Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Generation Gunsmoke ❯ Epilogue - The Last Gunman ( Epilogue )

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Generation Gunsmoke: Epilogue

600 years in the future…

Vash the Stampede sat perched on an outcropping of rock, looking over the valley. The city of December sprawled out before him, a wide testament to mankind's never ending desire for advancement. He was pleased to see lush green parks spaced amid the city's many buildings. The desert frontier had dwindled until little of it was left. Verdant lush plains had slowly taken the place of the burning sands. The age of the outlaws and bounty hunters had faded away into time. Indeed, man and his laws were everywhere on Gunsmoke now.

With the changing times, man had learned to be conservative with his environment. Resources were carefully protected and all types of pollution were kept to a bare minimum. It was quite an achievement considering how far they had come since leaving their original planet centuries ago. He was very glad that his brother had been wrong about the humans all along.

Yes, time had continued on and he was so tired now. He'd come back to December to be closer to Meryl and the twins. Loosing them had been even harder than watching his brother die in the sands. He had no choice but to let them go when the time came. They lay buried in a small cemetery in the heart of the city. Legato's cub was there as well. Who'd have thought that one would abandon his roaming ways and settle into the life of a proper husband, father, and businessman. Vash had watched the generations of Gunsmoke grow and prosper and live and die. "Uncle" Vash had watched the legacy of Milly and Wolfwood and even Legato spread across the planet.

The green landscape was so different that it had been when he'd first arrived. The far-flung deserts that lay so near in his memories, now were taught in textbooks as a history lesson. The tales of Vash the Stampede had grown until he, himself, was spoken of as a myth or a legend. It was amusing to him. That was so many life times ago.

Vash leaned back tiredly against the rock, allowing the sun to warm his face. He was so cold even in the warmth of the sun. He'd seen so much change over the ages. He sighed softly and looked into the glare of the twin suns. There was nothing left for him to do here. He desperately missed his friends. He closed his eyes; he knew they were waiting for him just beyond the light. Wolfwood and Milly were there and Rem and Meryl… his wonderful Meryl who had stayed by him through thick and thin, who never stopped believing in him despite all that had happened. He heard them call out to him from the brilliance.

Vash's eyes opened in wonder. There in the light stood his family. They smiled and called out to him, their hands eagerly reaching for his. His glazed eyes looked across the void of time, "For love and for peace…" he whispered, smiling slightly as his hands reached for theirs.

To join them all he had to do was step into the void….

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Finis

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So, at long last the guns have fallen silent, and the stench of gunpowder and blood has lifted from the air as the last gunman fades away into the sunlight.

I know some of you will be shocked by the fact that I allowed Vash to rest in peace, but I think he deserves it. Plus, this also pretty much eliminates the possibility of a sequel unless I focus on the grandchildren of Wolfwood and Milly. But, that would be so far removed from the original storyline that I am not even considering the idea.

I hope that everyone has enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. My wanderings on Planet Gunsmoke have come to an end at long last.

Until sometime in the future…

Love and Peace,

Lady Blackhat (^_~)

P.S. Before I go, I would be interested in hearing suggestions from you guys about any possible series that you'd like to see me write on. Can't promise you anything, but it may give me some direction!