Through a haze of pain and dizziness, he noticed the door open slowly. They had looked him over and said something about a medic being needed, so he hoped the open door signaled the arrival of much needed medical attention. Truth be told, however, much of the blood that had soaked into his shirt was that of hapless attackers who either weren't expecting the metal implants in his body or weren't listening to the warnings of the officers charging admission.

The door opened and the sniffling coming from the young girl behind it dashed all his hopes of relief. He didn't know if he could withstand much more abuse and maintain consciousness.

Of course, with everything he was responsible for, all the deaths he had caused and all the pain he had unleashed, survival didn't seem all that crucial. His brother was safe, his friends were safe. There was nothing left for him to do. Maybe he had a concussion and wasn't thinking straight, but maybe he was thinking straight for the first time in his lfe. He couldn't tell for sure…

He wasn't innocent. He knew that. And these people deserved some retribution for all the suffering they had experienced. At this moment, though, he was considering how attractive the idea of losing consciousness and never again waking up was becoming.

Vash had his hands and ankles bound while a choking collar was fastened snuggly around his throat, and the only reason he hadn't fallen over onto the floor was that he was sitting on a bench and leaning into a corner of the small, dingy, metallic room. It wasn't like there was much to hope for, after all. No one was going to be coming to rescue him. It would take a whole day for Meryl to get back to the SEEDs ship and let anyone know what was happening. Besides, no one was going to be coming to help a murderer.

There was absolutely no hope for escape: he was simply too beat up to even try getting out of this one. (Vash figured this had been part of the guards' plans: make a little money and ensure that this could-be Humanoid Typhoon was in no shape to attempt an escape.) He hadn't had any water in what felt like ages, and without water, his body could not regenerate as it usually did. He was a plant, after all…

As the guard said something to the crying girl and closed the door, Vash's heart sank. He couldn't hear too well because of the ringing in his ears, but he was pretty sure that he had caused the death of someone who was very close to this girl. It was the story he had heard over and over since he'd boarded this steamer: he was the cause of misery. Misery and pain: that's what he brought to every person he had ever met, and thousands he would never know. He was the harbinger of everything that was bad and wrong in this world.

The girl took a step closer as she continued to cry.

---

Meryl was speechless. She had expected bad… Scratch that. It really wasn't the truth. Vash never got caught! He could find a way out of the worst situations imaginable! The idea of Vash being bound and beaten seemed very foreign to her. In reality, Meryl had expected Vash to be absolutely fine, maybe with some cuts and bruises here and there, but more or less unscathed. She had expected him to look up and act dumb, then admonish her about sticking her neck out for him, and then they would both get the hell out of Dodge, and then everything would be fine. For Meryl, getting to this point had been spectacularly easy. Getting out would be a whole different matter.

Before Meryl sat a savagely beaten man. She would have had a hard time recognizing him if she hadn't known it was him already. There was blood flowing freely from a wound at his temple. His hair was matted on one side with dried blood. She couldn't check for a concussion since one eye was completely swollen shut. He was bleeding from one of his ears. He had a busted lower lip, and bruising everywhere she could see. His clothes were saturated in the dark rust of dried blood.

Suddenly the gravity of the situation hit her. She was going to have to work fast and hope beyond hope that Vash had enough strength to get into the ventilation shaft. If he couldn't do that, they were both done for. She scrubbed at the tears on her cheek, then got to work.

---

Vash was full of apprehension. This was not a direct attack. The girl stood silently in front of him and watched him for a long moment, then began rubbing at her eyes. She moved quickly over to the bench, making him jump. Suddenly, she put one of her feet on the bench and began hiking up her skirt! The next thing he knew, the girl was pulling something shiny out of a leather pouch fastened to her thigh! Was it a gun?!

The first thing he thought was that he was done for: this girl was going to shoot him in the head. He tried to focus on the object and realized after a moment, however, that the girl was holding…a multi-tool... What was this girl going to do to him?!

---

Meryl moved quickly. As she pulled out a length of wire necessary to short the choking collar that was around Vash's neck with one hand, she plucked a bobby pin out of her hair with the other and handed it to Vash.

"Quick," she stated. "You work on the cuffs. I'll get the collar."

Vash didn't move.

Meryl stopped and looked at him. "What are you waiting for?" she demanded impatiently.

Vash seemed confused. "…Meryl?"

"…yes?"

Vash's entire demeanor changed in an instant. He seemed almost…angry… "What are you doing here?" he demanded. Though his features were swollen and bruised, the expression on his face could be accurately interpreted as livid.

Quietly, and with some anger, she whispered, "I came to get you out of here, Vash! Now move! We don't have much time!" She moved towards him with her tools, but he quickly shrank away from her touch.

As he breathed in deeply, Meryl could see his whole chest move. He was in obvious pain. Both of his eyes were shut. "Why?" he whispered. "Why are you here to help me? You should be going back to December. That's where you need to be." Before, Vash's head was spinning with pain, but now he had anxiety to add to the mix. How could Meryl, of all people, think this was a good idea?

Meryl was a little taken aback. "Because…" Because we're friends? Because I love you? Because it's the right thing to do? "Because you'd do the same for me! Now I'm not going to let you get dragged off to prison for crimes you didn't commit. Now let's –"

"But I did commit them." His face was full of anger as he looked at her. "I am a murderer. I've killed people. Lots of people. And you should leave." Vash seemed resigned to his fate.

"NO," Meryl stated defiantly. "I've…followed you for a long time! And I know you're a good person!" She had to remember to keep her voice down. "You're not a murderer! You were forced into hellish situations. You…you didn't have a choice…" Meryl finished weakly, realizing her arguments carried no weight under the current circumstances.

Vash wasn't convinced. "How can you possibly know?" He asked without any venom. "You've only followed me for three years tops." Vash stopped to take in a few labored breaths. "You weren't there. You don't know what these people went through because of me." He took a moment to think. "You were only…4 when I…destroyed July…" As Vash sighed, he seemed to deflate. "I deserve this. It really doesn't matter anymore. Just leave while you can."

Suddenly, the anger in Meryl reached a point where she couldn't contain it anymore. Automatically, she reeled her hand back in order to knock some sense into him. She noticed when he didn't even flinch. His face was all swollen with bruises and he was beaten to a bloody pulp, but he was just going to sit there and take more. For some reason, she began to shake as she staid her hand in mid air.

There was a silent, tense moment as Meryl took in the situation. "I'm done," she whispered quietly to herself as she calmly lowered her hand.

Vash gave her a confused look, waiting for her to elaborate. The idea that she might leave actually struck him and he was terrified. He didn't really want her to go! He didn't want to be stuck in this situation! But it seemed like it was for the best and that he had successfully chased her off again…

'You're absolutely right, Vash," she said coldly to him. "You have committed crimes, and you're right. You can't run from them forever. It's better to face the music than run from the truth."

Vash's heart felt like it was breaking a little, but he knew she was right.

"And," Meryl continued, standing very still in front of him, "I realize that there are things I must pay for as well."

"What?!" Vash squeaked, unprepared for the turn in the conversation.

"Well," Meryl continued, "let's see… I have boarded a sand steamer without providing proper identification papers, and bribed a steamer officer in order to do so. That, in and of itself, is a class C misdemeanor. I also boarded with the intent of breaking out a known threat to humanity." She paused for a moment. "That would be you. And that's a capital offense…especially since you are who everyone thinks you are."

She put her finger on her chin as she continued thoughtfully. "I have harbored and abetted a known fugitive for months without filing any reports to the Bernardelli Society or to the government. I have harbored and abetted his psychotic brother, a man who is ten times worse than anyone can even imagine about the Humanoid Typhoon. No one knows anything about his existence. I have kept identifying information out of my reports, information almost necessary to confirm that you are who everyone thinks you are. I have been doing it for years."

She stopped for a moment, but then continued with renewed anger. "And it might only be three years that I have known you, but I probably know you better than any other living human at the moment, so at the very least, the authorities might be interested in me."

She gave Vash a moment to let all that sink in.

"And since you have so moved ne with your example, I, too, am going to surrender to the authorities for all the wrongs I have committed."

"NO!" Vash almost shouted. "You haven't done anything wrong!"

"But I just told you all the laws I have broken recently. I have done many things wrong," she reminded him.

Just then, the cell door opened. It was the guard from outside. Meryl was holding the pliers in her right hand, concealed from the view of the guard. To him, it looked like the young lady was simply having a very grave conversation with the prisoner. The guard, however, was taken aback at the prisoner's expression: the man looked absolutely terrified. He was looking straight at the girl, almost as if he were anticipating something truly horrible.

"Everything alright in here, miss?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir," the girl addressed the guard, "but would it be possible to have two more minutes alone with the prisoner? I promise I will be as quick as possible."

The guard nodded dumbly. "Just knock on the door when you need out." How strange, he thought. The prisoner hadn't reacted at all to the brutal beatings he had been receiving all day, but he seemed terrified of that little girl. It always amazed him the things that could break a person…

---

Meryl turned back to Vash. "Now are you going to cooperate or not?" she demanded.

Vash nodded vigorously as he took the bobby pin she offered. He got to work as Meryl attempted to find the panel in the back of the neck collar. She felt around for it with shaky fingers, nervous that they were on such a short timetable. Finally, with her nail, she found the seam in the panel that needed to be pried off. She leaned Vash forward so she had some space to work. With the pliers, she bent the metal back enough to expose the two contacts needed to short out the collar. She brought her left hand over with the piece of wire needed and was about to strip the ends of the plastic casing surrounding the copper when she realized that Vash had stopped working on his cuffs.

And had stopped moving…altogether…

And she had her arms around him…

And she felt soft breath and stubble leaning into her cleavage…

Shocked with embarrassment, she pulled away quickly and Vash would have fallen over if she hadn't been bracing his shoulder against the wall with her hand. Though she was blushing furiously, she realized that he must have had a concussion and was about to lose consciousness. As gently as she could, she slapped his cheek to get him to come to. If he lost consciousness for good, they'd have no chance.

He came to quickly, but looked confused. "Where am I?" he asked dreamily. "What are you doing here? Where is Milly?"

"Come on! We're in trouble and we've got to get out of here!" she said quietly but frantically. This seemed to snap him into action. His hands worked almost automatically and he had his handcuffs and ankle braces undone before Meryl could even return to what she had been doing. Meryl was a bit awestruck: just how many times had he had to pick locks to get out of jail?

In short order, she had the choking collar off and was helping Vash to his feet. He was more agile than she had hoped, practically pulling her toward a ceiling panel which led to the ventilation system. She shimmied out of her crinoline and kicked it against the wall as he popped the panel out of place and climbed up. Meryl had thought she had to use a screw driver to remove the panels, but some must have been able to slide into place. He reached an arm down and caught hold of the bottom of her corset, unceremoniously yanking her into the ventilation shaft. She would have been angry under other circumstances, but at this point, she was just glad she didn't have much to readjust. Vash reached down for the panel and brought it back up, sliding it into place once again.

Vash pulled himself through the ventilation system silently and Meryl tried to do the same. He clearly had more experience, but she fit more comfortably into the tunnels, so it should have been easier for her to be quiet. All the same, it took a lot of concentration to slide silently down the vents behind him. As they came to a T-intersection in the shaft, Vash caught sight of his black bag and almost looked like he was reuniting with an old friend. He motioned for Meryl to stay where she was as he went to retrieve it, then they both made their way down the shaft in the other direction.

At this point, Meryl deferred to Vash. Even though he was obviously had some sort of head injury that was affecting his memory, he had a top-notch sense of direction. Meryl was alright when she wasn't inside a cramped tube, but at this point, all she knew was that they were going up ever so slowly, and that indicated that they were slowly approaching the outer hull.

After several tense minutes of silently traversing through the vents, they heard an alarm sounding in the hallways below them. The guards must have found Vash's cell, empty of everything except for cuffs, braces, and undergarments. They had to reach the hull quickly or they were done for. With his hand, Vash cautioned Meryl to not try to go faster and risk noise. They were being looked for right now, and the last thing they needed was for someone to start shooting out the ventilation shafts.

Suddenly, Meryl felt a stronger draft pulling air past her. As they continued to crawl through the tight space, the metal beneath her hands changed to a thicker, rusty metal. Finally they came to a dead-end. A propeller-like fan was violently pulling air from the vents and outside into the desert! Before Meryl could let any fear set in about whether or not they were going to get out of this one, Vash was already pulling the grating that separated them from the fan and had started kicking out the supports that held the fan in place. With one final well-placed kick, the fan separated from the steamer, a few electrical sparks falling along with it.

Vash put his arm and head through the loop in the black bag so that it was hanging on him diagonally. Using the remains of the fan's supports, Vash swung his legs out through the opening and nearly gave Meryl a heart attack. They were easily 100 feels from the ground at this point, and jumping seemed to her to be a very deadly mistake. However, Vash hung onto the support as he swung his body precariously over to a service ladder on the outside of the hull.

"Come on!" he shouted at her as he held out his hand for her to grab. She took a deep breath, then took his left hand, hoping beyond hope that he could hold her up in his condition. The bottom of her dress snagged on the remains of the broken fan supports, ripping the poor, dirty fabric to shreds. She swung dangerously low, but caught the rung that was right around the level of Vash's knee and got her feet situated before she let go of his hand.

She made the mistake of looking down and froze. Rocky cliffs were dangerously close to them and the caravan was barreling after the steamer with terrifying speed. They would have to jump for it at some point, since the ladder appeared to stop three fourths of the way down. There was no turning back, though. She was quite sure that neither one of them would be able to get back into the ventilation shaft even if they had wanted to. Still, she closed her eyes and couldn't make herself move.

"You want me to go first?" Vash shouted down at her.

"YES," She shouted back.

She felt as he made his way around her and began to climb down. She stayed still until someone started tugging at her dress annoyingly and she finally gathered her wherewithal and made progress down the ladder. The alarms were still sounding inside the steamer, but no lights had spotted them as they made their way as quickly as safety permitted them to.

Finally they reached the end of the ladder and had to jump. Vash grabbed Meryl around the waist. "Close your eyes," he said right before he took a flying leap off the side of the steamer. They hit the sand and rolled a little before coming to a dizzying stop.

Suddenly, Meryl found herself flying through the air once again. Vash had picked her up by the corset again and thrown her as far as he could manage, sending her rolling out of the way of the caravan. She made a mental note never to ever wear anything that Vash could use as a handle as he dodged two trucks before leaping to safety himself.

Vash helped her up and led her towards the rocky cliffside. There was a small alcove and the both collapsed for several long moments, breathing heavily and thanking whoever was out there that they were both still alive.

"Meryl," Vash huffed as he put his arm around her shoulder. He was about to thank her in a self-deprecating way when she shrugged his hand off of her and got to her feet. Much to his surprise, she began walking in the direction the sand steamer was going!

"Hey," he said, confused. "What are you –"

"Look, Mr. Vash the Stampede," Meryl started, her voice cold. "I've got to get to December. The steamer is going that direction," she pointed toward the gigantic vehicle, "and I'll be lucky if I can find a bus stop that runs along the same path before we both die of dehydration." She didn't stop walking.

the Stampede? He thought they were well beyond formalities at this point. Plus, it wasn't even his real last name. "Wait!" he called out after her, getting to his feet as well.

"Why? So someone can find us and turn us over to the Feds? I don't think so." She continued to walk.

A strange mixture of frustration and impetus compelled Vash's next move. Before he even had a plan, he grabbed Meryl around the waist, pinning her arms to her sides, and held her back against him. She struggled, shouting at him to let her go for a few moments, but eventually she succumbed to the fact that he wasn't letting go. Her body went limp and he thought she had calmed herself, so Vash sank down to his knees, bringing her with him. He leaned his forehead against the back of her neck for a moment as he caught his breath once again. He soon realized, though, that she had not calmed. She had given up.

He could feel her shaking quietly in his embrace and he was slightly horrified. This was the last reaction he thought she would have to him.

"What do you want from me?" Meryl asked quietly.

This question didn't improve Vash's assessment of the situation. "What do you mean?" he asked back.

Meryl took a deep breath. "I used to be so confused when people called you a hypocrite. I thought, 'Now what are they talking about? This is a man who practices what he preaches! How can he be anything like a hypocrite?' But today I saw it. Today I saw what they meant."

Vash's heart went cold as she continued. "You hold yourself to a standard no one else can reach, and even if someone could, you won't let them. You won't let anybody else take any responsibility for anything. You insist on being the only one who is wrong, and when someone tries to help you, you tell them to go away. Your friends, you just… You won't let anybody… You can't just…" She sighed. "What do you want from me?" she asked again. She was crying quietly now.

He was at a complete loss for words. "Meryl," he started, but she cut him off.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "Please…don't…say my name."

For a long moment, Vash sat with his arms around her, but he didn't know why. When she finally asked him to let her go again, this time he did.

---

A/N: Ah…another chapter done. What a monstrosity! Hopefully you guys are still enjoying this story. Thanks for sticking with it!! Review please!!!