Trigun

Trigun

Volume 1 Chapter 1
Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action by: Yasuhiro Nightow

TRIGUN #3 PoPo

Mail Man- Maa~iil.

Deputy Clerk- Got it. Thanks a lot.

::Mail Man- no prob.::

Deputy Clerk- ЕЕ Sheriff. Some sort of official notice just arrived.

Sheriff- ? Е Hey, you two. Don't bother putting up that poster.

Clerk- huh?

Sherrif- The Nebraska Family was caught. What's this? In the "hunter" column, they put "The Ainpril Town Council"? And just 4 hours after the notice went out. That's got to be a speed record. Oh, andЕ quote "Vash the Stampede has left our jurisdiction".

shifting back to Ainpril, in a quaint little shoppetteЕ

Meryl- You are unbelievably soft-hearted.

Vash- ? What, is wandering east to west and everywhere in between supposed to be a profession or something? Lots of cash is bulky and gets in the way.

Meryl- So that's why you just gave away $$700,000? oh, look. Vash is being even nicer and giving a piece of his sandwich to a little black cat sitting under the table. isn't he just so generous?

Vash- What's wrong with that? Because I did, I can get as many salmon sandwiches as I want here, whenever I want them. Right, Granny?

::Granny- Righto, sonny. Eat up!::

Millie- ЕЕ I'm jealousЕ

Meryl swats Millie.

Meryl- With that kind of money, he could buy a sandwich factory.

Vash- By the byЕ How long do you two intend to follow me around?

Meryl- Oh, we don't have any specific limit. ::Vash- urk::

Meryl- If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say until our term of office has ended. Our reports have become very important in the field of insurance investigations. a rattle that has been steadily growing to an un-ignorable pitch through the conversation brings Millie to the window in curiosity.

Millie- Oooooooooh! It's a sandsteamer!

Excited kid 1- The sandsteamer "Flourish" just docked!

Excited kid 2- That's a humpback class, right? Let's go see it!

pulling in to the side of town, and dwarfing everything (I do mean dwarfing *everything*. the thing's gotta be at least 5 stories tall), is a giant machine resembling the engine-car of a train, just taller than it is long, with a pair of stacks almost like those of a cruise ship, portholes for windows, and a pair of ship-like observation decks on the back. the two insurance girls look out the window, gawking at the incredibly huge piece of machinery.

Meryl- My, it really is big, isn't it?

Millie- And this one looks like it'll have a really long caravan, too.

Meryl- Speaking of such things, it's been half a month since we came here. When are you next planning to de---part?!

Meryl & Millie- AAAAAAAHHH!!!!

whoopsieЕ turn your back and **poof**, no more VashЕ.. elsewhereЕ Vash- //cheerily pushing his way through a crowd// 'scuze me, pardon me, coming through, sorryЕ stuck behindЕ

Meryl- He completely fooled us. No wonder, since he's supposed to be so clever. He seems so nice and harmless, but he's really just that good, huh.

Millie- No worries, Sempai! I figured something might happen, so I slipped something into his salmon sandwich. A transmitter!

Meryl- Well done! I'm surprised the company had that sort of location deviceЕ

Millie- Yeah. The chief said that I'm so careless, I'll get out-smarted all the time if I don't do somethingЕ

Meryl- That's not something you need to brag about, Millie.

beep beep beep -113- beep beep Millie- which way, which wayЕ //walking across the roomЕ// beep beep beep

Millie- we're getting closer, closerЕ //to the tableЕ//

beep beep beep beep

Millie- If this keeps up, we'll catch up in no timeЕ //looking under itЕ//

beep beep beep beep beep beep beep

Meryl & Millie- ЕЕЕЕЕ

beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep

sitting under the table is a small, black cat (nyaaaa---urp*), and the half-eaten remains of a piece of sandwichЕ gee, that's an awful familiar looking bit.

Millie- He somehowЕ. changed into a cat?

Meryl- He did NOT.

somewhere else, finally out from the watchful eyes of the insurance girls, Vash ties up his black pack, slings on a cloak (yes, another cloak over top of his red duster), puts on his shades, and strides off to the sandsteamer. did I say this thing was 5 stories tall? I lie. I lie badly. given the perspective on surrounding buildings, "Flourish" is at least **double** that. It is FREAKIN' HUGE. The Sandsteamer. On this world where even in the present day maps still have many blank spots, it is about the only regularly running mode of transport. Across those spaces, through the harshest of harsh climes teeming with the worst sort of outlaws, the number of passable routes can be counted on one hand. From town to townЕ this giant steam locomotive has an important role as a major transportation artery. Hired for support in case of emergencies, the caravan takes shape around the base of the sandsteamer, each individual driver pointed to his place in the ranks, and together the sandsteamer and its caravan cross the sea of sand.

Millie- Wait a second!

Meryl- ?

Millie- CouldЕ could he possibly be thinking of leaving on the Sandsteamer?

Meryl- That's not good at all! There's no branch of our office here, and we've been here for over half a month-we might not have enough cash!

Millie- Crap!

elsewhere in townЕ

Steamer Security Chief- Yessir, step right up. The Sandsteamer "Flourish" leaves tomorrow morning on its two week journey to May City. Passenger tickets at the blue window, and caravan registration at the red one. First come, first serve!

Vash- Got any spots left in third class?

Steamer Security Chief- If ya grab 'em now, yeah. It'll be pretty rough down there for a two week trip though. You okay with that?

Kid- (he look familiar at all? He should. He's the kid from way back in the beginning at the dinerЕ) Vash, you're leaving?!

Vash- urk

Vash- Silly! Shhhhhh! Shhhhhhh!

Kid- Without even saying one goodbye? How could you! Everyone'll miss you so much!

Vash- Tonis, shhhhhhhh!

Steamer Security Chief- //who overheard this whole thing// Are youЕ Vash the Stampede?

Vash- Absolutely not!

Steamer Security Chief- Hey, listen. You wanna join the caravan? If you were protecting the sandsteamer, we could double the fares and it'd still be a steal!

Vash- No, no, no and no. I don't like trouble.

Steamer Security Chief- C'mon, please? Pleee~~~ase? dignity. wonderful thing. the chief has not one iota, or at least, none when it comes to making money. literally hanging onto Our Perturbed Hero's bootstraps, he continues to beg his case shamelessly before an ever increasing crowd of people.

Vash- nononononooo~~~!

Millie- Yes! We've found him, Sempai!

Meryl- ЕЕ -.-;

and watching this whole spectacle from the shadows of a building is a young boyЕ

That evening, the town came together with an unusually exuberant cheer, shouted with voices that know all too well of long journeys, trying to leave something of themselves with those who must depart. Thus, here we find---

Drunk Party-goer: We'll miss ya!

Not-so-Drunk Party-goer: You will come back and visit, won't you, Mr. Vash?

Really Drunk Party-goer: Here, chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!

never one to back down from a challenge, Our Inebriated Hero proceeds to do just that. And my, what a party it is. it's right about up there with some of the post-finals-I-don't-have-ANY-more-classes-in-THAT-@$&%$&^%#!-course-EVER-again frat parties I've seen. most everyone is up causing ruckus of some variety, except for Millie, who's 7/8th of the way passed out on a table, and Meryl, who's being quite the wallflower, though she's avidly watching the hullabaloo.

Meryl- My, my.

Drunk Flirt- Hey, you drink? Here.

Meryl- Uhm, yes. Thank you.

Drunk Flirt- Hm? What's so interesting over there?

Meryl- Oh, nothing much, really. I was just thinking that no one really knows a lot about HimЕ

Drunk Flirt- Yeah, that's certainly true. That and everyone's got a chance to let off a lot of steam now that the town's financial situation's gonna work out somehow. Nevermind that just the other day we were all fighting him, guns blazingЕ I usually really wouldn't like this butЕ sorry, I'm rambling. ramble? here's a ramble for ya. Millie is still 1/8th conscious yet...

Millie- HA! I'm FINE! 'Cuz I have a diff'rnt tummy for cake 'n icecream.

::Drunk Flirt- heh heh heh.::

Meryl- ЕЕЕ ^^;;

and so the night passes, and everyone eventually gets waaay too drunk for their own goodЕ

Е in a hotel, in front of room 203-- erm.. Working Lady 1- It's no good, Vonnegut.

Working Lady 2- He's totally dead to the world.

the subject of this conversation is, of course, Our Inebriated Hero, who's out like a light on the bed, with more than one trace of lipstick on his faceЕ Vonnegut- (now we finally get a name for our former Clued-In Subordinate) I guess we over-did it a little. And you two ladies came all the way over here on short notice for nothing. I'm sorry about that. Say 'hi' to Silvie for me, would you?

Working Lady 1- ЕЕ It really is a shame, though. The chance to sleep with a man like him doesn't come around often at all.

Vonnegut- 'night.

Working Lady 1- See you.

Working Lady 2- Good night.

oopsЕ perhaps Our Inebriated Hero isn't as inebriated as everyone thoughtЕ

Vash- ЕЕЕЕ hmmm, maybe I shouldn't haveЕ Е nah.

time passes, as it is wont to do, and morning comes around, likely way too early for many a hung-over citizen but they turn out anyway for the "Flourish's" sendoff, giving it a fanfare worthy of any grand old Earth steamboat, complete with trumpets, streamers, and waving hankies. Vash has taken up a spot on one of the observation decks when two of the children racing after the departing sandsteamer catch his eye.

Tonis- Vaaa~~~sh!

Vash- You stay out of trouble now, Tonis! ЕЕЕЕ !!

BLEEEAARRGH~~~~

well, hangovers have no respect for persons, striking down even ace gunmen. at least he managed to hold it off until there wasn't anyone at the foot of the sandsteamerЕ. again, time passes, and the sandsteamer rolls on through the wastelands charted only by the outlaws that live there, its caravan strung out behind. and things quickly settle into a routine inside the bowels of the sandsteamer. Our Laid Back Hero has found himself a small nook in which to curl up and nap away the two week journey, as well as (hopefully) his hangover. now if only everyone would let him beЕ Steamer Security Chief- It won't be long before we reach Rotten Bog Ravine, Vash.

Vash- ЕЕ And I care why?

Steamer Security Chief- You've already heard my reasoning on that one, I think. That's the stompin' grounds of the Bad Lad Bandit Gang, the baddest, nastiest, loudest gang there is. With those guys out there, no matter what precautions we take, we can't overd---

Vash- Would you listen?! I. Am. A. Passenger. I have ve~~~eery high expectations for this thing's security measures, so I'm trusting you to take care of everything, okay?

escaping the overly persistent security chief, Vash makes his way into the men's room to take a leak. Vash- Jesus HЕЕ First those two insurance girls, now this. And here I was hoping for a nice, quiet trip. si~~gh. that taken care ofЕ

Vash- Alrighty then! Now for another na-

turning, he instead gets a ventilation grate in the face. owch, that was the edge, tooЕ and it had a kid on top of it.

Kid- ЕЕЕЕ

Vash- #$^*)^#@#$^!$#@!!+&#*@$^&&*(&^(!!#&*$!!!!

Kid- Aw, crap!

a kid who takes one look at what's going on and high tails it back up the shaft.

Vash- GRRRAAAAAAA~~~ ЕЕ 'ch. GET BACK HERE!!!

but that won't save him. Our Peeved Hero goes right up after him in a fire-breathing, Wolverine-claw-wielding (they're there, look close ^^) fury, hauling the impertinent brat back down into the restroom for the dispensation of appropriate justice. hanging on to the back of the kid's shirt like one holds the scruff of a rebellious puppy, Vash begins chewing him out.

Vash- When you cause trouble for other people, you're supposed to apologize! Dammit, look at all this blood! That's from the second hit, for sure! Oh, a joint-lock, hm? That doesn't do jack when you're hanging in the air. ЕЕ You're a stowaway, aren't you? the kid freezes.

that comment hit the nail on the head, apparently, and the kid's thoughts flit briefly to the knife tucked in the back of his coveralls. Vash dumps him on the ground, and he glares for a second before plastering a grin on his face.

Kid- That's correct, sir. My parentsЕ died when I was still very young. I was taken to one of my relatives but it was a really horrible place, sir. My aunt would hit me while she was drunk, and my uncle liked little boys a lot more than he should. If I can just get to May City, I can escape them! If I have to go backЕ who knows what will happen to me. PleaseЕ I beg you, don't turn me in!

riiiiiiiiiiightЕ

Kid- //thinking// Now that sucked. Nobody's gonna buy that godawful story nowadays. ::and that really sucked for me, I'm usually a lot quicker than thatЕ:: Crud, I'm going to have to kill him after allЕ ? tears in his eyes, and every evidence of melodramatic pain etched across his featuresЕ

Vash- I understand, it must have been so hard! But it's okay now. I'll take care of you. You won't ever have to go through a terrible situation like that ever again!

Е Our Naяve Hero seems to have bought it, hook, line and sinkerЕЕ

::Kid- HolyЕ! Is this guy for real?::

Meanwhile, Meryl and Millie Е

::Steamer Security Chief- Hey, part timers! Slack off and I'll toss ya overboard into the sand-ocean, got that?::

Е have found work in the "Flourish's" galley.

To be continued...