Unyielding Truths Are Fickle Things

 by Azurepoet.

A/N: I have to write a few "Thank You" notes here before I begin. A huge thank you to all of the wonderful people who were kind enough to read and review this story. Your criticisms, praise, and most importantly, your suggestions, inspired me to put my all into the chapters to follow. So once again, thank you thank you thank you! ::gives them all hugs and a doughnut::

Next, I've noticed that many people are wondering when I will write about Milly and Wolfwood's relationship. Although I am chomping at the bit to put it up, I wanted to follow the storyline of the anime (Wolfwood doesn't appear until episode 9), look a bit deeper into Milly's relationship with Vash and Meryl, and most importantly, I wanted to devote an entire chapter to her encounters with Wolfwood. So wait a little longer, I promise, it'll be worth it ^_-.

And last, but not least, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Death, War, and Pestilence for being patient with my annoying need to have my friends read my disturbing little scribbles.

Ok, enough rambling, onwards to Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: An Angel With the Devil's Luck

She treated him like he was a black cat or something.

I suppose on the surface it did seem like trouble followed him wherever he went, which really wasn't fair at all. He was always tried to be kind to everyone, even the ones who were trying to kill him. And there were a lot of people out there who would gladly see him dead, reward or no reward. Meryl used to go on and on about how he was responsible for every scrape we managed to get into. I would point out that he always got out of them somehow. She would usually ignore me. I never had the courage to tell her how I felt about him. She looks at the world through her brain. Everything has to fit in its proper place, and if it doesn't, well, it's either fixed or ignored as an "inconsequential fluke" as she used to put it. I always think with my gut. I don't know why, but I find that I can't help but say what I feel, even if it sounds stupid in my head. But every once in while it turns out that I'm right. Vash told me once that I was kinda scary that way. Meryl still refuses to admit that I knew Vash was "Vash" before she did…but I don't mind. I don't think he was unlucky. It's just that people created bad luck around him, blamed him for all of their problems, even when he really had nothing to do with it. People treat black cats the same way, I think. The cat doesn't bring bad luck, but people need a convenient scapegoat. And they often forget that even the sweetest cat has claws. 

There was something different about him.

Well, besides the doughnut obsession, and his hair (which I always thought was neat, but Meryl pretended to hate). Yes, there were times where he acted a little silly, and his attempts to hit on women were…well, he could be less than suave. But I watched him, and the way he worked through his problems. It seemed no matter how bad things got, now matter how dark things became, he would manage to save people, even if it meant he got hurt in the process. It was amazing, really. Even when an entire town was hunting him down, he still turned around and helped them in their time of need. Everyone was stunned to see him gently carry those women out of the rubble. I'm not sure if they were shocked at the fact that they were still alive or that Vash didn't leave them there to die. He was so patient and deliberate, the fact that there was a giant waiting a few feet away to smash him to bits didn't seem to phase him at all. And finally, when all the women were in a safe place, he was ready to fight. He stood there, the sun blazing down on those golden glasses, without saying a word. The only sound were the streams of abuse "Professor" Nebraska was heaping on Vash and the shuffle his boots made as he turned to face them. I'd never seen him like that before, it was frightening. I snuck a quick peek at Meryl. She was completely stunned. We watched him take them down, five quick shots to the fist, one in the arm. He was so fast I almost missed it. I thought it was a quick glimpse at "Vash the Stampede", the outlaw whose very name caused even the toughest bandits to quiver in fear, the man who single-handedly brought an entire city to ruin. And then…the next thing I know he was shouting "Love and Peace" with the children.

I always thought…he was an angel.

I wasn't sure if he was a guardian angel or an angel of justice. Maybe he was just an ordinary man with an angel's soul. But there was something otherworldly about him. It wasn't the surface things that planted that thought in my head, although they did help. Children sort of gravitated toward him, and he was always ready with a sunny smile and a new game to play. He reminded me of my middle older brother. Even though he was almost grown up while I was still a little kid, he always took time to play dolls with me…well, not in front of his friends, but I appreciated the time together anyway. The fact that Vash never took a life, even if he was threatened with death, didn't give him away in my eyes either. Or that he was able to walk out of that plant in Inepril City alive when it should have exploded and killed us all. It was afterwards, at the thank you party the town threw for him, that my gut feeling about him kicked in. We were sipping at our beers, and I was chattering cheerfully (I was trying to make up for Meryl's quiet, thoughtful mood) when he turned and looked at me. He was unusually solemn for a brief moment, then he told me I reminded him of his mother. It was the first time he had said anything about his past to me, and I was shocked into silence. Then one of the townspeople grabbed him and took him to the bar for another round. He instantly went back to being jovial and rambunctious. But for that brief moment, he reminded me of an angel who'd lost his wings. Resigned to living on this God-forsaken planet, but wishing deep in his heart that he could find his way back to Paradise. Even though he was surrounded by happy people who wished him well, he looked so lonely. I sympathized with him. Although Meryl was my friend, I always felt more like her pet. Something she had to take care of, but kept her company, so it was alright.

That's why I was so glad when we…when Vash found…him.

A/N- Sorry about the shortness of the chapter, but I wanted to make sure I didn't give away too much. And I want to get to the delicious chapter about everyone's favorite priest! Anyway, drop me a line, tell what you think, and remember, constructive criticism is always appreciated! ^_^