This fic has only one chapter, but there are two versions.
An old, late-night version
and a revised version 5555.
(I'm posting version two now. The first version has finished. If you are interested, you can go and read it.)
— This fic exists within the same storyline,
but follows different paths, which is why it branched into two versions.
— The timeline for both versions is:
the period when Vash the Stampede went missing for five months, after a battle in one of the seven major cities.
In that battle, Vash clashed with a member of the Gung-Ho Guns.
The enemy was a swordsman who could somehow use his sword sheath as a gun (ridiculously crafty).
However, that fight was being overseen by “Legato.”
When Vash was about to lose, Legato used his power to control Vash’s body,
forcing him to unleash the destructive power within himself.
The immense force completely destroyed the city — repeating the tragedy of July City from years ago.
On top of that, Vash’s power also left a crater on the moon.
That was the reason Vash chose to flee from the ruins of the city,
which had become his second unforgivable sin, even though no one had died.
On that day, he arrived at another town, wearing an old cloak
and carrying a shattered heart.
And that leads to my story! —
— What if the one who encounters Vash the Stampede is you (y/n)? —
How will the bond between the two of you end!?
Find out in the next chapter!
(The reason why two versions branched out:
The first version was written during a period when my mind sank to its deepest point — feeling lonely, and craving something
that everyone is probably very familiar with.
As for the second version, it was written at a different time. The original intention was simply to fix the wording, but at that moment I was in a cheerful mood, able to smile, fully charged and ready to go.
So in the end, another version was born lol.
It would be a waste to throw it away, so I decided to keep going and see it through to the end.
If you ask why I had to do it that way?
Well — who would ever dare to throw away their own feelings so easily?
Especially when it’s a piece of writing that comes straight from genuine emotions. No one would have the heart to discard that.
If I had to do something like that, I’d feel terrible. Because not only would no one care about my feelings — I would also be the one choosing to throw away what was in my heart, just to satisfy someone else’s idea of “correctness.”
When your heart is already completely exposed like that — isn’t that just cruel to yourself?
That’d be way too harsh, honestly 55555.)
Version 2: Chapter
[Planned to Set Up a Card Game, Somehow Picked Up a Man Under the Moonlight 🌚🌝]
Augusta City — a desert town. It’s pretty boring—
walking home after finishing a shift at the restaurant, grains of sand sneak into your shoes and cling to your clothes. Walking through the desert under blazing sunlight has become normal. It’s no surprise your skin has turned into cocoa mixed with condensed milk, not pale white anymore. Hahaha.
Living alone isn’t all that bad, after your entire family died three months ago while traveling through the scorching desert. A car accident… or maybe they were ambushed by bandits. No one knows the truth, because all the bodies disappeared.
Even though you act carefree and easygoing day to day, you have to admit — when it comes to losing your family, the pain is deeply rooted. That’s why anyone who approaches you on a deeper level ends up being gently turned down, leaving you feeling guilty.
You’re the one who feels guilty.
Pretending to be heartless for the sake of protecting your own heart is ridiculously hard — harder than forcing a kid to take a bath.
You don’t hate anyone. You’re just too afraid to open up.
Even though your heart cries out for someone to take care of each other, the way you once did with your family — you still refuse to open it to anyone.
Head pats, greetings, farewells — you loved all of it when it came from your family. Those good memories fade with time.
But now, with no one left to care about except yourself, you live passively — more focused on lying down and waiting for death than seeking happiness on this barren planet.
So this is it, huh —
the karma of having no friends. Sigh.
All you can do is dream that one day you’ll get better on your own, rather than relying on someone else… even though you still long for it. Sigh.
Being loved really does feel good~
So if that’s the case, you’ll just have to love yourself extra hard~ to make up for what’s missing — you think, humming cheerfully as you step lightly across the sand in your usual carefree way.
Until you pass through a narrow alley—
“Um… excuse me?”
You call out as you stumble upon a man wearing a cloak in terrible condition, slumped against a wall, breathing so faintly he looks like he might die any second.
Did you just find someone who’s about to die? — God help us…
“Sir?”
You call again, eyes widening as you take in the battered state of the blond man, looking like he’d wrestled a dog and disarmed a bomb right after.
“Are you badly hurt?”
No response from the number you have dialed.
The man lies still, but the way his eyes blink toward the ground clearly tells you he’s not dead. That alone makes you feel a bit relieved — even if there’s a whole new problem waiting.
“Are you really okay?”
His solid body shifts just slightly, as if breathing is difficult. Every time he moves, his shoulders droop, too exhausted to hold themselves upright.
The sight makes you swallow thickly without realizing it.
It feels like you’re seeing someone who once carried the whole world on his shoulders — only to collapse under it himself.
. . .
The sky grows darker by the moment. The sun retreats behind the mountains, fleeing from the moonlight that’s about to arrive — as if escaping a truth that doesn’t quite belong with it, even though they share the same sky.
But everything has its own rhythm —
rising and falling with time, eventually meeting again at the edge of a new horizon.
At that same moment, you decide instantly—
“Um… if you’re not doing well, please stay at my place tonight.”
You walk toward him slowly and crouch beside him. Even if he doesn’t respond, you’re not about to leave an injured person to die — don’t ask how you know! The fresh wound on his cheek is screaming proof! You really did think he fought a dog!
“My name is y/n.”
His first response is finally lifting his gaze from the sand to look at you instead — aquamarine-green eyes, strangely captivating, freezing your heart in place…
…not because they’re beautiful, but because it feels like you’re watching an ocean grow dull at the hands of a single person.
Eyes like gemstones, now stripped of their sparkle. For a fleeting moment, you can’t help but wonder if he was once as bright as he should have been.
“My name is… Eric.”
His deep, hoarse voice pulls you back to reality. You quickly look away.
“I see… Mr. Eric,” you say softly, letting his pleasant name rest on your lips. He lowers his gaze to the ground again.
“There’s no need to worry about me…”
As soon as his raspy voice fades, he falls silent again, like an air conditioner struggling to breathe. He clutches his stomach and coughs harshly, making you flinch as you rush to support his hunched body.
“Mr. Eric!”
You slide your hand beneath his cloak, rubbing his back with trembling fingers, unsure of what to do. The harder he coughs, the wider your eyes grow, your heart pounding in fear.
Afraid that he really might die.
But you have to stay calm — you can’t panic now. Especially when the injured man himself says—
“…I’m not badly hurt… you don’t need to trouble yourself because of someone like me…”
Despite the ache his voice brings, the first thing that hits you is—
Not badly hurt, my ass! Mr. Eric!!
“Even if you say that…” you mutter, contradicting the thoughts in your head,
“let’s go back to my place first, okay? We can figure things out together…”
You give him a faint smile. Unlike you, he falls silent, shifting slightly. You feel him pulling away from your hand.
“Mr. Eric—”
You’re about to protest, about to grab him again, when his voice comes out softer this time. His beautiful, lifeless eyes look at you with something deeply buried within them.
“Please leave me… a demon like me doesn’t deserve kindness from a good person like you…”
At the same moment the moon rises above us, a faint smile appears on his face, his final words sounding like he’s chasing you away.
“Please… go.”
He slumps back against the brick wall, releasing a shallow breath, hoping you’ll leave him behind — like everyone else who runs away once they hear his name.
“No.”
Vash the Stampede —
or by his false name, Eric —
stares at you in shock. You ignore his refusal, reaching out to grab his waist and haul him up.
“If I say I’ll help, then I mean it.”
You tighten your grip around his waist. Even with the difference in size, you don’t hesitate. You force him upright on his feet, making him wrap his arms tightly around your shoulders so he won’t slip away.
“Sleeping alone in the desert at night is cold… at the very least… my house is warm enough to give you a place to rest.”
And in that moment—
You pull him out of the alley, supporting him as you head back to your warm home. You believe your mother would have done the same.
And besides—
His feet keep moving forward with you.
Slowly, because he keeps staring at the sand below, but still choosing to watch his own feet take one step forward at a time.
Soft moonlight bathes the two of you, guiding you through the dark night. And yet, something still clearly remains—
…the hope of starting over, again and again, until the very end.
Maybe, somewhere far, far away —
someone is still waiting for us.
“There— that’s my house, right up ahead.”
At your words, Vash looks forward.
His eyes reflect the image of a small house.
Without realizing it, he tightens his hold around you — and becomes aware of something he had long forgotten.
How long has it been…
since Vash last went home?











