Disclaimer: The million or two characters used in this story belong to their respective creators and license holders. The authors and the editors of this story claim no ownership over other people's property. It's just all in good fun.
Nuclear Fusion: Anime in a Post-Nuclear World
Written by PsychoSama, Jryu, Kender, Thrythlind, and many others.
Edited By PsychoSama (PsychoSama@Verizon.net)
Chapter One: Welcome to the Wasteland
Vash the Stampede looked over the horizon, to sunrise before him, over the blasted wastes of the Post-Nuclear world.
Two generations ago, the world came to an end. In ninety minutes, humanity had destroyed what had taken two hundred generations to create. One a moment of madness was all that was needed for hammer was drop, and for four thousand years of culture and history to be erased in literally a flash.
No one remembered who cast the first stone, to created the avalanche of nuclear fire that consumed the old world, nor did they care. All they knew was that the world was a hell of thier own creation, and that they had to do what was only natural.
Survive.
He looked in the side view mirror of his old motorcycle and considered his life.
He was many a thing, it just all depended on who you asked. To most he was the most fearsome outlaw to ever live. They saw him as an invincible gunfighter, a real life boogey-man with an incredible bounty on his head. To others, he was a savior in the barren land. A Desert Ranger, one of a small, disorganized group of independent heroes who protected those who could not defend themselves. And to a few that needed the help, he was a Bounty Hunter that could bring in the meanest, most despicable, most rotten criminals to ever harass the last remnants of humanity.
But to all, Vash was a Chaos Magnet. The Humanoid Typhoon...
"But right now, this Humanoid Typhoon needs some food... Oh man, I could really use a donut..." Vash groaned. It had been three days since he had last eaten. He had been on the run from a gang of thugs that wanted to take his corpse in to the authorities to gain a reward.
Sure he probably could have wiped them out, but really, someone could have gotten hurt!
Seeing the remnants of a town up ahead, Vash revved his motorcycle and sped off. Hopefully he would be able to buy or barter for food, or maybe even be able to get some gasoline. He was running low on THAT as well.
As he approached the community, Vash realized the people were gathering in the center of the village. Vash park on the outskirts and made his way inside.
Wondering what the big hullabaloo was about, walked up to the nearest person, a kindly looking old man. "Excuse me, sir."
The Elderly man turned to look at Vash. "What do you want, stranger?"
Vash shrugged his shoulders. "Not much. Just curious as to what's going on."
"We're going to burn a girl." The elderly man said.
Blanching in disgust, Vash exclaimed, "What!? Why?"
Snorting, the old man said, "She's got some sort of mutant ability! We keep her around for much longer, she'll just do like all the other mutants and try to kill us! So we have to kill her before we're dead!"
Vash reigned in his emotions, and asked, "And just what is this girl?"
The old man sighed. "You see, the thing is:"... Er... I mean... Damn, what was the story again?"
Top of Form
Vash gawked and looked at the old man, "Ah... you're going to kill a girl, how could you forget that?!"
The old man shrugged. "Well, there are just so many damn mutants that come through these parts."
Vash blinked. "You kill travelers?"
The old man nodded. "Of course. I did my part in many a purification raid when I was a young man!"
"Purification WHAT?!"
"You have to hunt the mutant in his home. You can not always expect him to come to you!"
Vash stared at the man in mute horror.
Not seeing Vash's reaction thanks to his pitiful eyesight, the old man continued, with a look of stoic dedication on his face. "Mutants must be exterminated like the vermin they are, for the purity of the human race!"
"Great," muttered Vash. "Sounds like Hitler..."
"How do you know the name of the great Cleanser of the Blood?" asked the old man. "Are you a fellow guardian of the Reich?"
Vash groaned. A Neo-Nazi group... probably the decedents of paranoid white supremacist survivalists. How come only the WORST of humanity made it out of the war okay? These kind of people were just impossible to talk to. It made him physically ill that people could be so cruel. He has to get the hell out of here, but first...
"Say, Old man," exclaimed Vash with the largest, most plastic smile on his face he could manage without retching. "Where is this EVIL mutant who oh so deserves to die a nasty death!"
The old man grabbed Vash's arm and started pulling him towards the square. "Right this way, sonny! If were fast enough we might be able to get a couple of stones in before they light the little bitch!"
Vash sighed and studied the area as he passed, mapping it out for the inevitable escape under fire. "So, who is she," he asked.
The Old man looked to Vash with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "She's a witch named Rogue, an evil creature who can steal life with a touch!"
Vash followed the old man to the square and tried to keep his emotions in check. At the center of a mass of rather nasty looking people was a someone of the female persuasion. By the look of her, she was pretty attractive, if one to get past what had been done to her.
A shapely form was easy to make out from the way that her clothing fit her, and what he could see of her face was attractive enough that she could have easily found someone to care about. The only thing that happened to be odd about her was the white locks at the front of her brown hair.
Unfortunately, she was surrounded by a haggard group of people who all looked to be enjoying what was to come. Some held stones, while others held torches up high, but all of them held vicious gleams in their eyes. There were sporadic grins around and whispers amongst the 'attendees'. Occasionally, one so-called-'brave' soul would yell something out at the bound girl, who looked unable to do much other than hang in the ropes binding her to the post.
"How did she come to be like this?" Vash asked, trying to work the dirty taste out of his mouth.
The old man's expression turned old. "That there girl came into town right regular until one day when she banged into one of the good folk around here. She says that she tried to help him, but there ain't any folks that'll take that hogwash."
"What do you think happened then?"
"Ain't it clear as a cloudless day? She musta gone and used them powers of hers to sap the very life from his bones. But we upright folk don't stand for that sort of thing, and so we're gonna make sure that she and every other one of her kind will know what will happen to those who try and hurt real people!"
Vash's resolve began hardened as he tried to figure out a way to get her away from these fanatics. There was no way that he could leave her with them, but he knew that he had to have some kind of plan before he did anything. Fortunately, he was experienced in that sort of thing, and he had a bit of a workable plan pretty quick.
Still, he had to act fast, or he wouldn't be able to save the pale skinned girl. He remained deadly silent as he strode towards the front of the crowd. From his jacket he removed his trademark, a pair of yellow sun glasses, and put them on.
It was time for Mr. Desert Ranger to earn his pay. if he was actually paid.
His eyes narrowed in anger as he saw a rock the size of his fist fly from the crowd towards the poor girl. In what seemed to be a teleport, Vash closed the distance between him and the girl and caught it mere inches from her face.
There were gasps of shock and outrage from the assembled crowd, which Vash ignored as he flipped his knife out of his jacket. Lifting the blade, he slowly turned to Rogue and looked the girl in the eyes. It was obvious that she feared that he would use it on her. That fear was banished when he used it to cut through the ancient nylon ropes holding her in place.
"How dare you!" exclaimed a rather simian looking man dressed in a homespun parody of a SS uniform who was hefting a grungy and poorly cared for AK47 as if it gave him the power of god himself. Two more men armed with other poorly maintained firearms, in similar but less elaborate "uniforms" rushed to their leader's side.
Without a word Vash turned to acknowledge the challenge.
"Why are you doin' this?" asked a Rogue in bewildered, southern accented tone. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"
Vash lifted his left hand upwards signaling her to shush. Once he was sure she understood, he lowered his arm and looked at the enemy before him. He slowly lowered his right hand to hi and drew his revolver, and pointed it at the attackers. With a look of steady determination on his face, he pulled the trigger.
*Click*
Vash blinked and did so again.
*Click*
And again and again.
*Click*
*Click*
*Click*
*Click*
Vash used him thumb to push the break open lever on the pistol.
No bullets.
"Ah, shit..." muttered Vash.
"DIE INFERIOR!" exclaimed the leader in rage, opening fire with his AK. His followers quickly following suit.
"You could really hurt someone with those things!" exclaimed Vash as he managed to dodge every single shot, dancing around the square, and looking like a total idiot.
Taking cover behind the stake, Rogue muttered, "You have got to be kidding me... This guys crazy!"
The three guards quickly ran dry of bullets and paused to reload. Vash took that as an opportunity to kick two logs into the lackeys knocking them out. In a blur of motion, he drew a 9mm automatic and had it pointed at the leader's face, giving him a nice view down the barrel. In a stone cold voice, he said, "This one isn't empty. Drop the rifle"
The leader did so, and stepped back. "Don't think you've won... You and the freak will not get out of here alive..."
Rogue blinked in surprise, and pale young lady huddled slowly stepping out from behind the post. She slowly and unsurely walked up to Vash, as if this just couldn't be real.
"Why?" she asked. "Why did you rescue me? I don't have anything."
Vash looked over to her and smiled. It was an honest smile that reflected his deep concern for his fellow man. "Because..." He looked over to the leader, "And I want you to repeat after me..."
The brutish Neo-Nazi gulped. "Oh... Okay..."
Vash smiled and nodded to Rogue "I helped you because this world is made of..." He looked back to the head of the guard. "Say it..."
"This world is made of..." whimpered the guard.
"LOVE AND PEACE!" exclaimed Vash.
Rogue blinked again. "What the..." She froze mid sentence as she looked to the side. "Mister, we got a problem..."
Vash looked to the side. There were about a dozen men in the same stupid knock-off Nazi uniforms. "Well," he muttered, "You might be onto something!"
Vash looked back to the guard and smiled wickedly. The guards eyes pressed shut as Vash pull the trigger.
*SQUIRT!*SQUIRT*SQUIRT*
Vash grinned, swept Rogue off her feat, and ran like hell for the gates.
As Vash tore ass, the town's "fearless protector" wiped the water out of his eyes and screamed "Kill them both!"
In a flash, Vash was out of the town, Rogue in arms, and back out into the wastes. After a few minutes of running like a bat out of hell, Vash stopped and placed Rogue down next to his bike, panting like he'd just run from a bunch of crazed Neo-Nazis, which ironically enough, was what he'd just done.
"Are you okay?" he asked between breaths.
Rogue blinked, looked at him, then looked back at the town. "What was that?"
Vash blinked. "What was what?"
"What was that back there, darlin'?"
"Oh, the rescue?"
Rogue nodded. "Could of taken it a bit more seriously."
Vash shrugged. "Ah, it was no biggie..."
"Maybe for you, Ah almost had a heart attack a couple of times," Rogue looked down and sighed. "For a moment it looked like Ah was gonna go right back on the stake and all you'd done was give me some false hope."
Vash winced. "I'm sorry about that... I just forgot to get bullets in the last town!"
Rogue chucked slightly. "Thank you for savin' my life. I nevah got you name."
Vash smiled. "I am but a simple traveler, a lover of peace who chases the mayfly known as love, but you can call me 'Vash the Stampede'."
Rogue gawked in surprise. "As in THE Vash the Stampede?!"
"Yep! That's me!"
Rouge sighed as she looked at him. "Well, you go lots of places, right?"
"Yeah," Vash agreed while scratching his head, "It' pretty much unintentional, but I have been around lots of places in my time."
"Well then. Can Ah ask you for something?"
"What would that be?"
"Well Ah sorta want you to..."
The Desert Ranger gulped. What with the hesitant way that she was looking at him, or rather not looking, it seemed that she had something real personal to ask him. What that could be, he didn't know... unless... Nah, it couldn't be... She was a pretty girl, but they'd just met, and he didn't understand how that power the 'good folk' back there had told him about back there worked. But there was the whole rescued damsel thing going on, and he'd heard that sometimes they'd get a bit too thankful... However it wouldn't be right to just take advantage of her like that...
"... would you mind if..."
"W...what?"
" Ah want to come with you!"
He nearly fell flat on his face from the shock. "What did you say?!"
" Ah want to come with you."
"Why would you want to do something like that?"
"Where else am Ah goin' to go?" the pale girl asked him, "Everywhere Ah go, something goes wrong and Ah get blamed for it. Even if Ah didn't have anything to do with it. Nobody wants me around cause of what happens when Ah touch 'em."
"It can't be that bad..."
She snorted and looked at her hands. "Every single time that someone even goes weak around me, they blame me. Ah get called 'Deathbringer' or 'Life Stealer' and worse by people who think that Ah 'm some kind of monster. But they nevah consider what it's like for me to know that with one touch Ah can knock someone out, put them in a coma, or even worse."
"Listen, you don't want to travel with me."
"So you don't want me either. Figures. Ah thought with your reputation, you would be at least a little more understanding than those guys back there."
"NO! That's not it!"
"Huh?"
"Everywhere I go, trouble follows and people get hurt... especially those that I care about. I bring death and danger to those around me, and I don't want to make anyone else get hurt because of that."
"Guess that we're both 'problems', huh." Rouge paused, and blinked as she saw something. "Um, you don't have a choice. Looks like they're are coming after us!" She pointed right behind Vash.
He blinked and turned and swore, "Shit, gun buggies!" He grabbed Rouge, jumped onto his bike, and took off as fast as he could.
"Um, can you outrun these things?"
"Not sure, new bike. Think so."
"Surrender and die!" yelled the leader as he rattled off inaccurate machinegun in the rough direction of the pair.
Vash yelled back, "I thought it was surrender or die?!?"
"Nope, you're a muttie lover, as such you will die, but if you surrender, we'll make it hurt less!"
Vash yelled back, "Sorry, no dice!"
The leader shook his head, "Oh well." He grinned and kept shooting.
Vash weaved back and forth, dodging the weapons fire with great expertise. On the flat terrain of the wasteland he could not find much cover, but his bike could outrun the rickety old pickups. at least he could have, if the engine didn't choke.
"What the hell!" Rogue cried out as they began to decelerate.
"Ah. hehe. outta gas!"
"ARGH!!"
As the pair ground to a stop, the Neo-Nazi leader signaled to his men to surround Vash. Doing so the armored trucks quickly surrounded him.
Rouge whimpered a bit, "Now what?"
"I don't know."
"Hold it!" A new voice spoke up. Everyone turned to look and saw a short and exceptionally fat young man in a strangely cute child sized suit of Combat Armor. "Hey! Assholes! You ain't gonna kill nobody!"
"Hahaha!" laughed the head Neo-Nazi. "This fat little child thinks he can order around the warriors of the Reich!"
"I AM NOT FAT! I'M JUST BIG BONED!" exclaimed the tubby little brat.
"Squire Cartman," interrupted a large black man in an a suit of power armor who was holding a minigun like it was a woman. "We're here to find those Neo-Nazi's who have been attacking the local caravans on behalf of the local villages, while it was decent of you to want to help those people, secrecy is important."
"Decent be damned!" exclaimed the fat kit as he pointed his M16 into the air. "I wanna kick some ass!"
"Say," Vash interjected. "You're looking for Nazis?"
"Yep."
Vash smiled and pointed to the people around him.
"Wow, Sir. Chef, I guess we found them."
"That's right, Squire Kyle."
"Muhu-muhu-mef!" (These guys look like pussies!), muttered Squire Kenny.
Somehow, one of the gunners on the machine gun armed pickups managed to understood what Kenny. "I'll show you pussies!"
The leader cried out, "Herman! No!"
The gunner swung his .30 caliber machinegun mount around and opened fire, blasting the hooded brat into oblivion.
Vash gawked in horror as he watched the young boy's insides become his out.
"Oh my god, They killed Kenny!" exclaimed Squire Stan.
"You Bastards!" added Squire Kyle.
"What are we going to do now, Sir Chef?" asked Squire Stan.
"Well... I think I have a song to sing that will help you children in these kinds of situations. It goes something like this."
Steve walks warily down the street, with the brim pulled way down low Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet, machine guns ready to go
Chef leveled his minigun at the Nazis, taking a beam on the lead buggy.
Are you ready, Are you ready for this Are you hanging on the edge of your seat
The gun's barrels began to spin as he primed the heavy weapon to fire. The three surviving junior initiates leveled their own weapons.
Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat
Chef and the kids opened fire on the Nazi's.
Another one bites the dust
The roar of weapons fire drowned out all ambient noise as the Nazis scrambled for cover.
Another one bites the dust
The first technical exploded under the paladin's lovin' touch, and he began to eviscerate the second as the first crew futilely scrambled for protection from the rain of lead.
And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust
Chef blew up his second tank, mowing down Herman in just as grizzly a manner has Kenny had fallen moments before.
Hey, I'm gonna get you too Another one bites the dust
He brought his firing at the third vehicle as it began to withdraw in a mad scramble to escape the death dealing black man.
As the armored soldier and his three charges continued to open up on the Nazis with a great deal of holy hell, Rogue glared at her indecisive savior. Having gotten away from these 'good folk' once before, Rouge was not about to let them, or anyone else for that fact, get her again. So she grabbed her savior's arm and yelled, "Come on!"
"B.b...but..," Vash stammered as he glanced at the carnage behind him.
"We've got to get out of here!"
"Those people are dieing back there."
"Those people want to KILL us, and much as Ah'd like to have us all live in peace, harmony, and all that, we can't do that right now, darlin'. All we'd do is get in the way."
"I could do it. I could save them."
She stopped and glared into his face. "No you couldn't! They won't accept it, 'specially from the likes of us! They'd just shoot you for gettin' in the way!"
"I still don't like it."
"Neither do Ah, but you can't make 'em act reasonable, even if you are Vash the Stampede. They'd rather kill themselves then take help from 'mutants' like me or people like you! The best thing to do to keep them alive is to stay out of their way!"
"That's not easy."
"Never said it was."
"So... where are we?"
"Ah don't know, but I think that we should get going."
"Me too. But to just go like this..."
"You could always go back, and try to help, but then even if you did, it'd be you on that burning post."
He was silent for a moment, and then murmured, "Let's go."
"Sure, no problem."
----------------------
It was a quiet walk, as they did not speak as they went. They just kept on going, trying to make as much distance as they could. There was nothing there save the two of them, the sun and the wastes.
By unspoken agreement, they found some rocks that could make for shelter and decided to make camp for the night. Setting the fire and everything up, they just sat there in silence, alone in their thoughts. Neither looked much at the other, but stared at the flames.
So the camp stayed as quiet as the walk had been until Rogue decided to speak.
"Why?"
Vash looked up. "What?"
"Why?" Rogue repeated. "Why did you save me? Why do you care?"
Vash looked up at Rouge and sighed. "Why not?"
Rogue blinked. "What kind of answah is that?"
Vash smiled. "As good an answer as any. Why shouldn't I care? Why shouldn't I act when I see something wrong?"
"Because you'll get yourself killed."
Vash nodded. "Maybe."
"Then why do you do it?"
Vash closed his eyes and looked down at the fire. "Someone has to. Someone has to care, otherwise we'll never make this world a better place."
"Look at the world, Vash. Do you really think you can make this hell hole a better place?"
"Yes," Vash replied. "With all my heart."
Rogue shook her head and began swirling her finger in the dirt. "Ah can't see why."
"Faith."
Rogue scoffed. "In what? God? I don't buy that."
"Nothing like that," replied Vash with a small smile on his face. "You have to have faith in yourself, faith in others, and faith that what you are doing the right thing. If you believe hard enough, work hard enough, you can change the world. You can make other people understand that the world doesn't have to be like this. We can change the world. We can make it a better place. A place where people don't have to steal, where people don't have to kill, we can make it a world where people can live free, and in peace and harmony, a place where people can live as people. That's why."
She looked down into the fire, but said nothing. Between the two, there was a long awkward silence. Finally, Rogue spoke up. "Vash, lets get some sleep."
Vash the Stampede nodded. "Okay. Good night, Rogue."
"Good night, Vash."
----------------------
As the sun rose, the two of them woke to another day. They did what they had to do for the morning and broke camp. That let them free to start walking again, and it was in silence once again. But this time, it wasn't the oppressive kind that they had before. Instead, it was merely because Rogue was being thoughtful, and Vash thought it best to give her the space to do so, which was why he was a tiny bit startled to hear her speak about half an hour into their travels.
"Ah think Ah understand."
"What?" he asked.
"Why you fight."
"You do?"
"You're an idealist. You figure that there is something naturally good about people and you want to help them be able to let that out."
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Even if they don't want it. Or if they're really nasty."
"It doesn't do any good if you start weighing the value of the lives you are saving. A life is a life, and all of it should be protected."
"Ah wish that Ah could be as clear minded about it as you seem to be."
"Me too, but it would go against what I believe to make it that way, so I can only tell you what I think and believe, and hope that you'll start to take it in."
"Yeah... Well, Ah got another favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Teach me to fight."
"Huh?" the Desert Ranger grunted, stopping in his tracks.
She stepped in front of him. "Teach me to fight."
"What? Why?"
" Ah 've seen too much to just let what happen to me happen again. You have no idea what it's been like to be in a town, and be hunted for somethin' you didn't do."
"You'd be surprised."
"What's that?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah... But the worse thing is seeing it happen to other people, but never being able to do anything about it, you know. Ah 've seen groups of bullies beat up on other 'mutants' and could only watch because the only thing that Ah could fight them with is my power. That would only take one or two of them down before they started in on me too. So Ah get to stay hidden, seeing this innocent person get beat on because Ah couldn't do anything."
"You want to save them?"
"Maybe. Ah don't know. But I'm tired of having to run and hide every time somethin' happens. Ah want to be able to at least protect myself if people like those loonies that we just got away from come after me again."
Vash took a deep breath and looked over at Rogue. "Okay, I'll teach you. In the next town, I'll help you pick out a gun. You'd be surprised the junk shop keepers might try and push over on you."
Rogue winced, "Thank you Vash but..."
"But what?"
Rogue sighed. "The 'good folk' of that last town stole everything Ah owned, including my money. Ah can't afford a gun... hell, Ah don't even have a change of clothing."
Vash placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll play. I'll also cover some basic necessities, that way you can have some clean clothes and not the rags you're wearing."
"Hey!" Rogue exclaimed, "These are my normal clothes!"
Vash winced. "Ah... What I meant to say is some clothes that aren't so battered and dirty!"
Rogue shrugged, and looked down at her tattered, thread bare, outfit. "Doesn't matter. These are rags. Ah just don't like to reminded of stuff like that." She looked back up to Vash, and said, "You're lucky you know. You have a skill that you can feed yourself with... don't even try and tell me that you don't hire out."
Vash nodded. "You'd be surprised how many jobs don't require killing."
Rogue nodded. "Have you ever killed anyone, Vash?"
Vash shook his head. "Not a one. I've been lucky enough not to have had to."
Rogue looked down, a cast of shame across her features. "Ah see..."
Vash stopped walking and looked at his teenage companion. "Rogue, have you?"
Rogue stopped and sighed deeply. "Yes... Ah've killed a man?"
"What happened?" asked Vash.
"He tried to rape me," Rogue stated. "When he touched me, Ah used my power on him. He held on for a long time when Ah was draining him. Maybe his muscles locked, but by the time Ah got him off, Ah don't think he was breathing." Rogue's voice became cold as she continued, "After that Ah made sure he'd nevah breath again. Ah took a brick and Ah smashed his head in, then I stripped him of everythin' of any possible value and fled. It makes me feel sick to think about it."
Vash solemnly nodded. "I can imagine. The guilt of taking a life must be hard."
Rogue shook her head. "It's not the guilt of killing him. It's the fact that there is no guilt that makes me sick." Rogue turned to Vash, tears starting to well in her eyes. "Ah saw into his mind. Ah saw what he planed to do. He was 'testing me out'. If Ah 'passed', he was going to sell me into slavery. If Ah didn't, he was going to kill me. If he really 'liked' me he was going to 'keep me'. Ah was so angry about what he was trying to do and what was planning to do that my vision just went red... maybe it still is, but it's hard to consider people like that human."
Vash looked at the girl in front off him, and looked her dead in the eyes, "I'm sorry, Rogue. I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm sorry you had to do what you did."
Rogue smiled shyly, blushed slightly, and said, "Thank you, Vash. It's nice to know that in this cold, cruel, irradiated world, there are still people who care about others."
"Hey, Rogue!" exclaimed Vash, breaking her out of little trance. "I think I see a town!"
Rogue turned around and squinted her eyes to get a better look.
As towns went, it wasn't much. A few homes, a general store, a saloon/hotel, a church, and a few other buildings and homes. Nothing of any particular note, really.
Still... Vash could tell something was wrong. Maybe it was the lack of people. Or maybe it was the unnatural quiet.
BANG!
Or maybe it had to do with the tall man pointing a rifle at them...
"That's far 'nough." The man said, a star badge on his coat indicating that he was the sheriff. A gasp from Rogue indicated that she saw the two people moving up behind them, each with guns of their own.
"Don' take this the wrong way, friend. But we'd really rather you an' the girl jus' hold still a moment, an' not put up a fuss."
"Did we do something wrong, Sheriff?" Vash asked with a smile.
"Nope. We jus' bein' cautious, 'sall. So's we'd like ta ask that you disarm while in our town."
Vash studied the man a moment, and then slowly opened his coat, exposing his gun. One of the deputies took it, and then both he and Rogue were quickly frisked. The deputy handed the silver gun to the Sheriff, and said, "This is all, Jack."
The Sheriff - Jack - whistled as he looked over the gun. "Mighty fine piece you have here, friend. Bit on the heavy side, though."
Vash shrugged. "It has... sentimental value."
Jack raised his rifle, and Rogue breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, now that all that unpleasantness is done, How's about I treat you two ta a drink? Jus' for bein' cooperative an all."
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