A Gunman's Tears

Authors note: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews! ^__^ lol. I'm quite glad everyone's been enjoying the fic; it's really a lot of fun to write! Well I have decided along with your help to keep it going as long as I still have the ideas. But I have a few comments to give out before we begin.

'Dude on the Computer'- heh, I laughed quite hard at your comment, I actually never thought of it being knives. That would be something cool but then I couldn't think of a lot of things to do afterwards!

'A.T.O'- Heh, don't worry. I'm not a big fan of male pairings too much, I can read them but I can't write them! And you also don't have to worry about a cheap lemon; if you know a writer by the name of 'Faith In a bad guy' she is one of my good friends and would kill me since she is a pretty awesome Lemon writer.

'Kimmy'- Great and mighty author? Lol. I'm sorry but I find that pretty funny ^__^

To everyone else - Thanks so much for reviewing, and now onto the story!

Oh yes, and because I feel somewhat creative tonight, I think I will try some P.O.V's for this chapter! =P and at one point in this chapter, I used a song to place the overall mood. If you want to download it, it's "Listen to the Rain" By Evanescence. I used it for Vash's p.o.v #2. The song nor lyrics belong to me, I'm just using them because I love her work and it fit well with that scene.

Now for the story!

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Vash's p.o.v

All I could hear was the pounding of my heart, it seemed like forever- but it all happened in a few seconds. I remember the time with Goseph and the women, time stood still but I still managed to save them, but now I feel frozen in fear; and cannot do a thing.

Smash.

The window broke from the bullets being shot, it sounded like there was three. And then my heart just seemed to stop, she screamed. I couldn't look; I closed my eyes as I could feel the hot tears stream down my face. It was such an eerie silence after the glass hit the floor. Could I look? Was she.no. She can't be. Not Meryl Strife.

I opened my eyes to only be amazed, Wolfwood was looking at me oddly, and it seemed he had done the same thing. Ever so slowly we both gazed to the ground, Meryl was lying beside the chair, which had looked like it had been pushed out of the way since she was sprawled out on the floor; a horrified look on her trembling features.

Meryl was alive!! I couldn't believe how relieved I was. But.who pushed the chair out of the way...and why did I smell blood. Gazing to the window my heart sank. I already heard the screeching of wood on the floor and a deep cry.

The only thing that was just as worse as Meryl being shot - Milly had taken the bullets herself.

Meryl's p.o.v

I couldn't believe how quickly the last minute had gone by. One second vash was giving a horrified look out the window, then there were gunshots, soon followed by the screeching of wood on wood and then the chair was knocked over. What had happened?

Opening my eyes I gazed up, Vash had just opened his eyes from the whole ordeal and was looking around, tears still glimmering on his cheeks. Vash cried a lot. Probably more then Milly and I have cried in our whole lives.

What had happened to the shots? Who pushed her out of the way? I turned my head slightly and my breath caught short, blood, and lots of it staining the floor. Lifting myself from the chair I head Wolfwood's deep cry as the chair was knocked over as he headed to the window. I froze at what I saw.

There was Milly, laying face down on the floor as glass was all around her, a disturbingly large puddle of her own blood surrounding her body. And the worse of all, she was smiling.

"Milly!" I sobbed and quickly crawled over to her, picking her off the floor and cradling her shoulders and head in my arms. Wolfwood's large body shaking lightly as he gazed down at her, horrified.

"M.Meryl..." Milly had managed to squeak out, I couldn't help it as the tears streamed down my face.

"Milly.why did you do that you idiot" I said softly, my voice was already cracking up, I sounded so desperate, and in fact I was.

"Don't.be silly Meryl.Its o-only a scratch.or...Three..." I couldn't help but laugh slightly, you would think after being shot three times it would have knocked a little sense into her. "B...But.I...knew it all along."

I watched her cough deeply; it has a wheeze to it. I gazed over her body and saw one of the bullets had hit her in the chest, I prayed that the wheeze wasn't from the bullet hitting her lungs. One had hit her in the shoulder and the other one grazed her side.

"Knew what all along Milly.." I gazed down at her with a small smile, pulling a bloody arm up and wiping the tears from my cheeks.

Before Milly could respond Vash arose from the table and pulled out his glasses. Whenever he put on those glasses, a new side of him seemed to come with it. He was serious, dark, and he looked like he was going to kill. Wolfwood also responded, walking slowly into the living room and picking up his punisher. Both men walked out the door silently; somehow I knew that they wouldn't come back till one of them killed the attacker.

I watched them disappear into the darkness; the last I saw was a flicker of Vash's blood red coat as they disappeared down the street.

"T.That you.Love Mr. Vash." Milly smiled up at me with one of her famous 'everything's going to be alright' smiles and I couldn't help but smile myself as I picked her up by her shoulders and slung one arm around my neck.

"Come on.Milly.we have to get you to the hospital." I began to drag her out the door, what a funny sight that would be to see me dragging Milly around.

It wasn't too long before we had arrived at the hospital; I guess when your worried time seems to fly a lot faster. It was there a few nurses helped her off into one of the rooms, but before she was into the room she looked back and called weakly "Your stalling Meryl." before being taken into the room.

It was after she had left that the tears really started to flow, I quickly turned around and ran full speed back to the house. The wind danced through my short back hair as I ran, I had always liked to run, it felt so good. Pushing the door open and shutting it I stumbled over to the couch and simply fell onto it, sobbing my heart out into a pillow.

Wolfwood's p.o.v

As Vash and I ran through the empty streets of the town, I couldn't help but hold back the tears as I thought of Milly. She couldn't die..not now.not after we had finally gotten together. Why didn't I see it coming? I could have taken the bullets myself. But wait, Vash had seen the bullets - he had the look on his face. He could have stopped them.He was the Humanoid Typhoon after all; the $$60 billion double dollar man.

Maybe it was because he didn't want to. That he was using us all for some protection from his attackers. That must be it!

I turned into my run and swiftly kicked him to the ground. He instantly fell and looked back, a shocked but serious look on his face.

"What was that for?" he asked stupidly, oh you can't play me the fool anymore Vash the Stampede.

"You know bloody hell what that was for.you've been using us! All of this time as shields from your little bounty hunters. And now you've gotten Milly shot. You really are a heartless killer!!" I yelled, my anger rising by every passing second as I changed at him, my foot connecting with his side and sending him skidding across the dirt.

As I advanced once more I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs, the adrenalin from the anger I held was so horrible, yet at the same time addicting.

He lied there back on the ground, his eyes closed in a pained expression, and I know it couldn't have been from my kick, I didn't do it barely as hard as I could have.

"You.Really think I just let her get shot. For my own personal gain." He mumbled, turning his head to look at me with those sad aqua eyes.

"Well its sure looking that was right now." I growled, slamming the punisher into the ground and holding my finger against the main buckle.

"Wolfwood.I would never have wanted Meryl.or Milly to have gotten shot. I couldn't do anything. I was frozen. If I could I would have taken the bullets myself to ensure their safety." He spoke softly, turning his head back up to the sky.

I couldn't help but grit my teeth, I knew it was wrong to accuse him, I know how he feels about Meryl. But who was I to blame? I turned my head down, staring at the dirt in thought.

Was Milly going to make it? What if she didn't.no, I'm not going to think of that possibility. If she makes it, then ill get a job. I will become a better man for her. Heck, ill even marry her; maybe even have kids. Even though the last time we 'pretended' to have a kid I wasn't too fond of the idea, I would be all up for it with Milly. And I'd even let her name the kid 'Bob' if that's what she wanted. Well.maybe.

"Vash.I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you Needle-noggin." I sighed and walked over and helped him off the ground. He smiled lightly at me and took out his custom silver pistol. It was a legend all of its own.

"Wolfwood.I'm going to make the bastard that shot Milly pay. I can't guarantee that I can kill him, but I'll make sure he does feel very sorry for what he's done." He picked up his glasses which had fallen off when I kicked him and slipped it on, the serious and deadly Vash the Stampede had awoken once more.

I shook my head lightly and placed a hand on his shoulders, this was not his fight, it was mine. "No Vash.this is my battle. I'm going to go after him, alone." Vash made a move to protest when I turned my back, retrieving my Punisher from the ground and walked off "And anyways, I'm pretty sure Meryl will need someone to counsel her.she's not as strong as she leads us on to be."

I could tell Vash was confused, but I smiled lightly as I heard the quick footsteps of him running back to the house we were staying at. "Good luck Vash.don't screw it up." I spoke quietly to myself, and continued on.

Vash's p.o.v

My heart was racing, I know I should have gone with Wolfwood, but my heart longed to see Meryl. I hope she is alright; I couldn't stand if anything had happened to her. Wolfwood's words hit, 'She isn't as strong as she leads us on to be..' it was unreal and so true at the same time. A few times I had heard her cry, even if it was in her sleep, I could tell there was more to her than met the eye.

I stopped, lightly placing a hand on my cheek to feel a soft cold droplet of water. Gazing up it was simply breathtaking. It was raining. Rain is something so rare to this planet, that it could be called 'Once in a lifetime' event. But this didn't stop me, I needed to see Meryl.

I kept on running as the house soon came into view, I was very glad to see that all was alright but the odd thing was that all the lights were turned off. Running up to the porch I gazed into the open door, all was eerily quiet and dark in the house with the exception of the gentle sound of the rain outside.

"Meryl?" I called out, but to no reply.

Where was she? I began to worry, what if something had happened to her? I was ready to rip my hair out in frustration till I heard the soft voice of none other than Meryl outside. Turning around I headed outside quietly, and out into the storm once more. Walking out towards the desert where I saw Meryl lying down on one of the sand dunes, eyes closed as she let the rain wash over her.

It wasn't until I got closer did I hear that she was singing softly. Her voice was amazing, yet so sad as she sang the somewhat haunting lyrics to the song.

"You can feel you're alone,

But I'm here still with you.

You can do what you dream,

Just remember to listen to the.rain."

It was then I decided to approach her, walking up the dune and sitting down beside her. "Meryl.are you ok?"

She gazed up at me, water droplets fell down her face and it looked like she had been crying, it was hard to tell if it was her crying or rain.

"Vash.what are you doing here?" The look of astonishment on her face told me she was expecting to be sitting out her alone for hours, well, she was quite wrong.

I placed a hand on hers and immediately pulled back, her hand simply frozen from the rain. "Meryl.you're so cold. Let me take you inside..." I went to place my arms under her to pick her up when she pulled away.

"Please.No.I want to stay out here" She spoke softly; I could see in her eyes she was tired, it had been quite a night for her, for all of us.

"Meryl.please.or I will force you to go inside" I knew I couldn't force her, but I was hoping she would not call my bluff and just co-operate. I couldn't just leave her out here in the rain.

She looked like she thought for a moment, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she went slightly limp and nodded. "Alright.I'll go."

Smiling lightly I stood up and took her small frame into my arms, walking back to the house slowly. It was then I remembered a question I had forgotten to ask.

"Meryl, what was that song you were singing anyways..." I asked, gazing down at her.

A soft smile traced her lips as she closed her eyes, slightly cuddling up against me her resting her head on my chest "It was a song my Grandma used to sing to me. She always told me stories of the rain when I was little"

I smiled as my thoughts returned to Rem. She was like a mother to me, and she always was singing her song wherever she was. But I had gotten over her, I know I could never have her back, but she was always going to be with my wherever I go.

Reaching the house I walked in, gazing over my shoulder to where Wolfwood was heading "Good luck my friend." I said quietly, walking back inside.