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Guided Steps	By : ctsama Category: +S to Z > Trigun Views: 4840 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
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Disclaimer: Trigun belongs to Yasuhiro Nightow, and I make
no money off this story.� I�m sure if Nightow-sama
knew what I was doing with his characters, he�d either laugh his ass off or
start loading a large, fully automatic weapon.

Summary: Wolfwood gets tired of being jerked around, and
finds a way out.� Vash disagrees with his
solution and sets out to stop him.�
Mangaverse, but still enjoyable (I hope�) if you�re not familiar with
the differences.� I�ll give ya notes
if you think they�ll help.� The story
breaks from the manga toward the end of Volume 6, before the fight that gets
Vash and Wolfwood run out of town.

A couple of notes on manga Wolfie so you don�t think he�s
OOC: He�s a lot more complex and introspective in the manga.� He�s also a lot more smart-assed and
violent; hell, he�s downright abusive to Vash at times.� Basically, he�s just a lot more fun.

********************************************************************************

�Stupid Vash,� Meryl thought as she marched up the stairs of
the run-down inn.� �Probably just got
drunk with the priest again and overslept.��
On the tail end of her annoyance, however, was worry.� Vash never missed breakfast and the chance
for doughnuts.� In the end it had been
Milly�s worried insistence that gave her the excuse she needed to go up and
check on the walking disaster area.

She gave a cursory knock on the door and barged right in,
sucking in a breath so she could begin fussing as soon as possible.� It was a defense mechanism, she knew, to
avoid dealing with the fear that witnessing Vash�s berserker rage had instilled
in her.� But it couldn�t be helped.

What she saw in the room stopped her short and deflated her
impending lecture.� Vash stood at the
window, just staring out at nothing.�
His right hand clutched convulsively at a now rumpled piece of
paper.� This wasn�t the Vash she�d come
to know.� He wasn�t even the god-like,
winged being that had scared her witless mere days ago.� She�d never seen him look so broken,
defeated before.

She glanced quickly around the room and Wolfwood�� was gone again.� His bed was still made.� Had
they gotten into a fight?

Swallowing hard, she crossed the room to Vash and hesitantly
pulled at the paper in his hand.� His
grip on it tightened at first, weighing whether or not he wanted to let her
read it.� But she didn�t back down and
after a moment he allowed her to take it.�
She smoothed it out and began reading.

Heya, Tongari.

As you may have noticed, I�m gone.� I know that�s probably gonna piss you off,
but I may not get another chance to set things right.

I�m one of the Gung-Ho Guns.� I know you had that much figured out already.� But what you probably don�t know is that
Knives ordered me to be your guide and bring you to him safe.� He either wants you to join him or die.� And both of those options suck.

Since you�re so nosy, you�ll probably want to know more
than that.� Okay.� Storytime.

When I was a kid, a group of priests from some religious
order called the Eye of Michael came for me.�
They told Melanie and me that I�d be helping to repair churches.� Well, it was a complete crock.� They�re a group of assassins.� By the time I found out, it was too late for
me to get out.� So I stayed and obeyed
like a good little weapon, waiting for an opportunity to make sure this would
never happen to another child, but I�m afraid I was too late.� When I finally had the chance to kill Knives
and end it all, I couldn�t do it and he�s been jerking me around ever
since.� I�m damned sick of it, and I
think I�ve finally found a way out.� You
called me out once for forcing myself to do things I didn�t want to do.� You were right, and it stops now.

So, except for Zazie, I�m going after the last few
Gung-Ho Guns.� A little advice: if you
run into Zazie, don�t fight it unless you have to.� It�s too smart to side with Knives for long.� The other three are the problem.� Not even you could make it out of the fight
without pulling the trigger on them, which I know you won�t do.� I can�t just sit back and hope they don�t
kill you.� We�ll see how many of them I
can take out before Knives finds out what I�m doing.� He checks up on me on a regular basis and I�m dead meat as soon
as he does it again, so you�ll have to understand me not staying to say
goodbye.� I don�t have much time.

Just so you know for sure, I never lied to you about
being your friend.� You�re the best
friend I�ve ever had.� I never would
have hurt you.� I don�t think there was
a time I could have, even when I thought I should.� I don�t expect you to understand what I�ve done, and I sure as
hell don�t expect you to forgive me, but you probably will anyway.� �Cause you�re a freaking saint.� A saintly gunman, friends with a damned
priest.� I guess it�s no wonder we
always get into trouble when we�re together.

Sorry.� I�m
rambling, aren�t I?� I hate saying
goodbye.

If I ever see you again, you can yell at me then.� Just don�t get killed, Tongari.� Please.

�Cause you�re a complete moron, and it depresses me when
morons get themselves killed.

-Nicholas, the
Punisher

Meryl crumpled the already abused letter in her hand and
thumped down heavily on one of the two narrow beds.� So that�s why Vash was staring out the window.� He must have been standing there since
daybreak, wondering which of the hundreds of dusty footprints in the road had
taken his best friend, his only real friend, away from him.� �You knew?�
You knew he was a Gung-Ho Gun, and you didn�t say anything?�

�There was nothing to say.�
I could see that he was trapped.�
He couldn�t tell me anything.�
All I could do was wait for him to choose a side on his own.� After everything he�s seen me do, he was
afraid of me, just like you are now.��
Meryl winced, but Vash just aimed a sadly empty smile at her.� �Try not to feel bad.� I�m used to it.� But Wolfwood chose to accept me anyway. �That� never happened to me before.�

Meryl stared at him as if he�d grown another head.� �Vash, he could have turned on you and tried
to kill you at any time!�

Vash glanced at her with that measuring stare once more, and
Meryl tried not to flinch under the scrutiny.�
�I gave him the chance to let me die.�
He didn�t take it.�

�Wait a minute��
You�re talking about that mess with the Ying-Yang brothers last week,
aren�t you?�� Vash shrugged, letting her
draw her own conclusions.� Meryl hadn�t
seen the whole thing go down, but she�d done a full investigation the next day
to fill herself in.� Vash had apparently
gotten himself into more trouble than he could handle with a local gang of
outlaws, and Wolfwood had had to step in and save him.� Her eyes narrowed in anger.� �You mean, you jumped into all that and put
yourself at risk just to test him?�
That�s beyond stupid and reckless; it�s insane!�

Vash smiled wryly and turned back to the window, wondering if she knew just how much she sounded like Wolfwood at that moment.� �It wasn�t a test.� It was the only way I knew of to help him figure out how he felt
about me.� I knew he�d decided something
last night, but�� I never thought he�d
just leave.� Now it�s too late.� He�s gone,� Vash finished quietly.� �He�s not coming back this time.�

Meryl sat staring angrily at the letter for a moment before
flinging it onto the floor with a snarl.�
�Like hell.� Like hell he�s
not!�� Vash deserved to have someone he
could count on, someone who didn�t have to fight to keep from screaming in fear
whenever he was around.

Vash finally turned from the window, an uncharacteristically
angry expression marring his features.�
�What do you expect me to do?�
Drag him back here and sit on him to keep him from doing something
stupid?� No matter how much I might want
to�� he paused to take a steadying breath.�
�He�s got his own reasons for doing what he�s doing.� I don�t have the right to stop him.�

�Oh, stop trying to talk yourself out of it.� There�s a fine line between respecting
someone�s wishes and making excuses, and you�re way on the wrong side of
it.� He�s planning on getting himself
killed just to protect you, to help clear the way between you and
Knives.� If you don�t have the right to
stop him, no one does.� There�s nothing
you can do at this very moment to stop Knives, is there?� No?�
Then quit moping and go get him before it really is too late!�

Vash froze.� It
couldn�t be that simple, could it?�
�Meryl, how am I supposed to find him if he doesn�t want to be
found?� I don�t even know where he
went!�

Meryl rolled her eyes.�
�You�ve got two insurance investigators at your beck and call, you
dummy.� If we can�t find out where he
went, no one can.� Now are we gonna do
this thing or not?�

Vash smiled a little.�
That was the thing he liked most about the insurance girls.� They reminded him that things didn�t always
have to be complicated.� �You were ready
to rip his head off a minute ago, and now you�re trying to send me after
him.� Can you really forgive him so
easily?�

��You did,� she
countered with a shrug.� �And it�s not
like he volunteered to spy for Knives.�
No matter what he did in the past, he�s done nothing but put his life on
the line for all of us since we met him, and this time is no different.� I�m tired of seeing people die.� And� He�s the only one who makes you
smile.� Really smile.�� Meryl shifted uncomfortably, not liking the
turn the conversation was taking.

�Meryl?� What are you
saying?� Vash asked suspiciously.

�She�s trying not to say that you need him around!� a
cheery voice interrupted from the doorway where Milly stood smiling.� �You�re both too thick-headed and stubborn
to really listen to anyone but each other.�

�Right!� Meryl agreed happily, once again grateful for her
junior�s insight.� �So let�s go find the
gun-toting priest so he and the airhead can knock some sense into each other!�

After she left, Milly picked up the letter and handed it
back to Vash with a smile.� �It�s okay
to let him know you care about him.� He
can handle it, you know.�

Vash�s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped open.� �How did you��

She didn�t let him finish the sentence.� �Oh!�
I just thought of something!�
You�ll treat us to cakes and tea after you find him, won�t you?�

He nodded with a shaky smile.� �S- sure, anything you like, Milly.�

She gave a little whoop and rushed out of the room.� Vash stared after her, shaking his head in
wonder.� Humans were always surprising
and unpredictable, but that one�

�that one was in a class all her own.

Humans could be so weird sometimes.

~*~

�Don�t pass out on me yet, Crybaby.� I�m in a hurry and I need to talk to you.�

His body was still shot to hell, but his nerves were finally
beginning to reattach.� He was starting
to feel the cold night air on his skin in some places, and he could feel the
rough press of sand against his back.�
�You beat me into pulp, and then you wanna talk.�� Livio sighed in annoyance, breathing in the
thin smell of cigarette smoke.� �I�d
glare at you, but my eyes are still regenerating.� You didn�t have to completely bash my skull in, you know.� And did you really have to blow up
all my Punishers?�

�Yep,� came the smug voice.�
�I sure did.� If ya can�t kill me
with three of �em, you don�t deserve to have any.� Besides, I�m the only person cool enough to have one.�

�I never knew you were such an asshole.�

The blurry form silhouetted against the dark sky
snorted.� �Then you weren�t paying
attention.� Now listen up, this�ll only
take a minute.� I need some information,
and I need you to do a couple of things for me.�

�Anything you need, I�ll do.� I owe you��

A bitter chuckle interrupted him.� �I�m the one that owes you.�
If it wasn�t for me, that old bastard at the Eye of Michael never would
have figured out kids were so �well-suited� to the program.� Besides, I should have realized what was
happening to you back then and helped you somehow.� But I�ll tell you what.�
Use what you got to protect what�s important, and we�ll call it
even.� Deal?�

Even though his eyes still weren�t functioning normally,
Livio lived up to his nickname.� �Deal.�

�And get Melanie to cut your hair.� You look like a psycho.�

Even though it hurt, neither one of them could help
laughing.

They talked for as long as Livio could stay focused, but it
wasn�t more than a few minutes.�
�Where�s Master C, anyway?� I
thought I was gonna have to take you both on.�
He still pissed at me for putting him in a wheelchair?�

�Hmm, let�s see�� He
wants to �rend you limb from limb� while you watch him �destroy all that you
love.�� That answer your question?� He left earlier for HQ.� You just missed him by a few hours, but
he�ll be back soon.� When he finds out
you were here and I didn�t kill you�� he trailed off, not needing to finish the
sentence.� They both knew their mutual
ex-master would go on a murderous rampage when he returned, starting with the
children.

�Can you handle it, or you want me to draw him off?� He�d rather have me than you any day.�

�He never cared about me at all, did he?� Livio mused.� �He only ever cared about the tool I could
become.� I think I have to do it to put
all this behind me.� I won�t let him get
past me.� I�ll protect the kids no
matter what.�

�Huh.� I always knew
you were smarter than you looked.�

Livio chuckled and began to drift off.

�What�s so funny, Crybaby?�

�I�m having a conversation in the dark with a man who
insults me and calls me names, and beat me as close to death as I�ve ever
been.� And I�ve never felt safer in my
whole life.� How stupid is that?�

�Pretty stupid, kid.�
Pretty damn stupid.�� But the
warmth and humor in the man�s voice belied the harshness of his words.

�But I�ve done so much, killed so many you don�t even know
about�� What if they don�t want me
back?� I�m��

��scared,� he whispered, reaching a newly healed hand out
into the darkness.� It was caught in a
warm, reassuring grip a heartbeat later.

�I know, believe me, I know.� But this is home, and it�ll be all right.� None of this was your fault, kid.� Just tell Melanie everything.� She�ll help you figure out how much to tell
everyone.� Now go to sleep.�

When Livio finally passed out, the other man staggered
shakily to his feet.� He did the best he
could to cover the bloodstains and bullet holes in his clothes, but it was
still obvious he was severely wounded.�
Hopefully the darkness would hide the damage.

He donned his shades to hide his face and lifted Livio�s
heavy frame as best his battered body could, half carrying him, half dragging
him to the side kitchen door only the caretakers answered.� He laid Livio down on the doorstep, rang the
bell, and turned to leave.� They would
care for him here.

A stout woman in an apron and kerchief around her hair
answered the door faster than he would have liked.� �Excuse me, Mr. Priest?�
It isn�t safe out there right now; we�ve been hearing gunfire and
explo�� Oh!� Is this�� Livio?!� Someone, come help quick!� she yelled back
into the building.� �Mr. Priest!� Where has he been these past few years?� What happened to him?�

He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed himself the
luxury of remembering the voice that sang his fever away when he was sick as a
child.� �I was just passing through the
desert, and I found a lost lamb that needed to come home.� I know it doesn�t look like it, but he�ll be
fine.� He just needs to rest.� So take care of him, Melanie.�

She was about to demand more information from him, but Livio
stirred and started to mumble.� She
knelt down next to him to hear what he was saying, only to draw back in shock a
few seconds later.� She looked around
frantically for the strange priest, but saw only a black cat drowsing
carelessly on the yard�s low wood fence.�
He had already disappeared from sight.

~*~

The weight of his heavy weapon bore his feet deeply into the
sand with each step, and his body ached badly.�
He had yet to heal from the battle with Livio, and he doubted he�d be
fully healed before he reached his final destination.� But none of that changed what had to be done, so it didn�t
matter.

As long as he could stand on his own two feet, he had to
keep moving forward, no matter what.

*******

Sorry.� Couldn�t help
the FMA reference at the end there.�
-_-;;� Don�t fret my chapter
length; my first one is always short.

Livio and a couple other manga-only characters will be
showing up here.�
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Guided Steps