White Flag
"Vash, what the HELL is taking you so long?"
Meryl leaned on the window pane sitting by her paper in covered desk as the second sun slowly drifted away from the glass and down under the horizon of sand. Three weeks of the heart stabbing wait had done a number on the already small insurance girl. Coffee no longer produced any numbness to the wound of sleepless nights, and all the waiting was making her give up hope. The only comfort was the dreamless cat-naps while doing now unneeded paperwork sided by her longing that he would remember where she was.
But it was mostly the cat-naps.
It was her simple logic; no sleep, no dreams
No dreams, no him
It really did hurt. She awoke from every slumber drenched in sweat and tears, knowing her subconscious was screaming for him.
She wanted to scream too.
Go up on some hill in the middle no where by some town even closer to no where and scream you love for the klutzy outlaw! She told herself, but she knew she couldn't tell anyone.
It was hard just telling herself.
But he was still out there some where, so she still loved him.
He had it tough, and she knew that. He had been through more then anyone should have to be dragged into. It didn't help that more than half the planet wanted a piece of him. The last thing she wanted was to add to the great load already on his back.
It would just be better for both of us if he didn't come back…
You don't want that. She told herself.
But do you want him to suffer because you want to be happy?
No…
…so what?
"God, Vash," she whispered, her forehead pressed on the glass, hands holding her head above the cluttered desk. "Why did I have to go and fall in love with you?"
What would I say? She asked, leaning harder on the cool glass. How could I tell him I love him without looking like a fool? All he would do is laugh anyways…
Closing her eyes, the mental image of the blonde gunman became more clear. Him leaning on the door frame, Wolfwood's cross in one hand, his no doubt dead brother in the other. He would lean his head back, a heart filled laugh bursting from the dry throat.
"That's a good one, Meryl! Now, did you get any donuts this week? I'M STARVING!"
Well…at least he would laugh.
The thought made a small smile crack the chapped lips.
At least he would come back…
"Vash, will you put me down?"
"But you can't even walk!"
"I said, 'put me down' and let me die in peace!"
"Quit being suck a drama queen."
Knives groaned from where he rested on his brother's shoulder blade. The two-day trip back to the girls wasn't turning out as he had planned. "Why do we have to go to ANOTHER town?" he whined. "The last spider's nest seemed fine to me!"
"I only stopped there because one of us, if not both, would have bled to death!" Vash snapped to his sibling.
"That would have been fine with me…"
The 'Humanoid Typhoon' stopped near a large rock, laying his sibling load up aggenst the stone sided by one cross punisher. Knives groaned in fake pain, but when shot a glare from his brother, he cut the sound short.
"Why so testy, brother?" Knives questioned, a bit more concerned then before. This made Vash hide deeper behind the black rim of the golden glasses.
The two sat in silence as hours passed. Before too long the first sun began to sink under the yellow coated sand. Vash stood, wiping the grains from his pants, then replaced his brother to his shoulder along side the heavy cross and turned in the direction in which they came. Knives did a double take.
"HEY! WE JUST CAME THIS WAY!"
Vash turned his gaze from his lame brother (A/n: no pun intended) to the second sun about to dip under the sand, following its own brother. The final golden finger-tips reflected from his yellow lenses as he whispered an answered under his breath.
"She doesn't want to see me…"
The outlaw quickly switched to goof mode. "I mean, COME ON! I have my human hating brother on my back, half the damn planet hunting me down, and it's not like she even likes me!" Though the grin plastered over his face was faker then the arm holding Knives in place, his brother accepted it seeing as it was the first smile, fake or sincere, of the whole trip.
"It's not like I ever did anything to make her like me, let alone love me," Vash continued, loosing his grip on the grin. "She was always mad at me, hitting me and yelling at me-"
"Humans are so violent-"
"-all I ever did was goof off, it must have annoyed her so much-"
"-never understanding, always judging-"
"-she must hate me…"
Vash walked in a complete circle while thinking of Meryl. Soon he was heading right back to her without even noting the change in direction. Knives did notice but didn't care.
The faster we get settled, the faster I can fully heal. Knives told himself as his twin carried him to the nearest town, the town of whomever he spoke of so lovingly. It's just plain gross…
Knives, shut up.
Vash stopped again to weigh his options. If I return, I'll be putting Meryl and Millie in danger. If I don't, I will lose a chance at my Mayfly forever. Do I want to chance either her getting hurt or us being happy for the time we two can?
Naw, better just head to another town.
Vash set off again in the direction of another town, brother on one shoulder, and his friend's cross on the other. Knives glared hatefully at the large piece of metal.
"Why, pray tell, did you bring THAT back with us?" he asked his carrier, his voice filled with anger.
Vash started to answer, but instead skidded to a stop and began running back to the direction of the girls. Knives did another double take.
"What NOW!" Knives screached.
"I have to return this," Vash replied plainly. "This cross isn't mine, it's Millie's. I have to give it back. If I hurry, I'll make it there before the last moon comes up."
The second moon were rising up into the starry sky as Meryl quietly closed the door behind her. Though it could only be around seven something, Millie was already home and asleep, tired from a full day of working at the well. The small woman sucked in a mouth full of soft evening before trudging down the path to the small cliff at the edge of town. Every night she would sit up on that hill, looking in the direction in which Vash left to confront his brother. She didn't know why she did it, she always told herself it was because it was a good place to watch the stars, when really she was praying to see him on the horizon.
But she never did.
She was half expecting tonight would be the same, sitting up there till dawn then trudging home for morning coffee.
But then again Vash always surprised her, so she didn't know what to make of her little mound of sand. Not wanting to miss him, she sat all the same, looking off into the distance hoping to see a speck or two. Soon the third moon slowly peeked over the miles of sand, as if unsure whether to rise or not. Before long silver mingled with gold as another lunar joined its sisters in the long string of onyx and diamond. Meryl closed her eyes, hoping when she opened them a silhouette of red would appear in front of the large hunk of rock.
She got her wish.
She blinked as the shadow took form on the background of cold stone. The moon rose higher and black fell into black. She stood, hoping to pull the outline from the night sky. Only after the forth moon entered the heavens did the figure once again appeared in her sight.
Her breath caught in her throat as a cross moved out of the blob of running black. On the balls of her feet, she tried to make out the finer points of the racing silhouette. It wasn't until the fifth moon peeked did the details of the man become clear enough to see.
Her heart jumped so high it felt like it left her body.
"Vash…"
She slowly fell back down to earth with thud. Her knees had given way and seemed intent of staying glued to the sand. She didn't notice or care as the gunman ran closer to her mound of dirt. She looked on as more details and features pronounced themselves on his being. She watched, infixed, as the load on his left shoulder bounced up and down as he ran.
He's running for me… the small woman thought, He's really running…
The stormy eyes glowed with warmth as the outlaw cleared the ile between them. Soon he was in yelling distance. Meryl sat looking, utterly and entirely speechless. She had spent the last two weeks thinking about what she would say to him.
Now she couldn't utter a single syllable
Vash ran hard, holding Knives in place the best he could. From what he could tell, the other plant had passed out. He focused everything he had on the town before him. Wolfwood's cross slapped him on the back as if telling to pick up the pace. He obeyed without question.
Before long the third moon was catching up with the second and the forth and fifth had just moved into the heavens. He felt their endless stares on his back, weighing him down.
Slowing him down.
Vash pushed on, the pain in his spine a reminder of why he talked himself into coming back.
I have to get this back to Millie.
When he reached the city limits the break-neck speed cut in half. The outlaw's jog slowed to a tired walk. As he passed the cliff on which he spent most of his nights there thinking, he stopped all together . Without knowing why, he looked up to peek.
Two warm grey eyes looked down on him.
"Vash…"
Meryl stood up and looked down on the man below, the whisper echoing over and over again in her head. He looked up, not knowing what to make of it. A smile slowly pulled on her lips as she looked down. She could taste the sand as a strong wind pulled at her, wanting to pushing her off the side and down to the 'Stampede'. If his hands weren't already full she would follow the tug and fly down to him.
Instead she ran.
The sand flew up as her feet kicked it up with each step. She made a sharp turn, almost falling from fatigue. Meryl rushed down the path and into the tall blonde. He let out yelp of surprise as she latched her arms around his tummy and squeezed hard.
"DAMMIT VASH! TAKE FOR FRIGGIN EVER! NEVER SAID WHEN YOU WOULD BE BACK! NEVER SAID WHERE THE HELL YOU WERE GOING! JUST PACK UP AND LEAVE!" Meryl sobbed harder into the leather of his space suit. "WHAT THE HELL MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD TAKE SO LONG!"
Vash held the short woman with his free hand. (A/n: the cross in strapped to his back, just so you know XD) "I missed you too Meryl…MERYL!"
Vash caught the insurance girl as she fell to the ground, loosing conscious. She smiled up at him. "Vash…you said my name…"
"I love you…Vash the Stampede.."
Owari
Thanks to Kenny and Hustino