Chapter Text
Despite being lost, stranded alone in an unfamiliar world, Elinder couldn't help but laugh. Plastered all over the side of the building in front of him was a wanted poster of a man who looked eerily similar to himself. “Vash the Stampede, huh? Wonder what you did to get such a bounty, you look like such a fun guy,” he mused to himself. Unfortunately he was so caught up in his thoughts he was subconsciously doing one of his bad habits: shape-shifting into the person he's thinking about to try and better understand them. Normally one of his friends would alert him, but on his own he was completely oblivious to the trouble he was causing for himself.
“There you are!” a woman who reminded him of Flare with her commanding presence despite her diminutive stature angrily called out to him. “You thought you could just skip town without us again?!” she asked in an accusatory tone with her hands on her hips. Behind her was a woman almost as tall as he was. She tried to look intimidating behind the small one, but her puffed out cheeks made her look more like a grumpy child than a threat.
“Oh no I'd never do that, ha ha” Elinder replied in a panic finally realizing he'd messed up big time.
“Uh huh, I guess I just imagined you disappearing in the middle of the night and finding you here, miles away in a completely different city?” the small woman tried to make eye contact while chewing him out, oblivious to the fact she had the wrong man.
“Uh well you see,” Elinder gulped realizing he was gonna have to cheat his way out of this. He didn't know this world, so he couldn't just shapeshift back. At best they'd be pissed and chase him away. At worst, well he really didn't want to think about what would happened if they thought he was a monster or demon. Praying the real Vash would show up sooner rather than later and he could just make a quick getaway he used his innate mind reading ability to pry into the two, to see how ‘Vash’ is supposed to act. Alright, the small one is Meryl, the tall one is Milly, they're insurance agents following Vash the Stampede in an attempt to minimize the damages that seem to happen all around him. They're on friendly terms but Vash keeps them at an arm's length. If he had to guess it was for their safety, as both seem to think of him as a stand up guy, especially Milly, Meryl sees him as more of a nuisance, but both believe in him and his philosophy of absolute pacifism. ‘Ok that's enough to work with, don't be too nosey’ Elinder thought as he got into character.
“Are you ok Mr. Vash?” Milly, ever observant, would be the one to notice something was off.
“Sorry girls, I just thought you both could use a break from the constant gunfights and was trying to give you a little time off, I swear I was gonna come back in a few days, a week tops,” Elinder quickly ad libbed, hoping his haphazard mimicry was enough to fool these two.
“Awww that’s so sweet, see Meryl I knew Vash wouldn't just ditch us!” yes Milly bought it hook line and sinker, ‘I’m a natural!’ he thought to himself.
“You're too easy on him Milly,” Meryl complained. Well at least she doesn't seem to suspect anything. “Anyway you're coming with us, and I'll be watching you like a hawk! So don't even think about trying to run away again!”
“Yes Ma'am,” Elinder replied.
“By the way I love your new outfit, where’d you get it?” Milly asked, causing Elinder to panic realizing he was wearing his likely weird for this word clothes. And yet he’d still somehow tricked them? ‘Damn I barely changed anything, we might as well be twins.’ he thought.
“By the looks of it out of the trash,” Meryl grumbled.
“Well that’s just mean, I happen to quite like these clothes!” ‘Dammit Vash the Stampede, wherever you are you'd better come back soon, I don't know how long I can keep this up.’ Elinder lamented.
Flare was quietly drinking in a corner of a bustling tavern. She'd become a bit of a mainstay during her months stuck in this world. A local hero, the crazy tiny mercenary who can take on dozens of armed bandits with nothing but a sword. She knew she needed to make a break for it soon. They were growing too dependent on her, and that would only make it worse when she had to return to her own world. As she contemplated how to do this, a shiver went down her spine. A presence not unlike her own had just entered. Powerful. Unreadable. Unhuman. A quick side glance revealed a tall blond haired man trying to hide in plain sight. His gaudy red coat wasn't a great look for that, but she wasn't one to judge with her edgy black jacket. She caught him side eyeing her as well. Funny, she couldn't read his mind at all unlike every other human, but she had a feeling they were experiencing similar feeling: an extreme longing to connect with this kindred spirit despite the extreme trepidation of being around someone unreadable, but mutual respect keeping either from making the first move, not wanting to upset the fragile balance of their cohabitation with the humans and cause a scene.
Meanwhile Vash struggled to hide his growing curiosity. She had to be a fellow independent plant right? But why couldn't he telepathically communicate with her then. On closer inspection her hair and eyes weren't the right color either. He'd never heard of a red haired red eyed plant. But she definitely had power on par with his. He honestly didn't care what she was, he desperately wanted to talk to her though, to connect with someone who was like himself. He hadn't had that in so long. Not since back on the S.E.E.D.S. ship with his brother……But he couldn't be selfish. He knew how hard blending in was for people like them. Maybe when things settled down they could bump into each other out back? ‘Of course it could never be that easy, not when I'm involved,’ Vash lamented.
“Yer coming with me Vash the Stampede!” a smug gruff voice demanded.
“And if I say no?” as if to answer Vash's question the all too familiar feeling of cold steel pressed against the back of his head, “Ah, I see, can I at least finish my drink first?”
“Ya think yer in any place to be making demands?” The man growled as he pressed the barrel of his gun harder, to the point it was actually starting to hurt. Vash sighed as he began to calculate how he’d get out of this without hurting any of the civilians or losing sight of the mysterious girl-
“Back off jackass this bounty is mine,” only to realize he’d already lost sight of her long enough for her to sneak into the seat right beside him. The bounty hunter was just as dumbfounded if not more so.
“The hell when did you get here?! Doesn’t matter, get lost girl! This is no place for little kids to be playing!”
“HAH, would have thought a big strong bounty hunter would know better than to judge a person based on appearance!”despite her small frame and high pitched voice there was an intense strength behind her words, this was not someone to be trifled with. The other customers who’d already barricaded themselves behind their tables could be heard whispering bets on who was gonna win. It seemed to be an equal split between Flare and Vash, much to the hunter’s chagrin.
“Didn’t anyone teach you it’s first come first serve little lady?”
“Exactly, and I was here first.”
“The hell you were!”
“Actually she was here first” Vash chimed in. Despite not knowing her intentions he liked his odds with her way better.
“SHUT UP!” the two yelled in unison making Vash second guess that theory.
“Ah ha ha sorry, was just trying to help,” Vash whimpered.
“Alright little lady, let’s say you did catch him first, what were you thinking leaving him unattended to. You DO know who he is, right?”
“Vash the Stampede. The Humanoid Typhoon. The man with the $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head. The destroyer of Julai. The monster that blew a damn hole in the fifth moon. Yes I’m more than aware.” Vash’s heart sank as he heard those words. He’d really hoped to make a good first impression with this girl, but if she’s already heard all of that, was there any hope of making her trust him? ‘Man where is Wolfwood when you need him?’ he internally despaired, blaming himself for getting into a stupid argument a few nights before. “I’m more than a match for him,” the girl bluntly stated as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. “So I decided to honor the dead man’s request of one last drink. Standard practice for a cooperative mark. Isn’t that right?” Vash felt the small girl’s left eye (the right was covered by hair, as a stylistic choice or hiding something he wondered) piercing into him. Was she trying to force him into submission? Or trying to send him a message? Try as he might he couldn’t tell, and based on the furrows in her brow she was similarly frustrated with the invisible wall between them.
“Yep that’s right!” time to ad lib Vash thought, “She got me good, I didn’t stand a chance. So I begged for mercy and she agreed to let me have one last hurrah if I promised not to run!”
“And you trusted that little lady?”
“Why not? I could easily catch him again if needed. Plus after a hard fight like that I could use a cold beer too.”
“Shit they let minors drink here?” the hunter asked incredulously.
“I’m not a minor dipshit. I’ve been hunting longer than you’ve been alive, I’m more than old enough to drink.” The hunter simply laughed, not believing a word she said. Vash knew it was true though. She had to be at least his age, he’d bet his bounty on it. While he couldn’t read her at all there was just something in her eyes, they’d definitely been around and seen as much as he had.
“Well excuse me little lady,” the hunter said sarcastically, shaking his head, “Well either way,” he shoves Vash to the ground allowing him to finally get a look at his assailant. A buff guy wearing a typical cowboy outfit, a pretty typical looking bounty hunter, except for the gigantic revolver he had chained to his back. Or at least it was chained there a second ago, he’d managed to draw it and point it straight at the girl in the blink of an eye. “Gazelle the Peacemaker has too big of a reputation to be giving up his prey to a little thing like you. No hard feelings.” The hidden customers began to gasp and loudly recount the stories they’d heard about this man, proving he was the real deal.
“Cute name big guy,” the girl casually drew her gigantic sword from her back with her left hand. (‘Is that her only hand?’ Vash mused, noticing how not once has the cloak cover the right side of her body moved, ‘That would be one hell of a coincidence’) “You compensating for something with that ridiculous excuse for a gun?” The crowd gasped at the insult as she casually pinned the barrel, that was bigger than her head, to the ground with her sword, not once taking her eyes off her opponent.
“Says the midget with a sword bigger than she is!” Gazelle retorted, “You REALLY think you can win a gunfight with just a slab of metal?” before she could reply he fired off three rounds, each of which she effortlessly deflected into the ground away from the spectators.
“With ease,” she said in a much more monotone voice than before. No longer playing games she went on the offensive, slashing at him faster than the human eye could see, forcing the man to use his giant gun as a shield. Vash however could easily track it, and he was relieved to see she seemed to be avoiding inflicting lethal damage on her foe.
‘She probably doesn’t need my help, but just in case’ Vash thought as he took a strategic position and loaded his gun. Patiently he waited as they exchanged blows, ready to intervene at a moment's notice. His time came when Gazelle drew a smaller revolver while pretending to block with the large one, firing within inches of the girl’s chest while her sword was already above her head from an upswing, leaving her no way to block. Vash easily shot the bullet off course, causing the other man to look at him in disbelief. While he was distracted Vash went ahead and shot the gun out of his hand for good measure.
“The hell, why are you helping your supposed captor?!” Gazelle screamed at him.
“What can I say I’m just not a fan of unsportsmanlike behavior,” Vash cheekily replied.
“Fucking hell this is a duel not an exhibition match ya damn-” Gazelle continued to fume not liking how unorthodox his opponents’ fighting styles were.
“I didn’t need any help.” the girl told Vash with a pointed look. ‘Shit is she mad? But how could she have handled that, no one can handle a shot through the heart right? Well I guess I could but even I would have a little trouble recovering’ Vash internally panicked. He felt stupid being this desperate for someone he didn’t know anything about (a feeling he’d been experiencing a lot lately, ever since a certain conman priest came into his life, though obviously that was different) but still he really hoped he didn’t screw this up. “But thanks, I appreciate it.” her face softened ever so slightly when she said this. Was he getting through to her? He still had no idea what she was thinking but he could almost feel a certain warmth from her than he couldn’t before.
“Should have figured you two were working together,” Gazelle groaned as he pulled out another hidden gun. He pointed the smaller gun at Vash and used his chains to aim the giant revolver at Flare. He began firing indiscriminately using momentum to keep the giant gun aloft as he continued to reload both guns with the half free hand. Vash and Flare did their best to coordinate their moves but they continuously bumped into each other, try as they might they couldn’t sync up at all. ‘We just have to destroy the gun!’ both thought unbeknownst to the other. Over and over they try to will a plan of attack into the other’s head. They shoot each other a look and with a weak nod they both attempt what they had thought of. Vash opened fire into Gazelle forcing him to take cover as Flare seemingly disappeared with how fast she’d moved.
‘Yes just a little more, I just have to keep him distracted!’ Vash thought, trying to focus on nothing but shooting away the opponent's bullets and keeping him in a defensive position. ‘Then she’ll do an overhead from behind and shatter the weakened gun.’ Unfortunately one of Gazelle’s bullets got through, and was about to pierce Vash in the stomach. Flare either not knowing or not caring about Vash’s durability, quickly moved in front of him, and with an upward swing managed to block the bullet.
‘This is as good a time as any to ruin my reputation,’ Flare thought as she brandished her draconic right arm, and grabbing the barrel of the gun unleashed a torrent of fiery energy, melting the gun into worthless slag.
“GODDAMMIT! SHIT I DIDN’T SIGN UP TO FIGHT MONSTERS!!!! I QUIT!!!!” Gazelle screamed as he ran off, dragging what remained of his gun behind him. The crowd began screaming and running in fear, just as Flare had intended, but it still made her heart ache all the same.
“Damn that didn’t work out QUITE the way I’d hoped,” Flare muttered as she turned to look at the strange being known as Vash standing behind her. “Still you seem unscathed, so all’s well that ends well right, ha ha” she added with a laugh after noticing him trembling. ‘Shit is he scared of me too?’ She worried as she saw a look of utter dread in his eyes. “Relax, despite how I look I’m not a mons-”
“It’s not that!” Vash interrupted dropping his gun and pointing to her chest. ‘SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT GODDAMMIT NO I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SO SO SO SORRY PLEASE DON’T BE MAD’ Flare finally could read his thoughts, but it was just a constant stream of panic and begging for forgiveness, ‘DON’T DIE!!!!!!’ he pleaded with all his heart.
“Huh, die what are you-?” Flare looked at her back, and finally saw the blood pooling in her clothes. She reached around and felt her back, two spots on each flank, one on her right shoulder, and one right behind her heart. “Oh…ha ha ha….must have got clipped by your bullets……shit this sucks” She tripped on her feet trying to walk closer to the terrified man, falling into his arms. “Urrrk, sorry….bout that” her vision was starting to get blurry as her body shut down to conserve power
“DON’T APOLOGIZE JUST HANG ON!!!!”
“I’m…..I’m fine…….or will be…..”
“YOU DON’T LOOK FINE!”
“I….promise….I am…..just need….”
“NEED WHAT?! HEY DON’T PASS OUT NOW!!!”
‘Shit can’t talk, I really hope you can hear this! Just get the bullets out! Once the foreign bodies are out I’ll regenerate!’ Flare thought as hard as she could at him, her consciousness not even lasting long enough to hear a response.