My name is Vash the Stampede. I have been a hunter of peace who chases the mayfly known as love for many, many moons now. There is no rest for me in my search for peace. On my quest my only companion is my shadow. None may get close to me or follow me as I pursue the elusive harmony that all men must find to be complete.

“Mr. Vash! Are you in there?”

Vash comically tumbled off his bed; falling face first onto the floor and just lied there listening to the loud knocks on his hotel room door. The spiky haired gunslinger had been mediating after a long day of running from bounty hunters after his sixty billion double dollar bounty. He had finally lost them after accidentally causing several buildings to collapse and had booked a room in a local hotel. The person knocking on his door and calling out to him was no bounty hunter, but someone he hadn’t heard from in awhile.

Vash went to open the door and no sooner did he have it open a crack that Milly Thompson burst into his room, all smiles and sunny. Milly was a sweet girl, with a simplistic look to the world that Vash liked because it was similar to his own views on life. He had abandoned the brown haired girl and her partner in another town several weeks ago after things got a little too dangerous. Most people would be angry about being ditched, but Milly grinned happily and pulled Vash into a big hug.

“Mr. Vash I’m so happy to see your safe! Meryl and me have been following you since you left us a couple weeks ago. It’s so good to see you again!”

“Same here,” Vash grinned meekly as Milly kept him in a bear hug for longer then he was comfortable with. Milly seemed more grabby then usual, probably his sudden departure had upset her more then she was letting on. Vash remembered Milly’s partner Meryl, a girl that wasn’t quiet as kind and forgiving. After leaving her behind, Vash expected in was in for an earful or maybe a smack to the back of his head. He noticed that the shorter insurance girl wasn’t around, which was strange because she was usually attached to the hip with Milly.

“Where’s your partner? I hope she’s not angry with me about heading out alone,” Vash laughed weakly, knowing the girl he was lucky but not lucky enough to avoid Meryl for long. Milly finally broke the hug, but kept her hands on Vash’s shoulders. She looked solemnly at him, or at least tried, she made a pouty, cute face as she tried to be serious.

“Meryl was very upset when you left. I tired to tell her we’d find you and to relax, but Meryl wouldn’t listen. She’s been in a rotten mood ever since and she could really use some comfort. She doesn’t know you’re here. Her rooms down the hall to the right, go talk to her and make things better.”

“She was really worried about me?” Vash asked, surprised to see the short girl cared so much. He knew she had a good heart underneath all the anger.

“Absolutely, if we didn’t find you we would be fired. In this economy Meryl can’t afford to be out of work even a day.” Vash head dropped down and he groaned. Meryl did care or at least she cared about her career. That was alright, Vash still thought she was sweeter then she let on.

“I’ll go see her,” Vash said as he headed to the girl’s room. A cold sweat began to form n his face as he got closer, images of Meryl screaming down at him like a demon with fire in the background racing through his head. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, maybe he was overreacting, maybe Milly had exaggerated how angry Meryl was?

Vash knocked on the door, ready to cower and beg at a moments notice. “Come on in Milly, did you bring more donuts?”

“N-no,” Vash whimpered. All he heard was silence from the other side of the door, then loud footsteps raced towards him. Tensing up, he prepared himself to be screamed at, but wasn’t prepared with what greeted him when the door swung open.

“You!”

Vash flinched, not from the angry outburst but from the bits of donut that sprayed from Meryl’s mouth when she spoke. He stared at the short girl and then stepped back because he was having trouble seeing all of her. Meryl had put on weight, a lot of weight. Vash would never guess a woman’s weight out loud, he wasn’t that stupid, but Meryl had to have gained fifty pounds since he last saw her.

She was still wearing her normal long sleeved short white dress with the blue ribbon and cape, but the outfit was stretched to its limits. Meryl’s belly and breasts pushed out against the white material, letting Vash see the shape of the rolls of fat on her side and her nipples. Her hips had grown incredibly wide, forcing her normally mid-thigh skirt up several inches to expose nearly all of her legs. Vash could only imagine how big her backside had to be, but he wasn’t going to ask to look. That would be just suicidal.

Meryl swallowed the mouthful of donuts and then tore into Vash with her usual ferocity. “Where have you been?! Do you know how much stress I’ve been under? You should have waited for us or left us a message! How could you be so stupid?! I nearly pulled my hair out following your trail of destruction and every time I called my office I got screamed at for your mistakes! You irresponsible, childish, stupid….Aaaaarrrr!”

The door slammed a moment later, hitting Vash in the nose and throwing him back into a wall. Sitting there rubbing his sore nose, Milly walked up beside him, her smile slightly strained as listened to Meryl curse loudly inside their room.

“So I’m guessing your partner tends to eat when she’s stressed?” Vash surmised and Milly nodded quickly. “So this is my fault and now she’s fat and even angrier, making her eat more and make things worse.”

“I prefer to think Meryl is rounder, not fat,” Milly told Vash with a shrug of her large shoulders. Groaning, Vash realized this was his fault and it was his responsibility to fix it. How do you calm a two hundred plus pounds of angry insurance girl?