Desperado

Notes: A strictly Trigun fanfiction. The usual disclaimer of I don't' own anything. If I did Vash and Meryl would have gotten together and we'd have a second season. But, anyhow, I hope you enjoy. Vash/Meryl and Nicholas/Millie ships. I also don't own the song Desperado by the Eagles. They are property of their respective owners.

Vash sighed as he walked under the blazing suns. Sweat was pouring profusely down his forehead. He still had those unusual yellow glasses that gleamed in the baking sunlight. He was slowed down by the fact he had his brother Knives over one shoulder. Knives had been unconscious since their battle. Vash knew he wasn't dead. His plan was to try and convince Knives about the attributes of humanity, maybe he'd finally see humanity has more positive qualities than it did negative. Vash scowled, he could defiantly use some powdered doughnuts and coffee. What a weird thing to think about in the middle of a blazing hot desert, doughnuts and coffee. If Vash had to be honest with himself that wasn't the only thing going around in his head these days, one person always seemed to nag at his mind. A blue-haired short and very unique kind of woman was the culprit of his ponderings. The fiery and quirky insurance girl who had managed to make him feel so safe so secure so, he snapped out of his thoughts. He'd fallen in love with her, and he knew by the way she acted when he left she felt the same. Meryl's pride would probably keep her from admitting it. Vash could tell from the look in her eyes, the way she'd been so kind to him, even defensive when the townspeople had been cruel to him. Vash suddenly felt a stab of guilt when he thought of Nicholas Wolfwood and how hard it had hit Millie Thompson. She'd been in love with the crazy chain-smoking priest (well sort of a priest). She'd given Vash Wolfwood's cherished gun, but he knew Millie was just trying to be strong for both her and Meryl's sake. He pondered this as he sat Knives up beside a shady tree, one of the few around, and he himself took a rest. He has disposed with his trademark red jacket. His blonde hair was not in its normal fashion; it was rather tasseled and shaggy due to the heat and him not really getting to rest. He looked slightly peaky, perhaps a bit pallor. His brother Knives was basically dead weight and it was difficult to carry him at such a distance. The character of Vash was dramatically different that the reputation he'd been given as a "human tornado." He was kind, gentle, and a sincere peace-loving person. Well, technically Vash was a plant, but he acted more human than the latter. Then he'd met the Bornedelli Insurance girls, who'd turned his world upside down, Meryl to be particular. It was apparent at first she found him to be as bad as his reputation, a nuisance even. But, as time went by she acted more defensive of him, more worried when he disappeared, to downright almost crying when he left. Love's funny like that, it had struck him and her when they'd least expected it, and Vash couldn't say he was 100 prepared for it.

Meryl sighed as she started into the cold dregs of her coffee. She'd slipped into thinking about him again. About those haunting aquamarine orbs that laugh that could warm her up quicker than anything she ever experienced. Then she thought about that hug he'd given her, she'd blushed, he hadn't seen this of course. There were times Meryl cursed her pride, it had kept her from telling Vash how she had really felt before he left, and it would probably rear up again when he got back, if he ever came back. She stared absent-mindedly through the smoky-gray windows. Millie saw the distant and worried look on Meryl's face. "Sempai I'm back!" Millie greeted Meryl with her usual cheerful tone.

"Oh Millie, konichiwa." Meryl's tone was sad, which wasn't normal for Meryl. She was usually preoccupied with hiding her emotions, but she decided she could talk to Millie about it.

"You're worried about Mr. Vash aren't you?" Millie observed. Meryl nodded slowly and sighed. Millie hugged the much shorter woman. "Things will be okay, sempai. Mr.Vash will come back." Meryl had to hang on to that hope, she so desperately want to believe that. Vash had resumed his journey to find the nearest town, that way he could help Knives recuperate. He knew the closest town was the one he'd left Millie and Meryl in when he'd gone to find his brother. He was slightly worried about how Meryl would act when he got back carrying his brother on his shoulder. Would she be mad, would she reject him completely? He sighed, he just didn't know, but he had to try. Millie had almost finished drilling the well they'd started six months ago. It wasn't easy to find an adequate water source in the rocky and dry ground that inhabited this planet. She was on the small porch swing in front of the house, going back and forth without really paying attention to what she was doing. She would never admit how much she missed Vash's bad habit of inhaling doughnuts at an alarming rate. She smiled; she remembered how insane he was the time he'd managed to get himself drunk. The handsome, naïve outlaw she'd managed to fall in love with. She'd finally admitted to herself that she loved him. She knew Millie could sense it, Meryl just couldn't stand when she'd seen that horrible pain and suffering in his eyes. She felt her gut clench; it had been her fault he'd had to kill Legato. If she hadn't followed him, he wouldn't have had to make the terrible choice that he had. She sighed; maybe she didn't deserve to love Vash. After all, she wasn't the most agreeable woman in the world. She often used anger to cover up her true feelings, something she'd gotten in a bad habit of doing. Meryl Stryfe was so lost in her own thoughts she barely noticed the tall outline of a blonde haired man on the horizon. She was so used to strangers coming in and out of the main framework of this town she barely noticed it. She wasn't quiet sure what jerked her out of her wanderings, except that maybe that profile looked eerily familiar.

She shook her head, almost laughing at herself. "It can't be Vash. I mean whoever that is isn't wearing a red coat." Meryl received a violent shock, when the person came clearly into view. It was indeed the infamous gunslinger, Vash the Stampede. Meryl wasn't sure whether to cry, laugh, or get mad, she felt like all three at the moment.

"Hi Meryl," was what Vash said simply.

"Konichiwa," Meryl finally managed with some effort.

"I needed to ask do you have somewhere I could lay Knives down, he's getting awfully heavy." Vash asked.

Meryl nodded mutely. "There's a spare bedroom, here let me show you." Meryl led him to the spare room that hadn't been used since she and Millie had rented the small house. Vash carefully laid the slumbering Knives down, one of the few times the psycho looked peaceful. Meryl was about to open her mouth to say something, when she heard Millie barge through the front door.

"Sempai, we finished the well, now there's plenty of water." Millie seemed to sense something was different, because she emerged into the back room a few moments later.

"Mr. Vash! You're back!" Millie called out cheerfully upon spotting Vash.

"Oh hey Millie, how are you doing?" Vash asked flashing one of his million dollar smiles

'Oh great I'm turning into a puddle,' Meryl thought when she saw Vash smile. She didn't let on of course. They talked, Meryl was really thankful to have Millie there; it allowed her to talk more freely without frequent awkward pauses. Meryl was still shocked he'd come back, she had been counting on it but to be honest she hadn't prepared herself for it one bit.

"So what are you going to do with Knives now?" Meryl asked him. He looked puzzled for a minute, and then responded, "Well, I'm hoping I might be able to turn him over."

Meryl looked skeptical. "I thought he hated all humans."

Vash grimaced. "Yeah, he does, but maybe I can show him how wrong he is and he'll change." Vash exchanged a glance with Meryl, and Meryl felt a blush threatening to creep into her cheeks.

"I know you can do it Mr. Vash!" Millie exclaimed excitedly. "

Doomo arigato" he smiled at her kindly. Vash had gone to sleep really early that night, he had one really bad wound on his shoulder Meryl and Millie had bandaged. Meryl, however, was far from asleep. She sat there staring at the dim lights that played upon her ceiling. She was thinking to herself, and cursing herself. Hadn't she been dying to throw her arms around his neck the minute he got back? But what did she do, sit there and look stupid barely being able to say hi. She cursed herself; she was just not good at being in love. She sighed; Vash must really think her moronic now. She rolled over, pulled her fluffy white pillow over her head, and attempted sleep.