"GAAA!" Vash let out a little horror filled shriek at Millie's suggestion. "Do...do you think that would be...okay?" Honestly, what was she thinking?
"Oh Mr. Vash, of course it will be okay! She's got the biggest bed in the house, and she's the smallest person, too! You'll be much more comfortable than sleeping on the floor, and you're certainly not sleeping with me! My bed is just my size." She smiled at him innocently.
Upon returning to the house, he had completely forgotten about sleeping arrangements. Now he remembered that bringing a new person to the house created a sudden shortage of beds. He suddenly wished they had a couch...or a spare cot...or ANYTHING! Meryl was going to kill him in the morning! Millie seemed to think it was a grand idea, but Vash wasn't so sure about that.
"Oh Mr. Vash! Lighten up! I bet if you stay on your side of the bed, everything will be fine. And this is really the first time Meryl has actually slept since you left in the first place! I think she really likes having you back." Vash raised an eyebrow at this bit of information.
"Millie?" he asked shyly, a little apprehensive of her answer. "Did she really worry about me when I was gone?"
Perfect innocence lit her eyes. "Oh my, yes, Mr. Vash! She was terribly worried! She couldn't even write any reports!" Millie was feeling a little guilty for being so honest with Vash about her friend's agony over the past two weeks, but Millie was determined to push these two together, whether they liked it or not. After all, it was for their own good. She was not about to let their shyness get in the way of their happiness. "Did you miss her?"
"Yes, I did miss her," he said sincerely, his eyes looking out into space. When he saw the hopeful look in Millie's eyes, he caught himself. "Umm, I mean, I missed you both! Can't be without my insurance girls, now can I!"
Millie caught the lapse and was satisfied that everything would work out between Mr. Vash and Meryl. She stretched like a kitten, and through a loud yawn she said, "Oh boy! I'm sleepy. I'll see you in the morning!" With that, she left Vash in the kitchen as he helplessly looked at Millie's back.
Pep talk time: "Alright, alright. Everything is ok. Millie got my shoulder patched up, my little insurance girl is upstairs, my brother's taken care of for the time being, and everything is alright. Who knows...maybe Meryl won't mind so much..." He made his way towards Meryl's room. Thinking again, he went to the linen closet and grabbed an extra blanket and a pillow. He was going to try the floor first.
He walked into Meryl's room and spread the blanket on the floor. He put the pillow down and tried to get comfortable. No dice. The hard wood forced his metal implants to dig into his skin and his back was killing him. This was going to be a long night if he planned on staying down there. He rolled over and a little ball of paper came into his view. He picked it up and unwrapped it, reading what it said in disbelief:
Routine Report:
Vash the Stampede has been gone for 10 days now. We have not been able to establish contact, and I'm beginning to get worried. I thought he would be back by now. I didn't know I would miss him this much, but now all I want is for him to come back to me. I think I
The letter was unfinished. He looked around and saw the wastebasket behind the door. It looked like Meryl had been working on inventing a new sport. There were so many crumpled pieces of paper. As quietly as he could, he moved over to the wastebasket and started uncrumpling page after page after page. He couldn't stop reading. He dug down to the bottom of the bin and pulled one out.
Routine report:
Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, walked out of our house and into the desert today. I don't know if I'll ever see him again. I don't know what I will do without him.
Another one found its way into Vash's hand:
Routine report:
We've been awaiting for contact from Vash the Stampede for 12 days now. While contact has not been established, I believe it is our duty to remain in the area until we hear from him again. We have been charged with his assignment, and we will not return until we have established contact again. I can't leave him alone while he faces his greatest enemy. I have to see him again.
Vash's mind was swimming with guilt. Millie had been right. He had read some of Meryl's reports and they were all business, nothing like these. Plus, they were usually ten pages long. These were barely even paragraphs. There were so many...he never thought she would miss him like this. But he had to face his brother. He had to face him so Vash could return and have hope for a peaceful life. He picked up one more paper. He read it and realized it was from today.
Routine report:
Vash the Stampede, the wanted outlaw with the bounty of $$60,000,000,000 on his head, is still missing. It has been two weeks since the gunman severed ties and walked into the desert, and Millie and I have been trying our hardest to reestablish contact. I know that his leaving was of the utmost importance, but I am not sure if he will return like he said he would. I don't know if I can go on knowing that he might be dead somewhere in the desert, especially with the knowledge that I haven't told him how I feel. I'm such a coward...
She hadn't told him...how she feels? Maybe this is what Millie had been talking about... Suddenly, Vash wasn't so concerned about Meryl hitting him. He just wanted to be close to her. He grabbed the blanket and the pillow off the floor and as he walked towards her bed, he noticed a piece of paper still in her typewriter. It had one sentence written on it:
I love Vash the Stampede and I'm going to find him today.
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Meryl awoke with a start. Where was Vash? When had she gotten into bed? Who had taken off her shoes? Where was her cape with her derringers? And what was in her hand? She looked over to see spiky blond hair poking out from under an old blanket. She stopped thinking and looked over his calm face. His arm was extended, and he was holding her hand while he slept...