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Epidemic	By : Charli Category: +S to Z > Trigun Views: 1800 -:- 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
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~*Chapter Two � The Pact*~
�Your wounds are practically healed, Knives,� Vash the Stampede remarked with a pleasant smile as he unwound the bandages from his brother�s torso and tossed them away. The bruises and lacerations that had once marred Knives� chest and abdomen were faded, and he had been able to walk around without Vash�s aid for several weeks. It had been almost a month since Knives had awakened, and during the time that he had been healing, he had been dividing his time between Vash�s philanthropy lessons and reading books on the history of humanity and their various religions. Vash noted with a pleased eye thatnevenever Knives was reading, particularly the works on religion, he seemed deeply absorbed in what they had to say.

�Yes�all due to your kindness, Vash,� he remarked, looking up at his brother with a faint smile. Inwardly, he was disgusted by the way he was being forced to act, but he knew better than to do otherwise�the sooner he was well, the sooner he could depart and act on his newfound knowledge and implement his new approach to the human infestation. �But I will not remain here forever�just as you have things to tend to, so have I,� Knives replied in quiet voice.

Vash nodded and stepped back, closing the satchel of medical supplies and moving across the small room to put them away. �I understand,� he replied, smiling pleasantly. �It would be wrong of me to try and keep you cooped up here,� he continued, and reached up into the closet that he had stored the supplies in, and pulled out the clothing that he had brought Knives here in. It had been cleaned and mended as needed, and he turned to his brother, who had stood and stretched a bit. Handing over the futuristic looking suit to him, Vash stepped back and smiled.

�So�you are going to leave today then?� he asked as he turned away so his brother could get dressed. The sounds of rustling clothing and clasps being fastened sounded from behind him, and once they stopped, Knives made a satisfied sound and sighed.

�That�s right�Thanks to you, Vash, I finally realize the errors I made in the past�and I wish to go forth and rectify those past mistakes. After all�just like Rem taught you�your ticket to the future is indeed always blank.�

Vash�s expressive eyes lit up with a happy smile at Knives� words, meeting his brother�s ice blue gaze with a nod. It was the knowledge that he had finally gotten through to his brother�the fact that Remeacheach had had not been in vain�that fueled this smile, and as his brother finished slipping on his boots and stood, the former gunslinger strode over and embraced Knives tightly.

�Good luck, Knives. I hope you are able to complete what you are about to start,� he said, and stepped back. Knives was slightly surprised as Vash�s affection, but knew that he shouldn�t be, and patted him on the back a bit before moving to retrieve his things. Vwatcwatched as Knives gathered up what few belongings he had, including the pistol that was the brother to his own, his slightly sad smile still playing on his lips. As Knives threw his satchel over his shoulder, he turned to Vash and regarded him carefully.

�I will not let myself be slowed this time,� he assured his brother, and stepped towards the door. As he grasped the doorknob and opened the door, he paused, his back facing his brother.

�Oh, and Vash��

�Yes?�

�Don�t let the death of Nicholas D. Wolfwood tear you up. Better that you accept his death and move on,� he replied, and smiled faintly at his brother, who looked both surprised and slightly embarrassed. �You can�t hide your thoughts from me,� he replied, and with a quick wave of his hand, he stepped out the door and was gone.

Vash watched the door silently for a long time, a faint blush painthis his cheeks. As realization that he was once again alone slowly hit him, a single tear slipped down his cheek, and he shook his head.

�You can say that easily, Knives�you weren�t the one who lost him��

~*~
�Rectify my past mistakes indeed,� Knives replied to himself, a dark smile playing on his features as he strode down the street. �I won�t make the same oversights I did last time�you can be sure of that, dear, na�ve Vash.�

A sinister chuckle escaped his throat as he walked, and as he passed down the crowded streets, he sneered slightly in disgust at the pestilence�these humans�that surrounded him. Their time was limited�he could not have them contaminating his potential Eden any longer�His previous failure was merely a setback�If Vash truly thought he could change his views on humanity, then he was a fool.

The incnt bnt babble of the town buzzed like a hive of bees as he neared the edge of December�insects, the lot of them. They were unfit to walk the same ground that he and Vash did�imperfect, irrational creatures. But he knew just how to rid himself of their ilk�He inwardly thanked his brother heartily for the informative reading material he had been given�If he hadn�t have, the going would have been much more difficult. But the answer to his pest control problem was quite literally dropped into his lap. Grinning to himself, he looked out towards the stretch of endless desert before him, and breathed deeply. Soon, this air would be pure�

Soon, the cityscape that was December had disappeared over the edge of the horizon, and desolation surrounded Knives. A hot, gritty sand blew against him, causing his cropped blond hair to move erratically. A determined expression painted his young face, but he had to keep walking until the twin suns the the horizon and then�then he could put his plan into motion�

�Only a few more minutes,� Knives told himself, and stopped, ducking behind a sandstone pillar that jutted out of the desert, casting shade over him. Dropping his satchel to the ground, he furiously tugged it open and began to pull books from its depths. Behind the pillar, the wind was blocked, and he was able to open books and anchor the pages with nearby rocks without much trouble. A bit of sweat dripped down his brow as he worked fervently, fighting the short time in which he had to complete the ritual. Quickly, he began to draw in the sand, his brow furrowed sharply as he went. The design was small at first, but as Knives continued, it began to grow, its lines and curves shaping a grotesque and fearful picture; a terrifying caricature of what could almost be Horror personified. The thing in the sand seemed to writhe and move even as Knives drew, and when he was finished, he stepped back and picked up the book, holding it in both hands. He looked down at the ancient human text, Latin, he recognized, and furrowed his brow. Even if humans were parasites and things to be rid of, they invented rather intriguing ways to destroy themselves.

As the sun began to set, Knives� voice rang out over desedesert, speaking the ancient words in a slow, deliberate manner. Though he was speaking over the sound of rushing wind, his voice seemed to resound over it, as if supernaturally amplified. It echoed omino ove over the dunes and suppressed all other sounds, and as Knives neared the end of the demonic incantation, the ground began to shake. The pillar he stood under began to crack and groan against the strain of the earthquake, but he did not move, and as he uttered the last words, he snapped the book shut and stepped away from the creaking pillar. He didn�t know what to expect�would He erupt from the ground as magma from a volcano, or would He appear in a wreath of hellish flame, surrounded in all His demonic glory?

The wind began to pick up as the sun fell past the horizon, and the sketch traced in the sand began to glow like a flame. Though the sand surrounding the drawing moved with furious intent, the drawing itself was far from smudged, and the roaring sound of a freight train screamed in his ears.

Suddenly, the wind and sound ceased, almost as if it were bottled up and put away somewhere. Knives looked forward at the drawing, various papers and books scattered about where he had laid his satchel to rest, but none disturbed the grotesque drawing. Slightly windblown, the ill-intentioned young man stood, looking out over the darkening, desolate landscape. It was eerily silent, a sharp contrast from the violent gales that had ceased only moments before.

Furrowing his brow, Knives stepped out a few feet from the pillar and looked around. Nothing but the purple horizon and the ghostly stillness met his wary, questioning expression. After several moments, he narrowed his icy eyes and grimaced.

�Foolish superstitious humans,� he remarked disdainfully into the hushed gloom, his voice echoing slightly over the dunes. �I suppose I will have to find my means of vengeance elsewhere��

�Now now�there�s no need to be impatient�don�t think that I don�t have better things to do than to answer the call of some pathetic human�� came the silky, unnervingly sinister reply from several feet away.

Knives turned quickly, his anger at being referred to as a human forgotten for a moment as he found himself in new company. Standing beside the stone pillar, leaning easily against it, stood a figure, silhouetted against the slowly disappearing sun. He appeared to be dressed normally for the humans of the neighboring towns, but unlike the humans, he was undeniably beautiful; an Adonis among mere men. Dark hair framed a tan face, and unfathomably black eyes peered out from beneath the careless hair. Glints of unearthly red peered into the cold blue depths of Knives� eyes, and an easy, knowing smile fell on perfect lips as he took in Knives� surprised expression. Indeed, he appeared more suitable to be among the ranks of the angels than to hail from the brimstone lair of Hell.

�Ah, not quite what you expected, I imagine,� came the voice again, followed by a low chuckle, dark and undeniably wicked. �Temptation comes in many forms, as I am sure you know very well, Millions Knives,� he continued, and grinned. �Yes�I know you�re no human�I have several among my ranks who have mentioned you quite often�and now�I suspect you�wish my help?� The sneer was evident in his voice, and he took a step forward.

Knives remembered well the story of Lucifer; he had read the tale before in one of the books Vash had gotten for him. An angel banished into the depths of Hell for defiant and sinful acts against the Lord God�and he had become Satan. But that did not strip away the fact that he had once been an angel, and his appearance showed that.

�Yes,� Knives replied, and frowned. He suspected that this entity; this Satan, wished to have his allegiance; he wanted him to show him true fear and groveling�but Knives was no pitiful human, and he would not succumb so easily. �Yes, I do indeed wish for your assistance,� he replied as the fallen angel slowly stepped towards him, that horrible crimson and ebony eyes boring into him. �For over two hundred years...this planet has been diseased�it has been plagued by a pestilence that I see as inferior, and I wish to find a�cure�to this disease�I have tried before, but my meddling brother felt it necessary to interfere, and I was�temporarily set back.�

As Knives spoke, the Lord of Hell grinned morbidly. He knew exactly what this plant was talking about�and God and all his angels, who knew not of the plants as they did of the humans, would not easily be able to trace the source�

�Ah�yes, I think I know what you mean,� he replied, and chuckled. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small flask that held an odd, silvery opaque liquid within. �Here�I have a pesticide�not unlike the bubonic plague of the Earth�s Middle Ages�but slower�lingering��

Knives looked up at the flask and a sudden, maddening grin began to form on his lips. �You would give it to me? As well as some of your own to reinforce and hide the trail? In exchange, I will offer you and your kind this planet where only two our superior races will rule, and all the human souls that perish here��

The dark angel Lucifer smiled as Knives began to reach for the flask, and pulled it away a bit.

�Quite a hefty promise�yes, I will give you what you ask�but should you fail�� He looked at the silvery liquid for a moment, and then looked up again. �You will be mine��

Knives swallowed, frowning firmly. �I will not fail again��

�Good,� grinned Satan. �Then let me give you the information you need�to aid you, you will have a faction of lesser demons�they will answer to you unless they receive higher orders�and to aid you in controlling this faction, you will have three old allies at your side�And this,� he replied, and held the flask out to Knives.

�Take what sustains the humans�and turn it against them�I trust you know well what I mean�� he replied, and grinned as Knives took the flask quickly from his hand.

�Remember�should you fail�you will be mine��
~*~
It had been several days, almost three weeks, since Knives had left December, and Vash had grown troubled. Recently, there had been disquieting reports coming in from the far off city of May that an odd illness had began to plague the citizens. Many had already died, and though they were trying valiantly, they couldn�t find the source or the cure. They were hastily requesting aid, and several medical caravans had been dispatched in the past two weeks. But the caravans had failed to return, and soon, the reports and requests for aid ceased altogether.

Vash furrowed his brow as he went about his small home, pulling on his boots and buttoning up the long red trenchcoat that had once hoped he had abandoned for good. But in the wake of these new disturbances, he would reluctantly have to take up his gun and coat again to protect the innocent. He realized that, due to his lack of human heritage, he would not be as susceptible to this horrific disease that had suddenly appeared out of the desert.

As he stepped up to the small armoire that served as a small dresser and bookshelf, he sighed and opened the door. He had hoped that he would never have to take up his gun again and live a peaceful life, but it seemed that this was not his destiny. As he pulled open a small drawer and let the cold steel and nickel glint into his eyes, he frowned and picked it up. There was a spinning sound as he loaded it and spun the barrel expertly, and quickly pocketed it. He knew better than to let the people see the weapon in full view while he was still in the city.

He picked up the small piece of paper that he had written a note on, knowing full well that Millie and Meryl would be visiting him soon. It advised them strongly not to follow him for their own safety, and refrained from telling him where it was that he was headed. He left it sitting on the table, and leaned over the table for a moment, looking at the grain of the wood underneath his gloved fingers for a moment before rising. There was one last thing he had to retrieve.

He strode across the stone floor for a moment to a carefully locked door, and after unlocking it; he gripped the doorknob and took a breath, steeling himself. The door creaked open, and his green eyes fell upon a large, muslin covered cross, leaning gently against the wall and in very good care. Vash reached in with a gloved hand and grasped one of the leather straps, pulling the large weapon from the floor and hefting it onto his back. He carried it in memory�but truth be told, he would much rather have the Punisher�s original owner be carrying it with an easy grin�Vash would really have enjoyed the company�

For the first time in many years, he would travel alone�

He passed down the streets, wading through the hustle and bustle of the city, and listened carefully for anything of May City and its plight. Most of what he caught was inane babble and random comments concerning the marketplace or the price of certain goods, and so he walked on, thankfully unnoticed. He was careful to avoid the block on which the Bernadelli Insurance Agency was located; that was a surefire way to get spotted and then he�d be in deep for sure.

As he stepped out of the city limits and began to trek out into the desolate desert, he looked out over the rolling sand and frowned. It would be a long journey; a week at the most on foot, but there would be small stops along the way in small little spots in the road, and times of rest. But he knew that he must hurry. The lives of those innocents counted on him�
~*~
�Um�Sempai?�

�Yes, what is it, Millie? Vash didn�t decide to back out on his turn to make dinner again, did he? That�ll be the fifth time this month!�

�Um�no�Mr. Vash left us a letter��

Meryl Strife turned to face her taller friend and partner with a slightly exasperated look as she regarded Millie�s perplexion. The taller woman was holding a hastily scribbled note that was clearly in Vash�s handwriting and was looking at it curiously as she stood in the open doorway that led into Vash�s home. Meryl sighed and reached up, deftly plucking it from the confused hands of her friend.

�What is that goofball up to this time?� he asked herself quietly as she began to read the letter. As her dayes yes trailed over the words, her fingers slowly began to crumple the paper and her face began to flush with rage.

�What...I can�t believe�that silly, blockheaded�of all the�� she began to mutter as she proceeded to form the paper into a tiny little ball. �Argh!�

Millie blinked at Meryl�s sudden onslaught of rage, and smiled nervously. �Does this mean we�re going to go find him again?� she asked as she watched the smaller woman stomp off in a determined fashion. Meryl turned to her triumphantly, clearly indomitable.

�That�s right, Millie! And I have a good idea as to where he�s headed to�If he thinks he can shake us that easily, he�s got another thing coming! Who knows what kind of crazy stunt he�ll decide to pull if we�re not around! You remember what happened when we left him to his own devices! Let�s go.�
~*~
�My Lord! My Lord God, I have fearful news!�

The smooth, wise voice resounded gently in the vast alabaster hall as the elegant, ivory winged angel set his feet upon the golden floor, and there was a soft murmuring of voices from those angels who had been nearby. The tall young man, wreathed in white celestial light, strode purposefully across the hall, his handsome, ethereal face creased slightly in worry. As he came upon the sacred, benevolent deity, the archangel Gabriel, his herald, stepped up and looked at the lesser angel in concern.

�What is it that troubles you so that you left your watch to come warn us?� he asked gently, clearly concerned. But he stepped aside as a warm, mild hand rested against his shoulder, and he bowed slightly as the Almighty took his place.

�Yes�I know about Lucifer�s plans,� he said, his voice placid and low, rolling as the thunder and smooth as the spring rain. �They are vague, unclear even to me�he has found some way to mask his intentions��

�My Lord, there has to be a way that you can find and stop him before he harms the fledgling human societies on the planet! How can you say that you can not see fully what Satan is planning?�

�He is cunning, but not infallible,� the wise entity remarked, and suddenly smiled, turning to Gabriel. �So, I will have to send a pair of eyes to Gunsmoke to watch for me�someone who has been there before and knows the terrain through former experience.�

�My Lord, certainly you can�t mean him.�

�I do indeed��

�Meaning no disrespect, but he is rather unorthodox�there�s no telling what sort of trouble he could cause��

�And that is precisely why I intend to send him.�
~*~
Many days had passed since the man known as the Humanoid Typhoon had stepped out of December in reluctant but determined pursuit of a new quest, and now, as the sun sat far across the desert, the outlaw in red came wearily upon the edge of the ridge that overlooked the city of May. The last time he had set foot in this town, he had participated in a quick draw contest with a certain gunslinging priest and saved a family from impending hardship and debt. He smiladlyadly at the memories, but as he gazed down at what he remembered as a bustling city, he saw just the opposite.

The city was dark�uncommonly gloomy for even the darkest Gunsmoke nights, and not a single light lit up the buildings that ran the length of the streets. There were no sounds of evening activity from the streets, and no movement within the city limits. It was barren�like a ghost town.

Vash furrowed his brow a bit. From what he saw and knew, the plant was working at top efficiency, and should have sustained them�but now the city lay in ruins�

Staring down there for a bit longer, the Punisher resting briefly against him rather than on his back, Vash sighed. It was about a mile from here to the edge of the city�he�d reach it by nightfall.

�What has dried you up, May? What has brought such devastation here that you would fall so silen-�

�VASH THE STAMPEDE?! What in God�s name is going on inside that spiky, peabrained, donut-loving head of yours?!�

The silence that had befallen the somber scene was quickly silenced as the angered, unmistakable voice of Meryl Strife echoed over the dunes. The leap that Vash executed in response would almost have landed him directly in the middle of May, and he nearly dropping the Punisher to the sand in surprise as he did so. Turning sharply towards the voice, he saw Millie and Meryl riding over the ridge on a pair of thomases, carrying small amounts of luggage. Millie seemed rather cheerful, and waved at him jovially, but Meryl was positively seething.

�Geez!� the outlaw cried, putting a hand to his chest in shock as they rode up and dismounted. �Keep it down! You yell loud enough to wake the dead!�

Meryl, however, didn�t seem worried about waking the dead at all, and marched up to him, hand raised. There was a resounding smacking sound as her palm came into close, personal contact with Vash�s face, and his yellow-tinted sunglasses fell rather haphazardly from his nose from the force of the hit. Immediately, a gloved hand went up to the offended cheek, and Vash looked up at Meryl with a sheepish, pained look.

�Ow! Did you really have to hit me?� he asked, slightly put out as he rubbed his cheek painstakingly.

�Did you really have to go gallivanting off on some silly, selfless crusade without telling anyone and expecting us to just sit back and let you go cause who knows what kind of trouble?!� she retorted, her voice echoing off of the dunes remarkably well.

�Er�well�yeah,� he admitted, looking up at Meryl with imploring green eyes. �I didn�t want you to come with me�it�s dangerous with this disease going around, and I didn�t want either you to get sick�but I suppose�I suppose now that you�ve come all this way, I really can�t stop you,� he replied, and stood back up straight. He gave them both slight smiles, and turned his head back to the desolate city.

�We�ll be there by dusk if we hurry�but please�be careful��
Author�s Notes:
Ah! I�m so sorry for not getting this out faster! I�ve been really busy preparing for finals, and it was just a LONG chapter! Six pages in Microsoft Word, whew!
But, hey, now we�re getting into the thick of things. Things have started to pick up pace, and I�ll introduce that strange rookie angel in the next chapter. ^_~ I�m sure many of you probably know who it is�
The chapters after this will vary in length, and hopefully, they won�t be nearly as long as this one. Also, I want to make note that after this Friday, I will be leaving campus for Christmas Break, and I will not be back until January 7, 2004. I have Christmas Break AND a trip te Sue Sugar Bowl in New Orleans ahead of me. But don�t worry! I�ll get Chapter Three up as quickly as possible!
Also, I apologize for the sketchiness that this chapter was in. I don�t know too much about summoning demons, and I find that personifying God is a pretty daunting task. So please be kind! Reviews are gladly accepted! Thanks! More soon!
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Epidemic