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Geese: Alright folks! The combatants are set and ready to fight for their lives! Two fighters enter, one fighter leaves... to the afterlife, that is!

Decro: Brace yourselves! IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!

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Saloon

"Mmmm! This food is so tasty! Nom!"

The hyperactive girl shoved a large piece of pie into her mouth, chewed it and swallow it quicker than what any person would be capable of. She continued to force piles of food into her mouth, as if it was impossible for her to feel full. The man sitting on the other side of the table covered his face to prevent the flying bits of chewed up dough and meat from hitting him in the face.

"Tao! Would you knock it off already!" Ragna complained. "You must have eaten a mountain of food by now! You do realize I'm the one who's paying for this, right? My wallet will eventually perish if you keep this up!"

The cat Beastkin looked at Ragna with a mildly sad look on her face as she swallowed the food that was in her mouth.

"Aww! But Tao is still hungry!"

"I refuse to believe that!"

"Pleeease!?"

"I said no! God, why did we even come here in the first place? It's not like this desert town is a tourist attraction or anything!"

"Silly Good Guy! How could you forget? There is a criminal around these parts with a large bounty!"

Ragna sighed. How much of an airhead could this girl be? The only bounty that anyone ever cared about was the one on his head, and she was having lunch with him as if she was friends with her! Well, it didn't matter that much. The less exposure he had, the better.

"This is Bad Guy!" Taokaka exclaimed as she whipped out a wanted poster and passed it across the table towards Ragna. "The bounty on him is sooooooo large! If Tao captures him, Tao can earn another money to feed the entire Kaka village for ever and ever!"

"Oh really?" Ragna said as he looked down at the poster. "I wonder what he looks...like?"

Ragna was expecting to see a sketch of his face on the scrap of paper, but that was not the case at all. It wasn't even a terrible drawing of him either. Instead, his eyes were greeted with a mug that looked completely different from his own.

"Wait a minute...who's this guy?"

"He's Bad Guy!" Taokaka replied. "They call him the Mortal Cyclone, but scary nicknames don't frighten Tao!"

Ragna examined to poster for further information. He was still surprised. There was someone out there that had a bounty large enough to rival his own? He wasn't one to be proud of having a huge price on his head, since it was a pain in the ass, but what exactly did this guy do to earn himself a price just as equally as big? He didn't even look like anyone who would be willing to break the law!

"Vash the Stampede, huh?" He muttered as he scrunched up the poster and tossed it behind himself. "Whatever. It's not like taking him down would do me any good."

"Ooooohhhh!"

Ragna's attention was now on Taokaka.

"What is it this time?"

"Food!" Tao murmured as she rubbed her stomach. "Tao...still...hungry!"

"Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me!" Ragna yelled. "You know what? If you're still hungry, go find your own food! I'm not pulling another dine and dash!"

Taokaka slumped over the table as she stared out the window past Ragna. It really was a barren town. Nothing but dirt and no greenery. No food stalls, no water...

"Huh?"

Tao's eyes widened. Something truly magnificent caught her eye! A package of fresh donuts! And they were right outside!

"Donuts!" Tao cried in joy. "More food! Yay!"

"Hey!" Ragna responded as he reached out for the Beastkin, who quickly stood up off the table. "I was only kidding...Woah!"

Ragna's seat was knocked over by Tao, who bumped into it as she dashed out of the saloon. His head landed on the ground with a thump which was followed by a platter of chips landing on his face with a splat.

"That cat!" Ragna groaned as he wiped some chunks of potato off his face. "I swear she cannot be tamed...ugh!"

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It was a hot day, just as it was in every town on the planet of Gunsmoke. However, the heat did not stop Vash the Stampede from being happy. He had recently purchased a box of his favorite confectionery and had found the perfect place to sit down and enjoy them.

"It feels good to relax!" He said to himself. Travelling was not easy, and he himself knew that. On Gunsmoke, you had to constantly take vehicles if you wanted to cross the desert and travel between towns. As someone who traveled a lot, he did this all the time, and it could get pretty boring at times. Fortunately, each time he visited a town, he had some time to himself just sit back and take it easy.

Vash opened the box to reveal a bunch of donuts. Just the sight of them made his mouth water. He could never get enough of donuts. The fluffy texture combined with the sweet taste made them a favorite snack of his.

"Alright then!" He said cheerfully as he picked one up. "Time to dig i..."

"FOOOD!"

"Wha!"

Without any warning, a giant cat pounced at the box, swiped it from Vash's lap, and landed next to him. It then started shoving its face into the cardboard cube and rapidly began devouring the donuts. Vash could only watch in horror as his dessert disappeared before his eyes.

"My donuts!" He cried out. "Those were mine! Do the cats in this town have any decency?"

"Hmm?"

Taokaka lifted her head out of the box and looked at Vash with her dough smothered face. She shook it, sending the dough flying off, and peered at Vash.

"Eh, is something wrong?"

Taokaka continued staring until her ears pointed upwards.

"Hey!" She shouted. "I know you! You're Bad Guy from the posters! I've found you!"

"Ummm...I'm sorry, but who?"

"Tao is going to capture you right now and earn food money! RAR!"

"Hey! No STOP!"

In a flash, Taokaka leapt at Vash, and proceeded to tackle him to the ground. She then began clawing at him as he struggled to free himself from her grasp.

"No! Help! Stop that! It hurts! Somebody help me!"

The struggle continued until Vash eventually kicked Tao in the face, sending her flying off him. He got up and brushed himself down.

"Well, that was not very pleasant...hey...are you OK?"

Vash noticed that Tao was not moving. He ran over to her and saw that she had been knocked out, with a silly look on her face. He panicked.

"No! I didn't mean to hurt you!" He cried as he sat over the Beastkin and pushed at her heart with both hands. "You've got to get up! Don't die on me!"

Meanwhile, Ragna stomped out of the saloon, looking rather annoyed. It was to be expected. He held some sort of responsibility over Tao, and he knew that if anything were to happen to her, he would take the blame, whether it be Jubei, Torakaka or even the damn rabbit.

"Hey!" Ragna shouted as he looked around. "Tao! Where did you go! Tao...what the?"

Ragna stopped searching when he caught sight of Tao's unconscious body. A man in a red jacket and spiky hair was sitting over her and appeared to be attacking her!

"Why you..." Ragna growled as he made his way over to the man. He wasn't going to get away with this!

Vash kept on pushing on Tao's heart, but it was not good. She wasn't going to wake up. Maybe it was time to take her to a medical clinic...

"Hey asshole!" A voice shouted at him. "What do you think you're doing to Tao!?"

Vash stood up before Ragna could even blink. He looked side to side until he saw Ragna and blushed as he formed a weak smile. Ragna couldn't put a finger on it, but something about this idiot felt familiar.

"Heh!...Look! This isn't what it looks like!"

It then came to Ragna. It was him! This was Vash the Stampede! The criminal that Tao was after! Did she try to take him down and ended up being beaten as a result? Nevertheless, he couldn't forgive this guy!

"So, Vash the Stampede...You think you're such a hotshot with that big bounty of yours, don't you?"

"L-look! I'm sorry, can't we just talk this out?"

"Not a chance!"

"Really! This doesn't have to resort to violence! We can..."

Vash stopped talking when a piece of paper flew through the wind and hit him in the face.

"I can't see!" Vash exclaimed as he tore the paper away from his face and looked at it. "Who leaves trash like this lying around any...eh!?"

Vash noticed that the scrap of paper was actually a wanted poster. He stared at it more closely while adjusting his glasses to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Someone with a bounty just as high as his?

"Ragna the Bloodedge?"

Vash kept on staring at the ugly face on the poster. He did look like one scary guy!

"Wait a minute..."

Vash lowered the poster to reveal Ragna standing a few feet away from him with a confused look on his face. He then lifted the poster back up and saw the mug on it. He then lowered it again, and raised it again. He did this several times until it came to him.

"Ah! I get it now!"

"So," Ragna sighed. "You finally figured out who I am..."

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

"What!?"

Ragna was not expecting laughter at all! If anything, he had been anticipating for this so-called infamous Humanoid Typhoon to boast about how he was the better criminal. Just how did this buffoon get such a high bounty again?

"Hey!" He shouted. "What's so damn funny!"

"D-did you really think you could f-fool me?" Vash said, stuttering at some parts due to his inability to contain his laughter. "Y-you like dressing up as Ragna the Bloodedge to make y-yourself seem cool and powerful...HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Dressing up? What the hell are you talking about? I am Ragna the Bloodedge!"

"Oh please!" Vash replied, wiping a tear from his eye as he held the poster out to Ragna. "Since when did you look like this...HAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

The moment Ragna looked at the poster, he almost died inside.

"Are you freaking serious!?"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!"

At this point, Vash had now collapsed and was rolling on the floor, laughing himself to death. Ragna snatched the poster out of the air and slowly tore it in half. Veins were starting to appear on the top of his head like roots growing in soil.

"So..." He said slowly. "I'm just an imposter, is that it?"

Vash had finished laughing and stood back up as he put his glasses back on.

"Of course!" He replied. "What other explanation is there?"

"Very well..." Ragna snarled as he grabbed the handle of the Blood Scythe and pointed it at Vash. "Let me show you just what this imposter can do!"

Vash looked at the sword with a worried expression. The sun shone down on it, giving it a gleam that made it look even deadlier than what it already was.

"Uhhh, that is a fake right?"

"Yes!" Ragna chuckled as he dragged the blade along the ground. "An imposter wouldn't have the real thing, would he now? That doesn't mean this fake weapon won't be able to send you to the hospital!"

There was nothing but silence for a moment. Vash's eyes were fixed on the monster of a sword. The sight of it caused some sweat to trickle down his forehead.

"Uhhhhh...OH MY GOODNESS!"

Ragna looked confused.

"What is it now?"

"LOOK AT THE TIME! I'M LATE FOR...errr...I'VE GOT A GIRL WAITING FOR ME! SORRY! GOTTA GO! BYEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

With that said, Vash bolted away from the Grim Reaper as fast as he could. Ragna could only watch in disbelief. Just how did this guy even end up on a wanted poster? That mystery had to wait. He wasn't letting this moron off the hook that easily!

"Get back here, you bastard!" Ragna yelled as he ran after Vash. A chase commenced in the desert town between the two criminals, until Ragna turned a corner and lost sight of his target.

"Nggh! Where did he go!" He muttered, running ahead while surveying the area.

Meanwhile, Vash peered out from behind the wall at the end of an alley. It seemed that the coast was clear! That short tempered punk was no longer on his tail. Everything was safe now!

"That was too close! I would have ended up as a fillet!" Vash said. He let out a sigh of relief as he cheerfully walked out of the alleyway while humming.

"Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm!"

"We've got you now, Vash the Stampede!"

"...Hmmm?"

Vash opened his eyes, only to be greeted with a horde of angry looking townspeople holding all sorts of guns, from pistols to rifles and even shotguns. Vash had a feeling that they weren't going out to hunt for their dinner.

"Ummm...Hi?"

At the same time, Ragna was running through the town, searching frantically for Vash. He thought that with a quick scout, he could find the clown, but it was no good. It appeared that he had lost Vash for good. This did not sit well with him at all, and he was on the verge on pounding his fist into a building out of frustration.

"Dammnit!" He yelled. "Where did that Spikey-haired bastard disappear to?"

As soon as Ragna finished speaking, he heard someone cry out from behind him.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

Suddenly, Vash jolted past Ragna like a cheetah as Ragna witnessed him do so. He was about to give chase, but realized that there really wasn't any point. He was moving too fast.

"Geez, talk about speedy as hell! Did a spider scare him or something?"

"Excuse me sir, have you seen a man in a red jacket with spikey hair around here?"

"Huh?"

Ragna turned around and was met with the horde of townspeople wielding firearms of all sorts. Were they after Vash? Wait...Did that mean that Vash...was running from them?

"Oh!" Ragna replied, trying to sound as nice as possible. "If you're looking for that guy, I just saw him run off to the north of here."

"Thanks a bunch!" One of the townspeople said. "We owe you on..."

"Wait a minute!" A woman in the crowd interrupted. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Ragna felt the pace of his heartbeat pick up.

"I'm sorry?" He blurted out while waving his arms out in front of him. "I'm just a tourist! This is my first time her..."

Ragna was cut off by a poster hitting him in the face. The townspeople gasped as this happened. Ragna waited until the poster fell of his face and floated to the ground.

"Hey!" An angry looking man yelled out. "You're Ragna the Bloodedge, the criminal with an enormous bounty on his head!"

"And we saw Vash the Stampede earlier!" A woman who appeared to be his wife pointed out

"Who would have thought that two of the most wanted criminals would appear in our village!" An old but intimidating man announced. "If we can capture them, we'll never have to worry about running out of money again!"

"Huh?"

At first, Ragna was baffled as to how the villagers found out who he was until he looked down and saw the poster. It was his wanted poster again!

"Oh great! This is just my day!"

Meanwhile, Vash had been running for quite a while and was stopping to catch his breath. It seemed that the Mob was no longer after him anymore. Now he could finally relax.

"Phew!" He said while wiping some sweat of his forehead. "I gotta say! That was quite a workout...eh?"

Vash could see something in the distance. It wasn't clear, so he tried adjusting his glasses, and that was when he saw Ragna running in his direction at full speed...with the mob chasing after him.

"DON'T TELL ME THEY'RE PICKING ON YOU TOO?" Vash cried as he started running from the mob alongside Ragna.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU INVOLVE ME IN THIS MESS, YOU DIMWIT!?" Ragna yelled at Vash. "I'M GOING TO PAY YOU BACK FOR THIS, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

The two wanted men ran for their lives from the horde that was after them. Sure enough, some of the townspeople began firing. Vash and Ragna did their best to jump over and duck under the shots as they continued sprinting from the residents of the desert town. However, running simply wasn't going to last, as the two found themselves surrounded from both sides as soon as they came to a T intersection.

"OH GREAT!" Ragna shouted. "WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WE DO NOW?"

"QUICK!" Vash responded. "THE BUILDING IN FRONT OF US! WE WILL BE SAFE IN THERE!"

Having no other option, Vash and Ragna burst through the door of the wooden building in front of them. This did not stop the mob from trying to claim the bounties on their heads, though. They began firing machine guns as Vash and Ragna ran up a flight of stares to avoid the storm of bullets. Splinters went flying as lead pellets flew through the air. Ragna tried to concentrate on staying alive, but it was hard to do so with the sound of machine gun fire. It really didn't help that Vash was crying like a coward, as if he was about to die any second.

"WHYYYYYYY! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE BULLY ME AND MY FRIEND!? WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU!?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! ALSO, I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!"

The chase was really starting to heat up. The building was being torn apart by gunfire, and bullets were flying in almost every direction. Vash knew that it wasn't safe in the building anymore, and thus, he had one method of escaping in mind. The window.

"I'M OUTTA HEEEERRRREEEEE!" Vash cried as he dove through the glass frame and out of the deteriorating structure. Ragna ran over to the window and peered out of it to see the Humanoid Typhoon dangling from a clothesline. He was reluctant to follow him at first, but he didn't care what he would have to go through in order to keep the idiot in his sights. He had pissed him off in more ways than one, and it was time to give the so-called Stampede a piece of his mind.

"YOU AIN'T GETTING AWAY FROM ME!" Ragna yelled. He leapt out the window and let gravity pull him downwards until he reached the line. He grabbed it with his hands and hung on to prevent himself from falling. His face was smothered with a white shirt, but he used one hand to rip it off and throw it into the wind.

The two wanted men were now hanging from a line with lots of clothes on it. It seemed that the townspeople had not yet caught sight of them from below, and were still searching the area with guns in hand. It seemed like things were safe for the two for now, at least that was what Vash thought. For Ragna, he saw this as an opportunity to strike Vash down.

"You think you can climb fast enough to get away from me?" Ragna asked rhetorically as he drew his scythe and swung it, tearing the clothes in front of him to shreds. Vash watched the clothes slowly descend to the ground before looking back up at Ragna, all the while shaking like crazy.

"There must be an easier way to...YAH!"

Vash jerked his body backward just in time to avoid being cut in half by Ragna's giant blade. Ragna swung at Vash again, and the Humanoid Typhoon stuck his neck back and watched as the scythe nearly grazed his chin. At this point, Ragna was now furiously trying to land a hit on Ragna with the scythe, while Vash distorted his body in humorous ways to dodge each attack. This went on until they were inevitably discovered by their pursuers.

"There they are!" One of the residents yelled, pointing upwards at the clothesline. "They're hanging from the line!"

"And they've torn my laundry to pieces!" An woman exclaimed in an angry tone. "They're not getting away with this!"

"Crap!" Ragna thought. In the state they were both in, it was going to be quite difficult to avoid gunfire. He watched and waited for the crowd to aim their machine guns upward. However, what they did next was far worse. One of the townspeople hoisted a rocket launcher onto their shoulder and aimed it at him. Damn it! Why did it have to be him that rocket was directed at? Why couldn't be the buffoon dangling next to him? In any case, he couldn't stay suspended from this line forever! He had to find a way safely to the ground!

Ranga glanced at the ground below him, but the mob was swarming below them like ants. It was impossible to let go! But what now? There was no other way to escape the rocket in time!

...Unless...

"God! Why I am being forced to do this!" Ragna complained as he gripped his sword and cut the end of the line with it as soon as the rocket was fired. Ragna and Vash held on for their lives as the line traveled downward, almost as if they were swinging from a vine. Ragna braced himself for the impact to come, but once again, Vash's constant crying made that difficult.

"GAAAAAAAH! LOOOK OOUUUT BEELOOOOWW!!!!"

CRASH!

(End music cue)

Vash and Ranga collided with the building in front of them and were sent tumbling through it. When they came too, they found themselves in the room of an office, which was now ruined by their sudden entrance. Vash rubbed the back of his head, trying to soothe the pain, while Ragna pushed some broken planks of wood off of himself.

"Owww...." Vash moaned. "That was rather unpleasant! I'd rather not do that again..."

CLICK!

Before he knew it, Vash was now staring at the barrel of a shotgun. The mob had found them rather quickly, and were already beginning to surrounded the two criminals. Vash held his hands up with a cowardly look on his face. Ragna, on the other hand, was examining the situation. He appeared to be quite confused as to what was going on.

"Please!" Vash babbled. "Have mercy! Don't kill me! Just let me leave and I promise and won't cause any trouble for you again!"

"I'm afraid that won't do." The man holding the shotgun replied. "We need the money. You have no idea how much of our town is struggling to live a healthy life due to a lack of income! We can't take it anymore!"

Vash went silent for a bit. He could sense the desperation in all these villagers. They weren't a group of greedy bounty hunters who wanted money just to indulge themselves in fine food and women. They were living a less luxurious life than the average person. One could only guess that they had trouble treating the ill. Vash couldn't help but wonder...could giving himself up really create a more peaceful world?

...No...

This world would never be peaceful...not while he was still alive.

CREAK!

The sound of rusty metal being twisted could be heard. Vash, as well as the other villagers, looked in the direction of Ragna, who was grabbing the tip of a bent shotgun barrel. His face was raw with annoyance. Vash couldn't lay a finger on it, but there was something about this person that made him feel cold inside.

"I cannot take this shit anymore!" He hissed as he tightened his grip on the gun. The face of the woman wielding it was slowly growing with fear. Suddenly...

SNAP!

Ragna clenched his fist, crushing the tip of the shotgun in the process. The frightened women looked at the broken weapon with a shocked expression before letting out a terrified scream.

"What are we waiting for?" Someone in the crowd commanded. "Shoot them!"

Vash was waiting for a giant wave of bullets to wash over him, but it the guns were never fired. He was about to wonder why the villagers were hesitant to pull their triggers, but noticed that they all appeared to be petrified. What were they scared of though? He always made sure never to use his plant powers in the presence of innocent people.

Then that could only mean...

"Fire away! I dare you!"

Vash's eyes were now focused on Ragna. He definitely looked a lot more menacing than he did before. He had his sword drawn and his eyes were glowing. On top of that, there were also faint traces of what looked like some sort of black mist emerging from his body. Who was this person? None of this seemed like any plant power Vash had ever seen.

"J-just fire already!!!" The same resident stammered. In response, the crowd aimed their guns, but suddenly...

SLASH!

In the blink of an eye, most of the guns were sliced into clean pieces. Ragna reappeared in the center of the crowd, holding his blade out as he glared behind his shoulder with the uncanny eyes of his. The townspeople were now more scared than before, with some of them even screaming. Vash was not liking this one bit. Ragna bared his teeth before letting out a small growl.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!!!"

Ragna's warning echoed throughout the town, striking all the residents with fear. At this point, Vash knew that Ragna was no ordinary being. There was a dark atmosphere engulfing him, one that was full of malice. Whatever it was, Vash couldn't not stand being in its presence.

"R-run for your lives!"

Heeding Ragna's warning, the crowd dropped their weapons and ran in the opposite direction of Vash and Ragna, who took some heavy breaths for a while before turning to glare at Vash, who's mind was already made up. He did not like this man, and from the looks of things, he was the Grim Reaper on the wanted poster.

...He was no imposter after all.

"That goes for you too." Ragna snarled. "Or perhaps you want to get hurt?"

"Not at all." Vash responded as he drew his revolver and pointed it at Ragna. "Because I think Ragna the Bloodedge needs to be brought to justice!"

Ragna chuckled.

"Don't act like you're any better, Vash the Stampede!"

With that said, Ragna dashed at Vash and pulled his arm back. As he did this, a cloud of black mist appeared on his hand and formed a twisted claw. Ragna than slid along the ground as he thrust the claw towards his opponent.

"HELL'S FANG!"

As he foresaw the oncoming attack, Vash performed a backflip in time to escape the claw digging into his skin. While in midair, he fired his gun a few times at Ragna, who swatted away each bullet without too much trouble. Vash then landed behind a wooden desk and kicked it at Ragna, who sliced it in half with the Blood Scythe.

"Let's see what you can do against this!" Ragna yelled as he swung the scythe across the floor, forming the head of a monstrous looking beast made out of the same blackish-reddish mist he seemed to be able to manipulate. The head traveled along the ground towards Vash with its jaw open, ready to crunch his bones with it.

"DEAD SPIKE!"

Vash quickly took a few small jumps backwards before leaping to the side and out of the way of the beastly head, which eventually dove into the floor and disappeared. While he was still in the air, he unleashed a round of bullets upon Ragna, who grabbed a piece of the table he cut earlier and used it as a shield against the projectiles. Once the bullets finished bouncing off of the wooden plank, Ragna tossed it at his opponent, who failed to see it coming and was smacked in the head with it. Ragna now had an opportunity to land a nice hit. He moved in and swung his scythe. Vash saw the move coming just in time and jerked his head back.

"Oof!"

Vash had managed to dodge the blade, but in doing so, he was caught off guard. Ragna kicked him in the stomach. This sent Vash flying into a bookshelf, causing a pile of books to fall on top of him. As Vash was busy pushing the books off of himself, Ragna approached him and lifted him up by the jacket. Then, he gave his opponent a good punch to the chest. This sent Vash crashing out of the office and into the middle of the village, where he tumbled across the sand for a short while. During this time, he could hear nothing but the sound of villagers screaming as they ran away from the conflict between the two dangerous men.

Vash pushed his glasses up to his eyes with his thumb and was ready to get up, but before he could, Ragna loomed over him, holding his blade up and preparing to drive it through Vash's skull. The gunslinger gulped before rolling out of the way, causing Ragna to jam the sword into the dirt. As he was occupied with pulling it out of the ground, Vash fired a few shots at Ragna's legs. Ragna managed to pull out his sword in time and jumped upwards to avoid the bullets. While he was in the air, he held his blade with both of his hands. It then extended and transformed into a scythe. After this, he brought the weapon down upon Vash

"BLOOD SCYTHE!"

Vash was impressed by the tricks his opponent had up his sleeve, but he wasn't going to let them get the better of him. He kicked backwards off the ground and flipped out of the way of the path of the scythe. He then retaliated by swinging his foot at Ragna's face. The Grim Reaper jumped backwards and dodged the kick, but felt a slight bit of pain.

"Eh?"

Ragna put his hand to his cheek and then looked at it. There was blood. His blood. And it was fresh. Had his face been scratched just then? But how?

Ragna looked at Vash's shoe. It was then he became aware of the knife embedded in it. So that's what happened.

Ragna began grinding his teeth as he looked back at Vash, who he could tell was no longer fooling around like he was before. He was now pretty pissed at this guy. If he wanted a fight, he had found one!

"Nice knife!" Ragna taunted. "But do you really think it's a match for this?"

Ragna swung the Blood Scythe downward at Vash, who hopped to the side and slugged Ragna in the face in a flash. Ragna stumbled back while covering his nose with one hand. His opponent was fast! Guess he didn't earn that bounty by doing nothing.

Vash aimed his revolver at the Grim Reaper and began firing again. This time, Ragna ran towards his foe, dodging and weaving through the bullets in the process. Vash had finished reloading and was about to fire again, but before he could...

"GAUNTLET HADES!"

Ragna leapt forward and performed a leaping kick as his feet transformed into that of a beasts. Vash was struck by the attack and was sent airborne, but straight after, Ragna hit him with another kick. Vash was propelled into barrel, destroying it in the process. Clouds of gunpowder were created following the impact. Vash coughed as he looked around, trying to find his opponent, but it was no good. The thick powder made it too difficult to see.

"Yaaargh!"

Ragna roared as he jumped at Vash with his Sword held above him and brought it down upon the Humanoid Typhoon.

"Nnnngghhhh!!"

Ragna's sword was stuck, but not in Vash's head. Instead, Vash had managed to catch the sword between both of his palms. The huge blade made it easy to do this.

The two combatants had now entered a struggle, with Ragna trying to shove the Blood Scythe into Vash's skull, while Vash did his best to push the monstrous sword away from his face. Both of the criminals had tense looks on their faces. It was made clear that whoever was stronger was going to win this battle.

...Or was that really the case?

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Decro: Sorry for the intrusion folks! But it appears that due to the sta.sh limit, this fight will have to be split into two parts!

Geese: Will Ragna be able to overpower Vash and skewer the skull of the Humanoid typhoon, or does Vash have a trick up his sleeve? Find out in Part 2, which will come out very soon, so be sure to stay tuned!

Decro: Well, this is a first, huh?

Geese: Sure is! So for now, please stay clear while the author is at work! Let's put up some tape while we're at it!

Description

Geese: Alright folks! The combatants are set and ready to fight for their lives! Two fighters enter, one fighter leaves... to the afterlife, that is!

Decro: Brace yourselves! IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!

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Saloon

"Mmmm! This food is so tasty! Nom!"

The hyperactive girl shoved a large piece of pie into her mouth, chewed it and swallow it quicker than what any person would be capable of. She continued to force piles of food into her mouth, as if it was impossible for her to feel full. The man sitting on the other side of the table covered his face to prevent the flying bits of chewed up dough and meat from hitting him in the face.

"Tao! Would you knock it off already!" Ragna complained. "You must have eaten a mountain of food by now! You do realize I'm the one who's paying for this, right? My wallet will eventually perish if you keep this up!"

The cat Beastkin looked at Ragna with a mildly sad look on her face as she swallowed the food that was in her mouth.

"Aww! But Tao is still hungry!"

"I refuse to believe that!"

"Pleeease!?"

"I said no! God, why did we even come here in the first place? It's not like this desert town is a tourist attraction or anything!"

"Silly Good Guy! How could you forget? There is a criminal around these parts with a large bounty!"

Ragna sighed. How much of an airhead could this girl be? The only bounty that anyone ever cared about was the one on his head, and she was having lunch with him as if she was friends with her! Well, it didn't matter that much. The less exposure he had, the better.

"This is Bad Guy!" Taokaka exclaimed as she whipped out a wanted poster and passed it across the table towards Ragna. "The bounty on him is sooooooo large! If Tao captures him, Tao can earn another money to feed the entire Kaka village for ever and ever!"

"Oh really?" Ragna said as he looked down at the poster. "I wonder what he looks...like?"

Ragna was expecting to see a sketch of his face on the scrap of paper, but that was not the case at all. It wasn't even a terrible drawing of him either. Instead, his eyes were greeted with a mug that looked completely different from his own.

"Wait a minute...who's this guy?"

"He's Bad Guy!" Taokaka replied. "They call him the Mortal Cyclone, but scary nicknames don't frighten Tao!"

Ragna examined to poster for further information. He was still surprised. There was someone out there that had a bounty large enough to rival his own? He wasn't one to be proud of having a huge price on his head, since it was a pain in the ass, but what exactly did this guy do to earn himself a price just as equally as big? He didn't even look like anyone who would be willing to break the law!

"Vash the Stampede, huh?" He muttered as he scrunched up the poster and tossed it behind himself. "Whatever. It's not like taking him down would do me any good."

"Ooooohhhh!"

Ragna's attention was now on Taokaka.

"What is it this time?"

"Food!" Tao murmured as she rubbed her stomach. "Tao...still...hungry!"

"Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me!" Ragna yelled. "You know what? If you're still hungry, go find your own food! I'm not pulling another dine and dash!"

Taokaka slumped over the table as she stared out the window past Ragna. It really was a barren town. Nothing but dirt and no greenery. No food stalls, no water...

"Huh?"

Tao's eyes widened. Something truly magnificent caught her eye! A package of fresh donuts! And they were right outside!

"Donuts!" Tao cried in joy. "More food! Yay!"

"Hey!" Ragna responded as he reached out for the Beastkin, who quickly stood up off the table. "I was only kidding...Woah!"

Ragna's seat was knocked over by Tao, who bumped into it as she dashed out of the saloon. His head landed on the ground with a thump which was followed by a platter of chips landing on his face with a splat.

"That cat!" Ragna groaned as he wiped some chunks of potato off his face. "I swear she cannot be tamed...ugh!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was a hot day, just as it was in every town on the planet of Gunsmoke. However, the heat did not stop Vash the Stampede from being happy. He had recently purchased a box of his favorite confectionery and had found the perfect place to sit down and enjoy them.

"It feels good to relax!" He said to himself. Travelling was not easy, and he himself knew that. On Gunsmoke, you had to constantly take vehicles if you wanted to cross the desert and travel between towns. As someone who traveled a lot, he did this all the time, and it could get pretty boring at times. Fortunately, each time he visited a town, he had some time to himself just sit back and take it easy.

Vash opened the box to reveal a bunch of donuts. Just the sight of them made his mouth water. He could never get enough of donuts. The fluffy texture combined with the sweet taste made them a favorite snack of his.

"Alright then!" He said cheerfully as he picked one up. "Time to dig i..."

"FOOOD!"

"Wha!"

Without any warning, a giant cat pounced at the box, swiped it from Vash's lap, and landed next to him. It then started shoving its face into the cardboard cube and rapidly began devouring the donuts. Vash could only watch in horror as his dessert disappeared before his eyes.

"My donuts!" He cried out. "Those were mine! Do the cats in this town have any decency?"

"Hmm?"

Taokaka lifted her head out of the box and looked at Vash with her dough smothered face. She shook it, sending the dough flying off, and peered at Vash.

"Eh, is something wrong?"

Taokaka continued staring until her ears pointed upwards.

"Hey!" She shouted. "I know you! You're Bad Guy from the posters! I've found you!"

"Ummm...I'm sorry, but who?"

"Tao is going to capture you right now and earn food money! RAR!"

"Hey! No STOP!"

In a flash, Taokaka leapt at Vash, and proceeded to tackle him to the ground. She then began clawing at him as he struggled to free himself from her grasp.

"No! Help! Stop that! It hurts! Somebody help me!"

The struggle continued until Vash eventually kicked Tao in the face, sending her flying off him. He got up and brushed himself down.

"Well, that was not very pleasant...hey...are you OK?"

Vash noticed that Tao was not moving. He ran over to her and saw that she had been knocked out, with a silly look on her face. He panicked.

"No! I didn't mean to hurt you!" He cried as he sat over the Beastkin and pushed at her heart with both hands. "You've got to get up! Don't die on me!"

Meanwhile, Ragna stomped out of the saloon, looking rather annoyed. It was to be expected. He held some sort of responsibility over Tao, and he knew that if anything were to happen to her, he would take the blame, whether it be Jubei, Torakaka or even the damn rabbit.

"Hey!" Ragna shouted as he looked around. "Tao! Where did you go! Tao...what the?"

Ragna stopped searching when he caught sight of Tao's unconscious body. A man in a red jacket and spiky hair was sitting over her and appeared to be attacking her!

"Why you..." Ragna growled as he made his way over to the man. He wasn't going to get away with this!

Vash kept on pushing on Tao's heart, but it was not good. She wasn't going to wake up. Maybe it was time to take her to a medical clinic...

"Hey asshole!" A voice shouted at him. "What do you think you're doing to Tao!?"

Vash stood up before Ragna could even blink. He looked side to side until he saw Ragna and blushed as he formed a weak smile. Ragna couldn't put a finger on it, but something about this idiot felt familiar.

"Heh!...Look! This isn't what it looks like!"

It then came to Ragna. It was him! This was Vash the Stampede! The criminal that Tao was after! Did she try to take him down and ended up being beaten as a result? Nevertheless, he couldn't forgive this guy!

"So, Vash the Stampede...You think you're such a hotshot with that big bounty of yours, don't you?"

"L-look! I'm sorry, can't we just talk this out?"

"Not a chance!"

"Really! This doesn't have to resort to violence! We can..."

Vash stopped talking when a piece of paper flew through the wind and hit him in the face.

"I can't see!" Vash exclaimed as he tore the paper away from his face and looked at it. "Who leaves trash like this lying around any...eh!?"

Vash noticed that the scrap of paper was actually a wanted poster. He stared at it more closely while adjusting his glasses to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Someone with a bounty just as high as his?

"Ragna the Bloodedge?"

Vash kept on staring at the ugly face on the poster. He did look like one scary guy!

"Wait a minute..."

Vash lowered the poster to reveal Ragna standing a few feet away from him with a confused look on his face. He then lifted the poster back up and saw the mug on it. He then lowered it again, and raised it again. He did this several times until it came to him.

"Ah! I get it now!"

"So," Ragna sighed. "You finally figured out who I am..."

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

"What!?"

Ragna was not expecting laughter at all! If anything, he had been anticipating for this so-called infamous Humanoid Typhoon to boast about how he was the better criminal. Just how did this buffoon get such a high bounty again?

"Hey!" He shouted. "What's so damn funny!"

"D-did you really think you could f-fool me?" Vash said, stuttering at some parts due to his inability to contain his laughter. "Y-you like dressing up as Ragna the Bloodedge to make y-yourself seem cool and powerful...HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Dressing up? What the hell are you talking about? I am Ragna the Bloodedge!"

"Oh please!" Vash replied, wiping a tear from his eye as he held the poster out to Ragna. "Since when did you look like this...HAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

The moment Ragna looked at the poster, he almost died inside.

"Are you freaking serious!?"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!"

At this point, Vash had now collapsed and was rolling on the floor, laughing himself to death. Ragna snatched the poster out of the air and slowly tore it in half. Veins were starting to appear on the top of his head like roots growing in soil.

"So..." He said slowly. "I'm just an imposter, is that it?"

Vash had finished laughing and stood back up as he put his glasses back on.

"Of course!" He replied. "What other explanation is there?"

"Very well..." Ragna snarled as he grabbed the handle of the Blood Scythe and pointed it at Vash. "Let me show you just what this imposter can do!"

Vash looked at the sword with a worried expression. The sun shone down on it, giving it a gleam that made it look even deadlier than what it already was.

"Uhhh, that is a fake right?"

"Yes!" Ragna chuckled as he dragged the blade along the ground. "An imposter wouldn't have the real thing, would he now? That doesn't mean this fake weapon won't be able to send you to the hospital!"

There was nothing but silence for a moment. Vash's eyes were fixed on the monster of a sword. The sight of it caused some sweat to trickle down his forehead.

"Uhhhhh...OH MY GOODNESS!"

Ragna looked confused.

"What is it now?"

"LOOK AT THE TIME! I'M LATE FOR...errr...I'VE GOT A GIRL WAITING FOR ME! SORRY! GOTTA GO! BYEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

With that said, Vash bolted away from the Grim Reaper as fast as he could. Ragna could only watch in disbelief. Just how did this guy even end up on a wanted poster? That mystery had to wait. He wasn't letting this moron off the hook that easily!

"Get back here, you bastard!" Ragna yelled as he ran after Vash. A chase commenced in the desert town between the two criminals, until Ragna turned a corner and lost sight of his target.

"Nggh! Where did he go!" He muttered, running ahead while surveying the area.

Meanwhile, Vash peered out from behind the wall at the end of an alley. It seemed that the coast was clear! That short tempered punk was no longer on his tail. Everything was safe now!

"That was too close! I would have ended up as a fillet!" Vash said. He let out a sigh of relief as he cheerfully walked out of the alleyway while humming.

"Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm!"

"We've got you now, Vash the Stampede!"

"...Hmmm?"

Vash opened his eyes, only to be greeted with a horde of angry looking townspeople holding all sorts of guns, from pistols to rifles and even shotguns. Vash had a feeling that they weren't going out to hunt for their dinner.

"Ummm...Hi?"

At the same time, Ragna was running through the town, searching frantically for Vash. He thought that with a quick scout, he could find the clown, but it was no good. It appeared that he had lost Vash for good. This did not sit well with him at all, and he was on the verge on pounding his fist into a building out of frustration.

"Dammnit!" He yelled. "Where did that Spikey-haired bastard disappear to?"

As soon as Ragna finished speaking, he heard someone cry out from behind him.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

Suddenly, Vash jolted past Ragna like a cheetah as Ragna witnessed him do so. He was about to give chase, but realized that there really wasn't any point. He was moving too fast.

"Geez, talk about speedy as hell! Did a spider scare him or something?"

"Excuse me sir, have you seen a man in a red jacket with spikey hair around here?"

"Huh?"

Ragna turned around and was met with the horde of townspeople wielding firearms of all sorts. Were they after Vash? Wait...Did that mean that Vash...was running from them?

"Oh!" Ragna replied, trying to sound as nice as possible. "If you're looking for that guy, I just saw him run off to the north of here."

"Thanks a bunch!" One of the townspeople said. "We owe you on..."

"Wait a minute!" A woman in the crowd interrupted. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Ragna felt the pace of his heartbeat pick up.

"I'm sorry?" He blurted out while waving his arms out in front of him. "I'm just a tourist! This is my first time her..."

Ragna was cut off by a poster hitting him in the face. The townspeople gasped as this happened. Ragna waited until the poster fell of his face and floated to the ground.

"Hey!" An angry looking man yelled out. "You're Ragna the Bloodedge, the criminal with an enormous bounty on his head!"

"And we saw Vash the Stampede earlier!" A woman who appeared to be his wife pointed out

"Who would have thought that two of the most wanted criminals would appear in our village!" An old but intimidating man announced. "If we can capture them, we'll never have to worry about running out of money again!"

"Huh?"

At first, Ragna was baffled as to how the villagers found out who he was until he looked down and saw the poster. It was his wanted poster again!

"Oh great! This is just my day!"

Meanwhile, Vash had been running for quite a while and was stopping to catch his breath. It seemed that the Mob was no longer after him anymore. Now he could finally relax.

"Phew!" He said while wiping some sweat of his forehead. "I gotta say! That was quite a workout...eh?"

Vash could see something in the distance. It wasn't clear, so he tried adjusting his glasses, and that was when he saw Ragna running in his direction at full speed...with the mob chasing after him.

"DON'T TELL ME THEY'RE PICKING ON YOU TOO?" Vash cried as he started running from the mob alongside Ragna.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU INVOLVE ME IN THIS MESS, YOU DIMWIT!?" Ragna yelled at Vash. "I'M GOING TO PAY YOU BACK FOR THIS, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

The two wanted men ran for their lives from the horde that was after them. Sure enough, some of the townspeople began firing. Vash and Ragna did their best to jump over and duck under the shots as they continued sprinting from the residents of the desert town. However, running simply wasn't going to last, as the two found themselves surrounded from both sides as soon as they came to a T intersection.

"OH GREAT!" Ragna shouted. "WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WE DO NOW?"

"QUICK!" Vash responded. "THE BUILDING IN FRONT OF US! WE WILL BE SAFE IN THERE!"

Having no other option, Vash and Ragna burst through the door of the wooden building in front of them. This did not stop the mob from trying to claim the bounties on their heads, though. They began firing machine guns as Vash and Ragna ran up a flight of stares to avoid the storm of bullets. Splinters went flying as lead pellets flew through the air. Ragna tried to concentrate on staying alive, but it was hard to do so with the sound of machine gun fire. It really didn't help that Vash was crying like a coward, as if he was about to die any second.

"WHYYYYYYY! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE BULLY ME AND MY FRIEND!? WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU!?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! ALSO, I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!"

The chase was really starting to heat up. The building was being torn apart by gunfire, and bullets were flying in almost every direction. Vash knew that it wasn't safe in the building anymore, and thus, he had one method of escaping in mind. The window.

"I'M OUTTA HEEEERRRREEEEE!" Vash cried as he dove through the glass frame and out of the deteriorating structure. Ragna ran over to the window and peered out of it to see the Humanoid Typhoon dangling from a clothesline. He was reluctant to follow him at first, but he didn't care what he would have to go through in order to keep the idiot in his sights. He had pissed him off in more ways than one, and it was time to give the so-called Stampede a piece of his mind.

"YOU AIN'T GETTING AWAY FROM ME!" Ragna yelled. He leapt out the window and let gravity pull him downwards until he reached the line. He grabbed it with his hands and hung on to prevent himself from falling. His face was smothered with a white shirt, but he used one hand to rip it off and throw it into the wind.

The two wanted men were now hanging from a line with lots of clothes on it. It seemed that the townspeople had not yet caught sight of them from below, and were still searching the area with guns in hand. It seemed like things were safe for the two for now, at least that was what Vash thought. For Ragna, he saw this as an opportunity to strike Vash down.

"You think you can climb fast enough to get away from me?" Ragna asked rhetorically as he drew his scythe and swung it, tearing the clothes in front of him to shreds. Vash watched the clothes slowly descend to the ground before looking back up at Ragna, all the while shaking like crazy.

"There must be an easier way to...YAH!"

Vash jerked his body backward just in time to avoid being cut in half by Ragna's giant blade. Ragna swung at Vash again, and the Humanoid Typhoon stuck his neck back and watched as the scythe nearly grazed his chin. At this point, Ragna was now furiously trying to land a hit on Ragna with the scythe, while Vash distorted his body in humorous ways to dodge each attack. This went on until they were inevitably discovered by their pursuers.

"There they are!" One of the residents yelled, pointing upwards at the clothesline. "They're hanging from the line!"

"And they've torn my laundry to pieces!" An woman exclaimed in an angry tone. "They're not getting away with this!"

"Crap!" Ragna thought. In the state they were both in, it was going to be quite difficult to avoid gunfire. He watched and waited for the crowd to aim their machine guns upward. However, what they did next was far worse. One of the townspeople hoisted a rocket launcher onto their shoulder and aimed it at him. Damn it! Why did it have to be him that rocket was directed at? Why couldn't be the buffoon dangling next to him? In any case, he couldn't stay suspended from this line forever! He had to find a way safely to the ground!

Ranga glanced at the ground below him, but the mob was swarming below them like ants. It was impossible to let go! But what now? There was no other way to escape the rocket in time!

...Unless...

"God! Why I am being forced to do this!" Ragna complained as he gripped his sword and cut the end of the line with it as soon as the rocket was fired. Ragna and Vash held on for their lives as the line traveled downward, almost as if they were swinging from a vine. Ragna braced himself for the impact to come, but once again, Vash's constant crying made that difficult.

"GAAAAAAAH! LOOOK OOUUUT BEELOOOOWW!!!!"

CRASH!

(End music cue)

Vash and Ranga collided with the building in front of them and were sent tumbling through it. When they came too, they found themselves in the room of an office, which was now ruined by their sudden entrance. Vash rubbed the back of his head, trying to soothe the pain, while Ragna pushed some broken planks of wood off of himself.

"Owww...." Vash moaned. "That was rather unpleasant! I'd rather not do that again..."

CLICK!

Before he knew it, Vash was now staring at the barrel of a shotgun. The mob had found them rather quickly, and were already beginning to surrounded the two criminals. Vash held his hands up with a cowardly look on his face. Ragna, on the other hand, was examining the situation. He appeared to be quite confused as to what was going on.

"Please!" Vash babbled. "Have mercy! Don't kill me! Just let me leave and I promise and won't cause any trouble for you again!"

"I'm afraid that won't do." The man holding the shotgun replied. "We need the money. You have no idea how much of our town is struggling to live a healthy life due to a lack of income! We can't take it anymore!"

Vash went silent for a bit. He could sense the desperation in all these villagers. They weren't a group of greedy bounty hunters who wanted money just to indulge themselves in fine food and women. They were living a less luxurious life than the average person. One could only guess that they had trouble treating the ill. Vash couldn't help but wonder...could giving himself up really create a more peaceful world?

...No...

This world would never be peaceful...not while he was still alive.

CREAK!

The sound of rusty metal being twisted could be heard. Vash, as well as the other villagers, looked in the direction of Ragna, who was grabbing the tip of a bent shotgun barrel. His face was raw with annoyance. Vash couldn't lay a finger on it, but there was something about this person that made him feel cold inside.

"I cannot take this shit anymore!" He hissed as he tightened his grip on the gun. The face of the woman wielding it was slowly growing with fear. Suddenly...

SNAP!

Ragna clenched his fist, crushing the tip of the shotgun in the process. The frightened women looked at the broken weapon with a shocked expression before letting out a terrified scream.

"What are we waiting for?" Someone in the crowd commanded. "Shoot them!"

Vash was waiting for a giant wave of bullets to wash over him, but it the guns were never fired. He was about to wonder why the villagers were hesitant to pull their triggers, but noticed that they all appeared to be petrified. What were they scared of though? He always made sure never to use his plant powers in the presence of innocent people.

Then that could only mean...

"Fire away! I dare you!"

Vash's eyes were now focused on Ragna. He definitely looked a lot more menacing than he did before. He had his sword drawn and his eyes were glowing. On top of that, there were also faint traces of what looked like some sort of black mist emerging from his body. Who was this person? None of this seemed like any plant power Vash had ever seen.

"J-just fire already!!!" The same resident stammered. In response, the crowd aimed their guns, but suddenly...

SLASH!

In the blink of an eye, most of the guns were sliced into clean pieces. Ragna reappeared in the center of the crowd, holding his blade out as he glared behind his shoulder with the uncanny eyes of his. The townspeople were now more scared than before, with some of them even screaming. Vash was not liking this one bit. Ragna bared his teeth before letting out a small growl.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!!!"

Ragna's warning echoed throughout the town, striking all the residents with fear. At this point, Vash knew that Ragna was no ordinary being. There was a dark atmosphere engulfing him, one that was full of malice. Whatever it was, Vash couldn't not stand being in its presence.

"R-run for your lives!"

Heeding Ragna's warning, the crowd dropped their weapons and ran in the opposite direction of Vash and Ragna, who took some heavy breaths for a while before turning to glare at Vash, who's mind was already made up. He did not like this man, and from the looks of things, he was the Grim Reaper on the wanted poster.

...He was no imposter after all.

"That goes for you too." Ragna snarled. "Or perhaps you want to get hurt?"

"Not at all." Vash responded as he drew his revolver and pointed it at Ragna. "Because I think Ragna the Bloodedge needs to be brought to justice!"

Ragna chuckled.

"Don't act like you're any better, Vash the Stampede!"

With that said, Ragna dashed at Vash and pulled his arm back. As he did this, a cloud of black mist appeared on his hand and formed a twisted claw. Ragna than slid along the ground as he thrust the claw towards his opponent.

"HELL'S FANG!"

As he foresaw the oncoming attack, Vash performed a backflip in time to escape the claw digging into his skin. While in midair, he fired his gun a few times at Ragna, who swatted away each bullet without too much trouble. Vash then landed behind a wooden desk and kicked it at Ragna, who sliced it in half with the Blood Scythe.

"Let's see what you can do against this!" Ragna yelled as he swung the scythe across the floor, forming the head of a monstrous looking beast made out of the same blackish-reddish mist he seemed to be able to manipulate. The head traveled along the ground towards Vash with its jaw open, ready to crunch his bones with it.

"DEAD SPIKE!"

Vash quickly took a few small jumps backwards before leaping to the side and out of the way of the beastly head, which eventually dove into the floor and disappeared. While he was still in the air, he unleashed a round of bullets upon Ragna, who grabbed a piece of the table he cut earlier and used it as a shield against the projectiles. Once the bullets finished bouncing off of the wooden plank, Ragna tossed it at his opponent, who failed to see it coming and was smacked in the head with it. Ragna now had an opportunity to land a nice hit. He moved in and swung his scythe. Vash saw the move coming just in time and jerked his head back.

"Oof!"

Vash had managed to dodge the blade, but in doing so, he was caught off guard. Ragna kicked him in the stomach. This sent Vash flying into a bookshelf, causing a pile of books to fall on top of him. As Vash was busy pushing the books off of himself, Ragna approached him and lifted him up by the jacket. Then, he gave his opponent a good punch to the chest. This sent Vash crashing out of the office and into the middle of the village, where he tumbled across the sand for a short while. During this time, he could hear nothing but the sound of villagers screaming as they ran away from the conflict between the two dangerous men.

Vash pushed his glasses up to his eyes with his thumb and was ready to get up, but before he could, Ragna loomed over him, holding his blade up and preparing to drive it through Vash's skull. The gunslinger gulped before rolling out of the way, causing Ragna to jam the sword into the dirt. As he was occupied with pulling it out of the ground, Vash fired a few shots at Ragna's legs. Ragna managed to pull out his sword in time and jumped upwards to avoid the bullets. While he was in the air, he held his blade with both of his hands. It then extended and transformed into a scythe. After this, he brought the weapon down upon Vash

"BLOOD SCYTHE!"

Vash was impressed by the tricks his opponent had up his sleeve, but he wasn't going to let them get the better of him. He kicked backwards off the ground and flipped out of the way of the path of the scythe. He then retaliated by swinging his foot at Ragna's face. The Grim Reaper jumped backwards and dodged the kick, but felt a slight bit of pain.

"Eh?"

Ragna put his hand to his cheek and then looked at it. There was blood. His blood. And it was fresh. Had his face been scratched just then? But how?

Ragna looked at Vash's shoe. It was then he became aware of the knife embedded in it. So that's what happened.

Ragna began grinding his teeth as he looked back at Vash, who he could tell was no longer fooling around like he was before. He was now pretty pissed at this guy. If he wanted a fight, he had found one!

"Nice knife!" Ragna taunted. "But do you really think it's a match for this?"

Ragna swung the Blood Scythe downward at Vash, who hopped to the side and slugged Ragna in the face in a flash. Ragna stumbled back while covering his nose with one hand. His opponent was fast! Guess he didn't earn that bounty by doing nothing.

Vash aimed his revolver at the Grim Reaper and began firing again. This time, Ragna ran towards his foe, dodging and weaving through the bullets in the process. Vash had finished reloading and was about to fire again, but before he could...

"GAUNTLET HADES!"

Ragna leapt forward and performed a leaping kick as his feet transformed into that of a beasts. Vash was struck by the attack and was sent airborne, but straight after, Ragna hit him with another kick. Vash was propelled into barrel, destroying it in the process. Clouds of gunpowder were created following the impact. Vash coughed as he looked around, trying to find his opponent, but it was no good. The thick powder made it too difficult to see.

"Yaaargh!"

Ragna roared as he jumped at Vash with his Sword held above him and brought it down upon the Humanoid Typhoon.

"Nnnngghhhh!!"

Ragna's sword was stuck, but not in Vash's head. Instead, Vash had managed to catch the sword between both of his palms. The huge blade made it easy to do this.

The two combatants had now entered a struggle, with Ragna trying to shove the Blood Scythe into Vash's skull, while Vash did his best to push the monstrous sword away from his face. Both of the criminals had tense looks on their faces. It was made clear that whoever was stronger was going to win this battle.

...Or was that really the case?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Decro: Sorry for the intrusion folks! But it appears that due to the sta.sh limit, this fight will have to be split into two parts!

Geese: Will Ragna be able to overpower Vash and skewer the skull of the Humanoid typhoon, or does Vash have a trick up his sleeve? Find out in Part 2, which will come out very soon, so be sure to stay tuned!

Decro: Well, this is a first, huh?

Geese: Sure is! So for now, please stay clear while the author is at work! Let's put up some tape while we're at it!