Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun. The series is owned by Yasuhiro Nightow. This story is an independent creation and for entertainment purposes only.

Author's note: This story is mostly based on knowledge from the anime (haven't read the manga yet) and any information I could look up. This takes place after the fifth moon incident and the two year jump. Enjoy! Comments appreciated.

Chapter 1: Memories on the Road

The halls of the space ship were quiet save for the electronic hum of power running from the generators. The young boy was a little scared of the emptiness and quiet but he knew that he wasn't actually in any real danger. He was playing hide-and-seek with his brother and he knew that his brother would never put him in danger. It was just a game and the boy had been told that they needed to have some fun in between their studies.

So the boy continued his search for his brother. On and on he searched but to no avail. Soon the boy was getting bored and annoyed that he couldn't find his sibling. He would try one more route and then he would give up and go back to their room. That's probably where he had been hiding anyway. When he turned the next corner, the boy stopped in surprise because there was someone at the other end. No one was supposed to be down here and yet here was a child just like him. No, not exactly like him. It was a girl. She seemed to be the same age as the boy but she had white-blonde hair and incredible light blue eyes. She also had delicate features that reminded him of elves from a story that Rem had told him. The girl was dressed in a plain, white nightgown and was barefoot. She looked at the boy shyly but didn't say a word.

The boy took a step forward which made her immediately take a step back. He winced at his mistake and held his hands up in apology.

"I'm sorry! Please don't be afraid!" he said calmly.

She stopped and looked at him curiously. Slowly she took another step closer to him. The boy smiled encouragingly but made sure to stay in the same spot. He didn't want to scare her again. The boy ran a hand through his spiky, blonde hair and continued to smile at the girl. She giggled at him, shyly taking another step closer to him. Emboldened by the progress he was making, the boy decided to take this another step further.

"Hi! My name is Vash!" he said brightly. The girl's face scrunched up in confusion as she pondered over his name.

"Vash? Vash. V-ash." she repeated it slowly a few times until finally her face returned to that bright, shy smile.

"Vash! I like that name. It's nice to meet you." the girl replied, curtseying slightly.

"What's yours?" Vash asked curiously.

The girl looked ready to answer but then something else caught her attention. She closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating, as if she was trying to listen for something. After a few minutes, the girl opened her eyes and looked back to Vash almost regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Vash. I have to go." she said sadly. Without another word, she turned and ran back the way she had come.

"Wait! Come back!" he cried out but it was no use. She was already gone.

-)*(-

"Oh good grief! Would you look at him?" He's even muttering in his sleep." Meryl Strife complained, pointing to the sleeping man in the seat next to her. Her partner, Millie Thompson, turned in her seat to see what exactly Meryl was complaining about. In the seat next to the petite, dark-haired woman was a man with spiky, blonde hair, dressed in a long, red coat, black pants, and black boots. He was sitting with his head leaning against the bus window, fast asleep. Though he appeared to be muttering the same phrase repeatedly.

"Come back! Wait! Come back!"

Both women, who were agents for the Bernardelli Insurance Society, only shrugged at each other. They had been charged with watching this man, Vash the Stampede, also known as the Humanoid Typhoon, in order to prevent or reduce the damage from the incidents that sprang up around him. So far, both Millie and Meryl could see that the man himself wasn't dangerous, just that trouble seemed to follow him everywhere he went. It didn't help matters that there was a bounty of 60 billion double dollars on his head.

Millie nestled her head on the headrest cushion as she observed Vash then looked to her friend.

"I don't know, Meryl. I just think he's having a very vivid dream." she replied in her light, airy voice.

"I guess. I wonder what it could be." Meryl said quietly, not really convinced. All of a sudden their bus shuddered to a halt. There was a crackle over the loudspeaker and the driver's rough voice came on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived in the town of October. Please make sure you have all your belongings when you leave." he said gruffly. The speaker then clicked off and people began to file off the vehicle. Meryl looked to Vash, and to her annoyance, he hadn't even stirred. She groaned loudly then elbowed him hard in the side.

"Get up, you lazy bum!" she shouted, "It's time to get off the bus!"

"Gah!" Vash yelped as he jolted awake. He sprang up so quickly, the startled man hit his head on the roof of the bus and sank back down to his seat.

"Time to wake up, Mr. Vash. We're at our destination!" Millie added, unperturbed by her partner's actions. Vash rubbed his head as he looked up meekly at the two women.

"Man, you insurance girls can be so mean sometimes." he pouted. Meryl and Millie only rolled their eyes and turned to leave the bus.

A short while later, the three of them had gotten through the crowd and managed to get their bags. Their first order of business was to find a place to stay and then find a place to relax and grab a bite to eat. Vash stood off to the side as the ladies went to the information booth outside the bus depot. He trusted them to find a good place to go, so he stayed where he was, putting on his circular, yellow sunglasses, and whistling to himself.

Though he may have seemed relaxed, standing there whistling, Vash was actually in deep contemplation. The dream on the bus had surprised him. He knew without a doubt that it had actually been a memory from when he had been on the SEEDS ship. What he couldn't figure out was why he was remembering it. He hadn't seen that girl since the encounter, didn't even know if she had survived the crash. Besides, it had happened so very long ago.

Vash was so deep in his contemplations that he didn't even notice a figure sneaking up behind him. Despite the crowd, the figure moved easily, focused entirely on reaching Vash. Before long, the figure was directly behind the distracted man. Vash didn't notice until he felt the hard edge of an object, most likely a gun, jabbed into his lower back. Vash grimaced, angry at his own laziness, but keeping perfectly still.

"Vash the Stampede, you're under arrest!"