Tempest Wind (Vash x F!Reader)

Tracking Through the Desert

One foot in front of the other, you step into the desert. This feels so familiar, but the memories themselves have not awoken yet. Your head buzzes, filled with fragments of thoughts and images. You remember the day you first walked into this town, back then, it was just a few lonely houses—a village at best. You had met a strange lady here who took you in in exchange for the rations you carried with you. She was ultimately the one you managed to convince—the one person you had met who was willing to fulfill your wish. And what had come of it? Nothing at all. In the end, you were put into the center of town like an ornament for all to see, and the inevitable happened: someone got curious and cut your eternal slumber short. An annoyed growl escapes you.

You wonder how long it has been. Long enough for the town to grow, long enough for them to give you a stupid title and name. Not that you remember your real name anyway. But "Everlasting Celeste"? How stupid. People lack imagination.

Step by step, your feet carry you further away from the settlement. Why did that stupid man pull the dagger from your chest? It took you long enough to get it where it needed to be with the help of the strange woman from your past. Not that it matters anymore. You can't go back; even if you find someone willing to put you down, they all know your freakish nature now, and it will just take another idiot to want to see you spring back to life for them to disturb you again.

Making up your mind to wander around till you find another opportunity to lay yourself to rest, you continue on. The blunt pain you felt radiating from your joints when you first woke up is nearly gone. Your muscles remember how to work again. It will take a bit more time to move like you used to and for all the pain to be gone, but you have nothing but time.

You don't look back; what is done is done. You just keep going, unsure how far you've gotten when you start hearing something approach. You decide to ignore it and keep going, paying it no mind. After just a short while, you see the blue feathers of a tomas from the corner of your eye as it slows down. With a thud, someone jumps off to lead the bird by its headgear.

"Hey, shouldn't you maybe go back?" The soft voice speaks to you a few steps behind. You recognize it as the voice of the man in the red coat.

"What makes you think that?" you ask back.

"Well... whatever that was that just happened... you have no gear, no extra clothes, no water, or food. Not even shoes. The nights are cold, and the next village is a two-day track away on foot," his voice sounds concerned.

You stop, baffled, and look up at him. You see the blue eyes behind his glasses; his expression seems genuine and worried. He stops in his tracks as you do. A frown pushes your eyebrows together.

"You really are dumb or just very slow. Whatever it is, let me enlighten you just a little bit. You pulled a dagger from my chest—a dead woman who had been there for who knows how long—and not ten minutes later, that same corpse walks out of the town on their own two feet. Do you genuinely think a lack of food, water, or shoes is going to pose a problem to said corpse?" Your voice is forced to be calm, but even so, the annoyance of the situation seeps into it.

"I suppose..." His eyes narrow a little, as if to aid in his thinking.

You turn to face the empty desert again and keep walking. After a short moment, two pairs of feet follow you. You try to ignore it, but the buzzing in your head intensifies.

"May I ask where you're going?" The man speaks, patiently waiting for the answer that you don't intend to give. "Need a companion? I can share my supplies," he continues, unfazed by your silence. "I remember a nice camp spot up ahead; we should make it there before nightfall."

"Look, kid, go home," you finally snap at him.

"But I don't have a home; I'm a drifter," he says cheerfully, seemingly encouraged by you finally breaking your silence.