Quick Recap: Kallie realizes that Vash is the man who ruined her life, but may not be the man she once thought he was. She comes to the realization that maybe things aren't what they seemed when she was a child, and she meets Wolfwood briefly. Vash promises to protect Kallie and that he will never hurt her again which gives her mixed feelings about where to go from here, followed by a nice dream about what the future may hold.

Disclaimer: We do not own Trigun nor do we own the items or settings where this story takes place. All we own is the idea for this nifty little story and our original characters. Please don't sue, as all you will get from us is the hairbrush Peggi sings opening themes into while watching anime and then she'd be sad.

Chapter: The Man who will Always Protect Her
Chapter Written By: Peggi and Harmony
Edited and Revised By: Devy and Peggi

Kallie awoke to someone shaking her gently. She sat up very slowly, trying to avoid hurting her side, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. As soon as she was able to see clearly she turned to see who was in her room. Millie was standing next to the bed with a big smile on her face.

"We're leaving in a little while. We let you sleep longer because we figured you'd want to rest, but you'd better get up now if you want to come with us," her voice was unnervingly cheerful for this time of day.

Once Kallie managed to get herself dressed in the t-shirt and sweatpants from the evening before, she grabbed her bag and exited the room. Everyone was already outside, waiting, aside from Wolfwood who was finishing his breakfast in the kitchen. Wolfwood smiled at Kallie as she entered the room.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" he greeted her.

"Morning," she was sure to avoid the 'good', since so far it was not a good morning, as it appeared to still practically be night outside. "So, I guess everyone else is outside waiting?"

Wolfwood nodded, "they are. I won't be traveling with the four of you, but I always manage to bump into that little group somewhere along the line!"

Kallie smiled at him, despite feeling like she was sleepwalking, "well then, guess I'll be seeing you around!"

Wolfwood nodded as he took another bite of his breakfast and Kallie waved good-bye to him before walking outside. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon and everyone was already waiting in the car. Millie was driving as Meryl secured the small amount of luggage to the vehicle. Vash was sitting in the back seat and Kallie didn't hesitate to slide in next to him. After the way he had made her feel the night before, just as they were parting ways, Kallie honestly didn't want to miss out on a chance to be anywhere near him. Meryl finished securing everything and was about to get into the car when she realized that Kallie was in the back seat, so she slid into the passenger seat up front without a word to anyone.

They had been driving around for several hours and Kallie noticed that nearly the entire time they'd been in the car, Meryl had taken every possible opportunity to glance into the back seat and look at she and Vash. She would turn around every now and then, and Kallie would catch her watching them through the mirrors on the vehicle. She wasn't sure why Meryl was so interested in keeping an eye on the two of them, but she shrugged off her worries.

Almost since they began their journey, Vash had been looking out the window. He just stared into the distance, a serious look on his face which gave Kallie some concerns. She wondered if he was still upset after last night when she'd confronted him the way she had. She decided to break the silence that had been going on for hours now.

"Vash, is something the matter?"

Turning his head to face her, he offered a small smile, "no, I'm just tired. Are you bored?"

He poked Kallie on the side, careful to make sure he wasn't touching the side she'd been shot on, and it caused her to jump a little and giggle at the sensation. Meryl turned around instantly and glared at Vash. She didn't say anything, but Kallie definitely noticed the odd behavior, especially that time. Kallie turned to Vash and leaned in, whispering to him.

"I think Meryl likes you, Vash."

Vash smiled a little bit, wondering if maybe Kallie could be right and Meryl really did like him, but just as quickly as he'd considered it, he dismissed it. After the way she was always getting on him about causing so much damage in the towns they passed and all of the yelling she did, not to mention the annoyed looks he always got from the woman, he doubted she liked him. If anything, she tolerated him at best.

It was nearly noon before they stopped for the first time since they had left the inn. It was a little out-of-the-way pit-stop with a single gas pump out front and just a few shops next to the convenience store. Millie pulled up next to the pump and everyone got out of the car to stretch. Millie wandered off and Kallie assumed she was headed to the restroom, while Meryl began pumping gas into the car right away. Vash grabbed Kallie's hand and kissed the back of it.

"I'm going to buy some food. I'll be right back, okay?"

Kallie felt her cheeks turning a little bit red as he stared into her eyes with his own gorgeous ones. All she could do was nod and smile as he walked off towards the store. Kallie felt the butterflies in her stomach again that she'd felt the night before. She never, not in a million years, thought that she would have a crush on Vash. The very man she'd wished dead so many times was kissing the back of her hand and making her feel like a schoolgirl with a case of puppy-love.

Vash disappeared inside and Kallie just leaned against the side of the car, sighing dreamily. She saw Meryl out of the corner of her eye, clearly unhappy with what had just taken place, and watched as she put the nozzle back where it belonged and put the cap back on the car.

After she was finished getting the gas, Meryl stalked off towards the store without a word. Clearly Kallie had been right, and Meryl did have a thing for Vash. Obviously, though, Vash had his eye on someone else. Kallie had only been standing at the car for a few moments when she noticed a man in the doorway of the shop next door to the convenience store. He was talking to someone, and Kallie instantly recognized that someone as Legato. He was facing away from her but she could see for certain that it was him. The hair and the strange white coat gave it away instantly.

Hoping that Legato wouldn't notice her or somehow recognize the car and realize who it belonged to, Kallie walked towards the store and quickly as she could. She tried to avoid drawing attention to herself, and let out a huge sigh of relief when she made it inside without Legato so much as looking in her direction. She began to immediately look for Vash but noticed Millie first.

"Millie!" Kallie was using a hushed tone as though Legato could hear her from a full building over if she weren't quiet.

"What is it, Kallie?"

"Where's Vash?"

Millie simply pointed towards the blonde who was walking out of the bathroom, grabbing a few boxes of donuts on his way to the checkout. He sat the boxes down and pulled some money out, waiting for the cashier to ring him up. Kallie walked as quickly as she could, not missing a beat once she got to him, to tell him what was going on.

"Vash, Legato is outside talking to a man next door! He didn't see me, but we have got to get out of here!"

Vash looked to Kallie, his expression changing almost instantly from care-free to concerned. Vash handed the now paid for boxes of donuts to Kallie and ran up to the door to look outside. He glanced around for a few seconds and then turned back to Kallie.

"Where did you see them?"

"Straight ahead, next to the jeep parked in front of the shop next door. He was talking to a man who looked an awful lot like you. They were right by the doorway and Legato was facing away from me."

Vash gave her a questioning look that she couldn't quite read and she took a few steps towards him. Vash looked back outside and then back towards Kallie again.

"They aren't out there now. You sure you saw Legato?" Vash's puzzled expression was returned with Kallie's puzzled expression.

Kallie took a few more steps until she was at the door and peeked out through the glass. No one was outside at all and the jeep was gone. She knew she was definitely tired, but not tired enough to hallucinate, she didn't think. She realized she might've just been imagining it between the exhaustion and possibly shock from everything that had taken place in the last couple of days. She'd nearly passed out from dehydration, been shot, met the man she blamed for destroying her home town - that is a lot for a girl to take in all at once!

Millie and Meryl walked up to the door where Vash and Kallie were still glancing outside. The girls led the way and Vash just smiled at Kallie and held the door open for her. She walked through and Vash followed, keeping a few steps ahead of her as they made their way back to the vehicle. Suddenly, Kallie heard a click, one that she was quite familiar with and also happened to be very close to her. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to see the cashier pointing a gun at her head.

Kallie tried to call out to Vash but the words just couldn't escape her throat due to the fear she was feeling at the moment. Luckily, however, Vash must've been on high alert because he heard the noise as well. The other three were several steps ahead of Kallie but Vash managed to get back to her very quickly. The girls stayed a few feet back but also tried to come to her aid. She expected Vash to kill the guy, but instead he pulled a gun out and shot him in the side. The cashier dropped to his knees, the gun falling from his hands, and he clutched his side in pain.

Moaning and still gripping his side, the man tried to get up but failed to do so after a couple of attempts. Meryl grabbed Millie by the arm and spoke to the other three, clearly just as concerned about the situation as Kallie was.

"We have got to get out of here, now! That man was being controlled by Legato! Who knows where Legato is now or what he's planning to do next!"

The four all ran back to their vehicle and got back into their seats. Millie didn't allow much time before she sped off. Kallie sighed in relief that she had escaped yet another Legato attack and was grateful that Vash had been there to save the day. Again. She smiled inwardly, that little crush growing just a little bit inside of her. Once the pit stop was out of their rear view mirror, Vash spoke to Kallie.

"I was so afraid he was going to hurt you."

Kallie looked to Vash, noticing that he had tears in his eyes that he wasn't allowing to fall. Kallie wanted to comfort him and let him know it was all going to be okay, and that she was very grateful to him. She didn't have time to say a thing before he put his hand on her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. It was just a simple, quick, sweet, to-the-point kiss. It only lasted for a few seconds but those few seconds were absolute bliss to Kallie. More importantly, Kallie certainly didn't resist, even in the slightest. As Vash pulled away, she looked into his eyes and just smiled at him. Any animosity she had towards him before was definitely gone now.

Kallie felt herself blushing slightly as she spoke, "I was afraid for a split second but then I knew I'd be fine. After all, you promised you would protect me, remember?"

Vash returned Kallie's smile and gave her another quick kiss, which may have lasted longer this second time around had Meryl not interrupted the moment. She cleared her throat, making sure that both Vash and Kallie gave her their full attention. Slightly embarrassed, Kallie just looked down at her lap while Vash continued to wear that goofy grin that Kallie was starting to find absolutely adorable.

Millie just laughed a little, "I think Meryl is just jealous that Mr. Vash likes you, Kallie!"

The comment caused Meryl to blush while giving the other girl a dirty look, while Kallie could do nothing but blush in the back seat and think about how much she really, really wanted another kiss.

Suddenly, Kallie realized she was still holding the boxes of donuts, "oh, I totally forgot. I kept the donuts safe!"

Grinning, Kallie handed the boxes over to Vash, who then distributed the boxes so that the girls up front got half and he and Kallie had the other half. She had never seen so much enthusiasm over food as she was seeing at that very moment when Vash began eating his portion of the donuts. Kallie just nibbled on hers while Vash devoured them as though they were the rarest prize on the planet and if he didn't eat them quickly, little donut stealing fairies would come and snatch them up.

The rest of the day was far less exciting than the first portion had been. It was getting later in the evening and Kallie was getting both tired and restless. Meryl had taken over driving and Millie managed to fall asleep in the passenger seat. Kallie didn't think that she would be able to sleep in a moving vehicle, so she couldn't wait until they stopped for the night. She looked over to Vash, noticing that he was looking out into the distance again. She moved a bit closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, trying to make herself comfortable.

She could feel Vash turning his head to look down at her and she glanced up at him. He had a big smile on his face as he draped his arm over her shoulder. Suddenly, falling asleep there didn't seem like such an impossible idea. She felt so peaceful and content at the moment, that she actually felt like she was starting to drift off. Just as that relaxing moment hit, Kallie heard Vash whisper into her ear.

"I'm guessing based on that kiss and you kissing me back, you don't have a boyfriend."

Kallie was a bit surprised by the question, but was more than happy to answer for him, "no, I don't actually."

His smile got even wider, "so then, would you like one?"

She couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the cheesy grin he was sporting at that moment. Before giving an answer she lifted her head and gave him a kiss, this one lasting a bit longer than the previous ones. She pulled away and just smiled at him, still able to make out those gorgeous eyes even in the poor lighting.

"I didn't think you'd ever ask," she replied, despite knowing that really they had only had any sort of real potential relationship for the last 12 hours.

Vash hugged Kallie, feeling elated and accomplished by having gotten himself a girlfriend. They were about to seal the deal with yet another kiss when they both suddenly realized that they had stopped moving. They both peeked out the window and saw that they were at a hotel. Then they realized that the girls were already out of the car, Millie grabbing their belongings and Meryl glaring so hard they could almost feel the daggers. Millie just giggled at the other woman's reaction to the two of them which then caused Kallie to blush a little bit. She was surprised to see that even Vash had the slightest tint of pink on his cheeks this time.

The three waited until Meryl had their room keys and walked back up to the group, "apparently there are only two rooms available, but luckily each of the rooms has two beds, so-"

Vash didn't hesitate to cut the insurance woman off, "I'M WITH KALLIE!"

Millie seemed perfectly content with the arrangement as she chimed in, "well I'm with Meryl then!"

The rooms weren't directly next to one another, there was a room in between, but they were still close enough that Meryl had a chance to stare holes into the back of Vash and Kallie's heads. The young girl could feel the stare the entire way to the rooms. Once they made it to their destination, Millie gave a little wave.

"Goodnight you two lovebirds! Be good!" and with that, she unlocked the door to her room with Meryl and stepped inside, dragging the other girl in with her.

Kallie hadn't stopped blushing since getting out of the car, but felt her face reddening a bit more than it had been before. In the room, Kallie just wanted to sleep more than anything else in the world. They set their bags down and Kallie stretched. Vash looked to her and gave a sly little smile.

"Do you want to take a shower first, or do you want me to go? Or, of course you could always take a shower while I take a shower."

Kallie tried her hardest to give Vash an angry look, but the smile on her face ensured that he wouldn't be believing for even a second that she was angry or upset with his question.

"You can go first," she tried to use her and-no-funny-business voice, but once again, it didn't come off as anywhere near as threatening as she'd hoped.

"Okay," he replied in a sing-song voice, shrugging his shoulders "you're the one missing out then!"

Vash headed towards the bathroom while Kallie just fell backwards onto one of the beds, really just wanting to shower in the morning and get to sleep right then and there. She regretted not having showered that morning, but she really didn't have any time. She felt dirty, since she hadn't showered since the morning before she was shot, but they had at least cleaned her up so she wasn't caked in blood.

She felt herself almost drifting off to sleep within seconds, listening to the sound of Vash turning on the water to the shower and she sat up. She pulled the covers down on the bed to slip inside when she noticed that next to the phone was a note. She walked over to it and picked it up, quickly glancing at it, and was about to call Vash's name before he stepped into the shower, when she suddenly heard a scream.

Peggi: Oh shizzles, cliffhanger time!

Devy: We didn't get any reviews yet on here, but we have some people on another site who really wanted updates so we figured we'd update on here, too!

Peggi: We'll probably be updating Clarity next, but leave us some love and we'll try to put up chapters of this sooner!

Devy: So on the other site we do 'question of the chapter' things, so we thought it would be fun to do on here...so even if the next chapter is up feel free to participate!

Vash: Question of the chapter this time around is what the heck do you think just happened to me?!

Peggi: Things start to heat up a little in the next chapter, so send in some lovely reviews guys!