TOMORROW

The lock of the cell clicked as it closed upon the second man who was only just beginning to stir. The first woke at the sound and looked to find one of his partners in crime on the floor beside him. He looked to the door. 'You again,' he growled, looking at his comrade's braced arms in horror.

'I will find you all,' Shade said. 'That's a promise.'

She turned and walked away, leaving the first to tend to his broken friend.

Vash and Wolfwood sat at the bar of the inn in silence as they waited. Both had their eyes fixed on the doors, hands clenched too tight around their untouched drinks.

Vash saw her first and finally allowed himself a breath. 'She's here,' he said as he exhaled the stale air from his lungs.

Shade headed straight for them, her hood already hanging at her back. She sat on the stool between Vash and Wolfwood. 'He's behind bars,' she said, 'and that's where he'll be staying.'

Vash caught himself checking her eyes. He pushed the image of them from his mind, trying not to think of the black craters that had been there before.

'You're much stronger than I remember,' Wolfwood said, breaking the thick silence that had fallen.

She smiled. 'It has been a long time since we last saw each other.'

Thank god, Wolfwood thought, glad to see that she was okay. He offered her a beer, holding up his glass.

Shade shook her head. 'I don't really feel like a beer. How about we get a bottle of whiskey and go upstairs?'

Wolfwood nodded. 'I'll meet you two up there. I'll just go book a room of my own.'

Shade nodded as she took Vash's hand. They walked up to their room, in silence, Vash only speaking once the door was firmly closed behind them.

'Shade, I have to ask…'

'What it was that happened to me earlier?' she guessed. 'I know.'

He stepped a little closer. 'Help me understand.'

'As soon as Wolfwood leaves tonight, I will try to explain it to you as best as I can,' she said, unable to make eye contact with him. 'But I want you to promise me something.'

'Anything,' he said.

'No matter what, you will not judge me.'

Vash walked over to her, thumb brushing her cheek. 'I promise.' He kissed her as he took her into his arms, holding her tightly, glad to feel her arms wrap around his waist.

'Do you guys want me to come back later?'

Shade and Vash looked over to the doorway where Wolfwood stood, body halfway into the room. Vash smirked. 'Only if you leave the whiskey.'

Wolfwood snorted. 'Not in your life time.' He kicked the door closed behind him.

Shade shut the door behind a staggering Wolfwood as he headed back to his room. Being mostly sober, she walked over to the bed without tripping over her feet.

Vash had sprawled on the bed after drinking over a third of the bottle. Wolfwood had drunk half and Shade had drunk the remainder. He was hammered. Unsurprising, especially if all the beer he'd had that day, the whiskey they'd had earlier and the whiskey they had just had was tallied. All things considered, he was doing pretty well, managing to stay awake even as his eyelids drooped.

Shade removed his read coat, boots, leather jacket and pants before tucking him neatly into the bed.

'Are you coming to bed now?' he managed to ask, his speech a little slurred.

'Soon,' she replied. 'I'm just going to have a shower first.'

'What about explaining to me what happened?' he asked, the weight of his eyelids increasing with every second.

'Tomorrow,' she promised, bending to place a kiss on his forehead.

His eyes started to close, his fight draining. 'But…'

And he fell asleep.

Vash shot up in bed. His gaze darted around the room, hairs sticking up on the back of his neck as he drew sharp breaths.

After a moment he sighed, realising that it had only been a dream. He looked to the window, the blue of the sky clear in the daylight. He settled back into the pillows, reaching out to wrap his arms around Shade, tucking her carefully against his chest.

'What is it Vash?' she asked, voice soft.

'Nothing,' he whispered, drawing her closer. 'I just needed to make sure you were still here.'

'Why's that?'' she asked, stifling a yawn.

'Because.'

She rolled over to face him, his arms still around her. 'Because?'

'Yeah, because.'

'You had a nightmare about him, didn't you?'

He frowned, sighing. 'Yes, but it was just a stupid nightmare.'

'Are you sure?' she asked. 'I remember you saying something about him being able to get inside your mind.'

'That's different,' he said. 'I can tell when he's trying to get into my mind and when it's only a nightmare.'

She wrapped her arm tight around him, fingers trailing soothingly along his spine. 'What happened?'

'He took you away from me.'

'And that's why you needed to check that I was here?'

He nodded.

Shade smiled. 'Well, I'm here,' she said. 'I know it's a little hard to tell when you've got your arm around me like that, but I am here.'

He laughed, a smile appearing on his face. 'Well, you're so thin. It was a bit hard to find your waist.'

She hit him playfully on the chest. 'Very funny.'

There was a knock on the door. 'Are you two decent?' Wolfwood called.

'Yes,' Shade replied as she pulled the covers over her chest, just to be sure.

Wolfwood walked in, cigarette firmly clamped between his lips, the smoke wafting upwards. As soon as he looked to the bed, he spun on his toes, seeming intent on burying his nose in the wallpaper. 'I thought you said you were decent!'

'I am,' Shade said.

'I wasn't talking about you,' Wolfwood said, pointing behind him roughly where he believed Vash was. 'Cover yourself up man!'

Vash glanced down. 'Oh,' he laughed sheepishly, pulling the sheet up to his chest. 'Sorry to make you jealous.'

'Not funny Needle Noggin,' he said, daring to turn around as Shade and Vash laughed.

Shade fastened the last buckle of her shirt as she came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready if they decided that the day was to start.

'Breakfast?' Vash asked, looking over to her with a smile as he gestured towards the eggs and bacon.

'Yes please.'

'Good,' Wolfwood said. 'About time too. You need to put some weight on anyway.'

Shade sat down. 'Why does everyone keep saying that?'

Vash and Wolfwood glanced down at her waist, the corseted top wrapped tight around her. They both brought their gazes up, eyebrows quirked.

'Alright, alright, enough,' she said, wrapping her arms around herself. 'I get it, but I don't need to put on any weight.'

'Fine,' Vash said. 'You don't have to.'

'Don't tell her that,' Wolfwood tsked. 'We must discipline the child. We cannot just let her run free.'

Shade appeared behind him. 'What was that you were saying, Wolfwood?'

He froze, grinning innocently. 'Nothing dear.'

Shade reappeared in her seat, hand lifted as she examined her fingernails. 'I didn't think so.'

They ate breakfast, watching Vash, the affects of a small hangover tugging at him. He brushed it off as best as he could, but he still grimaced every so often.

'I remember you being able to hold your alcohol pretty well,' Shade said. 'But I never thought you could hold it that well, Wolfwood.'

'As you have said, it's been many years,' he said as he rose from his chair. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see if anyone needs to do some confessing.' He straightened his suit. 'I am a priest after all.'

Wolfwood left the room and Vash turned to Shade. As soon as he levelled his gaze on her, she said, 'I'm sorry I didn't explain myself last night, but you probably wouldn't have remembered it if I had tried.'

'I understand, but please tell me now.'

She fidgeted with her hands. 'You know of the Gung-Ho Guns, I assume. They hunt you often after all.' He nodded, signalling her to continue. 'Well, I belong to a force that is their opposite, a force that lives to protect you and civilization in general.'

'What force?'

'We are merely known as the Protectors.'

Next update: 4th of May