Disclaimer: I'm beginning to wonder if I should even put this at the beginning of every chapter. It is a waste of wonderful space (no rhyme intended). I'm sure you already knew this, but I don't own Trigun. I can dream, can't I? (Don't answer that)

Chapter 3. Milly

Vash had convinced Meryl to stay put one more night in December. Kate had been forced to give up her bed for Vash, who hadn't slept in days. She didn't approve of it, but Meryl had insisted.

In the early hours of the morning, Vash lay awake. The sound of angry voices could be heard next door. Though they were disturbing his slumber quite a bit, he couldn't help but try to lay as still as possible and hold his breath so he could hear them.

"Meryl, I didn't mean to!"

"Oh, what, it just kind of slipped?" Meryl retorted angrily.

"No . . . He asked. I didn't tell him much."

"What did you say to him? How much did you let him know?"

"Not much. Just until the point where you threw the cloak over my head."

"Nothing else?"

"No." Kate sounded kind of ashamed of herself. Meryl was almost fuming. "Meryl, why does it matter anyway?"

"You don't know Vash, Kate. If he finds out anything else he'll get involved and . . . something bad will happen again, just like it always did. Besides . . . He told me not to."

"But how would He know? He isn't even here anymore, is He?"

"I don't know . . . I'm just worried. Death and destruction seem to follow Vash wherever he goes. If he gets involved in this, that could come into play again."

Kate was silent for a few moments.

"Then . . . Why go over to Milly's place? Wouldn't that put her in danger?"

"Yes. It would put everyone in that town in danger, most likely, but Vash would see to it that no one got hurt. And Milly can very well take care of herself." Meryl gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, right, who am I kidding? It'd probably be different. It has been two years since I've seen Vash, haven't really heard that much about him. Who's to say he's even thought of anymore?"

"Meryl, after more than 100 years, I'm sure he's thought of, and I meant on 'Wanted' posters." Meryl laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but I can't help but wonder if it'll be anything like 'Back Then'. Even though Milly and I nearly died every time you turned around and Vash was being confronted by someone who wanted the reward just about every day, I have to admit it was kind of fun."

"You're getting off topic, Meryl," Kate said.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Meryl . . . Just go to sleep, okay? We'll talk about this later."

"Yeah, sure," Meryl yawned. Vash heard a squeak, announcing someone had sat on the bed, and then a sharp 'click', saying someone else shut the door. He silently stood and opened his door a bit. He looked left and right and began to walk down the stairs.

The sheriff wasn't laying at the foot of the stairs anymore; he had been locked in the storage room until his sobered up or someone found him. Vash walked past his desk and to the storage room door. He pushed it open and moved to click the light on. Nothing happened.

"Forgot about that," he murmured as he remembered there was no electricity until the Plant was repaired. He made his way slowly to the counter where gallons of water had been placed since the faucets didn't work. He began to pour himself a glass of water, but he stopped when a faint scream from upstairs reached his ears.

He turned and ran toward the open door and up the stairs again. Meryl's door was locked and he could hear a rather angry voice inside.

"You've told him. That's breaking the rules. I told you to tell no one. Where is he?" Meryl whimpered but didn't reply.

"Meryl! Just tell him!"

"No!"

"Your friend is smart, Miss Stryfe. I'd tell me . . . Or your bright little friend over here could die." Vash heard a gun being cocked and immediately fetched his own, which had been hanging in his holster by his red coat. He shouldered the door and it flew open. A cloaked figure was baring down on Kate in the corner, a gun pointed at her, threatening to fire. Meryl had grabbed her derringer from the desk drawer and was pointing it at the figure. Vash knew she's probably never fire so he took that opportunity.

He fired once as a warning. The second one hit him, but quite amazingly, it bounced right off. Vash lowered his gun a few inches, staring at the figure, who laughed in mock amusement.

"Vash the Stampede," he laughed. After only a few moments he lunged at Vash and threw him over. The went tumbling out to the landing and Vash threw him over and he was thrown down the stairs. Vash stood immediately, ready for another attack, but it didn't come. The figure only laughed again and said, "I told her not to tell anyone. I told her someone would die if she broke the rules."

"What? People's lives are only a game to you?"

"I wouldn't say that, Vash, but you're quite close. I live by your brother's standards, and I agree with them. I can assure you, I'm only starting small. It will get worse."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it for a while." With that he walked from the sheriff's office and out the door. Vash ran to catch up with him in the street but he was gone.

"What was that?" Vash said, stepping back in. A very shaken Kate only looked at Meryl, who had her head bowed, before replying.

"You heard him, Vash. If we tell anyone who he is or what happened someone will die. He was after you first, but it seems it's turned into a game since then, and I have no doubt that it was a game when it started. He knows your weaknesses and he's using them to get to everyone else. If . . . If we say anything . . . He knows you so well that you'd be attracted to death like a magnet. It's just a way to get to you."

"He began with the city, Kate, and me. He says that's starting small. Think about what would be bigger . . ." Meryl turned and started back for her room. Kate and Vash watched her go.

"He's watching her too . . . But there's only that one place . . ."

"Vash, don't be stupid. You saw what he can do. Reflexes like that and you can bet that he doesn't need that building to spy people." Kate had a point but Vash couldn't help but to not ignore that other building. Sure, it was already occupied by the Joseph guy, and they weren't on the same side. Why would the cloaked figure get his own guy to tell Meryl to say something? It couldn't be so he could have a reason to kill. He'd kill on his own will.

"I guess it wouldn't matter," he said aloud. "We're leaving here tomorrow anyway-"

"And he'd follow," Meryl said. "Like you said he's probably watching us. If he is, then he either knows we're going to Little Jersey or he'll follow. I'd think that you, of all people, would figure that, Vash."

"Hey, now, I'm a little rusty," said Vash. Kate watched him as he headed back in to his room, then retreated to Meryl's.

"Meryl, not too long and it'll be dawn. Don't you think we should get ready to go?"

"Vash doesn't carry much with him. Just give him some time to sleep and I can guarantee he'll be all the better when he wakes up. And you might want to fill a few canteens with water. That should hold us until we stop in the next town."

Vash yawned and stretched, standing stiffly from the small bed. It was dawn and Kate had just come in to wake him.

"Vash, how long do you think it'll take to get to the next city?" Kate asked as Vash began fitting the holster around his waist, slipping the gun in after that and grabbing his coat.

"I don't really know, not too long . . . I hope. I can't remember if the next town is Carcasses or New Oregon." Kate watched him for a few moments until he was done.

"I filled up some canteens for us," she stated.

"Good, we'll need them." Vash sounded and looked a little distracted as he fastened the buttons and buckles on his red coat. Meryl came walking into the room not long thereafter to announce that he was slow and they needed to get going. Vash, of course, didn't reply.

They really didn't carry much, one canteen each, Meryl having an extra set of clothes, Kate having an extra set of pants and a shirt. They would get a vehicle or hitch a ride in town or just out of town and probably end up walking some of the way, but at least they had a plan.

"Vash, I really don't understand how you wear that coat through the desert," said Kate. They had caught a ride, eventually, and they were riding in the back of a truck. Kate had rolled up the legs of her pants so they would look like shorts and rolled the sleeves up a bit on her shirt.

"I . . . never really thought about it," Vash replied truthfully. Meryl sat against the side wall, enjoying the cool breeze as the truck sailed roughly over the sand dunes. Vash looked at her and began to wonder what she was thinking about.

"Hey! Vash! Look!" Kate said. Vash looked over his shoulder. Kate had stood and was leaning over the side of the truck a little ways and pointing at something. Vash moved to kneel next to her. She was pointing at a Plant. She looked down at Vash to see his reaction. "Well? Is it a town?"

"No. The Plant . . . Is alone." Meryl moved over as well.

"How can you be sure of that, Vash? There's sand dunes in the way." Vash didn't reply. "You wanna check it out?"

"Yeah! Do you suppose it works?" Kate said eagerly.

"I don't know if it works. I don't think there's a town there, though."

"Well, what would a plant be doing there without a city? The cities you blew up had plants, but you took those with the towns!"

"I . . . Don't know." Kate leaned over to peek inside the open window.

"Hey, driver, stop here," she ordered. Before the truck came to a complete stop Kate had jumped from the back and was waiting impatiently for Meryl and Vash. When they had climbed down she pulled at them to make them get going.

"We're coming," Meryl said lazily, telling the truck driver to stay put for a few minutes, then following Kate across the long distance. Kate was in the lead, but as she neared the top of a sand dune she stopped. "What's wrong?" Meryl called ahead. Kate turned to them.

"Vash was right. There isn't a town there. But . . . It's weird." She turned back, apparently at a loss for words. Vash came to stand by her side and stared out, speechless as well.

The plant appeared to be whole, complete, but it seemed to have the same problem as December's Plant did; it just stopped. But littering the sandy ground around it were parts to what appeared to be several other Plants.

"Do you suppose it was the same guy?" Kate whispered to Meryl, who kind of half shook, half nodded her head.

"There are several things that tell me it could and couldn't be that man. For one, if he lives by Knives's standards, why would he destroy Plants? Knives wouldn't destroy Plants, he was a Plant himself. But who else could have?"

"Knives is . . . Vash's brother?" Kate asked, remembering the man's words from earlier that morning. Meryl nodded her head.

"Come on, let's go," said Vash after a moment. They headed back toward the truck. When they arrived, the driver seemed a little ticked and seemed as though he were about to drive off without them.

The truck driver only went a short ways longer before dumping them and going in a different direction. Kate had already used up her water while Meryl had half left. Vash's canteen had barely been touched.

"Vash, I just don't understand you," Kate said.

"I've heard many people say that," came Vash's mumbled reply.

"You haven't drank any water and you're wearing that really big red coat, and that black suit. Don't you ever get hot or tired?"

"You know . . . I've never really thought about that either," Vash admitted. Kate looked across Meryl to him and sighed. No one said anything until they approached the next town.

"This place looks new," said Vash.

"Yeah, it is. This is August. It was recently rebuilt. I think a few more patches of construction are going on in little areas of the town. Milly told me in a letter that people from all over Gunsmoke with more fortunate cities were donating money to repair the Plant," Meryl explained. They continued into the city, the streets busier than ever.

"Like bees to a hive," Kate said. Meryl nodded in agreement. "December used to be busy like this." Again, Meryl nodded, then followed Vash, who had already started forward. "Milly lives right up here." Kate caught up to the two and showed them around a block of buildings to an ice cream shop.

"She lives above a store?" Meryl asked, looking up to the second floor.

"Yep. You remember she told you, don't you? She said that she helped her brother and his wife here since she doesn't work for Bernardelli anymore."

"Oh, yes, I remember now. I just didn't know she lived with them." They proceeded into the store where Milly stood behind the counter wearing a brown apron and handing a small group of children ice cream. When the children became more preoccupied with their ice cream to be concerned about anything else, Milly looked up.

"Sempai!" In a flash Milly was across the counter top and embracing Meryl. "You didn't tell me you were coming! And Mr. Vash!" Milly jumped from Meryl to Vash and shook his hand. "I didn't know you were with Meryl!"

"Define 'with'," Meryl grumbled.

"And Kate! I have a present for you upstairs." Kate smiled. "Shall I take your bags up?"

"No, Milly, that won't be necessary. I can do it," Kate offered. She grabbed the only two bags that had been brought along and proceeded up the stairs.

"I see the town's been rebuilt," Vash said, attempting conversation.

"Yep. We were lucky that we got enough money. I'm perfectly content, though. Personally, I was lucky enough to be able to have a place to stay!"

"So this is where you work . . ."

"Well, I help my brother and sister-in-law here because they're letting me stay with them, but I work part-time at the donut shop across the street because I don't make money in the store."

"You work for free?"

"It was the least I could do. I use my money that I make from the donut shop to pay for myself so my brother won't have to."

"Well, that was thoughtful," Meryl said with a smile.

"Yep. And I work at the orphanage too. I spend most of my time there, when I'm not at the donut shop or over here."

"Orphanage?"

Milly nodded. "I helped with the reconstruction, so I requested building an orphanage. These kids right here go there, but I let them in the shop for free donuts or candy or ice cream or something. I know it's what He would have done." Meryl and Vash knew who she was talking about. Nicholas D. Wolfwood, the cross-toting priest with a tobacco addiction.

"Anyone want donuts? I bought them just this morning." Milly took a box from the counter and held it out. Vash took it from her. Meryl sighed and looked back at Milly.

"You'd think he hasn't eaten in weeks." Milly giggled and looked up at the clock on the wall.

"Six o' clock . . . He should be waking up any minute now."

"You're brother?"

"Yep."

"Why would he be waking up now?"

"He travels a lot and prefers traveling at night when it's cooler out."

"How will he react to Vash?" Meryl lowered her voice to a whisper.

"I've told him about you and me traveling with him and that he wasn't bad. He should trust me, but you're right, I guess we could be a little more cautious." A large yawn came from the stairs and Milly and Meryl looked over to see a short man, apparently just now waking up, walking into the store. He was already dressed and seemed to be ready to leave.

Milly smiled and approached her brother. "Big brother, I told you about Meryl Stryfe, my former partner, and Mr. Vash, remember?"

The man looked at Meryl and smiled, greeting her. Then he looked at Vash. Apparently he had taken Milly's word for it and didn't seem too afraid of the tall man sitting at the corner table. Of course, stuffing his face with cream-filled donuts didn't help.

He crossed the room, grabbing what appeared to be a traveling cloak off a peg, and turned to Milly. "Well, I'm off. Say bye to Mel and Kath for me when they get back." Milly waved, smiling broadly, and her brother walked from the store, throwing the cloak around himself as he set off down the street.

"Gee, those were good! I haven't had donuts in forever!" Vash said with his mouth still full of chocolate cream and glazed bread. Milly giggled and took the box, throwing it in the tall can that stood by the door.

"You guys look tired."

"Yes, we are," Meryl said politely. "But I just want a shower."

"Upstairs and to the right, first door you come to."

"Thank you." Meryl walked upstairs and Kate came down.

"Hey, Milly, can I get some ice cream?"

"Yep. What kind?" Vash watched and listened as Kate read off about four different flavors to Milly, who scooped them into a bowl.

At least Milly was happy.

Author's Notes: That's it for chapter 3. Sorry it took so long ^_^; r/r!!