What would you have me do? You're like a tormented child who hits anyone that gets close to you. Yet you cry when you're alone. What do you want me to do?! I thought you would have noticed. How can you blame me for this? You saw. You saw! It was your own self-denial of being close with someone. So how can you treat me like this? When all I did was try to help you? It's your own fault…It's your own fault!

Meryl awoke, twisted up in her own bed sheets and drenched in her own cool sweat. It was now almost midday and she would have to pick Aki up from school in the next few hours. She wiped her bandaged hand across her forehead, which seemed to pound to the rhythm of her racing heartbeat. She had had trouble enough earlier that day trying to explain to her son how she had received her wounds.

"The mirror broke and I cut myself trying to clean up…"  The words echoed in her head. How much longer could she lie like this to her own son? If there was a Worst Mother of the Year award, she was sure to get it. This is pathetic, she thought to herself. I can't keep dwelling on this. It never stopped me before, so why should it now? The image of those cold, lifeless eyes flashed across her vision. No. I'm not giving in to you. You gave it up…that's right…it's your fault…Despite how much Meryl thought she was saving herself, she was only making it worse.

-At School-

"Aki-kun!" Cally called his name teasingly, tossing his schoolbag in the air. It was one thing when it was out of jest. It was another when the sun was so blazingly hot.

"Give that back!" Aki shouted. His mother had taught him never to hurt a girl in any way possible. Easy to say when one of them isn't tossing your bag around. And tattling to the teacher would only make it worse.

Cally's fit of mocking giggles ended when she realized the bag had not returned to her hands. A tall shadow fell across her, and she squinted up, trying to make out the face among the sea of hair. The bag hung from one of its back straps, held delicately between two fingers. The shadow left the girl in silence and turned its attention to Aki.

"I believe this is yours." The man lightly tossed the bad to the bewildered boy, who could only stare on in amazement at his sheer size.

"Th……thank you, sir. I'm Aki. Pleased to meet you." He gave a small polite bow, a reflection of the manners his mother had instilled on him.

"I know.." The man stopped himself short. "I…I'm Ericks."

"Hello, Ericks-san. My mama's supposed to pick me up in a sec, so you wanna stay with me until then?" Despite Aki being one of the smartest in his class, it had left him alienated and friendless. He was teased constantly, being called "Teacher's Pet" and "The Big Brain. He didn't care about the names, but he thought at least someone would like him for the person that he was. He had never let his mother on to this problem of his, but that would come to nothing. His mother would only respond with telling him that he had to have tough skin to get through life in this world. Well…maybe he was just tired of having 'tough skin'.

"I don't see why not…" A kind childish smile spread across Ericks' face as he propped himself up against the fence that ran all the way around the school. "Hey…wanna see something cool?"

It was enough for Meryl to drag herself out of bed and force clothes onto her body, but trying to drive in this too-bright sun was just getting on her nerves. She couldn't wait until this was day was over, when she could retire in the dimly lit living room, listening to the radio. As she drove closer to the school, she noticed the image of her son…beside…beside? Who the heck was that? And why does he have that infernal weapon out?! Before she could sort her thoughts, her vehicle was accelerating at a tremendous speed, heading straight for the fence.

Not now. Why can't you just leave me and my son alone? Why?!

*crunch!*

"Ms. Meryl! What do you think you're doing, endangering the children's lives?" All the shouts and screams were muffled behind the onrush of the adrenaline to her head. The only thing on her mind was the life of her son. And how close she was to killing that man.

"Vash. Get away from my son. Now. Or I will kill you." Of course, the thought never registered in her head that one, she had no weapon and two, it would be a lot harder to kill Vash with a just a simple rock to the head...

He returned her anger with only a gentle smile. "Is that the thanks I get, Ms. Meryl, for saving your son's life?"

"I said get away from him."

"You're welcome then." He lowered his face to the boy's. "You take care of yourself, 'kay kid? Your mom's a scary one." Aki suppressed a tiny laugh to prevent further irritating his mother.

" 'kay, Ericks-san. See ya!" The two new-found friends parted…for now.

--Later that night--

"I told you! You're not allowed to see that man again! You hear me?" This was becoming old…very fast. They had been arguing for over an hour, and there was no sign of either letting up their end of the argument.

"Tell me why! He's nice, mama! He's the only one that talks to me. In case you haven't noticed, I don't have any friends! Please!"

"I said no!"

"Fine! See if I care! You won't tell me why, and you lied to me about Dad."

"…!"

"Course I knew. I kept that picture you showed me of him. All the kids laughed at me because of it. 'Humanoid Typhoon'…couldn't come up with something better than that?"

So he had discovered her secret. And she had lost her son's faith in her as well.

Life is sucking so much right now…

Aki had long since slammed the door to his bedroom, and Meryl was now left alone to the silence and a tall glass of strong alcohol. That man creates chaos wherever he goes…She gave up on her own anger, and decided it best to apologize to the poor boy. It was all she could give him right now. Rapping a knuckle on the door, she leaned in, trying to catch any sounds of sobbing or sniffling.

Silence.

Maybe he had cried himself to sleep.

"Aki?" She whispered, inching the door open. Nothing. Not even the sound of his heavy breathing. The cold night air stung at her face from the open window.

"AKI!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, well. 'Vash' continues to mess with the poor Meryl's head. And uses Aki to do it too. At least we know a little more about the poor boy's mind. And his angsty loneliness. His running away is just going to ruin Meryl even more. *sigh* Why am I so cruel?

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and come back for more! ^_^x