Gone Crazy

When there's no sun, and there's no moon,
And there's no stars, child,
Have you gone crazy?
Come back and be, come back for free.
Come back and stay, child,
Have you gone crazy?

"Hey, cowboy, you lookin' for a good time?"

Brett had long since begun to ignore the women who would approach her company from time to time. And though when it occurred, the resilient pests continuously grading on her nerves, she wouldn't utter a word of disapproval. Honestly, she felt Vash should get to have some form of entertainment, some sort of interaction with others. She'd felt that their bond had been severed long ago, anyway, the wound never having healed. And she knew life among her was a bland existence. Anymore, at least.

"Oh, c'mon," they coaxed. "How 'bout tonight? Just for a drink?"

"Eh-heh, well," he stammered, glancing to Brett. It went unnoticed; she was already heading up the stairs to their room. "We'll see. I'll have to check my schedule...and see if I can pencil it in, and, uh...bye!"

They'd made it to Augustine by midday, filling up on a hearty meal and fresh water. The women had then come, obviously wanting to fill up on the Humanoid Typhoon. Though if they'd known his title, they may have been a bit more wary.

Brushing off the thought, Brett sat at the small, wooden table, legs crossed. Her attention was drawn to no place in particular, vacantly staring out the window, puffing on her third cigarette.

"How about we go out tonight?" Vash's sudden inquiry caused her to send a quizzical glance his way. She briefly gave him a once-over, noting his damp locks and the towel across his shoulders, before turning back to the window. The lack of a response nearly shot him down, but he refused to give up that easily. A thought then darted across his mind, an impish grin coming to his lips. "What if I...do this?" She looked to him once again, expression nonchalant. He'd begun to unbutton his collared shirt, brow quirked. He was bound and determined to get a rise out of her.

She shook her head, giving a faint chuckle. "You're relentless."

He was taken aback momentarily, proud of himself; she hadn't smiled in days, let alone laughed.

"Aw, come on," he pleaded, hopeful. "Please?"

"What about your girls? The one's at the bar?"

"They'll be fine," he waved off the subject. "Besides, I want to be with you."

This, she couldn't believe.

"You travel with me everyday, you eat and sleep with me everyday, you might as well be conjoined to my hip. Now, I highly doubt you actually mean that."

He heaved a sigh, slumping forward in his chair. She was a tough shell to break, she always had been, even back then. He smiled, reminiscing about the time Brett, Wolfwood, and himself had spent together.

"It'd sure be nice to find a girl like that."

"She's not taken, if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh, I thought you and her were, well..."

"Ha, oh no," Wolfwood laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I've thought about it. But it would only complicate things. We've got it made here, in our little paradise."

Our little paradise... Wherever they were now, they were far from any paradise. Perhaps if things had played out differently, if Wolfwood was still there, then maybe she wouldn't have taken everything so badly. Vash knew it hadn't been just the loss of the orphanage, or the children, that led to her current state, he wasn't that oblivious. It'd been the moment she'd found Wolfwood, laying in a pool of his own blood, that she'd lost herself.

Now, he couldn't care less if he got the girl in the end. Sure, he loved her, but he just wanted his dear friend back.