I have no idea where this came from. Maybe from listening to 'Paradise' late at night and the helpful little inspiration of a Subway Sandwich? Who knows in what twisted manner my little mind works…Any who, no matter how twisted or brilliant ;) my mind may be, I could never come up with such amazing characters as Trigun's originals. They all belong to Yashiro Nightgow.

mutters Damn him and his amazing characters, plotlines and animation! XD

So…uhm…about the story…have a cheery one lined up to read after this?

Love via Hurgy.

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"May you go in God's protection. And oh yeah! Thanks for the apple."

Nicholas' boots kicked up a cloud of dust as he turned his back on his old mentor and slung the Cross Punisher over his back. But soon enough, his features were distorted to a rather comical expression of confusion as his steely blue eyes came upon Millie Thompson before him, still in her custard yellow pajamas and hair tied with a bow, some strands falling loose around her face. But she had slipped on shoes and there was color in her cheeks as she tried to catch her breath.

But her face calmed as she spotted the Priest. "Nick!" She ran towards him with relief growing over her face.

"Millie...I told you to wait in the room." He said carefully, wrapping an arm around her.

"I know…I'm sorry…I just had this bad feeling and I was worried and I h ad to come see if-NICK!" She screamed and her baby blues widened as Chapel behind them raised his gun to the Preachers back. In one quick move, Millie knocked Wolfwood to the side and pulled very familiar looking gun out of her pajama pocket.

As her brow furrowed and her finger curled around the trigger, something seemed written over on face; some dark, inexplicable emotion, something that didn't belong at all on Millie's naive features. Wolfwood has seen it, many times in his life. On maniacs and madmen, on the fighters that had no more hope. He had even seen it behind his own dark eyes on the occasions he would stand in front of the mirror, washing the blood from his hands.

It was a rage of sorts, but not just any kind. It was the kind of destructive anger fueled by the darker parts of human nature. The kind of fury that grows and festers deep in the bottom of your heart. It's pushed away and away, until finally it can't be restrained any longer. The maniac with the hate in his eyes would let the wrath turn him into another person, even if only for a moment. And he would take a gun in hand and let it do the work.

Just like that, Millie became one of the maniacs.

She yelled something, but it wasn't understandable over the booming fire of the heavy gun. She aimed straight for the kneeling Gung Ho before her, his arm shaking as he pulled the trigger as well.

Both their shots made contact. Chapel fell back, his gun landing atop him as he grabbed his chest in agony.

But Wolfwood didn't pay any attention to his fallen mentor, because Millie was dropping to her feet, blood already spilling from the single wound in her chest.He wasted no time scooping her up and hurrying down the street. Of course, his mind was a mess and he wasn't thinking. He wanted a doctor, or to get back to the house. To Vash, Meryl, anybody. But his feet were moving for him, and soon enough the came to a halt.

Outside a church.

Silently, he cursed himself for ending up here, wasting precious time, but as he turned his back, Millie tightened her grip on his arm and whispered softly.

"No...stay here."

"Millie, I've got to find a doctor!" He said urgently.

"No….its okay. I'll be okay here." She breathed, slowly opening her eyes to look up at him.

Nick sighed and turned to the doors, swinging one opening carefully and carrying Millie inside. He carried her right up to the front, past all the pews and slowly knelt down, the Insurance Girl still in his arms. Neither of them moved from several moments, unnerved by the peaceful silence they were disturbing in the church.

But at the same time, it felt hollow and forgotten in the Holy place. Like the members of the sleepy town had given up on their faith. So Millie moved free of Wolfwood and stumbled forward a few more feet before collapsing to her knees. She closed her eyes, shifting slightly on the hard floor.

"Dear God. I know this is my time to go. I did a very bad thing, I know."

"Millie, don't say that. You were protecting me!" Wolfwood urged from behind her. "And-and we're going to get you to a doctor soon…" He trailed off. She wasn't even listening. It was like she was oblivious to everything else. She seemed so calm. How, could she be so damn calm with a gun shot in her chest!

"But I did it for a very good person." She continued "Whom I love a lot. So I think it was an okay thing. A-and I want to ask you to take care of him. And M-meryl and Vash too. They all need someone to take care of them sometimes."

Nick moved a little closer, swallowing back the lump in his throat. 'She does everything I can't so easily. It's irritating really' He remembered saying the words to himself in what seemed like forever ago. Know that he thought about it, it wasn't irritating, it was inspiring. That was what drew him to Millie in the beginning. She accepted her challenges and worked through them. She lived for other people, she was everything he wasn't.

And her she was, kneeling at a forgotten altar in the last moments of her life, like it was the simplest thing. Wolfwood on the other hand, felt awkward in the Holy place, Priest or not, it unnerved him. He felt like he carried to many sins, and every Saint in the stained glass looked down at him like they knew it.

"Watch over my family too. I'll miss them. Make sure they're all safe? And that all the little ones grow big and strong. Make sure, they know what's right and wrong. Like I d-did." Millie's breath hitched in her throat for a moment and she stopped speaking, closing her eyes and trying to breathe normally. Once she had recovered, she turned her head to look at Nick over her shoulder and reached back to softly take his hand before turning back to the altar.

"I did the bad thing, for Nicholas. But like I said, I love him very m-much, and he always took care of me. I want him to live a long life, a good life. I want him to fall in love and get married. And h-have lots of little kids! Kids who he'll teach to be just like him. Brave and good and caring. I want him to be happy please.

Because I did that bad thing, so he wouldn't have to. I did that bad thing, to keep him safe." Her breath caught once more and this time she leaned forward, eyes wide. Nick moved forward again, tears welling in his own steely blue eyes, despite his best efforts to keep them back. He wrapped his arms around Millie and she turned, curling up against him.

"I just w-wanted you to be you safe." She breathed, eyes still closed.

"I know Honey. I know." He whispered into her hair, closing his eyes as well.

Nick didn't know how long he was there. He didn't know if Millie had left him in the next few moments, or hours later.

All he knew was that he wanted her to be safe.

Later that evening, Wolfwood swung open the door to Vash's room. He was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. The Priest walked past him and set his Colt .45 on the nightstand. Without a single word, he turned and walked out, closing the door silently and brushing the tears from his eyes,

Yet sometimes, I still think to myself, "There's no place worse than this planet. Its horrible here."

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 cough Yeah, about...now is when you bring out that happy story I had been talking about.

Love...Hurgy