You could hear it…Again and again…the same gun shot…Just ringing in your head…and when you see blood…you ask what you did…to live like that…
The outline of a hanging body was seen from the bell tower. Like always, it seems to ring as the corpse swung side to side. Maria smiled. It was always much easier to kill some one that wanted to die. She had offered him a quick death by knifepoint, but he refused, so she helped him tie the noose around his neck. He asked for a nice death. He had chosen the church, for that was were he met his young wife and where her funeral was held. He wanted to die, just like his wife did. Maria had only smiled and offered her assistance. Maria didn't look at this as murder, he wanted to die, and she just wanted help, that's all. She promised his neck would snap when he jumped.
"What a horrible miss-calculation." She said, as his eyes bulged out. It didn't matter that now he was suffocating. Just as long as he was dead…
"Just one more thing, Sir. Please, don't leave a mess in the church." She turned away. Laughing at fortune and misfortune, she skip down the steps to the streets.
"This is the third bar we've checked today! Are you sure he's in this one?" Meryl looked questioningly at Milly.
"I'm almost sure that Mr. Vash is in this one, honest Meryl." Milly pushed open the door. Meryl gave an exasperated sigh. Inside the bar was a girl, sitting on the floor of all places. It seemed that the bar tender was absent.
"Well, that's weird…" Meryl said. Milly looked around the bar.
"What's weird Meryl?"
Meryl clenched her fists. "This place, there isn't any one here!"
Milly laughed and pointed to young girl in the corner. "She's here." Milly waved her over. Reluctantly, the girl stood up and walked over to Milly's side. Meryl took one good look at the girl.
"Aren't you a minor? What are you doing here?" Milly patted Meryl on the back.
"You didn't even ask for her name and you're already chastising her. Lighten up Meryl, I'm sure she has a good excuse." The girl blushed.
"My name is Maria Ash Wood. I'm looking after here for the bar keep. He seems to have an unruly drunk out back…"
Meryl sighed. "Not again."
Maria stood next to Milly as Meryl chewed Vash out. It amused her to watch the woman shout and the poor man defend his self. If she believed there was such thing as a poor man. Maria twitched. Her week was coming to an end. These two seemed too lively to kill. Beside, it would be a waste of such a cute couple.
"What about you?" Maria looked up to Milly. "Where's your boyfriend?"
Milly went slightly red in face. Giggling nervously, she tried to reply. "Well, I really don't have one." Milly's blush intensified.
Meryl cleared her throat. "Are you referring that this loser is my boyfriend?"
The blonde boy looked hurt. "Why do you always call me such mean names? Didn't your parents teach you manners?" Meryl hit Vash on the head.
"Why you…!" They went at it again. Maria smiled. Yes, they are such a prefect couple, she thought to herself. No longer amused by their bickering, she turned to Milly again.
"So you don't have a boyfriend…what a pity…" Milly smiled.
"Well, to be honest, there is some one I like…" Her eyes shone with happy memories. Maria cringed.
"That's very nice to hear, who is the lucky man?" Meryl turned her head.
"Oh boy…Are you trying to get her started?" Milly clapped her hands.
"Oh, well, he loves children, just like me, and he even preaches the gospel to those in need."
Vash looked surprised. "Hey Meryl, is she talking about Wolf Wood?"
Meryl gritted her teeth. "No, she's talking about you! Of course she's talking about Wolf Wood!"
Vash gave a look of triumph. "I knew it!"
Maria looked at Milly; her eyes portrayed nothing of her thoughts.
"Hey, how come some one so young is asking so many question about love?" Meryl said after giving Vash one more blow to the head. Maria shook her head.
"I'm not that young…" Maria could feel her face burning. She was 22, but pale and underfed. She prayed it wouldn't be too obious. "And as for the questions, doesn't a girl have the right to dream in this forsaken planet?" No, I don't have the right to dream, she said to her self.
Milly gave Maria a bear hug. "Oh, children these days are so under appreciated. Of course you have a right to dream, but you should get out more. You look like you're dead."
Maria muttered under her breath, "I'm not a kid…honest."
The bar tender walked in from the back. "Thank you Miss Maria for looking after my shop while I restocked. As for you," He pointed a finger at Vash "If I say I'm out of drinks, I'm out, and please, for god's sake, don't try to help me find more." Meryl hid her face.
"But I've never heard of a bar that was out of drinks. I was certain that you just made a mistake, that's all." Vash hunched his shoulders in shame.
"I just can't believe you some times, Vash." Meryl squawked.
The bar tender went white in the face. "Vash…Vash the stampede Vash?" He stammered. Milly nodded and looked at the bar tender like he had asked a very obvious question. "Yep, the one and only Vash the stampede. The humanoid typhoon." The bar tender fled.
So, this blonde idiot was the great Vash.
"Why aren't you running?" Vash looked at Maria, slightly surprised at her presence.
"Would you like me to run, Mr. Vash?" She gave a sincere smile. You do not run from prey, even dangerous prey, the voice shot through her mind. Meryl griped Vash's arm.
"Hey, she can stay. Can't she?" Milly smiled as she asked.
"It would be nice if you stayed, Miss Maria." Meryl commented. "We don't get much company." Maria eyes shone in mocked excitement.
"That would be great! Where are you guys going, and maybe you could help me with something, if you don't mind, that is." Her voice was strained. If any one knew about this part time job she had,
there would be a rather rude awakening the next morning. Looking out for other Hunters near by. Deciding it was clear she pulled out a brown brief case. Opening it up, she gave each person a flier.
"I'm helping out the local churches. In these times when we have nothing to look forward too, at least we should have something to believe in." She nodded. If any thing was true about her, it was this. "Every one needs a solid foundation, and this is mine." She blinked away what might have been tears if she could cry.
"That's so noble of you!" Vash seemed to be weeping.
"Just like Mr. Wolf Wood!" Milly cried. Maria looked to Meryl.
"Did I say something to upset them?" Maria looked at them puzzled. Meryl shook her head.
"No, they're always like this."