"This is a good thing, right, Meryl?" Milly glanced over at her partner from the driver's seat. "I mean, he can't hurt anyone from a prison cell. It's concrete and metal."

Meryl nodded in response. "And he's in the perfect place for us to get our interview."

Vash peeped in from the back window. "No ropes required." He added with a wide grin that made Meryl immediately slam the back window shut. "Aw…" his pout was muffled behind the glass.

"So we just make it to O'nare and do our interview, then we can move on. Maybe to someone less…fiery." Meryl's back burned at the thought. She didn't even want to face him, but at least this way, they could all carry on.

O'nare was a small town, with houses and stores built of mainly adobe. The only wood that someone might find would be some tables and chairs in the local saloon or in someone's kitchen. Perhaps the houses with shutters also had that bit of wood on the outside. Overall, however, it was a surprise to have found Lynch in a town as small and flame retardant as that one. Still, the lower the risk the better, all things considered, and the three of them would count themselves grateful.

The sheriff seemed surprised that press badges were shown to him, but he smiled as he recognized the two girls. "You're Meryl and Milly. The Outlaw Insider girls, right?"

At his recognition, Vash found himself hiding behind Milly carefully. If he's seen one episode of their show, who's to say he hadn't seen the first one. The interview with the one and only Humanoid Typhoon.

Milly responded first, a bright "Yep!" accompanying a thumbs up. "We're here to interview Amorus Lynch please."

"Oh, so that's the story now. Well, I hate to get in the way of your show, girls. Make sure you don't get too close to him. He's a rough one."

Meryl nodded, stepping past him into the jail, Vash following closely behind Milly, careful to avoid the sheriff's attention. The brunette sat on the bench of the cell, propped with his elbows on his knees, and shackles around his wrists and ankles. "Is it time for my hangin' already?"

Meryl took out her notebook, ignoring the chill down her spine and the burning sensation on her back. "We're not your judge." She said firmly. "We're here for an interview."

There was a hardy laugh from the man at that. "An interview. Well, ain't I a popular one?" He stood from his seat, walking over to them with a clang of his chains accompanying his steps. "You've got some nerve, walking in to talk to one of the most wanted men on the planet just for the sake a few questions." He smiled at Meryl, watching her closely.

"A few questions." She repeated. "Then we're leaving." Her voice was firm. Her blood ran cold as his red eyes focused in on her, taking her in from head to toe.

Vash was suddenly firm at her side, Milly on the other. The two had flanked her carefully between them. Milly reached down and held her friend's hand gently. "Whenever you're ready, Meryl."

Meryl looked up at her partner, giving her a firm nod. "Let's get rolling."

Milly aimed the camera, Vash took his place behind Milly, and Meryl started the questioning. "So Amorus Lynch. How many cities have you burned to the ground? Do you know?"

There was a bit of a laugh at that. "You can't check the news yourself, little lady?" He shrugged. "I lost count after eight. Hard to remember which ones I burned and which I simply passed through on my way."

Meryl seemed more focused on her writing than she was on him. She'd written down his answer, flipping through the pages for her next question. They were all quite tame questions. Do you work alone? How long have you been doing this? And finally…. "Why do you do it?"

The grin he gave her caused her blood to turn to ice. "I'm. Hot." He said slowly. There was a dark assurance in his answer. "I burn. Because I'm hot."

"You're… because you're hot?" There was a nervous chuckle, anything to lighten the mood. "Like… you think your looks—"

"No. No I don't give a damn about looks." His eyes narrowed. "I mean I'm hot." He said again. "My blood is boiling. My skin burns. My mouth tastes of smoke." He took hold of the bars, letting the chains hit the metal with a loud clang. "There's a fire inside me. And I want everyone to feel it too." His eyes bore into her. "And there's a fire inside you, too. Isn't there?"

Meryl didn't respond. She couldn't. She couldn't think of an answer to him. No. Right? That was the answer. "How did it start? The…the burning?"

"Hell if I know." He shrugged. "I was born this way. My mother could have no more children because of me. Not that she'd want to after meeting her one and only son. I don't have some kind of sob story of being abandoned or abused, so don't pity me.

"I killed my mother when I was thirteen. I killed her because she dared to bring me into this world, just to burn. So I made her feel my pain. My father ran from me. So I took him too. I melted their flesh beneath my hands and left our home filled with smoke and decay.

"I don't know if it's living so close to a dying plant, or just some out of this world genetic mutation, but I found myself able to burn someone with a single touch. Then I could set a fire if I tried hard enough. The flame got hotter inside me. I think it might have burned the soul from my bones. There's no anger in what I do. There is only equality. I burn, and so does the world. I hurt, and so does everyone else. This is fair."

As he said this, a scent of smoke filled the air. "You're already burning, aren't you?"

"I'm fine." Meryl said firmly, shaking herself out of her thoughts. "How did you get caught?"

"Would you believe I let myself?"

She could feel the heat radiating from him, causing her to wish she hadn't stood so close. Finding herself thankful of the chains around his wrists. "Why would you let yourself get caught?"

"Because maybe when they hang me, the burning will stop." He said simply. There was an odd peace to this. "I want the burning to stop."

Meryl wrote this last note down. The idea that he had abilities and allowed him to burn an object, or a person for that matter, with a single touch, would have been thrown out the window five years ago. But she'd met people who were insects. Living independent plants. People who could alter soundwaves. She'd seen too many mutations on No Man's Land to ignore him. "I don't believe that death is the answer." She told him. "I don't believe that dying will erase what you've felt."

"Then maybe I'll rise from the ashes. Like a phoenix, reborn to once again set fire to the world. If I do not stop burning, I will take humanity down in flames with me."

"And you're just… going to let them kill you? What has stopped you before?"

There was a bit of a shrug at that. "The guns and knives melt. The alcohol evaporates. My body doesn't want to die."

"Do you think that's because you aren't supposed to? There has to be a way you can control it."

"Control is not the issue here." His voice became low and a gruff laugh left his lips. "I can keep from hurting a single soul on this planet if I really wanted to. But it won't stop the pain I feel. Nothing will stop it." He glared at her then. "Like I said. Don't fucking pity me, girl."

"I'm not…" She was. "I don't mean to. I just don't think dying is what you have to do."

"When you find an alternative, just let me know. I've been trying for thirty-three years." He let go of the bars and held the chains tightly in his hands. "So what did I do to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean where did I burn you? You think I don't notice my own handwriting?" There was another low laugh at that.

Meryl could practically feel her friends glare past her at the man behind bars. "My back." She told him. "But it's better now. I can live with it. And so can you."

The chain dropped between him, melted through the center, and in that moment, he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her close. She could feel her hand burning against his, and she cried out. "What part of I want to die can't you fucking understand?"

The camera fell to the ground behind her. Milly and Vash were at her side now. Vash's gun aimed at Lynch's head. Milly began prying his fingers from Meryl's wrist. Her face twisted in pain, but she continued pulling until his hand let her loose, sending Meryl tumbling backwards onto the hard floor. Lynch backed up from the three of them, hands up in surrender. "Does this mean the interview is over?"

Vash did not lower his gun. Hie eyes were narrow, and fist clenched, just a twitch from pulling the trigger. "Vash." Meryl held her hand carefully, examining the blisters already growing.

Vash's voice was low. "We should leave." His jaw was set, eyes narrow. This was a look she'd seen before, long before. When his temper actually got to him. He holstered his gun, keeping his fist clenched at his side. "Come on." He tore his eyes away from the man, leading Meryl away with a hand on her back. Milly picked up the camera and followed behind. Vash practically growled at the Sheriff as he passed. "His chains came off. You might want to contain him a little better."

Meryl let herself be lead to the clinic. She watched as the doctor applied salve and bandages to her hand, staying quiet. Milly tried to give her comforting words like, the camera is fine, just needs a new lens. The footage is still good before then. We're done with him.

That was the best part. They were done with him.

Vash, however, stayed quiet, silently stewing in his own anger. He never left. He stood by the door as the doctor worked with a look that dared the man to call him out as the Humanoid Typhoon. There was a time when this visage of him might have scared her. But, as she'd known all along, he was still Vash. He wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't going to hurt anyone.

The doctor let her go with a jar of ointment and care instructions that she already knew. He treated the light burns on Milly's fingers, but luckily they weren't severe enough for bandaging. The walk to the inn was quiet. Milly seemed afraid to speak. Vash was still angry. And Meryl? Well she was awkwardly in the middle of them both, feeling guilty for even getting them involved.

Milly opened the door to their room and looked back at Meryl. "I'm going to shower first, okay?" She didn't wait for a response before ducking into the room, leaving the two in the hall.

"I'm sorry."

Vash's eyes widened. "Sorry? Meryl what are you sorry for?" The anger in his eyes was replaced by confusion as he looked down at her.

"I shouldn't have stood so close. I keep…" She huffed. "I keep causing such a ruckus. I keep getting hurt."

Vash took her hand as tenderly as he could. "This is my fault. I'm here to protect you, and I didn't do that."

"It's not your job to keep me out of trouble." She gave him a bit of a teasing smile. "That's my job, remember? To keep you from causing havoc?"

He didn't express the same amusement. His eyes were so focused on her hand that he hadn't even noticed her smile. "You deserve to be protected." He said quietly.

"I…I mean." Once again, words escaped her. Her heart felt weak. Did she deserve that? She was so weak. She should protect herself. She should take care of herself. She should be stronger. "I mean. I know. I just… I want to protect myself." She said before giving him a halfhearted laugh. "Look unless you're going to kiss it better, can I have my hand back?"

Instead, however, his gentle hand lifted hers to his lips, pressing them to her knuckles. "I figure a fist bump might be a little difficult right now."

She wished she could blame the burn, or the heat, or even simply exhaustion for the flush in her cheeks. She gripped his hand a little too firmly, causing her to wince and bring herself back to reality. "Right. Thank you."

"Let me help you." It sounded like a plea as it left his lips. "Let me keep you safe." He lowered her hand back to her side and looked into her eyes. "Let me protect you, Meryl."

She found herself avoiding his stare. "Yeah well…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "That goes for you, too." The mumbled. "You deserve to be safe, too. You deserve to have someone on your side."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "You are taking all of this a lot differently than I expected. No offense, but you aren't scared?"

"Hm…" She shrugged a bit. "I don't think I can be. If I'm scared then I won't get my job done… I'll freeze. Like I did before. And I hurt you."

"Meryl…" He pulled her to his chest, leaning down into her shoulder. "It's okay to be afraid. You don't have to save someone's feelings at the cost of your own." She found herself reaching up to clench his coat at that, ignoring the burning in her hand. He wrapped his arms around her. "You deserve to feel."

And she cried. She cried into his chest, clinging to him like a child. The job, the fire, the meeting, the burns. It all fell on her at once. Her sobs were soft, with quiet whimpers against him. The whole time, he rubbed her back gently, never saying a word. As the tears subsided she pulled away gently, wiping her tears with the uninjured hand. "I… I'm so—" She already knew he wouldn't accept that. "Thank you."

He leaned down further, pressing his forehead to hers. "Don't hold back anymore, okay?"

"Mm…" The sound was all she could manage. Don't hold back. Don't hold back…Her fear? Her pain? Her weakness? All of her feelings? She closed her eyes, simply enjoying the closeness.

Maybe there had been more if they had the time. Maybe she'd have moved closer. Maybe she'd have told him everything.

But, as the sirens went off and an explosion erupted outside, they pulled apart. They knew before the announcement from the megaphone came through the windows. "Amorus Lynch has escaped! Everyone take cover!"