Guest Author - The Futile Existence

There's a pub caravan. The cat shows up right in the beginning when Wolfwood is playing chess - the cat is sitting on his opponent's lap. Wolfwood reaches to move a knight while his opponent is distracted, and the cat catches him at it.

Millie shows up and helps him win. Then as the two leave, with Wolfwood buying Millie pudding in thanks, a dancing girl runs into them fleeing from a bunch of guys. Millie and Wolfwood help her escape. It turns out the girl, Moore, is in love with Julius.

In the meantime, Vash and Meryl are asked to hunt down the son, Julius. Julius has the only pass to get into the city tattooed on his arm. Julius has found that his father and foster father are into slave trading and is running away. Vash tells the dad that he wants 20 million double dollars to bring Julius back.

Wolfwood is angry at Julius for taking off, dooming the caravan members to starvation and death. He holds a gun at his head and asks the 2 if they're willing to run off - and they do. Millie goes off with the 2 to help out. Wolfwood is depressed that Millie can so easily do what he cannot.

Vash tells Meryl he took a job to kill someone. Meryl holds a gun to Vash but can't shoot him. Vash is hostile and won't talk.

Back to the trio - the bad guys catch up with them and start hitting Millie and Moore violently. Julius agrees to go back but Wolfwood shows up and saves them. Then, amongst the line of bad guys, Vash steps forward. Vash and Wolfwood face off. Vash calmly shoots Julius and Moore and tells the bad guys to leave the money.

Millie is furious and punches Vash in the face. She then cries on Meryl's shoulder. Wolfwood walks up and steps on Vash's glasses but then realizes Vash had rubber bullets. Vash even gives them the money - but they don't take it and go off together.

Wolfwood leaves on a motorcycle - "All along I thought there had to be a sacrifice - but there was another answer - Vash the Stampede".