You want it? You really want it? Ok, I'll give it to you! Sorry for the delay, the first semester of college was a bitch. . .but I managed a 4.0! WOOO!! dances Anyways, let's get back to the real reason you're here. . .here it is, the third chapter. Enjoy.

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Acceptence of Light. . .of Darkness

SilverSwan

Chapter 3: At First Sight. . . (finally, eh?) ***********************************************************

"Meryl, tell me why is it that we're going to September again?" Milly chirped brightly, in a voice that implied this was her first time asking such a question.

It wasn't. Meryl gritted her teeth, which were already gritty from 2 hours buildup of sand in her teeth. That is, chasing Wolfwood for the first fifteen minutes with the intent to kill, and, in the remaining hour and forty-five minutes trudging behind him in annoyed silence while listening to Milly's constant, chattery flirting and Wolfwood's rakish replies, all the while glaring knives at both of their backs.

"I've already told you, Milly, seven times. We're going to September, it's really the only possible place the vampire could be. He didn't feed last night, so he couldn't have gotten further than September due to exhaustion, despite the fact he can fly. Got it?"

"Yes." Milly nodded slowly, thinking. "But, sempai, are you sure he wouldn't have gone towards some other city?"

"Damn straight," Meryl replied. "He'd need a place to hide before sunrise, and the next city, October, is at least 2 days travel from August - that is if he chose to fly."

"Makes sense," Wolfwood said, lighting up a cigarette. "And it seems we are at September now." The fair-sized city of September loomed ahead, within a 30-minute distance. "That wasn't so bad, was it now, Meryl?" Wolfwood asked, turning a sheepish grin to her.

She glared her response.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Later the trio finally came upon the city of September, dirty, grimy, sweaty, and exhausted. Meryl had reached a slight truce with Wolfwood, only on account that she was nearly dead. It was around 3 in the afternoon, and the first thing on everyone's mind was food and rest. However, there was a little matter about money. . .

"What are we going to do?" Milly asked.

Meryl shrugged, her rising ire at the fact Milly had given away the last of their money quickly dying down due to her extreme exhaustion. "I have no clue, Milly," she sighed, voice dull.

A pang of guilt pierced through Wolfwood's consciousness, only to be brushed away by his usual upbeat manner.

"Never fear, ladies, a priest is here."

He paused, to wink at Milly before continuing, "and this city is full of sin." With a sweep of his arm, he indicated the saloons that lined the streets.

"Just give me a second. . ." Wolfwood walked up to the door of one saloon and leaned against the wall, arms folded and legs crossed.

Naturally, this didn't help Meryl's mood any.

"Mr. Priest. . .are you planning on begging?" Milly asked, wide-eyed.

"Shh. . .just wait and see. We must wait for our first victi - uh, I mean lost soul."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Priest."

With a murderous glance at both her partner and the traveling priest, Meryl rolled her eyes, turned her back, picked up her bags, and was just about to leave when -

"MMMPH!! HEEEY!!!"

"What the -?" Meryl murmured, turning around sharply.

At the doors of the saloon, a man in a long red trench coat was struggling to take off what looked like a little house on his head. He was tall, with long and lanky limbs, yet appeared to be well built, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. Woolfwood stood nearby. . .

"Now, confess thou sins, my son, and thou shall be saved. Fear for thy mortal soul, for you have been heavily imbibing. . . . . . . . . . . .Oh Shit!" He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling its contents.

"Sorry. I always screw up when I talk like that. . .Save and purge your soul for only 50 double dollars a confession!!!"

"Oh Mr. Priest, you're funny!" Milly squealed.

"He is NOT!!!" The man in the red coat protested squealingly, still struggling to take the small portable confessional off his head. "AEIIIIIII!!"

Screaming like a female pig, the red-coated man succeeded in wrenching the confessional from his head, and upon thrusting it to the ground reveled a head of spikey blond hair and the most gorgeous emerald green eyes Meryl had ever seen in her life.

"YOU COULD KILL SOMEONE LIKE THAT!!!" He continued, shoving Wolfwood away before tackling him and proceeding to strangle and knock his head against the ground.

"Nmm. . .HE-"

"Holler Uncle!"

"Eh. . .No!!"

"SAY IT!"

"NO!-uhh-UN. . .!!!

"SAY IT!!"

"MR. PRIEST!" Milly screeched, running over to help. "Take that, bad man!" She screamed, before hitting the blond man on the head, with her gigantic stun gun. He crumpled to the ground, but begin to slowly get up.

"Oh. . .man. . .thanks, babe!" Wolfwood gasped, struggling to sit up. Milly rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?" She asked, eyes large with concern. He nodded, one hand at his throat.

"Is HE alright? What about me? I only got assaulted by a -a tiny house over my head, then smacked by a. . . "

'Won't he ever stop?' Meryl thought, her ire rising as the man continued his ranting. He was quickly loosing his appeal.

"And assaulted for no particular reason, you have no business doing this to ME!!! Is HE alright? What about me. . ."

'How annoying' Meryl thought as she listened. Somewhere in her mind, the words were getting blurred. . .it was incredibly hot standing under the dessert sun in the afternoon, wearing her high-necked white, Chinese-style blouse under her blue cape. She fought for balance. So hot. . .

"So you owe me an apology!" The man continued, "Is HE alright??? Hey! Is SHE alright?" He asked, his voice changing from irritancy to concern, as he directed Milly and Wolfwood's attention to Meryl, who was swaying slightly.

"Meryl!" Milly screamed. It was the last thing Meryl heard before collapsing and loosing consciousness.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"Oh. . .ugh. . .huh?" Meryl groaned, eyebrows furrowing as she struggled to sit up in bed.

'Wait. . . in bed. . .where am I?' Meryl blinked once, her sight still not adjusted yet. She heard someone get up from where he or she was sitting near her bed, moving away to open the door.

"Milly! She's awake!"

Masculine. Definitely masculine, and kind sounding. 'Sounds so familiar,' Meryl thought, as she fell back into the bed. The effort was too great to sit up, but she could see clearly now.

"Who are you?" She asked, glancing at him, before she remembered. Blond hair. Red trench coat. And those gorgeous green eyes that seemed to see clear to her soul, yet were tinged with some indefinable sadness. "You - you're the man from the saloon. . . what are you doing here?"

"First things first." He strode back to the bed, causing Meryl to pull the covers closer. She was dressed, but had been stripped down to her camisole, and the leggings that she wore under her miniskirt.

"What?" She managed to stutter. 'He really is goregeous. . .but what does he think he's doing?'

"Here, drink this." Helping her to sit up in bed, her rescuer/kidnapper held a glass of water to her lips. Meryl's skin tingled where his hand rested on her back, and she couldn't hold back the shiver that tickled her spine.

'He couldn't have kidnapped me. . .didn't he just yell for Milly? Then I must be safe. . .and this must be only water.' She sipped it, reluctantly at first, but then more rapidly, as she realized she must have been dehydrated. He spoke.

"You fainted while your friends and I were-uh, having a disagreement."

He hadn't noticed her at the saloon - he'd been too busy arguing with that poor excuse for a priest, and that giant of a girl - but now that she was awake, he found himself admiring her luminescent dark eyes. He had been wondering what color they were while she slept.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again. "Where is Milly?"

"Here I am, Sempai! How are you?" Milly entered the room, sunshine streaming from her voice. "This is Mr. Vash! How do you like him? He's not such a bad man, as I first thought. He noticed you were about to faint, and he caught you! When he asked where we were staying, and we told him we didn't have any money, he carried you to the nearest hotel, and rented a room. He even paid for the hotel rooms for us!" Milly exclaimed, breathlessly.

"What?" Meryl asked, pushing the glass away, and looking at Vash in open disbelief. "You. . .did that?"

"Yes-ah, well-" The kind man of mere moments before Milly entered dissolved into a stuttering fool. He scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh. "Well, ah- someone has to take care of helpless women who can't take care of themselves!"

And now the stuttering fool had changed into an arrogant pig. Meryl hated it, especially when she knew damn well she could take care of herself. Gasping, she flung back the covers with anger, swinging her legs over one side of the bed. Her jaw quivered with anger.

"Sempai? What are you doing? You really should be resting now! Don't get up!" Milly rushed to Meryl's side in an attempt to stop her.

" If *Mr* Vash thinks I need his help, then he's wrong!" Meryl spat, putting special, sarcastic emphasis on the word 'Mr.'

"Oh, Sempai, don't! He didn't mean it! Did you, Mr. Vash? And you really do need your rest!"

Meryl's eyes flashed. "I don't need rest, I'm fi-" Meryl cut herself off abruptly as the world begin to spin, and her legs felt fragile. 'Oh shit.'

"Meryl!" Milly's voice sounded far away.

"I got her." In two long strides, Vash was besides Meryl's weakening form, his arms around her once again.

'I feel so safe. . .' Meryl mused idly, the last thought that struck her mind before she passed out. She didn't feel Vash gently lay her back in bed, nor the concerned hand he placed on her brow, or see his worried frown.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"She'll be alright, she just needs her rest. Meryl has been long overdue. She pushes herself too hard, and takes her work very seriously." Milly stated later at dinner with Wolfwood and Vash. Wolfwood nodded his agreement.

"Work? What does she do?" Vash questioned, as the waitress brought their dinners. He once again silently thanked Rem for providing him with human blood, so he could eat human food, an attribute that had enabled him to blend in with the race over the years. And a very important one.

"Meryl and I are a team with the Bernardelli Vampire Hunters Co. She's one of the best in her line of work." Milly nearly sang, heedless of the information she gave away, and forgetting Meryl's past attempts at cautioning her against such. "Mmm, this is really good! Don't you think so, Wolfwood?" Milly questioned as she dug into her pasta.

"Your presence makes it superb, big gal." Wolfwood teased. The two of them were so intent on each other that neither noticed Vash had not yet begun his dinner, and merely sat there, looking as if he had just been shot.

'It can never be,' Vash realized. ***************************************************************

So, whaddya think? Definitely worth the wait, huh? Ok, ok so maybe not, but my muse has come back, and I know where this story is going! (This really is a miracle) Knives will re-appear soon, and Legato and Dominique will make their entrances. Get ready for some heart-trending angst. Oh yes, look for additional chapters to 'Gunsmoke Ghetto,' and 'Hidden by Silence' within the next 2 weeks.

Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask if any of you know which format I should upload my stories with, so I can make the thoughts appear italicized, without screwing up my format. I'd really appreciate if any of you can help me. Thanks! Don't forget to review! SilverSwan