where the hospital used to be. Meryl's eyes were about to overflow with tears of sorrow until she saw a hand come up. She recognized that glove. Vash has pulled himself up from the hole in the ground. He had some cuts an bruises, but the smile he had showed he was fine. Moments after, Quinton climbed up, with a little girl on his back.
Meryl looked extremely......pissed. She glared at both guys and shouted, "What did you think you were doing making us worry like that?! And Vash, who told YOU to run into an exploding building?!"
Vash and Quinton both sweat dropped as Meryl fumed.
Knives raised an eyebrow. "How exactly did you survive the explosion?"
Quinton explained, "Well, I heard the commotion from inside and due to the instability of the building, there was really no way out. By chance I came by a room with a big safe inside, so I broke into the safe and hid inside. When I heard Vash running around, I simply pulled him in then shut it before the whole building went up."
Milly's face brightened up. "Wow! How did you know that safe was so sturdy?"
Quinton sweat dropped. "Well, I didn't...."
"WHAT?!" Vash exclaimed.
The little girl was unconscious on Quinton's back by now. Milly smiled brightly and said, "You're really brave, Quinton! I'm so happy you and Mr. Vash made it!"
Meryl looked at the little girl and said, "Well, at least everyone is okay. But we have to get this girl back to her parents. I wonder where they could be....."
Quinton shrugged. "No clue, but I can look for them."
Meryl shook her head. "I think that Milly and I should do it. Besides, you're already hurt. Look at your arms and legs!"
Quinton looked and saw cuts and bruises everywhere. He tried to ignore them and hoped no one would notice if he pretended he wasn't hurt. Unfortunately Meryl Strife was too sharp for his plan. He grinned sheepishly as Milly picked up the little girl and started to carry her.
chirped, "Don't worry, Quinton. We'll take care of the rest. You should go to a doctor. We'll see ya!"
Quinton sighed. “Back to the hospital AGAIN? Aw, man, this sucks!”
The two insurance girls walked off, leaving Vash, Quinton, Wolfwood and Knives standing there. They all looked at each other, each understanding that the shit just met with a huge fan. This wasn't over, that's for sure. Meanwhile, the mysterious man from the saloon stood on the roof of one of the buildings and looked downward at our four heroes. He sneered and said, "Hmm, very interesting. Vash the Stampede and Millions Knives on the same side? Heh, bet Legato would love to hear that." He turned around and walked off.
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2 hours later, Quinton was all patched up and everyone prepared to leave the town via the bus. Quinton was the last to stop on board and as he did, a hand gripped his arm. He gasped and spun around seeing that the hand belonged to Adrian. She had a shy smile as she blushed. She looked into his brown eyes and asked, "Quinton....you'll come back, won't you?"
Quinton looked into her violet eyes and slowly forced himself to smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red bandana. Quinton thought that his best bet was to play along for now, because she wouldn’t leave him alone. However, something told him that this would be commonly known as stringing her along, but she brought it on herself. If only she hadn’t tried clinging on to him so fast, he wouldn’t have to do this. He placed the bandana into her palm and closed her hand. She then said, "This is all that I have to remind me of my older brother.” He lied. “Take good care of it....because I'll want it when I come back, okay?"
It was a red bandana he bought in February. He didn’t have any particular reason for buying it besides wearing it to keep the sweat from his brow from dripping into his eyes. He thought that if he made her believe it was important, she would be satisfied with that and leave him alone, at least for now. Now, the only thing he had to do now is never come back. He doubted he would since, after this little adventure, there would be no reason to do so. May City would just be off limits for a while. On the inside, he was grinning with relief.
Adrian, with tears of joy flowing down each cheek, threw herself into Quinton's arms. "I love you and I'll be waiting...."
Those words gave Quinton a shock. As they broke their embrace, Adrian stepped of the bus, leaving a shocked Quinton standing there. He suddenly felt like Thomas dung. He was stringing along a love sick girl. It was wrong in every way, but he justified it by reminding himself that he wasn’t out to hurt her, but he just wanted to get her off his back. It was better to keep this up than to just say ‘I don’t like you’ and hurt her feelings. Wasn’t it?
As he stood there, and slowly came out of deep thought, he noticed the looks he was being given from the group. Vash looked like he was going to cry tears of joy, Wolfwood had a sly smirk, Knives was smiling in an almost ridiculing manner, Milly looked overly happy, and Meryl had her nose in a book.
Quinton turned red and growled. "What?! I was just being nice, okay?!" He pointed his finger at Vash and the others. “Don’t start thinking I want anything to do with her! It’s just not funny!”
Knives sighed contently. "Ah, young love...."
Wolfwood smirked. "As A traveling priest, I can marry you two for a really low rate!"
Quinton shouted, "Knock it off!"
Vash sniffled. "It’s...so..beautiful! The love of a young maiden! With eyes for only Quinton, she waits patiently for his return!"
Milly shouted, "That's so sweet! Are you really going to marry her, Quinton?"
Quinton shouted, “No, no, no, NO! I don’t like her, okay?! Geez, do something nice one time and people can’t wait to get the wrong idea!” He sighed with irritation.
He decided to sit beside Meryl, since she seemed to be the most level headed one in the group at the moment. Milly and Wolfwood sat together, of course, and Vash sat with Knives in the back seat with his feet up. Looking at Meryl, he gathered that she was uptight and perhaps even moody. However, she seemed to be highly concentrated, as well. It reminded him of his sister when she got into her serious mode. Of course, he hadn’t really seen Meryl in a very light mood. She was either angry annoyed or firmly mellow, like now. This bothered him a little, so he inquired, "Hey, how come you're always serious all the time?"
Meryl replied simply, "Well, it's apart of my job. Everything must be taken seriously. Right now, we have to find a new bandit who does about killing innocent people demolishing things and keep tabs on him. His name is Desert Evil. This lab trip may be a good lead."
Quinton frowned as he sat back in his chair. "I don’t see how the lab’ll be a decent lead to a guy like that. The Doc would never work with bandits. He'd commit suicide before doing that!"
Meryl shook her head. "No, I'm not saying that. I'm thinking that given his tendency to kill at random, he may be working for Legato. Since the last place Legato was happened to be that lab, we may find a clue. And honestly, I don't think that doctor would do such a thing, either."
Quinton gasped. "You KNOW him?!"
Meryl chuckled. "No, I don't. But telling by the way you were talking about him, you must have a lot of respect for him, am I right?"
Quinton nodded. "He's been like a father to me, even before my sister was killed. This whole thing with those Gung Ho Guns being revived might be my fault. I think he created that machine because he knew how much I missed her. If anyone dies as a result, it'll be all my fault." He hung his head down shamefully.
Wolfwood overheard the conversation and commented, "Don't feel guilty. It's nobody's fault simply because no one knew this would happen. Don't be like this clown," said Wolfwood as he pointed at the sleeping Vash, "Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders unnecessarily isn't mentally or spiritually healthy. As long as you blame yourself, you can't move on. You'll spend the rest of your life trapped in that one regretful moment."
Milly cheered, "That's right, Quinton! You should listen to my Wolfie-chan!"
A long pause of silence filled the bus. Vash and Knives looked at each other and smiled. Meryl and Quinton both laid eye on Milly and Wolfwood with smile son their faces. Milly, of course, smiled in a clueless manner. The other passenger grinned, as well.
Suddenly, the entire bus exploded with laughter at Wolfwood's expense. His face turned red as he put his shades on and looked out of the window, ignoring the fact he was being laughed at. He cringed at it all, but it was far from over.
Milly looked at Wolfwood as he turned away and asked, "What wrong, Wolfie-chan? Why are you all red? Turn this way, Wolfie-chan! Wolfie-chan, can you hear me?"
Vash woke up with loud laugher and a finger in Wolfwood's face. Wolfwood gritted his teeth and then stood up, making his great declaration. A declaration from a man of God, that would make anyone stop what they were doing and pay attention to him.
Wolfwood bellowed, "ALL OF YOU, SHUT THE F*** UP!"
Sure enough, every man, woman, and child paused and stared blankly. Vash backed away from the angry priest and whispered to Knives, "What the hell kind of a churchman is he, anyway?"
Knives whispered back, "A very disgruntled one....."
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Meanwhile, in the lab located in the desert near June, Legato smiled with evil delight as Rem Saverem dangled by her hands about one foot above him. He began to read her mind and then said, "I won't do anything indecent to you, Ms. Saverem. I just need you as bait for Vash the Stampede."
Rem's eyes widened. "What are you going to do to Vash?!"
Legato replied coldly, "Kill him."
Rem shouted, "Leave Vash alone! If you hurt him I swear I'll-!"
Legato smirked. "You'll what? Preach to me about the sins of killing others?"
Rem stayed silent and looked away from Legato. This made Legato smiled even wider as he mentally took control of her right arm and forced her to slap herself across the face.
Legato's expression went blank. "Stay in your place, human. Vash the Stampede will die and you may join him. Humankind has no time. All of you will be no more...."
Legato walked away from her as the door of the lab opened. It was the same man that had been gulping down pancakes at the saloon. He bowed. "Master Legato, the trap has been set. Viper and the anarchist are in position. May I ask who else is with Vash?"
Legato turned around and face him. "Why would you like to know?"
The man replied, "I just want to know what to expect."
Legato smirked as he turned his back to him once more. "Then expect a very big surprise."
The man bowed. "Yes....Master Legato..."
~Preview~
Vash: The sound of violence, a common, yet unsettling sound. Smiling faces grimace and shed tears at the horrific actions of those who show no mercy. Those who can, will. Those who cannot, will not. Remember the geranium....determination. I see you, Rem. I can finally see you…
Next Episode: Desert Storm!
"Thank you for coming to my rescue tonight. I don't know what would have happen if you and our friend hadn't shown up," said Adrian with a shy smile, slightly blushing.Quinton shrugged apathetically. "Don't worry about it. You're not hurt, that's all that matters."
His voice sounded soft almost deadpan as he spoke, which almost made it sound like he didn’t mean what he said. Andrea shoved that thought out of her mind and reassured herself that with all the injuries he had, it might be painful for him to speak too loudly. She still kept her smile, hoping that he would at least smile back. Something in the back of her mind said that she was being naïve about things, but she decided at that moment to ignore it.Adrian's face turned a deeper red as she spoke once more, "Well, um....sometimes when a girl is saved by a guy....it leads to other things...." She realized she was now going into wishful thinking. Then again, she was a fan of many romance novels. The knight in shining armor theme was her personal favorite and she always wanted to live out that fantasy. Perhaps, this was her chance?
Quinton raised an eyebrow. "Other things? Like what? You're not asking me to be your personal bodyguard, are you?" Quinton was annoyed now. Great. She was trying to make a pass at him. He knew that she wasn’t asking him to be her bodyguard. He was aware that she was referring to something that he had no time for and also something he didn’t need right now. Here it comes, Quinton. Brace yourself.
Adrian blushed even more. "Oh, no! Nothing like that. I mean something in a romantic sense. You know, like love?"".....AND PEACE!" cried Vash's voice from the inn.Adrian and Quinton both sweat dropped.Quinton sighed. "Sometimes, people get love and gratitude mixed up, especially when their lives are in danger. You should be more careful, Adrian.” Quinton had heard enough. This girl obviously falls too hard and too fast in love. The best thing to do, in his opinion, is get away from her as soon as possible. The thought crossed his mind that the crazy rapist with the silver magnum could return, but right now, he was too injured and too tired to care anymore. Looked at her with a firm expression and asked, “Anyway, you know the way back to your house from here, right?""Yes...." Adrian looked sadly down at the ground as if she wanted to cry. She was turned down so carelessly and he didn't even seem to notice her feelings at all. She simply turned her back slowly and waked away, "Goodnight. Please have a good rest." It was painful for her. Just when she thought she could live the life of her favorite novel, ‘Knight in Shining Armor’, the guy ended up being cold toward her. However, this gave her another idea. Another novel she read called ‘Arctic Heart’ where a woman met a man who was cold toward the people around him and she used her love an affection to melt the ice from his cold heart. Perhaps she could live out THAT fantasy instead! She smiled a little more. I’ll use my love to warm your heart, just you wait and see!Quinton waved. "G'night! And be careful from now on!" He smiled a little as he walked back to the hospital. He turned away and frowned. “How annoying. I just had to save some hopelessly romantic chick. I don’t have time for crap like that!” He really didn’t. With his sister’s murders on the loose, Dr. Arai missing, and the Lazarus machine in the wrong hands, girlfriends were just not on his list of priorities. Even if they were, he’d still try to stay the hell away from that crazy chick.-----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back at the inn…..
"LEGATO?!" Knives cried. "How?! When?! What the hell is going on here?!"Wolfwood took a puff from his cigarette and exhaled. "I already said it twice. There's a scientist out in the desert who made a machine. He named it the Lazarus Gate. It collects souls from the plain of spirits and restores the life of that soul. I dunno how he could create such a thing, but I'm not complaining. Anyways, the resurrection gives the person abilities they never had when they were alive. The doc also said the resurrected person has immunity to what ever killed them, no matter what it was."Vash raised his hand. "I have a question, teacher."Wolfwood acknowledged him. "Yes, my noodle brained student?"Vash raised an eyebrow. "So, if you died from the plague or something that would mean you could never get sick?"Wolfwood shrugged. "I suppose. Anyway, Legato can probably do more than just control thoughts, without a doubt."Milly looked absolutely freaked out. "That's horrible! This means he can do worse than he did last time!"Vash gritted his teeth and turned his back to everyone. "Legato...he must be looking for me....""Surely you're not about to excuse yourself to go alone, are you, Vash?" Knives asked while leaned up against the wall, looking particularly calm about the entire situation. "The best thing to do now is to sleep and sort everything out in the morning. We can't be fully alert if we're all exhausted."Meryl nodded. "Knives has a point. We should all rest for now."Milly clung onto Wolfwood's arm. "I'll be sleeping with my Wolfie-chan!"Vash and Knives both struggled with puffed cheeks to hold in their laughter. Wolfwood gritted his teeth with a vicious frown. He narrowed his eyes at the pair of blondes, "Something FUNNY, fellas?!"Vash and Knives shook their heads with cherry red faces.
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The next morning, a single man with a big, dark blue coat, short black hair, and dark blue shades entered town. He seemed to be paying not attention to all the staring eyes. He looked very intimidating. Parents ordered their children to come inside as he walked by the residential area and people slammed their doors and shutters closed. He sighed at the reaction and thought, "Human beings are so silly...."
man entered the saloon where, by chance, Milly, Meryl, Wolfwood, Knives and Vash were having breakfast. The man sat down in a chair and took of his coat. He smiled as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Man, it feels great to get that coat off! Hey, waitress! Can I have a big plate of pancakes, pretty please?"
The waitress who approached the man’s table, who also seemed to be in her late twenties with a full, womanly figure replied with a smile, "Sure thing, hon. It'll be ready in a few."
The man rubbed his hands together. "Thank you! It's important for a young man like myself to eat good tasting food in order to continue my existence. Therefore, I shall devour everything on my plate! HAHAHAHA!"
Meryl shook her head at the clown who was laughing like a moron. She looked at Vash and scowled. "He reminds me of someone I know..."
Knives sighed. "Never mind that, Meryl. Right now, we must concentrate on our current situation."
Wolfwood nodded, "Knives is right. Legato may use that machine to revive the Gung-Ho Guns. THAT would be bad."
Milly asked, "What should we do then?"
Meryl put her chin down against the table and thought about it before she said anything. She pondered about alternative options to the one that came to mind, but there were none, "Well, I suppose we should find that lab. Wolfwood, do you remember where it was exactly?"
Wolfwood shrugged. "I guess I could find it again, but since I've only been there once, all I know is what it’s near, which would be June City."
Suddenly, the door swung opened to reveal an upset looking Quinton. With an angry scowl he marched to our hero's and heroine's table and slammed down his hand, "Hey! How could you just leave me outta this?! I'm in this, too!"
Knives was about to tell him about how children shouldn't be involved, but Wolfwood cut him off. "Hey, you're just in time! Actually, we need your help. Could you take us to that lab in the desert?"
Quinton grinned. "Sure! I can show you the way."
Wolfwood smiled. "Great. Now sit down and have some breakfast. We're leaving soon."
The man at the table across from our heroes overheard the conversation. "A lab in the desert...hmm...."
As he took in the info about their trip to June, the busty waitress returned with a plate full of pancakes, "Here ya go, darlin'. Plate o' flapjacks."
The man grinned, "Thanks, ma'am!" He then devoured his food like Vash would eliminate donuts. The waitress was speechless as she stared in awe. But after the call of another customer, she was back to work again.
---------------------------
Meanwhile, a huge, muscular figure stood inside a church bell tower which over looked a great amount of the town. He wore a purple body suit, an orange mask made of bulletproof glass and an evil looking grin. He growled. "Vash the Stampede...."
He raised his arm which was armed with missiles this time around. Monev the Gale was back once again. He took aim at the saloon but decided destroying a more populated building nearby would be more fun. He aimed at the hospital.
Meanwhile, back at the saloon, Milly asked as she grabbed a plate of eggs, "Honey, do you want some of my eggs?"
Wolfwood smiled holding out his plate to Milly. "Sure, sweetie."
*BOOOM!*
The sound of explosion was heard and it was pretty close telling but how the entire saloon shook from the impact. Everyone screamed in terror from the sudden shock. One man stood up and exclaimed, "What the heck was THAT?!"
Vash's eyes narrowed, "Something's happening!" He dashed out of the door right after. Then the rest of the group followed. The man with the dark coat slung his coat back on and threw $$20 on the table. He then dashed out. "Keep the change!"
Meanwhile, outside, everyone was panicked as the explosion cracked one of the foundation pillars of the hospital and caused it to slowly collapse. Doctors were in a hurry to get all of the patients out before the building was reduced to rubble.
Wolfwood exclaimed, "Who in the hell could have done this?"
Knives looked around and then spotted the culprit. "The bell tower! Wolfwood, come with me! Vash, you, Quinton and the insurance girls help those people at the hospital!"
Wolfwood then unveiled his punisher cross as he and Knives rushed to the missile sniper. Monev saw that two of Vash's buddies were running toward his sniper spot. He didn't get a clear view of them, but despite that he exclaimed with evil glee, "Wanna piece of ME?! TAKE THIS!!!"
3 missiles went flying at the daring duo. Wolfwood gritted his teeth as he got down on one knee, aimed and fired off 3 missiles to cancel out Monev's. The plan succeeded, but the explosion blew Knives and Wolfwood back by a few feet. Monev laughed triumphantly. "This is too much fun!"
Meanwhile, Vash carried 2 people out of the hospital, on each shoulder. Milly helped out an old man who could barely walk and Meryl was seen wheeling out a pregnant woman in a wheelchair.
One of the doctors said, "Thank you very much for your help. I think that's everyone."
Meryl gasped. "Wait, where's Quinton?!"
Meanwhile, Wolfwood sneered. "Damn, out of missiles...."
Knives' eyes went wide. "That's not good...."
then finally got a clear look at the two fools who stood in his way, he frowned with narrowed eyes, "Knives and Chapel?! Traitors....you sided with the humans! Well, then if you like them so much, let's see if you can save them in time!!!"
Monev the Gale fired 3 more missiles that shot directly at the hospital and suddenly vanished into thin air.
Suddenly, Vash heard his brother's voice call in his mind, *There are 3 missiles head your way and we can't stop them! Get yourself and everyone else out of there, Vash!*
Vash cursed and then looked at the crowd, "Everybody run! Missiles are coming!!!"
The crowd of people scattered and the doctors also took the people who were immobile out of the area, being that was their duty to make sure patients were safe.
Vash ran toward the hospital as Meryl shouted, "Vash, what are you doing?! You'll get yourself killed!"
Vash thought, "Quinton's still in there, I have to save him!" Vash the Stampede ran into the building and moments later, it went up in a huge explosion. Meryl cried his name as the entire area was lit up with light from the blast.
Wolfwood and Knives rushed back to see what was going on, as the missile maniac had disappeared without a trace. They came back to see a huge hole in the ground where the hospital used to be. Meryl's eyes were about to overflow with tears of sorrow until she saw a hand come up. She recognized that glove. Vash has pulled himself up from the hole in the ground. He had some cuts an bruises, but the smile he had showed he was fine. Moments after, Quinton climbed up, with a little girl on his back.
Meryl looked extremely......pissed. She glared at both guys and shouted, "What did you think you were doing making us worry like that?! And Vash, who told YOU to run into an exploding building?!"
Vash and Quinton both sweat dropped as Meryl fumed.
Knives raised an eyebrow. "How exactly did you survive the explosion?"
Quinton explained, "Well, I heard the commotion from inside and due to the instability of the building, there was really no way out. By chance I came by a room with a big safe inside, so I broke into the safe and hid inside. When I heard Vash running around, I simply pulled him in then shut it before the whole building went up."
Milly's face brightened up. "Wow! How did you know that safe was so sturdy?"
Quinton sweat dropped. "Well, I didn't...."
"WHAT?!" Vash exclaimed.
The little girl was unconscious on Quinton's back by now. Milly smiled brightly and said, "You're really brave, Quinton! I'm so happy you and Mr. Vash made it!"
Meryl looked at the little girl and said, "Well, at least everyone is okay. But we have to get this girl back to her parents. I wonder where they could be....."
Quinton shrugged. "No clue, but I can look for them."
Meryl shook her head. "I think that Milly and I should do it. Besides, you're already hurt. Look at your arms and legs!"
Quinton looked and saw cuts and bruises everywhere. He tried to ignore them and hoped no one would notice if he pretended he wasn't hurt. Unfortunately Meryl Strife was too sharp for his plan. He grinned sheepishly as Milly picked up the little girl and started to carry her.
chirped, "Don't worry, Quinton. We'll take care of the rest. You should go to a doctor. We'll see ya!"
Quinton sighed. “Back to the hospital AGAIN? Aw, man, this sucks!”
The two insurance girls walked off, leaving Vash, Quinton, Wolfwood and Knives standing there. They all looked at each other, each understanding that the shit just met with a huge fan. This wasn't over, that's for sure. Meanwhile, the mysterious man from the saloon stood on the roof of one of the buildings and looked downward at our four heroes. He sneered and said, "Hmm, very interesting. Vash the Stampede and Millions Knives on the same side? Heh, bet Legato would love to hear that." He turned around and walked off.
************************
2 hours later, Quinton was all patched up and everyone prepared to leave the town via the bus. Quinton was the last to stop on board and as he did, a hand gripped his arm. He gasped and spun around seeing that the hand belonged to Adrian. She had a shy smile as she blushed. She looked into his brown eyes and asked, "Quinton....you'll come back, won't you?"
Quinton looked into her violet eyes and slowly forced himself to smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red bandana. Quinton thought that his best bet was to play along for now, because she wouldn’t leave him alone. However, something told him that this would be commonly known as stringing her along, but she brought it on herself. If only she hadn’t tried clinging on to him so fast, he wouldn’t have to do this. He placed the bandana into her palm and closed her hand. She then said, "This is all that I have to remind me of my older brother.” He lied. “Take good care of it....because I'll want it when I come back, okay?"
It was a red bandana he bought in February. He didn’t have any particular reason for buying it besides wearing it to keep the sweat from his brow from dripping into his eyes. He thought that if he made her believe it was important, she would be satisfied with that and leave him alone, at least for now. Now, the only thing he had to do now is never come back. He doubted he would since, after this little adventure, there would be no reason to do so. May City would just be off limits for a while. On the inside, he was grinning with relief.
Adrian, with tears of joy flowing down each cheek, threw herself into Quinton's arms. "I love you and I'll be waiting...."
Those words gave Quinton a shock. As they broke their embrace, Adrian stepped of the bus, leaving a shocked Quinton standing there. He suddenly felt like Thomas dung. He was stringing along a love sick girl. It was wrong in every way, but he justified it by reminding himself that he wasn’t out to hurt her, but he just wanted to get her off his back. It was better to keep this up than to just say ‘I don’t like you’ and hurt her feelings. Wasn’t it?
As he stood there, and slowly came out of deep thought, he noticed the looks he was being given from the group. Vash looked like he was going to cry tears of joy, Wolfwood had a sly smirk, Knives was smiling in an almost ridiculing manner, Milly looked overly happy, and Meryl had her nose in a book.
Quinton turned red and growled. "What?! I was just being nice, okay?!" He pointed his finger at Vash and the others. “Don’t start thinking I want anything to do with her! It’s just not funny!”
Knives sighed contently. "Ah, young love...."
Wolfwood smirked. "As A traveling priest, I can marry you two for a really low rate!"
Quinton shouted, "Knock it off!"
Vash sniffled. "It’s...so..beautiful! The love of a young maiden! With eyes for only Quinton, she waits patiently for his return!"
Milly shouted, "That's so sweet! Are you really going to marry her, Quinton?"
Quinton shouted, “No, no, no, NO! I don’t like her, okay?! Geez, do something nice one time and people can’t wait to get the wrong idea!” He sighed with irritation.
He decided to sit beside Meryl, since she seemed to be the most level headed one in the group at the moment. Milly and Wolfwood sat together, of course, and Vash sat with Knives in the back seat with his feet up. Looking at Meryl, he gathered that she was uptight and perhaps even moody. However, she seemed to be highly concentrated, as well. It reminded him of his sister when she got into her serious mode. Of course, he hadn’t really seen Meryl in a very light mood. She was either angry annoyed or firmly mellow, like now. This bothered him a little, so he inquired, "Hey, how come you're always serious all the time?"
Meryl replied simply, "Well, it's apart of my job. Everything must be taken seriously. Right now, we have to find a new bandit who does about killing innocent people demolishing things and keep tabs on him. His name is Desert Evil. This lab trip may be a good lead."
Quinton frowned as he sat back in his chair. "I don’t see how the lab’ll be a decent lead to a guy like that. The Doc would never work with bandits. He'd commit suicide before doing that!"
Meryl shook her head. "No, I'm not saying that. I'm thinking that given his tendency to kill at random, he may be working for Legato. Since the last place Legato was happened to be that lab, we may find a clue. And honestly, I don't think that doctor would do such a thing, either."
Quinton gasped. "You KNOW him?!"
Meryl chuckled. "No, I don't. But telling by the way you were talking about him, you must have a lot of respect for him, am I right?"
Quinton nodded. "He's been like a father to me, even before my sister was killed. This whole thing with those Gung Ho Guns being revived might be my fault. I think he created that machine because he knew how much I missed her. If anyone dies as a result, it'll be all my fault." He hung his head down shamefully.
Wolfwood overheard the conversation and commented, "Don't feel guilty. It's nobody's fault simply because no one knew this would happen. Don't be like this clown," said Wolfwood as he pointed at the sleeping Vash, "Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders unnecessarily isn't mentally or spiritually healthy. As long as you blame yourself, you can't move on. You'll spend the rest of your life trapped in that one regretful moment."
Milly cheered, "That's right, Quinton! You should listen to my Wolfie-chan!"
A long pause of silence filled the bus. Vash and Knives looked at each other and smiled. Meryl and Quinton both laid eye on Milly and Wolfwood with smile son their faces. Milly, of course, smiled in a clueless manner. The other passenger grinned, as well.
Suddenly, the entire bus exploded with laughter at Wolfwood's expense. His face turned red as he put his shades on and looked out of the window, ignoring the fact he was being laughed at. He cringed at it all, but it was far from over.
Milly looked at Wolfwood as he turned away and asked, "What wrong, Wolfie-chan? Why are you all red? Turn this way, Wolfie-chan! Wolfie-chan, can you hear me?"
Vash woke up with loud laugher and a finger in Wolfwood's face. Wolfwood gritted his teeth and then stood up, making his great declaration. A declaration from a man of God, that would make anyone stop what they were doing and pay attention to him.
Wolfwood bellowed, "ALL OF YOU, SHUT THE F*** UP!"
Sure enough, every man, woman, and child paused and stared blankly. Vash backed away from the angry priest and whispered to Knives, "What the hell kind of a churchman is he, anyway?"
Knives whispered back, "A very disgruntled one....."
*************************
Meanwhile, in the lab located in the desert near June, Legato smiled with evil delight as Rem Saverem dangled by her hands about one foot above him. He began to read her mind and then said, "I won't do anything indecent to you, Ms. Saverem. I just need you as bait for Vash the Stampede."
Rem's eyes widened. "What are you going to do to Vash?!"
Legato replied coldly, "Kill him."
Rem shouted, "Leave Vash alone! If you hurt him I swear I'll-!"
Legato smirked. "You'll what? Preach to me about the sins of killing others?"
Rem stayed silent and looked away from Legato. This made Legato smiled even wider as he mentally took control of her right arm and forced her to slap herself across the face.
Legato's expression went blank. "Stay in your place, human. Vash the Stampede will die and you may join him. Humankind has no time. All of you will be no more...."
Legato walked away from her as the door of the lab opened. It was the same man that had been gulping down pancakes at the saloon. He bowed. "Master Legato, the trap has been set. Viper and the anarchist are in position. May I ask who else is with Vash?"
Legato turned around and face him. "Why would you like to know?"
The man replied, "I just want to know what to expect."
Legato smirked as he turned his back to him once more. "Then expect a very big surprise."
The man bowed. "Yes....Master Legato..."
~Preview~
Vash: The sound of violence, a common, yet unsettling sound. Smiling faces grimace and shed tears at the horrific actions of those who show no mercy. Those who can, will. Those who cannot, will not. Remember the geranium....determination. I see you, Rem. I can finally see you…
Next Episode: Desert Storm!