I felt her grip tighten, and something moist pervaded into my coat where her face was buried.

"...dark....cold...." she muttered faintly.

"What?" I attempted to stand.

"Stay right where you are." The man pushed the gun harder against my head. Bastard.

"...better to sleep..." she lifted her head. "It would... go away..."

"Meryl, you're, um, speaking incoherently," I murmured.

She was silent.

In the corner of my eye, something white glistened in the sunlight. And in that moment was a blinding flash of light. For an epoch I was trapped. In this feeling of nothingness. Yeah, I know; this sounds like a load of bull. But it wasn't. I was immobile... and alone. Alone again. God I hated that. Now I was getting maudlin. I needed a drink.

When I woke up, I saw flowing cascades of white. Her dress. She was kneeling in front of me, holding the attacker's palm. Where the two extremities touched was glowing.

"M-Meryl...?" I struggled to sit up. Damn! My stomach hurt like nobody's business.

Her eyes were closed, and her body was tense.

I gently reached to touch her shoulder, and her eyes suddenly shot open. She released his hand and turned back to look at me. All I could see were this pair of nigrescent eyes; empty and void of life. The passages to nothingness closed, and she vacillated forward. I caught her and shook my head. What the hell was going on!?

I looked at the man. Had she killed him? His chest rose and descended slowly. So he was okay.

But still... if she hadn't killed him... what the hell was she doing?

I wrapped one arm around her knees and the other around her shoulders, somehow managing to stand up. I glanced toward the man one last time, just to make sure he wasn't dying or anything.

As I walked over to him, something caught my eye. A feather. In the middle of the sultry desert. Again, what the hell?

Kneeling down, I extended one hand to touch it. Was it tangible, or was it a mirage?

It must have been a mirage. It disintegrated into evanescence upon contact.

"Vash..." she said weakly, eyes closed.

I looked down at her. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Put me down."

"Wha-?"

"Put me down." Her voice was firmer this time but still flaccid.

"I-I don't think so..."

"Vash, you better as hell bring me next to that man."

"Why? What in Pete's sake is going on!? Answer that first!"

"VASH!" She screeched with surprising vigor. Her eyes narrowed, eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed, and fists balled; I knew that for a second, she was no longer a stranger.

Laughing nervously, I placed her next to the man. She laboriously sat up on her knees, taking the man's hand into hers once again.

"Meryl...?" I whispered hesitantly.

A soft glow emanated slowly through their intertwined fingers. She didn't answer.

The glow grew in intensity. "Meryl...!?"

She ignored me. Like I wasn't there at all. Like the fear was indistinct. Like she wasn't living; like she was drowning in her own encasement.

Her color was draining while the man's face grew more sanguine. His other hand twitched; his eyes fluttered. She finally let go, and the man was slowly regaining his senses.

She turned to me, wan and sickly, but smiling. "I dunno what I did," she said faintly, hardly audible. "But I needed to do it." Sighing, she lay back asleep in the sand.

Sleep always seemed so ethereal. So intangible, so evasive. And when the finality of repose comes, you're just not ready. It's too long. Forever is too long. I looked at her. Well, forever was hypothetical. Forever was too stoic, too callous; that's why it's not fun to think about it. Just give me "now", and I'd be perfectly fine with that.

Her sleep seemed completely unnatural. So livid. I reached to touch her when she began to speak.

"Carry him to the hospital," she murmured.

"What about you!?"

"I'll wait for you," she paused. "Like I always do."

I stared at her. "You promise?"

The ends of her lips curved into a wry smile. "Funny how you're the one asking this time. I promise."

"You look a lot worse than him though..."

"Trust me, I'm not."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. And don't leave or come back until you're ready. You're still injured. Sorry."

"Sorry?"

"For making you do this. I know you feel like hell right now."

"I'm more worried about you than I am about myself. I'm only doing this for you because..." I stopped. Why was I doing it? I was practically leaving her out to die. "I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Leave you out here."

"You can. And you will." Her voice was caustic, betraying her sallow skin.

I sighed and picked up the man, throwing him over my shoulder. "Take care," I muttered. Her brain was muddled. She wasn't thinking clearly. But there's no way to move an adamant donkey.

As I walked back to town, I noticed the sky growing steadily black. It wasn't normal. But I didn't pay too much heed to that. There were plenty of other things to worry about.

***

The man turned out to be perfectly healthy; just a little disoriented. I had no idea what Meryl was so perturbed about.

As I walked back, the night was an uncanny pitch black. Every light pierced the darkness with a penetrating brightness.

I found her sleeping on the sand, and the color had returned to her face. Kneeling down, I shook her gently. "You okay?"

She opened one eye and sat up. Stretching, she nodded and stood. "You came back fast. Did you get your wounds re-bandaged and stuff?" Her voice was resonant and firm.

"Yeah."

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright, and you?"

"Same."

"I need to take you to the hospital."

She shook her head. "I'm fine now. Besides, I'd rather go to a club, wouldn't you?"

"W-wha?"

She smiled. "You know, dancing, drinks, stuff like that."

I put my hand on her forehead. "You must be running a fever or something."

She laughed. "Nah, I just feel so alive tonight. You know?"

"Dude, this is sweet, but, you and I, we're both not physically up to it tonight. Especially you."

"You have no idea." She grinned and took my hand, leading me back to town.

***

There were two clubs in town. She took me to the bigger one. The first thing she did there was order a drink.

She never drank. So she was slightly inebriated by the first mug.

No one was really dancing. All of the couples were sitting and talking quietly. It was a tractable saloon; something really strange.

People stared at her torn dress and she ruffled hair, but she didn't care. Why she didn't bother to change or shower before coming to the bar bemused me.

As she stepped onto the glazed wooden platform (raised two feet above the ground), her sharp steps echoed through the building. More people turned around to look at what she was doing, or trying to do.

And then it happened. A blur of white as I held my breath. She danced up there like I've never seen before in my life. Her lithe body with the flowing deluge of a dress absolutely swept the room into silence. The music was called "Evolution" by a deceased artist, Hamasaki Ayumi. She twirled her dress, and her arms flew everywhere about her. A nymph. She laughed as she gestured for me to join her.

I shook my head. I couldn't dance. Not like that. Everyone turned to look at my stubborn ass.

"Fine!" What the hell, it wasn't like these people were going to remember me.

I ascended onto the stage and froze. I seriously didn't know how to dance. She noticed and took my hand. "Just go with the flow," she grinned. I spun her around, and her laugh echoed through the silent room.

A few couples stood up and hesitantly walked to the stage. After a minute of whispers, they got on the stage and started to dance as well.

But no one danced half as well as my Meryl. Whoa there. I just said "my Meryl." She was luring me into her depths; her movement was hypnotic.

Then the tempo transmogrified. I didn't know the new song. But apparently, it was a slow one.

She placed her hands around my neck, and I wrapped mine around her waist. I could only make out certain excerpts of the song.

Now nothin' can take you away from me
We've been down that road before
But that's over now
You keep me comin' back for more
Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven

She shifted closer to me and closed her eyes.

And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven

Oh - once in your life you find someone
Who will turn your world around
Bring you up when you're feelin' down

"Vash..." she whispered. I looked down at her.

Ya - nothin' could change what you mean to me
Oh there's lots that I could say
But just hold me now
Cause our love will light the way

"I need to tell you something. Something really important," she said urgently.

I've bin waitin' for so long
For somethin' to arrive
For love to come along

Now our dreams are comin' true
Through the good times and the bad

Ya - I'll be standin' there by you

"What?" Maybe this was it. You know, that "moment" that every couple longs for. Well, we weren't really a couple then...

"I need to leave."

"What!?"

"I didn't take you here to dance, Vash. If I don't go with them, they'll kill you."

"Them?"

"I can't tell you who they are, but because of what I am-"

"Listen, I don't know what's happened to you, but ever since we visited that plant in our town-"

"Vash, please, after this song, I'll need to go."

"You know, after all this time, you should know that people can't kill me. I'm like Superman or something." I smiled. Maybe I can dissuade her.

She looked away. "It's not like that... it's just that I'd be jeopardizing you, Millie, Knives, and, well... my decision is made, Vash. There's nothing you can do to 'dissuade' me."

I froze. "'Dissuade?'"

"Isn't that what you said?"

"No, it wasn't. I thought that."

She grew stiff. "Vash, I-I'm leaving." She let go of me and started down the steps. I grabbed her arm.

"Meryl, there's something wrong about this."

She shook her head. "You're making this harder than it is. You've left me countless times before. Now I'm leaving you. And you've told me innumerable times that there isn't anything between us... So who the hell cares?"

"Millie does! I do!"

She shrugged her way out of my grip. "Goodbye, Vash."

"MERYL!" The room hushed again and everyone stared at us. "Uh, Meryl, maybe we should..."

She smiled. "Yeah."

We walked out side by side. Then I led her away from the bar, into a darkened portion of town. Before I had the chance to turn around, her hands were thrown around my waist. She was gripping like it was the end of the world. And maybe it was.

"Meryl..." My voice was tender. I knew she was crying.

"Whatever you do, don't follow me. I-I'm sorry I'm acting this way, but..." She sounded like I did that time I had to say the same to her.

Her hands were torn from me, and when I turned around, she was gone.

A/N: The "slow" song, or at least the slow version of the song in this chapter is "Heaven" by DJ Sammy. It's purty.

midnightoasis- Why thank you! :-)

SilverGunVM- I continued!! Yayy!! Also, more literary elements! ^_^

Puff2978- Thanks! ^.^

Phsyco Novelist- *hands reviewer a glass of water* hehe ^_^

kimmy- nope, definitely not my first fic. Is it really that bad? . lol, and yesh, Wolfwood is dead in my fic. I'm going by the anime, although I'm really starting to heart the manga. It's pure genius :-)

Witchitta- I updated!! And another cliffhanger!! XD