Vash sat still, leaning back upon a large, solid rock, eyes gazing into the amber flames of the campfire. He watched in silence as the sparks danced around its fiery borders, crackling and vanishing in a recurring rhythm.

Again, the wind howled and wailed all around him. No matter how much wood he fed the fire, Vash could still feel the chilling wind… piercing through his clothes - the brown and black suit offering little protection from the cold. He huddled closer to the rock, and wondered if he could last the night.

He had taken shelter within the best rock formation he could find - a ring of sand coloured boulders shielded them, to some degree, from the wind… and watchful eyes. At the most, only those most dedicated in hunting him would dare stand atop the distant cliff and spot him..

Vash shook the idea out of his mind. Too many bounty hunters meant too much paranoia!

He looked at his brother, lying motionless beside the campfire. The cat was curled up next to his brother, sleeping without a sound. It looked so welcoming.

Vash thought about moving again, putting out the fire, and carrying Knives and the cat off further into the desert.. but he was tired. Just a bit longer.

He thought about his old clothes.. the red coat that he had left behind. He had flung his coat into the sky, in triumph and pride. In that moment, he felt countless emotions rush back to him. The ones that he had lost through so much pain.

Joy.. love.. happiness.. Finally, he could put an end to his past, and see the future…

But then a dreadful thought struck his mind - What if the ordeal had not ended, and he had thrown away his coat forever…?

Vash forced himself to think of something else.

His mind was half aware of the growing loudness of the wind at hand.

He started to recall the last things she had said to him before he had left the village…

Vash closed his eyes.

-

'Please, wait -'

The sound of Meryl's voice echoed faintly in his head, and he paused. Vash raised his head slowly, and turned around, still holding Knives.

'Vash..' said Meryl softly, her voice fading.

She stopped to face him; her hair partly shielding her eyes. Gradually, she looked towards the ground, avoiding his gaze.

They stood before each other beside the house at the end of the town, both thinking of what to say. She began to speak, but what came out was only as audible as a whisper.

'I.. I know you have to go, but please tell me you'll return..'

Vash looked down in thought. He wanted to tell her that everything was alright, and that he'll be back with her just like the old times. It could work… but then again it could not.

He will always be hunted. And those closest to him always die.

'.. I know that it might be too much to ask,' continued Meryl, looking away, 'but I had this feeling.. if I never tell you now.. about I how feel… then..' Her voice trailed off. 'It's just..' She paused momentarily, and when she spoke again, her voice was shaky. 'Whenever I want to tell you something, I feel as if it'd turn all wrong.. so that what I tell you, would change things completely, between us.' She breathed in deeply, then exhaled. 'I wanted to tell you this for a long time now.. now that it's over.. perhaps you can live the way you always wanted.. and I'll… I guess what I'm trying to say is that…' Her eyes widened, and she looked into his. 'I lo-'

Before Meryl could finish her sentence, a deafening crash came from a building nearby. In a flash, she felt herself being pulled forward - Vash's arm firmly around her waist pressing her body against his. He had also pulled out his gun and pointed it towards the window where the sound had originated.

Neither of them spoke nor moved.

Meryl could feel Vash's heartbeat - a cool, calm and steady rhythm. The volume of her own heartbeat however, was ascending. It was only a brief moment of being in his embrace but it felt more like an eternity, and it wasn't long before her cheeks turned bright pink.

Seconds passed…

…and finally she felt his arm loosen over her as he lowered his gun to return it to his holster. By the time Meryl took a tentative step back, she was lost for words.

'Sorry, you were saying?' Vash's blue eyes stared back truthfully; a slight smile showed on his face. She only had time to blink before he spoke again. 'I better go.'

-

In the darkness confined in the room of a house nearby, a lone old man had witnessed all that had happened. His eyes had enlarged when he heard that Vash the Stampede had a brother… and killed him.

After he had eavesdropped enough, he backed away from the window but stumbled clumsily over a stool positioned behind him - desperately grasping a nearby table for support. He wheezed out a short sigh of relief, and in the darkness, the old man searched, by sense of touch, for his walking stick. When he found it, he began to hoist himself carefully, with his eyes fixed on his feet… but stopped.

Even in the dark, he sensed someone close at hand.

A figure, malevolently tall and looming stood a distance away, watching him move.. in the same room. Instantly, a wave of horror and trepidation swept over the man, as he dropped his stick erratically, and fell to the ground. As it approached, he became aware of the brightness of the room - suddenly fading - and in that moment, right or wrong, knew with inexorable judgement that the world outside was deteriorating with death and decay.

Now, he was in the presence of the greatest evil at hand, with a face so sinister, he could not define.

The eyes of the man before him shot blood red, and now he knew exactly how much longer he would live. Old and shaken, he still wished to live, and reasoning was the only way he could survive.

'Wh..What do you want?'

In the breeze of the wind, the being's cape came into reach of the old man - raggedly caressing the man's face. In the dark, he found his throat horribly sore and dry, his body locked in a position where he could not, dared not, move.

A low male voice responded to his question. To his surprise, it was nothing of the voice of a misshapen fiend. Not the rasping voice of an undead soul, but a soothing, almost tranquil voice that seemed to speak from the heavens.

'Tell me everything you saw.'

Author's Note (19th Sep):

Hope you had a nice read this time round!

I was quite surprised to get such good reviews over my last few chapters, so I've tried my best to keep it up to your expectations...hmm I don't know how these chapters will fare but please let me know if you're liking it so far! I admit they weren't all that exciting for me to write up but now that that's over with, you can be sure to find alot more conflict and action in the next update ;)

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again soon!