Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Under the Five Moons ❯ Sinners ( Chapter 10 )

Yep, It's Disclamer Time! Everyone's favorite part of the story! I don't own Trigun, the people mentioned way back in chapter one do!

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Nikki peeked out around the curtain into the square. The place was packed. The entire town had come out to celebrate arrival day. The entire town would be listening to her play. Admittedly, most of them were drunk, but. . .

She turned around and shoved the guitar into the hands of the old music man. "Changed my mind, later." She said, dashing away from the stage.

"Oh no you're not," Jeremiah said, catching her in the crook of his arm. "C'mon, is this the same girl that entered the Bernadelli talent contest back when I was 12? The one we had to physically pull off the stage?"

Nikki struggled against Jeremiah's arm and tried to kick him in the shins. "Yeah, but I was in better practice then! Plus there's like a thousand people out there!"

"Stage fright? From Nikki Stryfe? What's the world coming to?"

Nikki stopped struggling. Panting, she pointed a finger accusingly at Jeremiah. "It's not stage fright! Never accuse me of stage fright!"

"It's okay miss! We all get stage fright from time to time! 'Specially if we haven't, yes, we haven't played in a while!" The old music maker tapped the guitar and smiled at Nikki.

Jeremiah pushed her back towards the stage. "They say that if you wear your sunglasses it helps."

Nikki raised an eyebrow questioningly at Jeremiah. "Wear my sunglasses? At ten o' clock at night? Do I look like Evans Braxler to you?" Nevertheless, she pulled the purple-lensed glasses out of a pocket on her jacket sleeve. She flipped them open and placed them in front of her eyes. "This is no good, I can't see a damn thing!" She pushed the sunglasses up to her forehead.

Jeremiah shrugged. "Go with whatever works."

"Easy for you to say, you aren't playing a goddamn note!" She turned and snatched the guitar from the music maker. "I'll show you stage fright." She marched out onto the stage, not daring to stop. She knew that if she stopped for one second, she'd lose her nerve.

"That worked well," the music maker said.

Jeremiah smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. "She always does better when pushed."

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"There is no way you can do that."

"Oh but I can Blayne."

Blayne pointed at a distant sandworm. "You're saying you could down that thing with one knife, even if it was charging right at you?"

Johnny nodded. "You bet I can sweetheart."

Blayne brushed back her hair and glared at Johnny. Her yellow-eyed glare was usually more than enough to ignite fear in any human. A deep fear, one which dated back to the days when man was nothing more than a hairless ape who managed to learn to bang a couple of rocks together. A fear in the darkness, a fear of fur, fangs, and claws.

This glare, however, had no affect on her superiors or her sole peer. Johnny just chuckled. "Bet you twenty double dollars I can do it!"

Blayne flicked her fan open. "You're on." She closed her eyes and sent her mind out to the sands. [Come to me. Come to your mistress]

A voice responded from the dark. [Kill?]

[No, not kill]

[Hunt?]

[Not hunt. Play.]

The shadows rose from the sands and surrounded the distant worm. The worm turned and thrashed as it sought to escape from the shadows, and found only one escape route, down the middle, towards the humans that stood on the dune.

Blayne smiled and started fanning herself. "There, you've got your worm. I do hope you can back up your words."

Johnny cracked his knuckles. "Bring it on."

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A truck rolled into Christmas city and slowed to a halt in the middle of the street. The doors flew open and a small black cat shot out, followed by Millie, Meryl, Evans, and Calamity stepped out. Evans staggered around for a moment, then stretched his back. There was an audible cracking noise.

"Ahhh, that's better," he said.

"Where is everyone?" Calamity asked. She looked around and spotted the electric lights strung up around the town square. "Unless my eyes do deceive me, that's a party over there!"

Meryl screwed up her face. "A party?" she said, "why would they have a party today? What day is it?"

Millie counted on her fingers for a few seconds before she came to a number that seemed right. "It's. . . Arrival Day! Yeah, it's Arrival Day! My favorite holiday!"

Meryl stared at Millie. "I thought Christmas was your favorite holiday?"

Millie nodded. "That one too! And Halloween, and Easter and. . ." she trailed off as she listed every holiday on the calendar.

Evans stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned close to Calamity. "Jeremiah must've had a pretty good childhood. By the sounds of it he didn't go a day without a celebration."

Calamity nodded silently as she watched Meryl try to explain to Millie how a person can only have one favorite anything. It seemed to Calamity as if they had had this conversation many, many, many times.

Evans shrugged and wandered off to the celebration. Meryl stopped midway through her argument. "Hey! Where are you going Lieutenant?"

Evans stopped and turned around. "Well Miss Stryfe, I plan to head over to that party, get drunk, maybe find some female company, wake up the next morning with a hangover, and then I'll go see who else is on the Cavalry bounty list."

"That's your plan?" Meryl asked.

Evans nodded. Calamity reached back and undid the holders in her hair, letting it fall down her back. "Sounds good to me," she said. They walked off towards to square.

Meryl and Mille stared at the pair as they walked away. "Were we ever that young and impulsive Meryl?" Millie asked.

"I suppose we must have been, once. I certainly can't remember it." Meryl felt a tugging at her sleeve. She turned to see a young woman dressed in a Bernadelli Insurance Society uniform.

"Did that Cavalryman just call you Miss Stryfe?" the young girl asked.

Meryl nodded. "Yes, my name is Meryl Stryfe."

The young girl's eyes widened. She pointed a quavering finger at Millie. "Then, that would make her Millie Thompson, right?"

Millie nodded. "Yep, that's me!"

The young girl's breath quickened and her eyes widened even more. She turned to a cluster of similarly dressed girls and called out, "It's them! It's really them! It's Derringer Meryl and Stungun Millie!" The cluster of Bernadelli girls sucked in their breath for a moment. Then they swarmed Millie and Meryl. "Miss Stryfe! Can I have your autograph! Miss Thompson, where's the stungun? Wow! That is heavy! How do you carry it?"

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Frank loved holidays, especially Arrival Day. People would buy anything from you on Arrival Day, especially if you could appeal to their sympathies. And Frank, a fourteen-year-old boy who looked ten, could appeal to anybody's sympathies.

This year, he was selling apples. "Hey mister? Want an apple? They're nice and fresh!"

The man in black stopped and turned towards the boy. "Apples, eh? Let's see. I like a good apple." He grabbed a green apple from Frank's basket and started tossing it around. As deftly as any festival juggler, he flipped the apple from hand to hand, spinning it around his arms and shoulders in an intricate dance. Frank couldn't help himself; he reached out and grabbed at the apple.

The man in black swiftly popped the apple from his left hand over to his right, and Frank caught nothing but empty air. "Too slow," the man in black said. He put the green apple back in the basket and selected a red one. He looked over and took a bite. "Mmmm, I think I'll this one instead." He tossed a couple of double dollars towards the boy and was about to step away when he noticed something on the apple. He peeled off a small sticker and showed it to the boy.

"This says 'Baradouch Fruit Company'. They only sell to licensed grocers, and the grocers are required to remove the tags after sale. You don't look like a licensed grocer to me."

Frank swallowed and started stuttering. "Well, uh, ya see, er, I got these, er, in, er." He could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat.

The man in black smiled kindly. "It's okay, you can admit it. You stole them didn't you? It's alright, we all do what we have to in order to survive." Frank swallowed hard and nodded. The man black nodded knowingly. "I thought so. Of course, you know what stealing is, don't you?"

"A crime?"

"More than a crime," the man in black said, pulling a cross out of his jacket. He flipped around and caught it by the left arm. "It's a sin."

There was a small flash and a soft "phewt" noise. Then there was silence in the alley. Father Danil emerged from the alleyway, munching on a red apple, making his way towards the Plant.

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"Hey, whose that on the stage?" Calamity asked.

Evans stood on tiptoe and tried to peer over the crowd. "Can't tell, too many people." He knelt down and motioned to Calamity. "On my back, I'll give you a boost."

Calamity stood back a little and charged towards Evans, vaulting onto his shoulders. Evans stood up precariously and stumbled around.

"Quit rocking Calvary-boy, I can't see."

"You try this! What the hell do you have in that coat?"

Calamity strained her eyes, trying to identify the figure marching nervously onto the stage. Blonde hair, red coat, about 5'10"… "I think it's Nikki!"

"Fantastic. Really. Now get the hell off of me."

Calamity bent down and stared into Evans face. "I dunno, this if my first time riding a Calvaryman, I think I kinda like it. I bet it's your first time being ridden by a outlaw."

Evans grunted. "You'd be surprised."

"Well aren't you mister innuendo today?"

"You started it!"

Jeremiah walked up behind them. He tapped Evans on the shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?"

Evans turned around quickly. Too quickly. He overbalanced and collapsed backwards, falling on top of Calamity. "Sonofa!"

Jeremiah leaned his cross against a building and helped them up. "Never do that again!" Calamity said.

"Yeah, sorry. What are you guys doing here?"

"We hitched a lift with your mothers after we left the massacre at Tonim," Evans said.

Jeremiah's eyes widened. "Our, mothers?" he said nervously. "They followed us here?"

Evans nodded. "Don't worry. They're back they're getting mobbed by some sort of Bernadelli fan club. Get lost in the crowd and they'll never find you."

Jeremiah nodded. His blue eyes lost their focus and gazed off into space. "If they followed Vash around, can we really escape them?"

"What?" Calamity asked.

Jeremiah shook his head, returning from the land of memory back to reality. "Nothing. It's not important." The sound of guitar string being plucked resonated over the square. Jeremiah smiled and turned towards the stage. "Sounds like Nikki's starting her act," he turned towards Calamity and held out a hand, "you dance outlaw?"

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Nikki plucked the next note on her guitar. She bit her lip and looked at the audience before her. [You can do this, you can do this, you can do this.] She fingered the pick in her palm and sighed. It was now or never. She cleared her throat.

"Oh goodbye, Jenora.

Sweet town where the wind blows.

Goodbye, Jenora.

The city of the mills.

Goodbye, Jenora. . . Rock!

Hey, yeah yeah, Goodbye Jenora!

Don't cry for me, Jenora.

I'll be right back, when the sandstorms blow again.

Goodbye Jenora.

I'll miss you when the moons sail high overhead!

Goodbye Jenora

Keep waiting for me, I promise I will return!

Goodbye, Jenora… Rock."

Nikki let her breath out and closed her eyes, fearful of the crowd's reaction. She had nothing to fear. She never did.

Jeremiah ran up to the stage, dragging Calamity behind him. Off to the left, Evans was forcing his way through the applauding crowd. Jeremiah levered himself up onto the stage and pulled Calamity up behind him. He ran up to Nikki and threw an arm around her. "See, I told you could do it. Aren't you glad I unilaterally decided that you'll play."

Calamity crossed her arms. "Not bad, daughter of the Stampede."

Nikki chuckled. "Given up that title?"

"Well, yeah. I didn't know that guy really had a daughter!"

Evans levered himself up onto the stage and ran over to Nikki. "Your mothers, they got away from their freaky fan club. You might want to run."

A man with a camera ran up to the four and raised it up. "Okay, everyone smile!"

The funny thing about people with cameras is that when they give orders, people will follow them. No one really knows why, but for a split second, God himself will do what a photographer tells him to. The man thanked them, handed the picture to Calamity, who absent-mindedly put the picture in a pocket.

Nikki struggled with the guitar. "We've got to get out of her before they find us!"

A massive truck rolled into the city, interrupting Nikki's train of thought. It stopped fifty yars from the square. The doors opened and a man stepped out. An ordinary looking man. An extremely ordinary looking man. He hefted up a large assault rifle and fired it over the crowd. The crowd threw themselves on the ground, cowering in fear. The man laughed and stepped down from the truck and into the plaza. He was followed by nineteen other men and women, all hefting similar assault rifles.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Do not worry. Chances are very good you will not be harmed! This is a simple looting and pillaging type of operation! We will be ransacking your house, taking all of your valuables, that sort of thing."

"Just what we need," Nikki whispered to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah nodded. He cracked his knuckles in his fist. "I'm not sure what we do now."

Evans hand slipped down to his saber. "Where's Calamity?" he asked.

Jeremiah's eyes darted back and forth across the stage. "I dunno, she was just here a second ago."

An explosion was heard from the streets and the giant truck erupted in flames. MacKenzie's gun slipped as he stared at the slowly burning remains of their transport. "What. . . happened?"

"Oh MacKenzie, MacKenzie, MacKenzie. You really can't do anything without me can you?" Calamity said as she stepped around the smoldering wreckage, flipping a radio detonator in her right hand. "The bank job in January? Me. The weapons hijacking of the 47th caravan? Me. The raid on the Baradouch Produce Company depot? Me. You guys are nothing without me. Don't let that bounty get to your heads."

MacKenzie blinked a few times, not trusting his eyes. "Clarissa? Is that you?"

Calamity grinned. "Yep. It's me, Clarissa "Calamity" Shriver." She approached MacKenzie, still flipping the detonator in her hand. MacKenzie raised the assault rifle up in front of her, but Calamity simply pushed it away and got in close to MacKenzie, right up in his face.

MacKenzie gulped. "Clarissa, we were sure that you had. . ." he started to say, before he was interrupted by a scream.

Nikki screamed as agony washed over her, agony that she had never felt before. She clutched her head and fell backwards. Evans ran up and caught her before she could hit the stage.

"What's wrong?" he yelled.

Nikki peered up at him through her fingers. "Something's dying," she said, "No. Something's dead."

The electric lights over the square burnt out in unison, the PA system used for the musicians faded away, and all over Christmas City, lights went out and water stopped running. The city was engulfed in darkness.

Jeremiah knew what was coming. He had seen it before. "GET DOWN!" He screamed over the panicking crowd, but no one seemed to listen or care. The only person who reacted at all was Calamity, who instinctively threw herself to the dirt.

For the rest of the Wild Bunch, it was too late. Two guns flashed ten times each and the Wild Bunch all fell to the ground, a bullet hole in each of their heads. Not a gunshot was heard, just a faint "phewt". Calamity picked herself up and rushed towards MacKenzie's broken body.

"MacKenzie! MacKenzie!"

"Why waste your time on them? They were sinners. It is foolish to mourn for the damned." The voice echoed around the square, the people turned, trying to find its source.

"Take for example the man with the camera and the brown vest," the voice said.

The photographer swallowed and pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You are also a sinner. You cheated on your wife today, shame shame. You hid your actions from your wife, but you can never hide them from God." A gun flashed again, and the photographer flew backward as the bullet entered his head.

"And yet another damned goes to Hell. How about you, with the green cap? Care to confess?"

The man looked around for the voice, but found nothing. "Confess what? I haven't done anything. I'm just a Plant technician!"

"I guess not." A gun flashed. "You have all forsaken the light of God, and for what? A giant light bulb! But all light bulbs burn out eventually." A pair of lights appeared in an alleyway. They moved out into the plaza, trailing gun smoke behind them.

"And how about you little missie?" the lights said as they resolved themselves into eyes. Eyes that glowed from within, providing illumination to the owner and scarce comfort to those who looked into them. The owner of the eyes couldn't be seen, the blackness was too deep. Not even the five moons could reveal the man whose eyes glowed in the darkness.

The girl the eyes had addressed whimpered and clutched her son. "Please, don't."

"You're what, nineteen? Twenty?"

The girl nodded, tears streaming from her eyes.

"And your son, unless I am very mistaken, is about five years old. How old where you when you had him? Hm?"

The girl turned her son away from the eyes. "I had him when I was fourteen! Why do you care? Why can't you leave us alone?"

"Because my dear," the eyes said, pointing a cross at the girl, "it's a sin." He pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The eyes turned towards the stage. Nikki sat there, the Green Long Colt in her hand, smoke rising from the barrel. "Stop it," she said. "Stop the killing."

"Nice shot. I'm surprised you could even see me in this dark, let alone hit a moving bullet."

"What did you do? What else have you killed?" Nikki asked, struggling to her feet.

"Ahh, of course. You heard it didn't you? The death scream? It's final, thrashing, pitiful plea for life?"

"NIKKI!" Meryl screamed running into the plaza, Millie in tow. The eyes tracked her movement and another cross came up.

"Of course, you two are the worst sinners of all, aren't you?" The eyes turned to Nikki. "You, for even existing, and you. . ." they turned back to Meryl, "for bringing her into this world."

"What are you talking about? Light bulbs, existing, what has my mother done to you?"

"Why. . . you don't know what you are, do you? They, they haven't told you?" The eyes turned back to Meryl. "You haven't told your little abomination what she is? What her father is? What he has done to God's people? You haven't told her?" The eyes started laughing.

Evans stood in front of Nikki and put his hand on the hilt of his saber.

"Oh? What are you going to try to do, Cavalryman? Your law is but secondary to the law of God. And besides, can you even see me? With those sunglasses on?"

Evans other hand went up to his head, adjusting his glasses. "You'd be surprised as to what I can do."

"Yes, but can you save two people at once? Care to try it?"

There was the sound of a hundred snaps opening and the eyes found themselves menaced by a six and half foot cross.

"This ends now Father Danil. Quit killing them." Jeremiah said, pointing his Cross Punisher at Danil's head. His eyes too, glowed with the strange light from within.

Father Danil chuckled. His eyes turned towards Millie. "Miss Thompson I presume? I can see the family resemblance. I must, comment you on your son. A fine young lad, shows a lot of promise. He's already learned to hoist his weapon."

"Jeremiah," Millie said, "who is this?"

"Who indeed? Now, Jeremiah you've shown that you can lift your weapon, all that remains is to use it. Go ahead Jeremiah, kill me. Save all these people. Use your weapon, and save all these lost souls."

Jeremiah said nothing, his expression unreadable and his eyes, still glowing.

"And so many ways to do it as well. Burn me, blow me up, or just shoot me. Why don't you back up a bit and practice your aim, eh? Of course, why waste a good bullet on me? You're close enough. Hit all those switches, and just stab me in the head."

Jeremiah's jaw clenched. He blinked several times.

"C'mon Jeremiah, pull the trigger."

"No Jeremiah, don't," Millie whispered. She looked at Meryl and Nikki. "It's not worth it Jeremiah, there has to be another way."

"Pull the trigger Jeremiah."

Jeremiah's arm started shaking.

"PULL THE TRIGGER JEREMIAH!"

Jeremiah's breath came in short gasps, and he slowly lowered the Cross Punisher to the ground.

Danil smirked. "Pathetic. You're father wouldn't have hesitated a second. But then again, you aren't your father are you?" He turned back towards the stage. "You want answers, abomination? You want to know what your blasphemer of a mother won't tell you? Jenora. Head to Jenora Rock. That's where you'll get answers." Danil started backing away into the shadows, the lights in his eyes dimming. "Jenora Rock." The lights went out, and Father Danil disappeared.

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"I'm going mother, you can't stop me."

"Nikki, it's a trap. Either he'll be waiting or he's just leading you to your father's brother!"

"I don't care mom! If you won't give me any answers, I'll have to find some for myself!" Nikki screamed at her mother. Before Meryl could respond, Nikki ran off into the blackness.

Jeremiah looked at his mother. "I'm sorry, but I've got to help her."

Millie nodded knowingly. "Keep her safe Jeremiah. Or I'll smack you when you get back. You wouldn't want that would you?"

Jeremiah chuckled. "No, I certainly wouldn't." He shouldered his cross and was about to run off after Nikki when a hand tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see the old music maker standing there.

"Tell the young lady that she can keep the guitar, eh? Tell her that, one day, she could be great. She really set the crowd on fire, yes, the crowd on fire." Jeremiah nodded, and taking one last look at Meryl and his mother, darted out into the blackness after Nikki.

Millie and Meryl stood side-by-side for a while, neither saying a word. Finally, Millie turned to Meryl.

"We're going to go after them, aren't we Sempai?"

Meryl sighed. "Yeah. We are Millie." She looked up at the moons. "Is that all we do? Follow, chase, search for? Is that all we can do for our loved ones?"

"Maybe Meryl. But at least we're good at it! We've even got our own fan club!"

Meryl winced. "Don't remind me Millie."

"Miss Thompson! Miss Stryfe!"

A pained look crossed Meryl's face. "Run Millie!"

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Nikki rushed towards city limits, not even really thinking about where she was going, the guitar still slung around her back.

"Going my way?"

Nikki stopped. Evans and Calamity stood near her, leaning against the truck they had rode in on. Jeremiah came rushing up and skidded to a stop. He leant on his cross, panting heavily.

"This isn't your problem you two. You don't have to come with us."

"Yes it is," Evans said, staring at the ground. "It's my problem because he killed all those people. It's my problem because I couldn't protect them. It's my problem because I failed my duty. Don't tell me it's not my problem Nikki. He killed them I couldn't do anything."

Nikki pointed at Calamity. "And her?"

Calamity said nothing and stared at her hands, still covered in MacKenzie's blood.

Evans shrugged. "Honor among thieves. What can I say?"

"I'm not going to let you guys endanger yourselves," Jeremiah said. He suddenly found himself looking down Evans' saber.

"Are you going to try and stop us Jeremiah? Don't make me have to hurt you. I like you, and I would hate to have to hurt you."

Jeremiah chuckled mirthlessly. "Alright, but I'm driving."

"Like hell you are, I'm driving!" Nikki said.

"You almost crashed the last car!"

"Like you're any better?"

"No, I'm driving," Evans said. "Seeing as how I'm the one with the keys."

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Johnny and Blayne stood among the newly made sandworm graveyard. Johnny stuck his hands in his pockets. "Shame we had to kill the rest of 'em"

Blayne shrugged and snapped open her fan. The blades on the fan gleamed in the five moons' faint light. "They're worthless anyway. No strategy, no pack ideas, no intelligence, just a stomach and some teeth." A device attached to her corset beeped. She closed her fan and picked up the device.

"They just left Christmas City," a voice said from the box.

"Excellent, overtake them and meet us at Jenora Rock," Blyane said.

"Can't I kill her now?" the voice asked.

"No Schneider, you can't. There's been a change of plans."

"But I want to kill her!" Schneider whined, "she deserves to die after what her father did!"

"Do not question the Masters' decision Schneider. It is beyond your feeble comprehension."

"Maybe I'll just kill her anyway. . ."

Blayne looked up at Johnny. She thrust the communicator at him. "He's your subordinate, you talk to him!"

Johnny took the box and held it to his ear. "Schneider, are you there? It's me, Johnny."

"I'm going to kill her Johnny, and you can't stop me."

"Oh really? Well Schneider, I have to ask you something then. Can you out fight an angel? Can you outwit the devil? Can you outwait a monster? Can you over power a beast!? You better be damned sure that you can, because if you kill her now, when the time comes, it won't be Master Knives and it won't be Legato and it won't be Martinez and it won't be Blayne. It'll just be me, and my blades. You can't run forever Schneider. Care to try your luck?"

Static crackled form the box, then Schneider's voice drifted out. "I'll see you at Jenora. I can wait a little longer."

"Glad to hear it," Johnny said. He flipped the communicator off and tossed it to Blayne. They walked off towards the west. Johnny stopped and pulled a knife out of a sandworm's head.

"I still can't believe you dropped that thing with one throw," Blayne said.

Johnny grinned. He turned the knife over to reveal the name carved into the hilt. "Clarissa here never misses."

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Meryl: Should we have told her? Was it my place to tell her? Why didn't we tell her what she was? Because we were afraid. We were afraid of how she might react. Were we wrong to keep our secrets from her? Have we left her at the mercy of a dry world, at the mercy of a fallen angel and his demons?

Next Chapter: Goodbye Jenora

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