Chapter Eight: Guilt

Just when Vash entered the grocery store, he found himself being pulled out of it. He turned to see Wolfwood, who winked and dragged him away from the store and the disappointed-looking store-owner.
"What's wrong?"
Vash asked, his voice demanding. Wolfwood continued to drag him through the Cendre square.
"We're going to eavesdrop on the girls."
"What?? Why??"
Vash tried to twist his arm out of Wolfwood's grip, but failed to do so as Wolfwood tightened his grip to a painful extent.
"Owowowowow let goooooooooo--"
"Shut up!! We're going to find out just what it is that's making the smaller girl ignore you!"
But Vash's face was so obviously in pain that Wolfwood let himself loosen his grip on him.
"What makes you so sure they'll talk about me?"
Vash asked, finally managing to pull himself out of Wolfwood's grasp.
"Well, you know the big girl. She'll ask the little one about it. I mean, it was pretty obvious that she was ignoring you on purpose."
Wolfwood grabbed Vash again to keep the pace going.
"But I don't think--"
Vash began, attempting to karate chop Wolfwood around the arm. Wolfwood dodged and gave a quick chop to Vash's head.
"Quit whining. I'm just as curious as you are to know why. She was downright mean to you just now."
Vash racked his brain for something to say to avoid listening in on the girls, but found that he sort of did want to know why he was being ignored so completely.
"Okay."
He mumbled, rubbing his head where Wolfwood had whacked him.
Together they followed the girls, and when they entered the inn, they waited.
"Why the hell am I doing this?"
Vash asked Wolfwood.
"Because she's your friend."
Wolfwood replied.
"You just want to see if the big girl says anything about you to her."
Vash muttered.
"That's partially true."
Wolfwood clapped a hand to his mouth as Vash stared at him.
"A-a-are you serious?"
Vash said, a mean smile spreading across his face. Wolfwood chose not to reply, and instead said,
"I think they're in their room now. Let's go."
They walked into the inn, and walked up to the counter.
"Excuse us... where is Vash the Stampede staying at?"
Wolfwood asked.
"I'm forbidden to give any room numbers away, gentlemen."
The lady said, brushing a comb through her hair as she chewed gum.
"A big and small girl booked rooms for us."
Wolfwood said pointedly. The lady's eyes widened. Her jaw dropped open as her eyes fell onto Vash the Stampede. They could see her gum. It took her a few seconds before she could say anything.
"203. Just around the corner on the second floor. I gave the keys to the girls,"
She said quickly. She resumed chewing her gum as they stepped back from the counter, and picked up her brush again.
"Thank you."
Vash said, and they went up to the second floor. They heard the girls' voices as they went up the room 202, and stopped there. The girls didn't seem to have heard them, and they were talking outside of room 204 - 203 being just around the corner, as the lady had said, and the girls obviously taking the room next to it.
Finally close enough to be of earshot, they kept themselves well out of sight and listened.
"...haven't been yourself today, sempai."
Wolfwood and Vash exchanged glances at the seemingly perfect timing. They heard Meryl sigh.
"I know. I'm sorry... I guess I'm just a little occupied."
"Why?"
Yes, why? Both men thought.
"I... had a really bad dream last night."
Yup. They'd both surmised as much.
"Was it about Vash-san?"
She was so straight-forward. Wolfwood felt a smile lift a corner of his mouth as he thought about that.

"It... it was. About him."
There was a small pause.
"What was it about?"
Milly asked tentatively. Meryl bit her lip, then quickly let go of her lip at the unpleasant memory.
"Sempai...?"
Milly prompted.
"Remember that day when..."
Meryl could feel tears gather in her eyes. She quickly rubbed an arm over it before continuuing.
"...when Vash-san shot that man?"
Milly nodded.
"I dreamt about the time when we were there. Remember? There were men there. They were hurting us."
Milly sighed.
"Sempai... if this is about you making Vash-san kill that man..."
"Yes Milly, don't worry. I remember what you told me - there's nothing wrong with following our heart."
Meryl looked at her friend with a grateful smile.
"I still thank you for those words of wisdom. But Milly... what I dreamt of last night... it brought back the time when we were being tortured."
Meryl felt the tears well up in her eyes again. She brought the back of her hand to rub at her left eye, where a tear threatened to stain her cheek.
"I tried not to cry out, Milly. I tried so hard. But I ended up crying out. He heard me... and he shot him."
Forget it, Meryl thought, and let the tears fall freely. She wiped her tears with her left hand, but still more fell.
"I mean... he's saved our lives so many times. But I've never done anything for him. I've never been able to..."
She leant against the door of 204, looking down to try to hide most of her tears. It was pointless though; they fell to the ground in wet splashes.
"I never got to say sorry."
Meryl whispered. Milly shook her head violently.
"Sempai! You've done as much for him as he's done for you, I'm sure of it!"
Meryl looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"Milly, I somehow can't explain this to you... but I just feel so bad. I can't even look at him in the face now. I feel this strange guilt... this guilt that I said that he had no other choice instead of saying sorry. And I had so many chances alone with him! When I bandaged his wounds after that, when I sat next him on the cliff, when we both went to buy donuts that day you found Wolfwood-san... I never even remembered the incident."
She pressed her palms to her eyes, letting out a sob.
"Dammit Milly, I can't stop the guilt! I feel that I need to say something to him; something that acknowledges the fact that I'm sorry for crying out that day. But--"
There was a sudden scuffling noise, followed by a crash. The girls whirled around to see Wolfwood on top of Vash, lying crumpled on the floor. They picked themselves up hastily, and there was a long, awkward silence in which everyone seemed to be looking at Meryl.
Then Wolfwood gave a brilliant smile.
"Come on, let's go to the grocery's, big girl!"
He placed his hands onto her shoulders, then steered her away from Meryl.
"Eh? Eh? Ano..."
"I'll buy you caramel pudding?"
Milly looked back with a worried expression to Meryl, then saw Vash. She gave Meryl an encouraging smile before looking back at Wolfwood.
"Honto ni?"
"Yup. Let's go..."
He lightly pushed her in front of him, down the stairs and out of the inn, towards the grocery's.