The back court yard of the Austrian home was peaceful and quiet. Even if it wasn't a shooting range, Vash was a bit happier when he stepped out the back door. There was a white wood walk way that led to a set of stairs down onto the pale sand stone bricks that circled a small fountain. The stones split off into paths in every direction. One led to the apple orchard over the hill; another swept into the flower garden, filled to the brim with native flowers of the country; a third path thinned to dissipation in the direction of the lake; the fourth point of symmetry on the circle was coming off the house, which Vash followed along to the center fountain. Between the paths were small beds of daisies and violets of every color. Everything was pleasant about the court yard. From the white brick walls that encased it, to the butterflies that hovered over the distant fields, it was a nice place to sit.
In the distance, just off the path to the right that led to the orchard, was a small open tent. Beneath it sat three small figures and a piano that had somehow been wheeled out on the lawn. Trees arched over the path as Vash approached, casting long elegant shadows across the sporadic daisies scattered through the grass. His steps were short and slow, hesitant and afraid of whom it was that sat beneath the grand white tent. The closer he grew, the better he could make out there shapes. Of one he was certain, Lilli. He inched closer and closer till he could make out the other two before a melodic sound reached his ears. Roderich sat at the piano, playing a heart wrenching slow piece for Lilli and Elizavetta. It was slow, melodic, melancholy, and had already brought the girl's to tears. Roderich's fingers roamed the keys with ease, finding everything with perfect timing and playing without pause.
Vash could already feel his stomach wrenching for him to barf. Sure he loved music, but why that song? It was almost as if Roderich was trying to bother him with songs that made him cry, songs that brought on un-measureable heart break. It was a song that Roderich had written long ago, when they were just children, when they were still friends. What a sickening memory that was, back when they would spend time together, when they spoke to one another like old friends, back when Vash would be forced to rescue him from Elizavetta on a daily basis. They were glorious memories, but horrible nightmares. He'd always had a hope of moving past those memories, but somehow that song brought it all back.
For the first time in a long, long while, Vash's cheeks grew damp and he blinked furiously to hide it. A few feet away from the tent, the girl's could see him. He stood a fair distance behind Roderich still, out of his line of sight, but the girl's both looked up to him through their teary eyes. They'd been crying tears of joy, intrigued by the artistic mastery of the song, but they both could see on Vash's face the pain behind his watery eyes. He had no intention of sticking around to be seen like that. He'd never cried, no one had ever seen him cry, never, and he'd be damned if they ever found out why. He turned on his heels and ran, ran all the way back to the house where he converged in on his room.
Inside, he found something that hadn't been there before, his belongings, including his favored five shot revolver and a box of bullets. He didn't fuss with the rest of his stuff, and instead grabbed the gun and ammunition and headed back out. Only with the gun in hand did he raise the heel of his palm to his cheek and wipe away the tears that continued to streak down his cheeks. The front of his blonde hair was beginning to stick to his cheeks from the damp tears and he quickly swept it all back. His feet pounded heavily against the floor as he reemerged in the courtyard and took off down the hill toward the pond. He trudged through the gardens of daisies and violets without a single care for them; he just needed to find somewhere private, somewhere that he could fire a good shot in alone; somewhere that Lilli wouldn't have to see him.
Vash skidded to a halt at the water's edge, the very tip of the toe of his boot in the water. He pulled at the collar of his coat before pulling it off, button after button and tossed it to the side. He stood at the very edge of the bond in the long fringe of grass in his boots, pants, and a black under shirt, staring out over the water. Damp tears still slid down his cheeks as he put a single bullet into the barrel of the gun. He set the box of ammunition to the side and turned the revolver a few clicks until it was at the bullet. He raised his arm, his hand shaking only slightly as he held up the gun. With one calming breath that eased his shaking hands, he pulled the trigger.
A shot rang through the silence of nature and interrupted Roderich's beautiful piece. The dark haired Austrian pulled his hands off the piano keys and looked at the girls. Hundreds of birds that had at one point sat in the trees sprang up in hordes, flying far away from the Austrian mansion. An eerie feeling set in around them, both of the girl's stared to Roderich with shocked expressions. Lilli clasped her hands over her lips in shock before she bowed her head and leaned a little closer to Elizavetta till her forehead hit the older girl's shoulder. Both females began to weep and Roderich only came to one conclusion: Vash.
Without another thought, without a word, Roderich sprung to his feet and took off toward the pond. I should have known, I shouldn't have played it, Vash…Forgive me. He thought hopelessly as he ran. As his eyes fell upon his old friends hunched frame, he slowed. Vash was on the ground, his revolver clutched in his hand with smoke still creeping out the end. It had just been fired, and there was no doubt that Vash had been the one to fire it. Roderich sighed as a small smile crept up on his lips and he moved to the other countries side. He picked up the green jacket that lay on the ground a few feet away and draped it over his once comrades shoulders, sitting down beside him.
They both sat in a long silence, staring out over the water. Every minute or so, Vash would raise his right hand and wipe away the water from his cheeks. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, dropping the gun to the ground in the process. It tumbled slightly, rolling into the water where it sat submerged and ignored. A ripple disturbed the surface of the pond, originating from the gun, and the boys simply watched. In one of the trees on the other side of the pond, small bubbles of sap leaked down where the first bullet had penetrated the wood. Vash said nothing as his tears subsided and he moved closer to Roderich. The night air had begun to surround them, and the sun overhead set on the distant horizon and darkness began to enshroud them both.
"I'll never play it again." Roderich muttered as he broke the silence the surrounded them. Something had to be said.
"Good," Was Vash's only response. They sat a little longer in silence at this, before Roderich got to his feet and held a hand out to the blonde Swiss man. Vash dove his hand into the water and picked up his silver gun, then his nearby box of bullets, before he took Roderich's hand grudgingly and got to his feet.
They had a long walk back to the mansion together.