Chapter Fifteen: Hope

Vash's wail stopped abruptly.
Milly and Wolfwood looked at him worriedly, and their eyes widened in confusion when Vash suddenly gasped.
He'd just felt heart-beat against his chest.
He lowered Meryl down quickly to look at her, and Meryl's eyes flickered open.
"...Y-y-you're..."
He stammered. She blinked several times, before her eyesight registered on Vash.
She smiled weakly.
Shaking a little, Vash pressed the back of his hand to her neck.
Was she... really...?
He felt her pulse beat, although a bit faintly, against his hand.
Vash felt fresh tears well, although it was now of glorious, sweeping relief and happiness.
"I'm ... I'm so glad!!'
He pulled Meryl into himself and hugged her tightly, feeling her heartbeat against his.
Meryl gently lifted her own arms, and hugged him back.
His tears were soaking her shoulder, but she didn't care.
Milly was smiling in relief and happiness as well, and Wolfwood sighed in heavy relief.
Meryl lifted herself a little, feeling her own tears spill as she did so, to his ear.
"She told me to tell you... that she's proud of you."
Vash blinked in surprise.
"You... you met her?"
He asked, still holding her in his embrace.
Meryl's vision began to go wavery again.
"Yes. I... I did. Vash-san... I ... think I ... need to go to a doctor."
With that, Meryl fell unconcious as Vash pulled back from her hurriedly.
He pressed his fingers to her back again, searching for her wound.
It had been at the heart, close to the spine.
He blinked when he found it.
It wasn't that close to her heart or spine after all.
It was no where near fatal.
But it would be, Vash reminded himself, if he left her here to bleed to death.
Milly went over and bent down infront of Meryl and Vash.
"I'll take her."
She offered.
"Nah, it's okay. I'll manage."
Vash picked up Meryl, and pulled her onto his back in piggy-back style, draping her arms together over his shoulders.
"Let's just get to a doctor."
He hurried off in direction of the town, Milly and Wolfwood hurrying behind him to catch up.

"Come in."
Rederine walked into the professor's office.
The professor stood up quickly, paperwork fluttering to the floor.
"Rederine, do you know the dangers of your action?!"
Rederine looked away from the professor and outside the window.
"I just shot her, Professor,"
he said with a hint of sulkiness.
"You just shot her, huh? What if you killed her?"
'I was meant to.'
Rederine thought, but said out loud,
"Well, she lived, sir."
"You brought emotional stress and disorder to the main subject!!"
Professor Corman shouted, spit flying.
Rederine looked at the angry professor without emotion.
Corman flipped open a hidden compartment from the corner of his desk, and set his finger and thumb around the knob it revealed.
"You know you deserve this,"
He said as he turned the knob.
Rederine heard the familiar, quiet hum of high pitched frequency.
It grew louder and louder, until the pitch filled his senses, his head suddenly pierced with pain as he found himself being jerked about, his arms flailing as his joints were twisted around, his eyes clouding with strange visions...
Father... what is this?
He banged his knees against the office's oak desk as he stumbled around, clutching his head.
It's just an experiment. Don't worry. It's not going to hurt you.
Rederine shut his eyes, blocking out the unwanted memories. The sound cut off abruptly, and the torture subsided. But Rederine's head still throbbed, his eyes still burned, his arms and legs still twitching.
"Get up, and this time, if I catch you doing anything off orders again, I'll turn the frequency up to its maximum."
Rederine got up, turned and stalked out of the room.
Once outside the whole laboratory, he banged a fist into the building wall.
"Damn you, Vash the Stampede. I hate you."
He went on muttering as he walked further and further into the desert plains that surrounded the lab.
"You killed him."

"...narrowly missed her lung. Hello?"
Doctor Lonners waved a hand in front of the blonde man's face.
"Uh, you listening?"
Vash shook himself out of his thoughts.
"Yeah... so how long will it take for recovery?"
The doctor checked his clipboard.
"A couple of weeks, I should think. The bullet didn't go in deep enough to make a fatal injury. Miss Stryfe will be up in less than a month."
He put the clipboard down and opened the door of the room.
"She'll probably stay in her sleep for a while, though. Don't expect her wake up too soon."
Vash nodded.
"I know."
"I have other patients to tend to, mister, so I'll leave now. I'll come back to check up on her later."
"Thank you."
Doctor Lonners gave Vash a warm and encouraging smile before exiting the room and shutting the door.
Vash turned to Milly, who was propped up on Meryl's bed with her elbows, and Wolfwood, who was behind her and talking to Milly.
"Let's go downstairs,"
Wolfwood was saying,
"we can return back up here after we buy something to eat. I'm sure the small girl would like something to eat when she wakes up."
Milly sighed, finally relenting.
"I guess you're right, Mr. Priest."
She looked up to Vash.
"Are you coming?"
Vash glanced at Meryl, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed.
"Nah. I got a couple of things to think about."
Milly looked at Meryl, then to Vash, before making a very goofy grin.
"Oh-kay! I'll just take your coat and sempai's clothes to the wash."
Wolfwood and Milly walked out of the door, but just before Wolfwood left, he threw over his shoulder,
"Have fun!"
before walking out and shutting the door with a snap.
Rolling his eyes, Vash dragged up a chair from the table and sat next to Meryl, and looked at her sleeping face.
Milly had changed Meryl out of her blood-soaked clothes and into her nightclothes, which made her look much more vunerable.
Her blood had stained a bit of his clothes, too, so he himself was wearing clothes other than his usual belts and buckles and red trenchcoat; he was wearing a white-shirt and loose trousers.
She looked quite different in her nightclothes, he thought.
He gently took her hand into his, and traced the scar that was forming with his fingers.
Then he let go suddenly, as though he had been burned. He looked at his hand and hers with an aghast expression.
'What the hell am I doing?!'
Vash thought, backing away.
He was about to move his chair back when from his head, he heard her voice again.
You're more afraid than she is.
He paused.
Then Vash slowly sat back in his chair, and held Meryl's hand again. He ran a finger over her forming scar again.
'I... I need to find that Rederine the Demaskas, or Temaskals, whatever it was... He said he'll be back to take more.'
Vash spoke silently to Meryl as he held her hand, seeking some sort of comfort.
'I don't like seeing people get hurt...'
Swallowing, he held her hand a bit more tightly.
'You're giving me hope. I mean... you nearly died because of me... no, you died because of me, but you lived again. That's a miracle, isn't it?'
He pressed her hand to his forehead, and he closed his eyes.
'You said.. you said you met her.'
Vash's thoughts came to a halt, and he had to recollect his unfinished thoughts before continuing.
"I think she brought you back. I'm glad she did.'
He felt her pulse beat steadily against his hand.
'If this is a miracle from her... then it can only be for a reason. I feel that she's telling me to not give up yet... because I very nearly gave in to all those emotions that flooded into me when you died.'
Vash shuddered at the memory.
'So... just be there. Stay alive. You're... you are my hope, I guess. I feel really confused though... I don't know why these things happen to me. You're right; nothing good follows me around.
'...Hey. I can think of a couple of things that follow me around that aren't bad at all, though. For example... Wolfwood and you two insurance girls.'
He almost laughed at the thought, not to mock, but in realisation that it was completely true.
'Anyways. Even though I feel confused... at least I know that not everything I touch dies.'
Hoping he was right, he held Meryl's hand with both of his. He opened his eyes in surprise when she gently squeezed his hand back reassuringly.
He looked at her.
She wasn't awake, yet somehow, at that moment, it was all he needed.