Someone else

4

Plant hadn't revealed his name so Nico could use it, no not at all. He had said it so the child could someday in the future understand why he left. So Nico would know it was better when he didn't keep his words.

Vash stood up when Nico was once again running around with other children and went to pack his things again and talk with Melanie because she was the one who had to answer the children's questions tomorrow about where he went.

"Melanie, I'm going today."

"It's late already. Can't you wait until the morning? The nights are cold." she suggested that he waits a little with his departure. Vash shook his head.

"I don't want the children to see me leaving. Can you explain to them in the morning that I just had to leave quickly and couldn't say goodbye to them?"

"You're bad at goodbyes, aren't you?" asked Melanie with a little, caring smile on her face.

Vash didn't say anything and in a way, that was the answer.

"Don't worry, I'll tell Nico that you heard something important from the radio. Is it suitable excuse?"

"It is." 

Vash took his things and waited until the darkness fell. It was easier to move when it was dark all around. As soon as it came, he left the city, from what he only took with him memories of the boy with the brightest smile because memories didn't disturb his wanders and gave people no knowledge about the fact that he was the infamous Vash the Stampede.

Even after six years had passed, Vash still remembered that sincere and bright smile what he had at that time taken with him from that small town as a memory. So much may have happened in the meantime but that was something unrepeated.

Vash hadn't found another one like that. 

Even his own smile what he had finally discovered, couldn't compare.

After leaving the orphanage, he had thought about what Nico said. At first he only thought, then acted according to them.

He started living, being more than just that promise. Whilst doing that, he had also found his smile. Sometimes he hid his pain behind it but not often. No, he had discovered he likes being happy so his brother's plans had only become more reluctant to him.

He didn't want to lose the humanity to Knives, because it gave him the reason to feel.  And somewhere on these streets there was the boy with a radiant smile. Vash didn't want for all of it to disappear. 

He was close with humans, if they decided to stick close to him. But never as close as they would have liked. For him it was one of the ways to spend time during his search. When he had just met them, he tried to shake them off, but those ladies from insurance had quickly proven to be too determined and stubborn so he gave up with that and just walked around, they closely behind him.

Soon after this, they had met that priest, who was funny but also a little weird.

"My name is Nicholas D. Wolfwood, nice to meet you."

That's how he had introduced himself. Their names were similar. That was the first thing what popped into Vash's mind when they met.

Later it turned out, they were also coming from the same place. If Wolfwood had been any younger, Vash would have confused him with the boy he met six years ago, but them being the same person, was impossible.

Vash knew very well how humans age and Wolfwood was clearly born before July, Nico at the same time, saw the world for the first time, two years after it. The boy should have been twelve by now.

Those similarities made him observe the priest more closely than he first had thought he would. Could that man have been Nico's father?

Vash didn't ask because maybe he had no idea about a son's existence and asking would have but him in a uncomfortable position.

Suddenly, he missed that smile once again.

Just a memory wasn't enough anymore after meeting someone bearing resemblance. He wanted to talk with Nico once again, see how  if at all, time exactly has changed him.

Most likely, the boy doesn't remember him anymore, but that's for the best because that way, he won't notice that something is amiss. That Vash hasn't aged a day during those six years.

Would Nico, once again, call him cool, ask him to stay?

Can he still smile like that or has the world broken it?

Vash hoped that it has not because he had cherished it a lot.

Those questions popped into his mind every time he looked at Wolfwood, no matter if he wanted it or not. They were too much alike for him to not.

"I didn't think you could smile so widely like that."

Vash had smiled without thinking and Wolfwood had noticed it. Plant was feeling a little embarrassed because of it, it wasn't the first time he forgot himself like that, but the last time had been quite some time ago.

"I couldn't actually, at first. I was taught." Vash replied to the priest a little awkwardly. 

No one had ever talked about his smile before so when suddenly having to do it, he had nothing intelligent to say.

"Why should have someone thought you how to smile wide? Did you try to win a beauty competition or what was the matter?" couldn't Wolfwood understand and it only made Vash feel a need to explain because he didn't want to leave the priest assuming things.

"No, I just didn't know how to be happy at that moment what meant that I didn't allow myself to smile. But then someone taught me about it and I discovered that I liked being happy. It's actually much easier than just always breaking under worry and stress."

Maybe it was because of the similarities but Vash told Wolfwood more about his life than anyone else he had just met some hours ago, and the fact that they had already saved each others lives during this short period, was not playing a role in that at all.

Maybe the priest couldn't exactly understand but he smiled to the Plant encouragingly before their ways parted and that was enough. After that, Vash didn't confuse those two anymore, there was no way they were a same person. 

Wolfwood didn't have Nico's smile.