AUTHOR'S NOTES!

Hey readers! I'm sorry I haven't updated recently, I've been very busy with school and had some slight writer's block! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the madness that is soon to come!

CHAPTER 3

The twin suns of Gunsmoke peeked over the horizon in their daily ascension in to the sky as they should when morning came. Vash had gotten up at the crack of dawn, whereas Wolfwood would have preferred to sleep another hour or two (or three).

"Up and at 'em!" Vash announced loudly, bringing Wolfwood in to wakefulness rather abruptly. His dark eyes shot open to see an unfamiliar face staring at him.

"Oh my freaking god!" Wolfwood shrieked, jerking away frantically, which caused his sheets to tangle. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

The man blinked, insulted. "It's me, Vash."

The priest exhaled, regaining his breath. "Ah, sorry, Spikey. Didn't recognize you." he gasped. He'd never get used to Vash's beard; even though it'd been less than 24 hours he'd been exposed to it he already did not care for it one bit.

"Well, you certainly sound awake now," Wolfwood's outlaw roommate commented.

"No, I'm still tired," the clergyman scowled. "I'm going back to sleep." He yanked his sheets back over his head.

"Alrighty then. I'm going to take a shower," Vash said. "Then I'll get us some breakfast, okay?"

"Whatever."

Maybe he'll shave, Wolfwood thought hopefully, but had the feeling that it wasn't going to happen. The shower started, creating a persistent, irritating droning sound that prevented the priest from getting any more rest. To make it even worse, Vash started warbling. Wolfwood cursed and really wished his bike hadn't croaked on him in the middle of the desert and he'd gotten to Corning sooner so he would've gotten a room of his own before they were all sold to the stupid people from the sand-steamer...

Then, all of a sudden, he realized that he needed to pee. Very badly.

The priest slid out of bed and pounded on the bathroom door, but Vash was too busy singing his silly, bearded head off to hear him. Wolfwood wasn't just going to barge in and relieve himself since there was no way in hell he wanted to chance seeing Spikey naked.

"Damn it!" Wolfwood groaned, slipping into his shoes and stamping out into the hallway.

The girls had just barely woken up when someone knocked on their door.

"Ugh, I'll bet you that's Vash," Meryl grumbled, disappearing deeper in to her sheets. "What in the world does he want this early?"

"I'll check!" Millie eagerly slid out of bed, excited at the prospect of visitors even at this hour. Meryl wondered how that girl could wake up so quickly sometimes. "Ah, it's not Vash!" the tall girl called back as she opened the door.

Thank goodness, Meryl thought. "Then who is it?" she called back. God, she needed some coffee.

"Hey, can I use your bathroom? Since Vash is showering in ours and the one in the lobby is locked for some stupid reason and I really need to pee!"

The panicky voice definitely belonged Wolfwood. Apparently Millie had allowed him to do what he needed since she heard the bathroom door close.

"That was Mr. Wolfwood. Vash is using the shower and the bathrooms are locked and he had to go so I let him use ours," Millie explained.

"I heard."

"Thanks, girls, I'll go back to my room now," Wolfwood said, with a sigh of relief.

"Not a problem!" Millie replied.

"Did Vash shave?" Meryl asked hopefully from beneath her blankets.

"Not that I know of." The priest shrugged sadly. "Last I heard, he was singing a song about being the eggman or the walrus or something while showering. Sorry to bug you, thanks again!" The doorknob clicked as Wolfwood shut the door behind him.

When Wolfwood got back in to his and Vash's shared hotel room, the crazy outlaw was still singing the weird walrus song, although the shower had stopped. And wouldn't you know, the famed gunman was already clad in his trademark red duster, ready to go out to town. Still bearded, unfortunately.

"Where'd you run off to?" Vash inquired.

"I had to pee," was Wolfwood's grunted reply as he kicked off his shoes and went back in to bed. "I'm going to sleep. Again."

"How did getting to the bathroom involve leaving the room?" the bearded outlaw asked, slightly baffled.

"While you were showering, I couldn't use the bathroom, and then the one downstairs wasn't open, so I had to use the girls'," the priest mumbled in an irritated tone. He really wasn't much of a morning person. Working at the orphanage had helped remedy this, but with all the time spent away, the old habits had crept back.

"Oh, sorry about that," Vash replied. "I'm going to get some doughnuts for breakfast, okay?"
"Wonderful." Doughnuts for breakfast. That would truly be wonderful. And just as Wolfwood was falling back to sleep…

"Meow!"

The priest was immediately reawakened. A small black cat was sitting on the windowsill, meowing its silly head off much like the silly bearded Vash had in the shower. And the little creature seemed to have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

"God help me," Wolfwood grunted.

"Meooooooooow!" the cat yowled.

Thus began one of the craziest weeks in the clergyman's life.