-----DISCLAIMER-----

I am a fan.
A Trigun groupie if you will.
**waves a 'don't sue me' flag and pops one of those party popper thingies**
Hurrah for the world of fandom!

-----AUTHOR'S NOTES-----

Lynda: A big thankyou to cymberleah, JadeAnime and Miss Eriks! Your consistent reviews are a blessing. Truly.
... I'm not sure how this will turn out. Ah well. Let's go and find out, ne?

Kuroneko: Mya... =^¬_¬^=

-----*+*-----

A very bedraggled group of people hauled themselves into the small and dirty town of Carcassess. The two thomases that, judging by the saddles, must've once been mounts were now being dragged along behind the group with their heads bowed. The creatures' tongues were hanging past the dusty and chipped carapace-masks to nearly sweep the sand. The people looked just as worse for wear.

'Finally...' Meryl managed, the tips of her hair clinging to her forehead with sweat.

'I thought we'd die.' Milly confessed while a bead of persperation collecting on the end of her chin to drip onto the dusty ground.

'Let's find the hotel. I need shade, rest and a shower.' the shorter of the pair stated firmly, mustering the last of her strength to pull the fatigued thomas behind her into motion. Milly mumbled something incoherent behind her and followed suit.

'I can't believe I just walked from December to Carcassess.' Vash panted, stumbling after the living duo and wiping his brow with a gloved hand. The Cross Punisher was perched on his shoulder and looking like it weighed a great deal more than it already did.

'I can't believe you thought it'd be like the days of your own travelling.' Wolfwood replied, albiet a little breathlessly.

'I would've been fine, but you made me carry your stupid cross all the way! And those bandits halfway made us run for 10 iles...' the blonde whined, readjusting his grip on the black strap.

'It wouldn't have been so damn difficult if you had have been paying attention.' the priest retorted sharply. He, surprisingly, had been mistaken. Not the long boring hours, the subtle hintings nor the not so subtle constant pesterings had pulled Vash's problem from him. He had been just as fidgetty on the trip as he had at the thomas stable. And even more distant.

'I was paying attention.' Vash replied distractedly; a completely blatant contradiction to what he was saying. The pair followed their Guards through the dusty main street of Carcassess, the mood somewhat lightened with the change of scenery. With houses and general stores springing up from the ground on either side, it was, admittedly, a great deal more interesting than the desert.

Considering that the town itself was incredibly small, it wasn't too hard finding the Inn. The building was very close to the edge of Carcasses; shadowed by the saloon on one side and the sheriff's office on the other. Ferverishly tying their pathetic looking steads to the rein bar in front of the saloon, Meryl and Milly stumbled gladly into the inn.

'See? You're out of it again.' Wolfwood noted as they stepped through the door.

'I'm just thinking.' Vash replied in his defense, finally bringing his focus back to his companion.

'Of what?' the priest asked sharply.

'Nothing much...' came the enigmatic reply. The humidity and fatigue of the days events had destroyed whatever discreetion Nicholas D. Wolfwood had felt he possessed.

'The thing that's been followin' us?' he asked loudly, grinning in victory when Vash jumped.

'You- You knew about it?!'

'Of course! Remember, I've been in this game a lot longer than you. I know that they've been following us since December. Who is it? Anyone you know?'

'Not... Know them... No.' Vash said quietly, setting down the cross, making his way over to the window and nervously looking out it while Meryl paid for the room. Wolfwood shrugged.

'You seem pretty tense about it.' he noted. This recieved only silence. To break the strange stalemate, the priest spoke up again. 'I checked my Meta-Kard, you know.'

'You did?!' Vash asked in surprise and obvious intrigue. Ah. That worked.

'Yeah.' Wolfwood replied casually, flipping out the little oblong of metal. 'I'm not sure if this is a shock to you or not, but the person that's followin' us is a Winger. Wasn't close enough to recieve any more info.' This, evidently, was a shock.

'A Winger?!' Vash managed, the hand that had been resting on the windowsill slipping through the wood in surprise and causing him to stumble.

'That's what my Kard tells me.' the priest replied.

'... A Guardian Angel...' Vash murmured incredulously, returning his gaze out the window. Motion at the desk caused the pair to turn.

'Here's the key to your room, Miss.' the manager said nervously, a shaking hand protruding from an overly long sleeve to give Meryl a key. She took it suspisciously, but looked far too tired to bother herself over the man's strangely skittish behavior.

'Thank you.' she said in a voice that once again betrayed her true opinion. Milly seemed a little out of it, having what appeared to be a staring contest with a pot plant. The man behind the counter preformed something that was obviously intended to be a smile, but was morphed quickly into a grimace. Giving him one last half-hearted penetrating glare, Meryl pulled the unresponsive Milly up the stairs to their room. Vash was in the process of following when a hand attached to his arm brought the motion to a sudden halt.

'Wolfwood?' he asked, his eyes rising from the hand to his partner's face. The aforementioned priest shook his head.

'Just a second... This guy's acting a little suspiscious, wouldn't you say?' he asked slowly, leaning back against the wall to wait. Vash blinked and turned his gaze back to the manager. Indeed, he was acting strangely. Eyes darting nervously between the stairs and the door, the man appeared to be unable to choose which worried him more. Fingers were tugging nervously at each other and dry, grim stretched lips were constantly being wetted.

'He looks like he's waiting for something.' Vash noted, making to settle himself down. After what was obviously a change of heart, the priest beside him waved a hand.

'I can handle this. Go wait with the girls. I don't like leaving them alone for so long... 'Specially in this town.' He said slowly, his own thoughts slowing down speech due to need of coherency. The blonde gunman blinked.

'I- Are you sure? You know how I am, maybe I should be the one to wait here.' he offered.

'No. I'm fine. If something's happened to my Guard while you were sitting here arguing with me, you'll be shining buckles for the rest of your After Life.' Wolfwood threatened lightly, pulling out a ratty looking cigerrette and lighting it.

'Alright, alright. Wow, scary. I'll just be... Upstairs then.' Vash replied in obvious submittance and looking rather sulky about it. The dark haired man shrugged and watched expectantly as his comrade trudged grudgingly up the staircase. Just to be sure, he pulled out his MetaKard and watched the small dot pause at the second floor landing. It continued to waver there, waiting.

'BEAT IT TONGARI!' Wolfwood shouted sharply. He had the satisfaction of hearing a surprised clatter from up the stairs, the dot on the Kard screen hurriedly retreating into the room. Good. That was settled then.
Shifting further into his slouch, Wolfwood pulled his cross closer to himself, an elbow resting comfortably on it's veiled form. He had spent innumeral hours in this position. Even days on the odd occassion. It was a skill he had picked up; the ability to wait for any length of time without the need to sit or lay down. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

After only 5 minutes, the door opened and in swept a tall and attractive woman. Wolfwood, his sixth sense doing him proud, narrowed his eyes and pulled himself slightly from his languorous position. The man at the counter watched the door open and close with terror, his eyes looking through the woman at the entrance. She smiled at the reaction and stepped forward. Only to stumble to a halt and turn slowly to face the figure leaning against the wall. Her eyes widened.

'Angel.' she snarled, throwing the word from her tongue as if it were disease ridden. Wolfwood grinned.

'Demon.' he replied. Oblivious to all this, the manager cleared his throat.

'Dominique, I shall now give you my report.' he croaked, looking like he would, indeed, give his report, but choke on it in the process of doing so. Dominique's eye widened and she swung her gaze to the human, scandalized. Considering he couldn't see her warnings, the manager plunged on.

'The two insurance investigators arrived but 5 minutes ago. They bring with them little supplies and protection. Two thomas' are tied out the front o-' Wolfwood grinned as the man prattled on, unconsciously giving away a great deal more than this tall woman liked. She opened her mouth to shout something.

'Shut up you fool!' she snapped, angry panic delivering the words, not sense. Common sense would not have even bothered; the human couldn't hear her no matter what she said.

'I do not think they are dangerous, nor do I think that they will find the Vault Factory under the Master's Mansion-'

'Vault Factory. I see.' Wolfwood noted, the broadening of his grin causing the cigerrette to be shifted from lips to teeth. Dominique reached a hand into her coat and pulled out a silenced pistol. Without pause, she leveled the barrel at the manager's head and pulled the trigger; again panic taking prime responsibility.

As the corner of the desk was blown off, the human behind it let out a high pitched, if not short lived, squeal. Dominique spun enraged, switching her glare to the Angel still leaning casually against the wall. Wolfwood quirked an eyebrow, one finger raised and glowing slightly. He lowered it and the Demon regained control of the gun.

'Don't kill this poor fool for your blundering.' he said simply, the grin that had dominated his features earlier now vanished without a trace. The man whimpered, stood as slowly as his terror would allow him and stumbled to the door. In one quick and adrenaline pumped action, he opened, bolted through, and slammed the front door shut. Running could be heard disappearing into the distance.

'So the Master was right. There is an Angel here in Carcasses.' Dominique said, slowly regaining her calm. 'I was hoping to find you at a disadvantage. I guess not.'

'Sorry about that. This whole town is on the edge. I was curious, but I didn't guess at Demons.' Wolfwood replied casually, shrugging as he straightened and slung his cross over his shoulder.

'You've heard too much.' the woman noted, a careful but competent smile gracing her features.

'So I have.' came the response.

'You already saw too much in December. The Master informed me of that.' she continued. Only the slightest stutter betrayed Wolfwood's surprise. So small, it was missed by the Demon. He regained his confident demeanor within microseconds.

'Yeah. 'Fraid so. I saw everything.' he sighed with mock dissapointment, waving a hand in an expansive gesture. Dominique narrowed her eye.

'So you decided to come and investigate the Vault Factories here in Carcasses.'

'Of course. I didn't see enough in December.' Wolfwood replied, not a blink out of place betraying the fact that he was playing a pair of duces.

'I'm afraid I won't allow that, Angel.'

'You're going to stop me?' the priest asked in genuine reluctance. Dominique smirked.

'Oh, yes.' she replied. 'And if not me, then another. And another. Maybe even one day the Master.' Wolfwood sighed.

'Then let's get this over with.' he said simply, a shrug of the shoulder bringing his cross down into his hands. Dominique lowered her gun, grin widening.

'Don't think that a simple show of religion will deter me, Angel. Darkness always holds the better cards.' she said, the volume of her speech rising as her face did. 'My card is the Demons Eye.' with the barrel of her gun, she pointed to the metal eyepatch. 'Save yourself if you can follow my movements. Your 5 senses will betray you and time will pass. Prepare yourself!' she shouted. In a strange flash of red, the metal eyepatch slid open, revealing a wide and red tinted eye. Only then, when the room began wavering with manipulated time, did she raise her gun. Her already bloodlust spread eyes widened when Woldwood, unphased by the distortion, flicked his cigerrette away and widened his stance.

'Angels are timeless and we have more than 5 senses.' he observed stoically, hand raising to the buckles of his cross. 'I'm sorry about this.' he added, as the clasps began to snap open.

-----*+*-----

The man clad in white, sword in pampered left hand, watched as a panting and injured Demon was thrown at his feet.

'Master... Master Legato...' Dominique managed as she raised her face from the ground, wounds dotting her body like random red stars. 'I- I was caught off my guard! My Demon's Eye... It can still help you!'

'I hand you an Angel. You failed me, Demon.' the blue haired man noted calmly, not even lowering his yellow gaze to the form on the ground.

'Please. One more chance and I will succeed!' she begged, her metal eyepatch shattered and open uselessly on her right eye. 'I didn't betray us. I would never... And he was not a normal Angel! They are not allowed to carry weapons, but this one-'

'You failed, Demon.' Legato repeated, yellow eye finally dropping.

'But given one more chance-'

'You have outlived your usefulness.' the white clad man said simply. Dominique searched desperately for words to save herself. Simply put, she could find none.

'Master Legato...' she whispered, bowing her head to the ground, forehead resting the in the dust as one last plead for existence.

'Prepare yourself for Judgement.' came the monotone answer. Dominique's head snapped up and she watched with terrified eyes as the left hand that gripped the sword hilt tightened. She shuddered, unable to move. Literally rooted to the spot. Restrained and constricted.

'No- No DON'T!!' she screamed, struggling against the invisible bonds. In one smooth and expansive arch, the thrumming white blade swept the ground, one second within sword hilt, the next poised in the air. After an eternity of silence the clean-cut two halves of Dominique the Cyclops fell to the dusty ground and evaporated in an explosion of shadow. Slowly and methodically the sword was sheathed.

'Useless.' Legato whispered, switching his gaze to the town of Carcasses below. Closing his only visible eye, the blue haired man breathed in slightly. 'Master. An Angel. A weapon weilding Angel.'

And who does this Angel guard?

'One of the outsiders.'

Is the Factory in danger?

'Yes.'

I will deal with them when they come. You will assist me.

'Yes Master.'

We must prepare for their arrival. I must admit, I'm intrigued.

'Master?'

A weapon weilding Angel. Who would've thought?

-----*+*-----

-----AUTHOR'S NOTES-----

Lynda: Ehehehe... Um... Yesh. Yesh. It's nearly 3 in the morning and I'm tired. I think I shall go to bed now. Sigh. Sorry to kill Dominique off so quickly, but we've got lots of other Gung Ho Demons, right? **imagines Nine Lives with little bat wings and Rai Dei with a pitch fork instead of a sword** ... Riiiight... I think I desperately need sleep. Snore. Yes, sleep. Hibernation, even...

Kuroneko: Mya... =^T_T^=

Lynda: Egad, Gadzooks and By Gum, that was stupid. But people need to know that Wolfwood is one kewl Winger. He's good at what he does... A little too good... **nudge nudge hint hint** What's up with that?! AH! A plot!!!

... Sleep... SNORE.