Involuntary

-----DISCLAIMER-----

"I've got a lovely bunch of Trigun folk"
teedeeleedeedee
"There they are a-standing in a row"
bom bee bom bom bom bomp
"Big ones" **points to Milly**
"Small ones" **points to Meryl**
"Some as big as your head" **points to Kuroneko**

...Ok, so I don't REEEALLY have a bunch of Trigun folk. I'm just borrowing them. Er... Along with this song.
Which I also don't own.

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

Lynda: AHAHAHAHA. Um... Hi.... How are you? ... Oh... That's good... Or bad... I can't tell. I'm just typing. Er... I'll... Just get back to the story shall I?

Kuroneko: ... MYA! **cat slaps Lynda**

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

The mansion, despite being a compilation of wood, mortar and brick, still managed to lurk. The windows were eerily close to being evil eyes and the door a terrifying and gaping mouth. Unfortunately, the great big hole in the side of the building ruined the effect somewhat. Monsters just don't look so scary with half their head missing.

Standing outside the door and gazing up in a kind of blank wonder was our very strange group of unlikely heroes.

'Wow... Look at the damage, Sempai...' Milly murmured, taking in the west wing, or lackthereof. Meryl smiled that grim rictus she had that said, 'the Chief is not going to like this'.

'The Chief is not going to like this.' she vocalized, true to her expression. Shooting one look at each other, the pair began up the porch stairs and knocked on the door. Meanwhile on a more spectral Plane, Wolfwood and Vash were trying to edit information they were giving each other. Information, that is, that simply couldn't be edited any further.

'My Cross Punisher. It's protection in this dangerous world.' Wolfwood explained, pausing every so often as he cut important revelations from his sentence.

'That doesn't explain alot, y'know.' Vash replied, frowning. 'Like what was really going on downstairs yesterday, and why didn't you tell me the truth? And why you carry around a huge cross shaped machine-gun slash rocket-launcher?'

'Yesterday.' Wolfwood repeated, ignoring the question about his Punisher. 'Well, there was a Demon, but I took care of it. I didn't think that you needed to know.' he continued loftily, massaging his temples as his Hangover got that little bit worse.

'You could've shown me how to handle them! Instead of not telling me anything then nearly blowing us all sky high with that damn Cross of yours!' the blonde retorted stubbornly.

'What's done is done! You've officially encountered your first Demon and survived, so what are you complaining about?' was the response.

'Only the fact that you killed him.' Vash said sharply. 'He didn't have to die.' Wolfwood grimaced.

'Don't you pay attention?!' he snapped. 'The Demon didn't die! We've all already done that, why should we kick the bucket again? I only sent him back to Below, where he belongs. And so what if I did kill him, he was going to kill us if you didn't notice.'

'That's not an excuse, and you know it.'

'Whatever. My turn. What's with that arm?' Wolfwood asked shortly, lighting himself a cigerette. Vash froze at the question and began figetting in discomfort.

'Um... I... Lost my real one ages ago... And... Well...'

'You thought, 'What the hell? Why not slap on a gun in it's place'?' Wolfwood asked sarcastically.

'Hey! It's purely for protection purposes!' Vash retorted angrily.

'And what's with the case of the mysterious disappearing injuries?' the priest continued, waving an hand in a slightly vexed gesture. At the door, Meryl scowled and knocked again, tapping her foot impatiently.

'I don't know.' was Vash's honest answer. 'I got hurt in December too, but it's gone now. Come to think of it, I was so distracted, I didn't even notice.' Wolfwook shook his head slowly.

'I'm having some serious trouble figuring you out.' he admitted quietly. 'First off, what happened in December?'

'I... Saw some evidence of the person who cost me my arm.' Vash replied softly, grimacing and turning away. His sentence was clipped and careful, constructed to answer, but not explain. The expression was intense enough for Wolfwood to leave the topic alone.

'Ok, let's just leave it at that.' the priest offered. 'But as soon as things get back to normal, I want to hear it all.' Vash nodded hurriedly, relief lightening his features somewhat. The front door to the mansion finally opened and a short man in a white lab coat appeared before them. Vash's relief was shortlived. It was the man from his dream.

'Ye-Yes?' the scientist asked in a huff, leaning on the door as he caught his breath. It looked like he had run from one end of the mansion to the other, up all the stairs in the process. Considering the wait, he probably had. Meryl plastered a smile on her face.

'Good morning, sir. I'm Meryl Stryfe of the Bernadelli Insurance Society. We were called to your town to assess the damage done to your mansion?' she asked clearly, the only thing depriving the speech from being polite being the small tone of aggrivation embedded there. The scientist stared at her in a horrified manner, turned his gaze to the gaping hole in the side of the building then turned back.

'Oh, that? Oh, you mean THAT. It's fine.' he blurted, trying to look suave as he began to close the door on two very shocked insurance workers. Vash stuck his boot in the frame.

'He's lying!' he hissed at Wolfwood. He recieved a surprised but suspiscious look from his partner. The scientist appeared to be panicking over the sudden lack of door closing that was going on.

'Excuse me, sir, but I'm afraid even if you would prefer to handle this situation yourself, we will need to investigate the scene anyway. Are you the owner of this property?' Meryl asked, whatever smidgeon of politeness that had existed in her tone evaporating rapidly.

'No, that would be Master Kni- I mean, the Master.' the small man stuttered, beginning to sweat.

'Then I'd like to speak to the owner.' Meryl said curtly.

'What? You mean... The Master?! You want to speak to the Master?!' the scientist hissed, as if his disclosing the fact that this wasn't a good idea was top secret.

'Well, you see we have to.' Milly piped up, smiling apologetically. 'Now that we've been called here, we at least have to see the man in charge.'

'... I'm sorry ladies, but-'

'TAKE US TO THE MAN IN CHARGE!' Meryl all but shouted to the cowering man, patience long since lost. With a squeak, the small scientist jumped away from the door and looked ready to flee down the hall. Something in his eyes indicated that this probably wouldn't be a good idea, so, persperation beading on his forehead, he waited. Smiling again, although a little stifly, Meryl stepped through the door and into the mansion, followed closely by Milly. Wolfwood and Vash trailed after them.

'Not again...' Vash gagged as he was blasted in the face with familiar metaphysical chill. Rather like the unknown Demon from yesterday and Monev the Gale, the frosty breeze was biting, slightly insidious and, Vash found, more than a little nauseating. And it was hugely abundant here.

'This place is crawling with them. What is this, the center of all Demonic activity?! We've really gotten ourselves into it this time...' Wolfwood muttered, rubbing his temples again.

'Are we in trouble?' Vash asked, taking a deep breath and stepping into motion after the two mortals.

'Big trouble.' came the resigned reply. 'We can't leave the girls, and they are leadin' us straight into the lion's den.' The blonde flinched.

'And he's in there...' he mumured.

'Who?' Wolfwood asked sharply, shooting a piercing glare at his companion.

'Knives.' Vash said clearly, loudly, as if pushing the word away with volume. Something clicked in Wolfwood's eyes, but, to his credit, he remained quiet. The red clad blonde spoke up again. 'Listen, something big is happening here. I... Don't really know what to expect.'

'You said that the man lied before. How do you know?'

'I had a dream last night.' Vash said simply.

'Angels don't dream, Tonga- oh.' The sentence came to a halt when realization dawned. This strange revelation silenced them both. Angels didn't have dreams. They had visions.
Feeling cold and very much like they were being watched, the group travelled wordlessly through the endless labyrinth of corridors, taking in the poor excuse for homekeeping. If there were butlers or maids, they had been evicted a very, very long time ago. The mansion seemed derelict. Vash had started out trying to keep track of turns in the dusty and abused halls, but they proved too numerous. And the fact that the priest's Meta-Kard was in hand, it was apparent that Wolfwood was on top of the situation. As their predictament ignorant Guards led them deeper and deeper into the enemies territory, the two Angel's began to get more and more fidgetty. The tell-tale demonic chill was smothering and getting worse with every corner they stepped around. After what seemed an eternity of silence, Wolfwood took a breath and spoke.

'We're being followed again.' he said simply, his gaze rivetted on his Kard.

'I know.' Vash replied, wanting desperately to turn around, but at the same time fearing what he would see if he did. He wasn't feeling confident about their position at all. He still had so much to learn about surviving as an Angel, and Wolfwood seemed a little out of it due to taking the brunt of two Demon attacks. The priest's brow was creased with the burden of an obvious headache, and there was the faintest trembling in his hands. Wolfwood caught Vash's worried gaze and his frown intensified.

'I'm fine.' he snapped. 'The first Demon happened to have a skill that stretched my abilities a bit, that's all. As long as you keep your eye out for danger, we'll get out of this.' he continued, returning his pained scrutiny to the Meta-Kard.

'But what if more Demons come?' Vash insisted.

'Demons are the least of our worries at the moment, Tongari.' Wolfwood replied simply.

I should certainly think so, Angel.

Both Wingers jumped at the same time and spun around. Walking behind them at a few paces was a tall man dressed strangely in white, his blue hair falling in his eyes like some sort of veil. In his left hand he held a bladeless sword hilt.

'You-' Vash managed, spinning and backing away from the new comer. Wolfwood near dropped his cigerrette.

'Legato.' he managed, throwing the word from his throat as if he were choking on it. He recovered himself quickly and his grip on his Cross Punisher tightened slightly. 'Legato Bluesummers. It's been a while.' Legato raised his face and turned his single golden eyed gaze on the priest.

'Indeed it has.' he replied. Without the strange harmonics that were interlaced through his tones when speaking directly into minds, the new man sounded somewhat normal. But only a little. That topaz eye was strangely piercing. 'I suggest you keep walking.' he added as the mortals slowly began to move away from the trio. Casting each other a glance, Vash and Wolfwood complied, albeit a little reluctantly. Trust was obviously not among the highest ranking of current emotions.

'It was you in December.' Vash noted, using all the right tones to render it a fact and not a question. It was at that moment when Legato turned his gaze on Vash for the first time. He couldn't have been scarier if he tried. Or more silent. After a huge and uncomfortable length of innocuous scrutiny, the white clad man finally spoke.

'2 Angels. The Master did not take this into account. And you. You must be...' his voice trailed off as he appeared to be listening to something, his eyes dilating. Then, blinking once and refocusing on Vash, the blue haired man simply smiled. It was slightly carnivorous.

'So you were the Winger following us?' Wolfwood asked sharply, bringing the attention away from the shrinking 60 Billion Double Dollar Man. Vash choked slightly. He had been told that the person following them to Carcasses had been an Angel, but, when you think about it, trying to decapitate someone wasn't all that much of an Angelic thing to do. The term 'Demonic' sprung to mind, but there was no chill surrounding this man. None at all.

'Yes. I am an Angel, just like you... Vash the Stampede.' Legato said in a very bland sonority of voice, turning his gaze back to the hallway as Vash flinched at his name.

'No, you are a joke.' Wolfwood corrected loudly. Both of the other Angels turned to stare at him; Legato looking as calm, cold and calculating as ever, and Vash looking like he was trying to swallow a mutant goldfish that had arms to claw back up with. The priest noted the terror filled incredulous gaze and waved his free hand.
'Not like that, I literally mean a joke. Bluesummers was in the same training group as me. Black Jack thought it would be a huge laugh if he sent a sadist to spend his existence guarding human life. It's his kind of humor.' A very yellow gaze returned forward.

'I'm afraid the joke is on him. My job is proving most... Satisfying.' Legato said simply, fist tightening around the sword hilt.

'Which brings me to my next question. You do realize this mansion is crawling with Demons, don't you?' Wolfwood asked, his speech casual but his frame poised. For flight or fight, either way he seemed tense. Vash couldn't help but notice this, and moved slightly further away from the blue haired Winger behind him.

'Of course.' Legato replied in monotone. 'They are my minions.'

'That,' Wolfwood said quietly, 'was what I was afraid of.'

'Yes, I was intending to kill you.' the white clad man noted in a contemplative voice. 'But the situation has just changed.' Vash and Wolfwood exchanged another look and turned their gaze to their Guards. The priest smiled mirthlessly.

'We're not going to like where we're going, are we?' he stated, the tone barely forming a question. Legato didn't even bother to answer.

'We could get out if we wanted to.' Vash supplied casually, looking as confident as is possible of an undertrained Angel with a severly Hungover partner. Wolfwood didn't even blink at the blatant lie.

'I'm sure you could.' Legato replied. 'But so you really believe your Guards could follow?' A familiar thrum sprung up behind the pair, and a glowing blade was raised between them. They hastily jumped aside from the pulsing sword and it's obvious cutting ability. As it scythed the air easily, the tip stopping inches from the back of Milly's head, Wolfwood hissed through his teeth.

'Where,' he managed, 'did you get that.' Behind them, Legato smiled and remained silent. They remained in this verbal desolation for quiet some time, the two humans in front of them walking on impervious to the danger. Then,

'Alright!! You've made your damn point, lower your weapon!' Wolfwood snapped, looking pretty uncomfortable. The glowing blade disappeared and the hilt lowered.

'You shall follow me to the Master.' Legato said simply. The pair didn't bother answering. They were herded further into the mansion and neither Nicholas. D. Wolfwood nor Vash the Stampede could do a thing to stop it from happening.

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

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

Lynda: Hmm... I decided to keep it short. Just for fun? Nah not really. Because I kinda wanted succession of short quick chappies. Mwaaa~ Hmmmm... Anyway...
As for Angels meeting Guards... You KNOW it's going to happen eventually. I'm that kind of writer! Just be patient! Legato as an Winger? I'm no big Legato fan myself, but a halo and a pair wings on the sadist? Mwe heh heh. What else? Yes, we meet Knives next. Anything else? Er... I can't think of anything... >_<
Other than a BIIIIG thanks to:
Cymberleah, Kristen Sharpe, Miss Eriks, ai_heiwa, **exhales and breaths in again so as to not offend cymberleah-san** JadeAnime, Millie Wolfwood, Argent Inluminai, Empress Galaxia **waves and says 'small doujinshis are hard enough!**, Starah, Ms. Ca, Beautiful Lady, Retro and Sage K!
**bows deeply**
Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!