Tuesday Afternoon

Chapter 3

Clasping Tight Onto Memories I Know

"Do you... Do you know who I am?" you asked.

One look at you told the blond you were nervous. Sure, he knew who you were supposed to be, but that didn't equate to you being the real deal. No matter how much he wanted to believe that you were, well, you, he had run into more fakes than he cared to admit. For all he knew, you were just a really convincing one.

Instead of admitting that he very much knew, he happily replied, "Not at all! Should I?"

It hurt his heart to watch your hopeful expression sour so quickly, and it hurt yours to hear him say it.

"Ah, never mind then," you quickly spit out.

Deep down you knew you shouldn't have gotten your hopes up, no shit he didn't know who you were! You somehow managed to travel to the 98 series instead of the 2023 series, that's all.

Nevertheless, even if he wasn't yours, he was still Vash the Stampede. You would follow him to the ends of the world if he would let you (not like you would allow him to not let you, though).

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

In the aftermath of the cliffside exploding, you and Vash made a quick escape by blending into the resulting cloud of dust. Neither of you had your respective bags, seeing as they got left behind in the saloon when everything happened. You followed him back to its remains, then subsequently picked a direction and started walking.

"The next town is maybe 10 iles this way if I remember correctly. We might be able to make it there before sundown," Vash explained.

You hummed, putting an earbud in to listen to music. Vash didn't seem very talkative with you after you asked him if he had recognized you. The two of you had more than a few hours to clear the air, though. It wasn't like there was anything else to do besides talk to each other. Walking 10 miles in silence was not something you were too keen on.

Although, walking such a distance wasn't too bad, in your opinion. You had specifically prepared for such a thing, packing extra survival provisions in for when it would inevitably happen. Something Vash was equal parts surprised and appreciative of.

Your preparedness had actually kickstarted a real conversation between the two of you. And you, being ever impatient to investigate more before coming to a conclusion, decided to drop the bomb about your identity.

"I also came back accidentally on purpose. A stupid cat tripped me down some stairs to a basement in the middle of the desert back home, and I woke up in that saloon," you elaborated with a constipated look on your face.

Stupid cat... I guess I should be thanking it though, it did land me back here.

"Wait, you're actually (Y/n) (L/n)!? You aren't another fake!??" Vash screamed in surprise.

"You do know who I am!" A shocked and angered look overtook your features, "And you thought I was a fake!?"

"Let me explain!" Vash held up his hands in surrender. He didn't know you would get so angry at him for lying. "I thought you were dead."

"Dead?" Now you were confused. Just how long had it been?

"When I came to, you were just gone," Vash explained. "There was nothing left of the city, so I thought... I thought I killed you, too."

"...How long?"

The blond walking beside you pursed his lips.

"It's been five years since JuLai was destroyed," he finally admitted after a moment of silence.