Here's another short and hastily prepared chapter! I'm planning on introducing a buttload of new action-packed stuff that I was originally gonna put in this chapter but decided it was too long. So, yes. Uh…

Thanks to:

KaikaNozomi, Sforzando, Alucard, Ana, Radia, Molly-chan the Anime/game fan, Krnkaesaeki, Katrina Mama, TeaRoses, Threnody, Gloria Stone, and FallenStardust

WHERE'D MY REVIEWERS GO?? WHERE ARE THEY? *shifty eyes*

*Drunk Again Written and performed by Reel Big Fish*

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"What?" I asked, looking at Meryl quickly and smiling mildly. I don't think at that point the truth of the statement had actually registered in my brain.

Meryl wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head further. "Yeah, I suppose this is good news for you. You're probably happy that we won't be there following you around and being nuisances any more."

I couldn't do anything but stare at the top of her head. All of my thoughts were clogged up in my brain like a traffic jam, and were seeping into my consciousness at an alarmingly sluggish rate.

"But…but…how are you assigned to another person? You've always been assigned to me." I realized immediately that that had been the wrong thing to say to the often very prideful Meryl.

She looked up at me quickly, glaring daggers. "Sorry, Vash, but our entire lives aren't devoted to you. We do have other things."

She stood up quickly and stomped angrily into the next room. I swung myself out of bed, attempting to quickly regain my land-legs and followed after her. I found her in her room, throwing clothes violently into her suitcase.

"Meryl…you know I didn't mean it that way. It's just…how could you be leaving?"

"It's very simple, Vash," she said, closing her suitcase firmly. "Apparently, someone has finally read my reports and, Bernardelli has decided that 24/7 surveillance of the Humanoid Typhoon is no longer necessary. So, we've been assigned to someone else."

She swung the suitcase off the bed and swept past me, stopping at Milly's room. "Up and at 'em, Milly. Pack up and let's get going."

A muffled "Just a minute, Meryl" came from the next room and Meryl reappeared in front of me.

"Vash, you're a big boy. I'm sure you got along fine before we came along." She gave me an empty smile.

"Not nearly as well as I did once you came along."

"Okay, Meryl, ready to go." Milly said cheerfully, stepping out of her room, lugging a big brown suitcase.

Meryl smiled at her sadly. "Let's get going then." I followed them to the doorway, where Milly enveloped me in a crushing bear-hug.

"I'm gonna miss you Vash-sama." She said tearily. "Make sure to write, okay?"

Meryl extended one hand and I took it, my heart aching at the relative coldness of it compared to Milly's warm farewell.

"Well, Vash, maybe we'll meet again someday." I searched her eyes for something—some remorse or sadness or even that fiery spark of her anger, but I saw nothing. All of her emotions were concealed behind a mask of cool politeness.

"Goodbye, Mr. Stampede."

Like in slow motion, I saw the door close. I heard the silence. And I slumped to the floor and put my head in my hands and cried.

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I felt my heart slowly break as I walked away. Every step I took farther away from Vash was like another stab to the chest. I don't give a damn if that's cliché. In that moment I knew what all those sappy love songs were talking about.

In my mind, I knew that staying with Vash wasn't good for me. I was becoming obsessed. I had reached a point where I was hanging on his every word, and I knew that he could never love a woman like me.

Yeah, I knew I would probably pine for him for a few weeks, but I would get over him. I knew I would. I had to.

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I stumbled into the nearest bar, prepared to drink until I forgot all about the insurance girls. Namely Meryl. I didn't know why I felt so strongly about this. Maybe because she had nursed me back to life after my encounter with Legato. Maybe because she had never forsaken me no matter what shit had happened in my past. Maybe because had screamed at me and hit me and griped about me and put up with all my escapades and still given me a place to come back to with my psychotic, mass-murdering brother.

I plopped down on a bar stool and put my forehead in one hand.

"What seems to be troubling you?" The bartender asked sympathetically.

"Women." I mumbled.

"Ah, isn't it always?" He chuckled and began pouring into a glass. "It looks to me like you need to forget something. Here, have one of these." He put the glass down on the bar before me and I took a swig.

"This tastes like crap." I muttered and laughed hollowly. "I love it."



If I had a dollar bill for every time I've been wrong
I'd be a self-made millionaire and you'd still be gone
So hand me down my best dress shoes and my best dress shirt
Cause I'm going out in style to cover the hurt
And all I wanna do all day is spend it in bed
But that's bad for the body and even worse for my head
So I'll try and find a place where no one will ask me a thing
It'll help to forget and help me to sing

Cause now I'm drunk again
The means to my end
And I'm scared of myself
Cause now it's the same the faces and names
And I'm scared of myself again

Have you ever wanted to wake up from your dreaming
Scared you so bad you couldn't control your heart or your breathing
Well walk out the door with me on the floor
You don't care how I'm feeling
I guess a weak and tired and frightened man is no longer appealing

Some people have a gift of reaching right into your soul
and finding the whole and making it bigger
Baby sometimes I think I catch ya cracking cynical smiles
and in a short while you'll be my
heart's grave digger
Well there's not much I can do
Cause I'm at the mercy of you
So baby I guess we're through

Cause now I'm drunk again
The means to my end
And I'm scared of myself
Cause now it's the same the faces and names
And I'm scared of myself again
Cause now it's all the same the faces and the names
So go walk out the door you don't believe me no more
And I'm scared of myself again

If I had a dollar bill for every time I been wrong
I'd be a self made millionaire and I wouldn't be singing

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Well, that was kinda depressing. And short. So…review!