Hihi everybody!  I'm thrilled at the interviews I've gotten!  Thank you so much!  Now, chapter 13 of Happy Donuts!

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun (boo hoo) please don't sue me.  ;_;

~*~*~Chapter 13~*~*~

Vash woke first, rubbing the haze of sleep out of his eyes.  Judging by the heat, it was already past noon.  He vaguely wondered why none of the men had come to get them.  They had all seemed anxious to do away with him.  Carl especially had his heart set on it, he thought dryly.

Well, here we are again, he reflected, looking down at the top of Meryl's head.  He smoothed her hair and started to get up.  He was very careful this time, and he made it to his feet without rousing her.  His boots made no sound as he approached the door, his ears alert to very sound, even Meryl's quiet breathing behind him.  He put his ear to the cool metal of the door and strained to listen.  There was nothing but deathly silence.  However, it was a pretty thick door.

"Mmm… Tomato… you…idiot…" Meryl mumbled in her sleep.

Vash covered his mouth to keep from laughing.  He turned away from the door, deciding not to dwell on their kidnappers.

"Nyo!"

Vash jumped and looked around, confused.

"NYO!"

He walked to the window. A little black cat peered up at him with huge green eyes.

"Nyo."  It started to scratch the wall.

"Well, hello, little black cat," Vash greeted it.

"Nyo," the little black cat said, then turned to trot away.

"Well, goodbye, little black cat," Vash said, with one eyebrow raised.

A muffled noise came from the outside of the door.  Vash whipped around, vaulting over the scattered boxes (and Meryl) and coming to a short stop in front of the door.

"Helloooo?" he called, pounding on the door.

"Vash?" a familiar voice called, closer to the door.

"In here!" he pounded on the door harder.

"Shut uuuup…" Meryl mumbled, covering her head with Vash's jacket.

"Mr. Vash?  Meryl?  Are you in there?" a high-pitched voice called.

Meryl shot up, instantly awake.  " Was that…Millie?"

"LET US OUT!!" Vash stormed.

"I don't know where the keys are!" roared a very frustrated priest.  "How the hell did you get in there, anyway?!"

"What are you doing back? Your were supposed to be gone for ten days!" Vash yelled.

"My second oldest sister's fiancé ran off with the milk man and little big sister called off the wedding.  But second oldest sister is glad he's gone.  She said she suspected something about him.  He watched Martha Stuart a lot."

Meryl and Vash gave each other a strange look.

"Go figure!" Millie chirped through the door.

"I found the key!" Wolfwood announced.

"Er… um…" Vash shook his head and returned his thoughts to Wolfwood.  "Ok, open the door!"

"Stand back!" Wolfwood ordered.

"Huh?  What?  Why?" Vash stared at the door warily.

"Mr. Priest!" squeaked Millie.

"Oh…" Vash's eyes popped open wide.  "Stand back Meryl!" 

He sprinted to the other side of the room and ducked behind some boxes.

"What's going on?" Meryl demanded.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE GET BACK!!" Vash screamed over the top of his box.

Meryl crawled around behind a steel box.

A huge KA-BOOM filled the air and a little smoke seeped in.

Vash peeped up over his box.

Meryl's head peered cautiously around her box.

The room seemed to be no different, but the door sported a colossal inward dent.  Smoke snuck into the room between the buckled hinges.

"THAT DID US A LOT OF GOOD, WOLFWOOD!!" bawled Vash.

"SHUT (cough hack) UP!"

Meryl made an annoyed sound and hid behind the box.

"GET BACK EVERYBODY!" Millie cried.

Vash ducked behind the crate just before the door exploded inward, flying through the room and landing behind Vash.

"EEHHII!" he squeaked.

The smoke cleared to reveal Millie, brandishing her stungun.  Wolfwood stood beside her, limply hanging on to his Cross Punisher, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He turned to Millie and grinned wolfishly.

"Nice shot, honey!"

Millie giggled.

Vash's head rose over the top of the crate, his face and hair covered with soot.  "Yeah, nice shot," he said somewhat peevishly.

"How did you find us?" Meryl asked, sitting up to peer over her box.

A small black feline trotted out of the smoke and sat down, striking a pose like an Egyptian diety.

"Nyo," it said elegantly.

"You have got to be kidding me," Vash and Meryl groaned in unison.

Millie laughed.