Silent Farewell

Notes: Trigun does not belong to me. The characters and story and everything else belong to...well, people who aren't me. Anyway, on with the show! Things seem calm...or maybe not.

"Pudding! Oh, Mr. Vash, it's on sale! Can I get some, please?"

"Um...uh..." He was almost certain that Millie still held her job as a construction worker. "You have money already, don't you, big girl? What are you going to do with that?"

Millie looked at him, her cool blue eyes pools of happy innocence. "Well, I'll buy pudding of course! But I also have to do other things..." she sighed.

Vash thought for a moment before giving in. "Oh, okay! You ladies are going to suck me dry, you know that? I won't have a double dollar to live off of when I—" and he stopped himself there. When I leave, he finished silently. He had healed quickly since that night when Knives presented his ultimatum, and he would be leaving soon. The least he could do was to buy them some stuff. It wasn't like he needed the money where he was going. They stopped in. Millie loaded a veritable mountain of pudding cans into her arms and walked out with a grin brighter than the twin suns.

Meryl followed along in almost the same way she always had, just a bit ahead of him and ever watchful. She lagged back just a bit, and she didn't look so watchful, though. While Millie shopped in every available window, looking at each item before continuing on, Meryl only spared her surroundings a glance. To her great enjoyment, the bandages had been removed from her chest and shoulders, leaving much less constricting gauze wraps that allowed free movement. The shirt she wore over them was really loose and a light blue like the sky above them. Vash was still in shock that Meryl had anything but those crazy stiff white shirts. He had to admit...she did look a lot less formidable this way.

"Mr. Vash, stop dawdling! Are we walking or are we not? Millie, let's leave him behind. Maybe he'll be trampled by a thomas."

She looked less formidable, but really it was just like putting frosting on a shark. She was deadly. He sighed and raced to catch up with her. Those arms were free and he was pretty sure that his ratio of slaps needed to slaps given was drastically lacking on one side. He stood far enough back that she'd have to turn to get to him.

As soon as he found an open doorway, he walked into it, using Millie as a shield. The tall woman didn't even realize he'd gone. She'd bagged the pudding tins and slung them over her shoulder, and was halfway through elaborately emptying a can of chocolate vanilla swirl with a single hand and her tongue.

Meryl kept walking.

Vash sighed and leaned against the door. Cool air swept over him. It felt so nice in here...

"May I help you with anything, sir?"

"Ahhhh..." Vash turned around and his eyes went wide. "Yikes!"

Beautiful jewels and weaponry that could not possibly have any practical use winked at him from glass display cases. Vash smiled into the greedy eyes of the owner. "I don't think so. I'm hiding."

The man's warm demeanor turned a bit icy at Vash's declaration that he wasn't here to buy, but curiosity won over. "Angry wife?"

Vash shook his head. "I'd hope not. No, there are these two girls who are always following me around. It's really crazy."

The shop owner quirked an eyebrow. "You got two little ladies trailin' you? Wish I was that lucky. I been single all my life."

Vash nodded. "I can relate. Anyways, I better get moving before they find me! They'll eat me alive."

The girls caught up to him when he tried to sneak out. Meryl had been waiting, and those evil little feet tapped a tune on the dusty ground. "And just what were you doing?"

Vash lowered his head. "Just looking around."

Meryl's hands were on her hips, pale eyes narrowed, and it was like it had been a thousand times, like nothing had changed at all since the very first time they'd met. Vash tried to remember how both of them looked because he knew that he'd be leaving soon.

Maybe he'd never see them again.

Vash hoped not. He'd been wandering since he'd landed on this planet, since July...since Augusta. When he had been with Wolfwood and the insurance girls, it almost felt as if this planet was a bit more like a home to him.

A home with very strange occupants.

"We need to get home! You know your brother could have demolished it by now?"

Meryl shook her head and tromped off. Millie stayed behind. "She doesn't mean it, you know. Sempai's probably just tired." She grinned at him, and Vash spotted a dot of chocolate on her nose. He'd never see a sight like that again. He allowed himself a wry smile. Millie looked closely at him. "Are you okay, Mr. Vash? You look sad."

He offered her a smile that he'd perfected. "Nah, I just think too much. Let's all stop thinking for a while and just have fun, okay?"

Millie smiled. "That sounds good! My little big brother once told me that I never think, anyway!"

Vash laughed. "Really? Big brothers must be tough."

"Oh...not really. They were really nice to me and they always let me play with them. I knew they didn't mean a lot of what they said because boys just say those kind of things. Everybody does. They always have pretend lives and pretend words, you know? They really care about each other 'cause family's like that."

Vash's smile faded. "Yeah."

"Hurry up, you two!"

At Meryl's command, Vash almost snapped to attention, but he figured that doing so wouldn't make Meryl any happier, so he refrained.

The big woman reached into her pudding sack and pulled two out. She handed one to Vash. "Here. I think you'll like this! It always makes me happy."

He have her a real smile and looked at the little pudding cup. "Thanks."

She started walking ahead. Millie turned around once she'd reached the steps that led up to the little house. "If you don't say what you're thinking, your mind will explode. My brothers told me that, too. I know it's not true, though." She turned around and walked into the house.

Dinner was the same as always. It went quickly and in relative silence, and then everyone went off to their respective rooms. Vash left the table early. He usually ate up and was the last to leave, and Meryl found it especially odd since there were donuts up for the taking.

In fact...

Meryl sat on her bed now, staring at nothing and remembering. Vash had been oddly out of character all day long. Every time he thought she wasn't looking he'd space out and get this horribly sad look in his eyes, like his puppy had just died or something. Meryl shook her head and rolled over. Her hair caught on something sharp and pointed, and she jerked up in bed, rubbing at her hair.

"Oww..." She pulled something small and fragile from the pillow. The dim night glow caught on it and cast glittering stars onto the walls and ceiling. In her hands was the most beautiful necklace she'd ever seen. Its slender chain was silver and a single jewel hung suspended from it, its color a soft aquamarine. A little paper was looped around it. Meryl turned the lamp beside her up, and looked at the note.

Thought you'd like this, and Millie got some pudding earlier so I couldn't leave you out.

And the note was signed with a hasty scrawl, Vash.

Now what would the broomhead do that for? This must have cost a whole load of double dollars and he was just complaining about money! Meryl's eyes went right back to the jewel, but her mind wandered to Vash.

Yet another in a strange series of events.

He really had been acting strangely today.

Meryl bit her lip. She supposed something was bothering him. Well, get up and go ask. Her mind's reply was simple enough, but even the thought of dropping in on Vash made her feel stupid. He was probably awake! He'd look at her with those turquoise eyes and he'd probably ask what she was doing in there. And what would she say?

No. She'd stay right here.

Her heart still pricked at her. She really should go talk to him, and thank him...

Meryl got up slowly and walked down the hall to the room that Vash and Knives shared. Mr. Knives had left this morning to do something or other, though. Thank goodness. She stood by it, hand poised to knock, but she decided to just open the door.

She was shocked by what she saw.

Vash's little amount of clothes, his boots...every single thing he'd arrived with or procured since his arrival was gone.

Vash was gone.

Gone again, and she still hadn't said a word to him that she'd actually meant.

"Vash!"

Vash walked out on the sand. Up ahead, Knives' silhouette was contrasted against the cool sky. "I'm here."

Knives stood. "I've been waiting. You're slow."

"I had to wait until the girls were asleep. Besides, what do you care? We both have plenty of time to waste. It's not like an hour means much." His words were spoken with a dry sarcasm that Knives hadn't heard before.

Knives turned around and started walking. "I left a car out here. I doubt anyone would have bothered to touch the piece of junk. If we can start it up then the ride will be much faster.

Vash felt a pain in his chest that was not physical, a phantom ache that left a feeling that he'd never return to the girls again.

"Goodbye, Meryl," he whispered.

Iles and iles passed in utter silence. The only sound was the rush of sand whipping against their clothes.

Author's Notes: I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope that you had fun reading it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Did I do the chapter okay? I had so much fun writing the beginning! Millie and pudding. I swear I'll never, ever look at pudding and donuts in the same way again.