Just a comic about two people catching up again [Angel AU]
[ID: A Trigun comic of Wolfwood after his death in Trigun Maximum.
Abbreviated ID: Wolfwood is now an angel with wings and a halo tied to his grave. He cannot be seen or heard by others, but Livio visited his grave and mostly filled him in on the finale, and Wolfwood waits for Vash to show up. When he does, Wolfwood is stunned and worried by his black hair, though he deems Vash fine when he pulls out drinks for them both.
Vash pours the drinks and talks. He confesses that he killed someone and calls himself a coward and the worst, apologizing for being selfish and not saving Wolfwood. Wolfwood angrily shouts that everything was his decision, and Vash is an idiot for blaming himself.
He says that Vash has done so much for Wolfwood and for others, and he calls Vash brave. Vash falls asleep with tears in his eyes, but he seems lighter when he wakes up. Vash leaves, promising to return, and Wolfwood says that he'll "watch him from afar... again." The title is "#1 'What happened to your hair?'". Full ID below readmore in 21 paragraphs.
The comic starts with a dark, noise-filter panel of the Punisher being used as Wolfwood's gravestone, with the quote "Nicholas D. Wolfwood has died" written over it.
Below that is Wolfwood, who has wings and a halo. He sits pensively and narrates, "At least, that's what everyone has come to believe, including me. Yet here I am, still roaming on this damn barren planet... But I wouldn't say I'm quite alive anymore. Since I couldn't feel hunger or thirst like I used to." He thinks, "'Ghost,' like those horror stories was it?"
He narrates over sketchy panels of himself frowning while floating next to his grave and yelling at Livio. "There, are other things I found that fits the term, like how I can't bring myself to far too far from my grave, or how others can't see me at all." We see Livio tearing up and saying "Nico-nii..." while Wolfwood furiously waves his arms and shouts, "I am!! Here!!!!"
Livio is shown speaking with a teary smile while Wolfwood leans against Punisher and listens. Wolfwood says, "Livio is the first and only person I've met so far. And luckily, he was quite a storyteller. I was able to get a grasp of the situation, and its aftermath. And what happened to him in the end."
Livio smiles and says, "It's been three months ever since... But even if we couldn't get ahold of him now, I'm sure he'll come back to you someday." Wolfwood narrates, "—And knowing that idiot, he probably would."
A close-up of Vash's coat in the wind as Wolfwood narrates, "So it didn't come as a surprise to me when he visited my grave. I'd even thought up of things to say when we meet again. Everything was thrown out of the window when he appears, of course. I could vividly remember the one question that burns in my head..."
Wolfwood looks shocked as Vash, hair fully black, waves cheerfully, "Yo! It's been a while, hasn't it? Wolfwood." Below the two floats the question: "#1 'What happened to your hair?'"
Wolfwood sweats, "Spikey, your hair. Doesn't it mean... Are you okay???" Vash smiles sheepishly, "Ah, I hope you're not mad I didn't come sooner, don't haunt me please..." Wolfwood shouts, "That's not the problem right now!!" Vash pulls something out and exclaims, "But look what I got for you!! Alcohol!!!" Wolfwood shouts, "What sort of person do you see me as!?"
Vash excitedly pulls out a bottle and two shot glasses. "It's not the only reason why I'm late, but it did took me a month to hunt this down... I recall you said you wanted to try them, right?" Wolfwood buries his face in his hands and says, "Where the hell are your priorities... You know what, yeah. I'm not gonna ask anymore since you look fine."
Vash smiles a bit tiredly and says, "Hmm,, I'm glad this place hasn't turn to ruins yet~ I've still got lots I need to tell you that's happened out there! And I thought it's better to talk about it with drinks on the side…" He clinks two glasses together. "So, cheers! ..."
He and Wolfwood are both awkwardly silent, and Vash sweats and frowns nervously. Then he pours a glass onto the ground, and Wolfwood furiously shouts, "D'ya really expect me to drink off the ground!? Stupid needle noggin!!!!!"
Vash laughs sheepishly, and he speaks via empty speech bubbles while Wolfwood listens, drinking with a small smile. Vash says, "... And when that happened I..." He drops his gaze and says between long pauses, "I..... When that happened......" Wolfwood watches him seriously as he says, "... Say. Wolfwood, is this how you've felt all the time?"
Vash looks down sadly. "You I see, I... killed someone in the end." He laughs, eyebrows drawn in. "I guess you're right. I am bound to choose someday." He takes another sip, then downs it and falls backwards. "Isn't it funny? That I've called you a coward once for killing... But guess who's the coward now~? It's always been me, isn't it?"
Vash lies on his back and laughs. "... Haha. I wonder if you're laughing too. I really am the worst, aren't I?" Wolfwood looks down as Vash continues, "You've done so much for me, but all I've caused you are troubles. I was selfish, always chasing after my own goals... That you couldn't ask for my help. That I couldn't save you. Just what kind of friend am I?"
Vash scrubs his eyes with an arm and says shakily, "Sorry... Wolfwood... I'm so sorry..." A close-up panel of his mouth shows Wolfwood saying, "... Just so you know--" Expression unimpressed, he exclaims, "There's no way in hell I'm accepting that lousy apology! You drunkard!"
He stands up and seems to kick Vash, who's still on the ground and mostly out of sight. Wolfwood demands, "Why are you even sorry for something like that, huh?? I chose my own path. It was all my decision! How many times do I say it to get it stick in that thick head of yours? Stop. Blaming. Yourself. For the things. You've not done. Idiot! Stupid spikey hair!!"
Vash's face is cut off, but a tear in his eye can be seen as he weakly says, "... oof.. wood..." Wolfwood looks tired and sighs, "... Ha... Don't feel bad about me. Until when will you realise just how much you've done for us? You've done more than enough for me, Needle Noggin."
The perspective zooms out to focus on the sky and two moons, including the fifth moon. Wolfwood's wings and the Punisher can just be seen at the bottom. Wolfwood says, "And you're brave, to go against what you've been taught your whole life. You're not a coward. You faced them until the end. So don't sell yourself short like that next time, okay?" We see Vash's face, smiling with tears in his closed eyes. Wolfwood concludes: "I'll get mad."
Wolfwood narrates, "—He passed out right after for the whole night on the cold ground. I realised how little I could help in the situation." He tries to drape his coat over Vash, sweating, and wonders, "Wouldn't it just pass through ...?"
Time passes, and Vash gets up with a sneeze and rubs his eyes. Wolfwood watches him with his eyebrows raised, and Vash laughs quietly and a bit nervously. Wolfwood narrates, "As if he'd heard my voice, a burden seems to be lifted off his shoulder when he woke up. That, or maybe he'd forgotten what happened last night. He was quick to take his leave right after.
"And so, Vash the Stampede went on a journey with a promise." Vash waves goodbye, turning to leave with his bag in hand. "I'll be sure to bring back more stuff next time!! See you later!" Wolfwood concludes, "While I watch him from afar... again." Wolfwood sits below the Punisher and waves back, saying with bemusement, "Has he never heard the phrase 'do not disturb the death?' He really throws me off..." The title is named, and it says "/ END." End ID]
[link to Image ID reblog post!]
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Okay okay okay okay. I’ve had some time to go do irl stuff and just chew on this episode so I think I can come in swinging.
With how fast-paced Stampede is, Studio Orange did a really good job with holding Vash’s secrets over our heads, as well as establishing plot and the world.
This’ll get into Ep 7 spoilers (as well as Maximum and Trigun spoilers up to the point Ep 7 ends, along with some of the plot points Stampede covers already), so I’ll put all this under a readmore. That, and this got Very Long.
I’ll be referring to each source as:
Manga/Maximum
90s anime/Trigun
‘23 anime/Stampede
I think firstly, they’re treating this as a half-FMA Brotherhood, half-original work. I say that because it doesn’t entirely follow the original manga (or the 90s anime for obvious reasons), but it does seem to assume you’re coming in knowing these characters from somewhere first. My dad said the two shows “sharpen each other,” so if you approach Stampede knowing that it came from somewhere else and you have that knowledge, it’ll make Stampede all that more enjoyable.
Which is part of the reason why they make clear part of Vash’s origin -- that he was on the spaceships when they crashed -- and that he is a Plant that much sooner than the 90s anime did.
But to get back to Stampede’s episodes -- we have 12 episodes this season, and they wanted to get the groundwork of the plot done as quickly as possible to make sure we’re hooked for what’s coming. That means establishing setting, characters, conflicts, and all the good good world-building that makes people go nuts for characters.
So telling us right off the bat “hey, we’re on a desert world where colony ships crashed” makes sense for episode 1. Get that out of the way, establish setting. Get us introduced to Meryl and Roberto -- the eyes of the new and old fans respectively -- and get us introduced to Vash, in a new form but still the lovable pacifist gunslinger who uses his goofy side as a thin mask to hide his true, quiet, sad, serious self. This gives us most of our main characters for the season.
Then we get Vash’s philosophy in Episode 2 -- save everyone on the planet, no matter who they are or what they do, and no matter how difficult it is to do so.
Episode 3 introduces us to Knives and his cronies, even if we don’t get the name for the organization here. We have established conflict -- Vash’s fight against Knives, and his fight to figure out and hone his philosophy further, to establish the side he fights on.
Episode 4 gives us Wolfwood, and hints that “hey, he may not be here for entirely good reasons.” But it’s good to establish all the main characters early in the plot. That, and this is the start of Act 2 according to Studio Orange, which is a perfect time to bring in someone who represents Vash’s conflict with his philosophy and act as a foil for his character.
Episode 5 establishes the plant cult, their experimentation, and one of the larger hints about Vash and what he is. We had hints before, with the circuitry pattern on his child self in Ep 1-3, and his superhuman sight, excellent marksmanship, and superhuman hearing. But here, it shows us that he hasn’t physically aged in the last 20 years, and this is the first time Meryl and Roberto realize “Oh, we may be in over our heads.” Or, at least, Roberto does. Meryl just smells more of a story than what she’s been told or has heard.
Ep 5 also establishes the conflict between Vash and Wolfwood as foils -- whether or not you have to kill someone, or if you can let them live. This is what Wolfwood is here for. He is a kind man who doesn’t want to kill people, but sees that he has no choice. Vash, by contrast, is a kind man who doesn’t want to kill people, and thinks he has other options, doing everything he can to make them reality. Both are going to show that their outlooks on life are right and wrong, and they’re going to rub off on each other.
Ep 6 goes to establish further information about the plant cult (now given a name, the Eye of Michael), using the “monster of the week” (sorry Livio), and his connection to Wolfwood. More world-building, more fights, and a nice juicy amount of backstory about our traveling undertaker (including Legato’s first appearance!). Not to mention more establishment for Vash’s strange abilities -- I mean, you saw him punch Livio across the deck without winding up for the punch. Skinny plant boy is strong, stronger than the average human.
And then we get to Episode 7 this week, giving us more backstory for Wolfwood and Livio (hence the episode’s title), on the backdrop of the Bad Lads clamoring onto the ship for a robbery and safely bringing Meryl and Roberto on board. Which likely failed because 1) Vash came in and beat them all up in hand-to-hand and 2) they likely saw the ion cannon charging up and decided it was better to skadoodle. At least they have more of a desire to stay alive this time than in Trigun. All episode, we continue to get hints that Vash and Wolfwood are more than the sum of their parts -- pushing the ion cannon away from Hopeland, Vash’s knowledge of Lost Technology, and Vash’s acknowledgement of Wolfwood’s connection to Livio and his eagerness to help Wolfwood “wake Livio up.”
Oh, right. And more development for Legato, who decided he wanted to force Wolfwood to kill Livio and watch his home die because he wanted to make Wolfwood lose his ability to love others and decide that “my home is dead, might as well destroy everything around me and take the world down with me.” Trying to reel a loose cannon in line with that idea is only asking for trouble -- for the instigator. I see Legato getting his head blown open the first chance Wolfwood has.
And to wrap it all up, we end Episode 7 on the reveal that “Oh yeah, by the way, Vash is a Plant. We’ve been dropping hints about his inhuman nature, and it makes sense to confirm it here -- both for the newbies, and the old fans who already know. Time to wrap up this act and start a new one!”
Now, If you’ve read Maximum, they do show Vash talking with a Plant on the sandsteamer, like they did with Stampede’s episode this week. It even happens during a Bad Lads invasion of a sandsteamer, when it goes wild and is about to crash (except in Maximum and Trigun they’re sending it off a cliff). They don’t show this scene in Trigun, however, instead focusing on Kite as he’s using his dad’s plans to save the steamer, redeeming himself for his earlier actions. This artificially lengthens the amount of time folks have to question how Vash knows stuff -- like the robots in Trigun’s Ep 9, where he made a comment about them being well past their expiration date, and knew how to shut down the facility.
I think, when people complain about Stampede showing things “right away,” a lot of it comes from what they remember of the Trigun anime, rather than Maximum. We get larger hints in Maximum, so they give us larger hints in Stampede. Especially when you take into account the “hey, we’re remixing the plot of an old anime and an old manga that people already know.”
All in all, I think Orange is doing a very good job working with what they have, and that will only become more clear the more we move forward, and the more we have to look back on.
And I am very much looking forward to having more of the full picture.
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Shot Through the Heart and You're (Not) to Blame
Fandom: Trigun Stampede
Rating: Teen/Mature
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Angst
Pairings: Meryl Stryfe/Nicholas Wolfwood/Vash the Stampede (can be read as platonic or romantic)
Tags: Meryl Stryfe, Vash the Stampede, Wolfwood/Nicholas, Roberto, Whump, angst, Protective Wolfwood, Protective Roberto, Protective Vash, father-figure Roberto, bullet wounds, injuries, Violence, Canon-typical misogyny, Swearing, blood, Hurt Meryl, Meryl Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Third Person POV, Meryl-centric
Word Count: 2.9k
Meryl gets caught in the crossfire, and things don't look so good.
Cross posted from my AO3 account
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Meryl rolled over, still groggy as her lids started to lift, the blanket tucked tightly around her shoulders. The double bed she’d shared with Vash last night was suspiciously empty and her sleep fogged mind wondered if he’d gotten up to use the bathroom. Usually, she and Roberto would share one double while Wolfwood and Vash shared the other, but her superior and the so-called priest decided to stay up smoking and drinking despite the plans to leave early the next morning, leaving her grumbling about being woken up when they finally decided to head to bed. Vash had timidly offered to share the room with her as he was tired as well, and after a moment of consideration and squinting at the human typhoon, Roberto nodded.
They two of them had settled down to sleep with minimal talking, Meryl asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She’d slept like a rock until waking up just now from the sound of the doorknob jiggling.
Vash must have forgotten his key, she thought and sighed, not wanting to leave the cozy warmth of the bed just yet.
A sharp crack! had her eyes snapping open as she pushed herself up, short hair stuck to her face. The door had been busted open, handle now broken. She was about to snap at Vash for being impatient when she froze. Vash was not in the doorway. Nor was it Roberto or Wolfwood. She didn’t recognize any of the men standing there, guns levelled at her head. They wore dirty tank tops that left their broad, sunburned shoulders out, heavy boots, and thick, loose pants.
“Where is he?”
“Who?” Meryl’s heart was pounding loudly in her ears.
“The Humaniod Typhoon; where is he?”
“I don’t know,” Meryl said. It was the truth. He was gone when she woke. Where? Who knows. He was the Human Typhoon; he didn’t exactly keep a schedule.
“Don’t play dumb,” the tallest -and broadest- man strode forward, the rest of the men spilling into the room behind him. “The innkeeper said he was in this room!”
“Well, he’s obviously not!” Meryl snapped, her nerves getting the better of her. She regretted not sleeping with a gun under her pillow.
A shot rang out, and Meryl gasped, clutching her calf where a bullet had grazed. Small feathers puffed up from the hole in the bed where the bullet had ripped through the mattress.
“I’d think twice about lying, whore,” the man was uncomfortably close to Meryl. She could see his stained teeth and smell the tobacco on his breath. The other men were rooting around the room, searching for clues.
“I’m not! He left already!” Meryl gritted her teeth, a hand pressing to where blood beaded on her leg. It wasn’t deep; it probably wouldn’t need stitches. Still hurt like a bitch though.
“Then tell me where he is now,” the barrel of the gun was pressed against her collarbone. The cool metal of the gun barrel made her shiver. “Or things may get a little messy.”
“He didn’t tell me.”
The barrel of the gun pulled away and Meryl let out the breath she was holding. The man turned his back, taking a step away and sighing. His once-white tank top stretching even more as he took in a deep breath, gun resting against his shoulder in what could only be described as “nonchalant”. Meryl had the briefest hope that they would all just file out of the room without any further conflict.
Meryl registered the gun smoke and noise before realizing she was falling backwards off the edge of the bed. She hit the ground with a thud, wondering what had knocked her there. She could hear commotion near the door, which was blocked from her view on the floor. Several rounds of gunshots pierced the air. Cries were heard and gurgling like someone choking on their own blood. Something slid down her face and she reached a hand up to wipe it away as she tried to push herself up from where she’d been knocked on her back.
She pulled her hand away to see blood. Was that hers? Meryl realized the gurgling had been coming from her throat and she coughed, trying to pull in air. Blood dribbled down her chin and onto her rapidly darkening shirt. There was a spot that was pulsing, burning with pain. Thick, dark fluid spilled from a hole a little under her right collarbone.
The realization hit Meryl like a truck as her arms gave out and she fell back to the floor. She’d been shot. Meryl had close calls before; almost falling off the edge of a crumbling cliff, bullets grazing her on occasion during a shootout, getting knocked around a bit, but she’d never been in any actual danger of losing her life before. Up until now, she’d been protected by an immense amount of luck. Roberto had always been there to pull her out of the way while Vash or Wolfwood took care of whatever was causing the problem. She wasn’t genetically modified like Wolfwood or skilled like Vash. Bullets and falls would cause lasting damage.
The pain was radiating from the wound, rolling over her with each heartbeat. She tried to maneuver her hand to stop the bleeding but everything felt heavy and disjointed. How much blood had she lost? It felt like a lot. She was drenched with blood and sweat, adrenaline running through her body, but refusing to make itself useful.
Shots rang out for an eternity before dying down.
“Where the hell are they?” she heard Roberto’s voice, laced with worry.
“Hell if I know,” a dull thud that must have been the Punisher hitting the floor was heard on the other side of the bed.
Meryl tried to call out, but her head felt light. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.
Running feet were heard faintly before, “Oi! Where were you?”
Vash’s voice sounded after a moment of panting, “I… I was buying bullets before we left.”
“Well, where’s shortie?”
Meryl wanted to scream, I’m here! Help me, I’m bleeding out! She’d never been one for tears- she was a tough reporter- but they stung her eyes as she opened her mouth to take in as much air as she could, her lungs not cooperating.
“She was still sleeping when I left.”
“There’s blood on the bed,” she heard Wolfwood curse softly.
Three figures appeared in Meryl’s field of view. They were all a little blurry from the tears in her eyes, but they were there.
“R...ber…” Meryl gurgled, struggling as the blood that had accumulated in her mouth spilled over her chin.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Roberto was kneeling next to Meryl, both hands pressed to her chest, staunching the sluggish blood flow.
“Why the hell did you leave her here alone?!” Wolfwood was yelling at Vash.
“I-I’m sorry,” Vash’s face had crumpled into guilt and shame.
It’s not his fault, Meryl wanted to say. She’d do anything to make that look on his face go away. He already suffered so much regret and guilt; she couldn’t be another burden.
“S-sss…” Meryl hissed, unable to form words.
“Don’t try talking,” Roberto murmured. It was unusual for Meryl to see him this serious. He’d always been more laid back, leaving her to do all the worrying.
Wolfwood had knelt down opposite Roberto on the other side of Meryl. He had a lollypop stick clenched between his teeth. Meryl could feel tears dripping down her face as the pressure applied by Roberto didn’t exactly feel comfortable.
“She’s bleeding out. I’ve got it slowed, but I need bandages,” Roberto pointed to where Punisher sat propped against the wall.
With uncharacteristic obedience, Wolfwood swiftly unwrapped the cloth from his cross and handed it to the reporter. Vash was frozen behind them, panic painting his features. Meryl could see the thoughts at war in his head. He trying to decide if he should run. Meryl’s mind wasn’t sharp right now, but she knew that if he ran, they’d likely never see each other again. Meryl reached out a shaky hand.
“Vvv…Vashhh,” she slurred, her lips not quite working.
His eyes snapped to where she lay, Roberto on one side, Wolfwood on the other, white shirt stained crimson, blood pooling in the hollow of her throat.
One second.
Two.
“Dammit, needle-noggin’, she’s asking for you so get your ass over here!” Wolfwood snapped.
Vash settled himself at Meryl’s head with lightning speed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he breathed repentance like a prayer, muttering with his eyes pressed tightly together, his forehead touching hers as he provided his lap as a cushion for her head.
“We need to get the bullet out,” Roberto glanced down at Meryl. “It’s going to hurt.”
Meryl’s only response was a gentle fluttering of her eyelids. She felt so tired…
She was only mildly aware of her shirt buttons being undone, and the strap of her bra being pushed off her shoulder and out of the way. Something bumped the wound and she jerked, the raw nerves screaming. Roberto was digging in the hole under her clavicle with a pair of tweezers, or something similar. Every time they touched her exposed flesh it stung.
“Got it,” Roberto tossed the offending metal to the side and immediately uncorked his flask.
This really wasn’t the time to be drinking, Meryl thought.
Roberto paused, and then poured the contents directly onto wound. Screams burned her throat as she thrashed. Vash pressed his lips to her forehead, hands carding through her damp hair in some semblance of comfort.
“Stop, stop!” Meryl screamed. The booze dribbled into the cavity created by the bullet, and it was almost worse than everything else. Her body went limp, adrenaline slowing as Roberto and Wolfwood tag-teamed wrapping her with bandages and wiping of the remaining blood. Meryl’s teeth were chattering, whimpers escaping her lips in a pathetic display of weakness as she turned her head and pressed into Vash’s human hand, seeking comfort. His touches were gentle as he caressed her cheek. Fat, salty tears dripped onto her face from Vash’s eyes.
“I never should’ve left you alone,” he whispered, voice tight with guilt.
“We need to get moving,” Wolfwood’s eyes shifted to the holes in the bedroom wall. “It’s not safe to stay here.”
Roberto gave a grunt and tightened the bandages. In one swift motion, the older man had Meryl cradled in his arms. Vash and Wolfwood were close on his heels as they made a beeline for the truck.
“One of you will need to sit in the back with her,” Roberto said, “Keep an eye on her while I drive.”
“I’ll do it,” the words were out of Vash’s mouth before he could stop them.
Wolfwood pressed his lips together, an unspoken comment lingering in the air. Vash climbed into the backseat and Roberto passed Meryl up.
“Don’t let her jostle around too much.”
Vash took off his coat and wrapped it around Meryl, zipping it up so she looked more like a caterpillar than a human. He settled her down so her head lay on his lap again, and began running his hands through her hair. Meryl had fallen asleep at some point during the trek to the truck, her chest rising and falling with the exhaustion of a life-threatening ordeal.
If only I’d been there… Vash traced the round part of Meryl’s cheek, still speckled with a little blood. He was never there when someone really needed him.
The truck rumbled to life and gently bumped out into the desert and across the wide expanse of sand. The drive was silent for a long time as the sand stretched out behind them, putting distance between them and the town. Roberto glanced up to the rearview mirror after a while, noting the crumbling expression on the Vash’s face.
“She’ll survive,” he said gruffly. “Just make sure her wound doesn’t reopen.”
Vash nodded mutely. Wolfwood snuck a glance back at Meryl. Her brows were furrowed as she turned her head towards the front, eyes screwed shut still.
I should’ve gotten there faster, Wolfwood clenched his teeth, pulling out a cigarette. He rolled the window down a crack and lit the end. If only I’d gone to check right when I heard the first gunshot.
Roberto leaned his head back against his seat, letting out a long breath through his nose. Wolfwood glanced at the man, who seemed to have aged ten years in the last few hours. He pulled out another cigarette and held it out to the reporter. Roberto raised his brows a fraction but took it and even allowed Wolfwood to light it for him.
“I never should’ve left the newbie alone,” Roberto sighed, puffing out the smoke. “She’s… my responsibility. I should’ve been watching her.”
“It’s not!” Vash had to stop himself from jumping forward. “It-it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left her alone. I thought it would be fine, I was just restocking bullets before we left, but… It’s all my fault…”
Wolfwood took a drag from his cigarette. “You’re right.”
Vash stiffened.
“It is your fault for leaving her. It’s the old man’s fault for letting her share a room with you instead of someone else. And it’s my fault for not getting there sooner.” Wolfwood kept his eyes glued to the window, refusing to meet the shocked gaze of Vash. “We’re all at fault. So shut up and stop whining about it. Just… make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Vash nodded; the harsh words strangely comforting. He couldn’t help the tears swelling up, plip-plip-plipping onto the jacket wrapped around Meryl.
The small reporter shifted, turning her head towards away from the front of the car and towards Vash’s stomach. The plant froze, doing his best to not wake her. A small hand lifted and was enveloped by Vash’s large one.
“V-Vash?” Meryl asked, her eyes still closed.
“I’m here,” he put his free hand on her head.
“Promise…”
“Promise?” he cocked his head.
“Promise you won’t run away,” she murmured.
Vash swallowed. It was all he’d wanted to do since seeing her laying there on the floor of the hotel, eyes wide with terror as the blood had bubbled out of her. Every moment he wanted to flee; afraid his presence would kill her. He was dangerous.
“You’re… a good guy,” Meryl shifted, nuzzling into his black shirt gently.
Butterflies jumped in Vash’s abdomen, her pointy nose tickling him. Warmth bloomed across his cheeks and chest.
“You’re delirious,” Vash mumbled.
A bullet bounced off the passenger side mirror.
“We’ve got company, old man,” Wolfwood said, glancing at the mirror, which was miraculously still intact, minus a chip in the edge.
Roberto’s foot pressed down on the gas. Vash placed a hand on Meryl’s stomach to steady her as the car began to shake.
“Who is it?”
Wolfwood looked out the window. “Looks like a small group of bounty hunters. Probably the rest of that group that we left in the hotel room.”
The car bounced, hitting a bump in the sand. Meryl cried out, hands flying to her chest. Vash pulled down the zipper frantically and watched in horror as the bandages started to darken.
“Shit, Roberto, fuck!” he pressed down on the wound. “She’s bleeding again!”
The older man slowed the truck a fraction in an attempt to smooth the ride out. Vash swore again, panicked as he felt the warm liquid still bubbling up and around his hand.
“It’s still too bumpy!”
“We can’t slow down much more than this or we’ll be dealing with more than one bullet wound,” Roberto’s knuckles were white as he gripped the wheel.
“Keep driving, I’ve got this,” Wolfwood said grimly. He climbed out the window, pulling himself onto the roof of the truck. Jumping the small space between the truck and the trailer, he crouched to avoid the bullets that whistled past. He pulled Punisher from its spot under the bags and lifted it, setting his sights on the rapidly approaching group. It wasn’t a big group, thank god. It looked to be about seven riders on Tomas’s and two vehicles holding two or three people. Wolfwood levelled Punisher and steadied the weapon, eyeing the group. A bullet clipped his shoulder and he had to regain his balance. Once he was solid again, he looked down the sights and scowled.
“This is for shortie,” he muttered and fired.
Inside the truck Vash was struggling to keep Meryl’s wound from reopening. He could hear the Punisher firing repeatedly. Several moments later Wolfwood slid back in through the window.
“You can slow down old man,” he grunted, looking a bit dustier than before. “I took care of them.”
“You didn’t kill them-”
“Yes, I did,” Wolfwood snapped at Vash. “And don’t give me shit about it. It was that or shortie here bleeds out.”
Meryl’s eyes opened in a squint as Roberto slowed the truck to a crawl.
“Thank you… Wolfwood,” she smiled blearily.
The dark-haired man couldn’t hide his red ears as he muttered to himself, turning back to gaze out the front window. “Shut up and stop bleeding already.”
“How’s she doing,” Roberto glanced in the rearview mirror.
“I think its starting to stop,” Vash said, still pressing down with enough force that it felt like Meryl’s ribs would crack.
“Good,” Roberto relaxed a fraction.
There was a beat of silence.
“I could use a drink,” Meryl croaked.
Roberto cracked a tired smile. “Me too, rookie. Me too.”
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