Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, and I own none of these characters except
for a few of them. But only the ones that you've never seen on the show.
'Kay? 'Kay.
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Meryl got up and went down the hall. She stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall. She opened the door and looked in. She smiled when she saw the sight before her.
Her husband Vash was sitting in a chair right beside their children's beds, reading a book to them as he waited for them to fall asleep.
"He walked out the door, vowing he would never come back," Vash went on. Then he noticed Meryl peeking in.
"Go to sleep, Meryl," he told her, pointing at her. The twins turned to look at her.
"Yeah, you should go to sleep, Mom," Corrie, the younger twin, told her, sitting up in her bed.
"Yeah, Mom," Tai added. "You should really listen to Dad on this."
Vash looked triumphantly over at his wife. She gave him a look. "I knew you were turning our children against me. It was only a matter of time before they actually went against me. Tonight, they'll probably try to kill me while I'm asleep." But she turned and went down the hall to their bedroom anyway.
She heard Vash finish the story. "But, in the end, he came back. He came back for the one woman who meant the most to him."
She also heard the twins begin their critiques of the story:
"Aww!" Corrie said. "That's so sweet and romantic! It reminds me of how you and Mom met. Oh, and Mrs. Millie and Wolfwood!"
"That's stupid!" Tai countered. "He came back for a chic? How lame brained was this guy?"
"He wasn't lame brained!" Corrie yelled back. "He was sweet and wonderful!"
"Yeah right!"
"Tai, just because you have the feelings of a guy like Uncle Knives doesn't mean everyone does!"
Meryl stopped and gasped. She began to hurry back to the room, knowing that Corrie had gone too far. But right when she reached the door, Vash stormed out. He looked angry. He went down the hall and went into his and Meryl's bedroom.
Meryl went into the twins' room. They were sitting on their beds, looking at each other with panicked expressions.
Meryl sat down on Corrie's bed. "Corrie, you hurt your daddy very much by mentioning Uncle Knives like that. You both know your Uncle Knives meant a lot to your father. They were twins, just like the two of you."
Corrie pouted. "So? He was horrible! He didn't care if he killed people! He didn't even care if he killed Dad!"
"Yeah!" Tai joined in. "Why does Dad still like him, seeing as how Uncle Knives tried to kill him once!"
"Why do you two still like each other, even when you two are so different?"
Corrie snickered. "Mom, you should know that! We still love each other because we're family. And family's important."
"Yes. But think about why your dad might still love your uncle. Because no matter how different they were, they would always be family."
Corrie and Tai both thought about that for a while.
"I guess so," Tai said.
Meryl put them to bed, then went out into the hall. Vash was waiting for her outside the door.
"It's all right," he whispered when Meryl hugged him. "I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Corrie's words just kind of got to me. But it seems you set things straight."
"I tried, anyway. But I doubt they'll ever be able to understand what it was like for you. For all of us."
"We'll take them to see Millie and Wolfwood tomorrow. It's been a long time since our last visit."
"Yeah. Maybe Nick and Millie will be able to explain it to them better than we could."
"Maybe."
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Meryl woke up later that night. Everything was dark. She felt to the bed next to her. She sat up when she felt nothing. Vash was gone.
"Oh, God, he's not going to start that up again, is he?" she moaned as she got out of bed. She went down the hall. Vash was in the twins' room, sitting up in a chair, staring out the window. He was wearing his old red coat and his sunglasses. His gun was in his hand.
"Vash? Why are you in here?" she whispered, coming into the room. Suddenly, he sat up in the chair, still looking out the window.
"They're here," he said, getting up and going to the back door. Meryl hurried to the window and looked out. Nothing and no one was out there.
"Vash, I don't see anything-" she whispered, still looking out the window. She was about to go after him when something caught her eye. She looked back. Something had definitely moved.
"Vash, who's-" Meryl started to ask. But then, as she watched, she saw a figure walk out of the shadows.
She gasped. "Legato."
Vash pulled her back, away from the window. "Get the twins, and get in the car. You have to go to Millie and Nick's house. Now. Go," he told her.
"But, Vash-"
He flashed her a dangerous look. "Don't argue with me, Meryl. You and the twins have to get out of here. Go."
Meryl nodded. She went and woke up the twins and told them that they had to leave.
"Where are we going?" Corrie asked as she was getting ready.
"We're going to Mrs. Millie's and Wolfwood's house, okay?"
"Cool!"
"Corrie, you have to be quiet, okay?"
They were going out the front door when Tai suddenly realized that Vash wasn't with them. "Mom, isn't Dad coming with us?"
'I wish he would,' Meryl thought, but she answered, "No, I'm afraid not, kids. He'll catch up to us."
They got into the car and sped away.
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Vash walked out into the backyard to face Legato.
"You know, I could have sworn I killed you. I heard you die, man!" Vash called to him.
Legato gave Vash a vicious grin. "I see you've settled down, Vash the Stampede. You have a wife an two small children."
"They're twins, too. Would you like to see pictures?"
"I know they're twins. The master wants them dead."
"Now, why would Knives want a thing like that to happen to his only niece and nephew?"
"Because he knows the prophecy just as well as you do."
Vash gasped. "How did he find out about the prophecy?"
"He has his ways."
"Well, I saw you, and I sent them away. They're safe."
"They'll never be safe as long as they live."
"And why won't they?"
"Because they are the children of the humanoid typhoon. No matter where they go, who they stay with, they will always be hunted. Just like you were."
Vash growled at him. "Stay away from my children." He cocked his pistol and aimed it at Legato. "Oh, and say hi to Knives for me." He pulled the trigger.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()
Meryl got up and went down the hall. She stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall. She opened the door and looked in. She smiled when she saw the sight before her.
Her husband Vash was sitting in a chair right beside their children's beds, reading a book to them as he waited for them to fall asleep.
"He walked out the door, vowing he would never come back," Vash went on. Then he noticed Meryl peeking in.
"Go to sleep, Meryl," he told her, pointing at her. The twins turned to look at her.
"Yeah, you should go to sleep, Mom," Corrie, the younger twin, told her, sitting up in her bed.
"Yeah, Mom," Tai added. "You should really listen to Dad on this."
Vash looked triumphantly over at his wife. She gave him a look. "I knew you were turning our children against me. It was only a matter of time before they actually went against me. Tonight, they'll probably try to kill me while I'm asleep." But she turned and went down the hall to their bedroom anyway.
She heard Vash finish the story. "But, in the end, he came back. He came back for the one woman who meant the most to him."
She also heard the twins begin their critiques of the story:
"Aww!" Corrie said. "That's so sweet and romantic! It reminds me of how you and Mom met. Oh, and Mrs. Millie and Wolfwood!"
"That's stupid!" Tai countered. "He came back for a chic? How lame brained was this guy?"
"He wasn't lame brained!" Corrie yelled back. "He was sweet and wonderful!"
"Yeah right!"
"Tai, just because you have the feelings of a guy like Uncle Knives doesn't mean everyone does!"
Meryl stopped and gasped. She began to hurry back to the room, knowing that Corrie had gone too far. But right when she reached the door, Vash stormed out. He looked angry. He went down the hall and went into his and Meryl's bedroom.
Meryl went into the twins' room. They were sitting on their beds, looking at each other with panicked expressions.
Meryl sat down on Corrie's bed. "Corrie, you hurt your daddy very much by mentioning Uncle Knives like that. You both know your Uncle Knives meant a lot to your father. They were twins, just like the two of you."
Corrie pouted. "So? He was horrible! He didn't care if he killed people! He didn't even care if he killed Dad!"
"Yeah!" Tai joined in. "Why does Dad still like him, seeing as how Uncle Knives tried to kill him once!"
"Why do you two still like each other, even when you two are so different?"
Corrie snickered. "Mom, you should know that! We still love each other because we're family. And family's important."
"Yes. But think about why your dad might still love your uncle. Because no matter how different they were, they would always be family."
Corrie and Tai both thought about that for a while.
"I guess so," Tai said.
Meryl put them to bed, then went out into the hall. Vash was waiting for her outside the door.
"It's all right," he whispered when Meryl hugged him. "I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Corrie's words just kind of got to me. But it seems you set things straight."
"I tried, anyway. But I doubt they'll ever be able to understand what it was like for you. For all of us."
"We'll take them to see Millie and Wolfwood tomorrow. It's been a long time since our last visit."
"Yeah. Maybe Nick and Millie will be able to explain it to them better than we could."
"Maybe."
()()()()()()()()()()()(()
Meryl woke up later that night. Everything was dark. She felt to the bed next to her. She sat up when she felt nothing. Vash was gone.
"Oh, God, he's not going to start that up again, is he?" she moaned as she got out of bed. She went down the hall. Vash was in the twins' room, sitting up in a chair, staring out the window. He was wearing his old red coat and his sunglasses. His gun was in his hand.
"Vash? Why are you in here?" she whispered, coming into the room. Suddenly, he sat up in the chair, still looking out the window.
"They're here," he said, getting up and going to the back door. Meryl hurried to the window and looked out. Nothing and no one was out there.
"Vash, I don't see anything-" she whispered, still looking out the window. She was about to go after him when something caught her eye. She looked back. Something had definitely moved.
"Vash, who's-" Meryl started to ask. But then, as she watched, she saw a figure walk out of the shadows.
She gasped. "Legato."
Vash pulled her back, away from the window. "Get the twins, and get in the car. You have to go to Millie and Nick's house. Now. Go," he told her.
"But, Vash-"
He flashed her a dangerous look. "Don't argue with me, Meryl. You and the twins have to get out of here. Go."
Meryl nodded. She went and woke up the twins and told them that they had to leave.
"Where are we going?" Corrie asked as she was getting ready.
"We're going to Mrs. Millie's and Wolfwood's house, okay?"
"Cool!"
"Corrie, you have to be quiet, okay?"
They were going out the front door when Tai suddenly realized that Vash wasn't with them. "Mom, isn't Dad coming with us?"
'I wish he would,' Meryl thought, but she answered, "No, I'm afraid not, kids. He'll catch up to us."
They got into the car and sped away.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(()
Vash walked out into the backyard to face Legato.
"You know, I could have sworn I killed you. I heard you die, man!" Vash called to him.
Legato gave Vash a vicious grin. "I see you've settled down, Vash the Stampede. You have a wife an two small children."
"They're twins, too. Would you like to see pictures?"
"I know they're twins. The master wants them dead."
"Now, why would Knives want a thing like that to happen to his only niece and nephew?"
"Because he knows the prophecy just as well as you do."
Vash gasped. "How did he find out about the prophecy?"
"He has his ways."
"Well, I saw you, and I sent them away. They're safe."
"They'll never be safe as long as they live."
"And why won't they?"
"Because they are the children of the humanoid typhoon. No matter where they go, who they stay with, they will always be hunted. Just like you were."
Vash growled at him. "Stay away from my children." He cocked his pistol and aimed it at Legato. "Oh, and say hi to Knives for me." He pulled the trigger.