Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, I own Azi..But not anyone else.
Author's notes: I'm re-vamping this story and I might be inclined to finish it if I can find the time out of work. So…well..that's about it. I still suck at grammar.
Meryl never was the type of girl to complain about things. If something didn't go her way it was fine with her, she had an uncaring attitude about most things. But now she was a sophomore in High School and things were a bit different than they had been in her freshman. Her best friend, for example, was now dating a boy whom everyone called "Wolfwood" because of his last name. It had happened over the summer while they were at camp. Meryl hadn't known anything about it so it had been a shock for her to find out about the dating. So she wasn't getting much attention from her only. But that was okay with her, she'd gone a long time without Millie anyway. She had been a loner before Millie Thompsin had shown up, preferring to stay alone than to socialize with any of the other kids.. She had tried cutting just for fun, she liked the way the pain felt. Well for fun and because of her worst enemy, Legato. She had known Legato since birth. Their families had rivalry's because Legato's was rich and the social Target of the town. He had a perfect family, a mother a father and a sister. He was a punk and had his own "Gang" called the "Gunho guns" Quite a stupid name, she thought, but she didn't bother to tell him that. She wanted no part in their antics or scandals. Her family was always talked about in social circles. She hated it, really she did. She had stopped cutting when Millie came along. Millie was too sweet and innocent to know things such as that ever happened.
Meryl Stryfe had long legs for her age, but was particularly short. She had short black hair, cropped in a pixie cut and blue eyes that could stun a man in a second. But she wasn't interested in boys or being Popular. Men didn't seem to like to pay attention to her anyway. It wasn't like she was anything special, she was short and pretty, not voluptuous like some of the seniors that she saw. She didn't want to get that much attention, but there were times when she wished she would fill out like some of the other girls. There was a set of twins in particular that she didn't like, which seemed to like to bother her extremley. Vash and Knives Millions were both good looking and twins to boot. Bothe brothers were as different as night and day to tell the truth. Vash was a dork, sweet and outgoing yet weird. Girls liked him because he had a great smile and was always a gentleman. He did have a thing for being perverted sometimes though. He had an obsession for donuts too, which was strange, but there was hardly a time where he would be seen without one on his personage. Knives was cruel and cold, usually getting into trouble and hating every one around him. He held a coldness that made girls swoon and then shy away from.
Freshman year had been a good year for Meryl and it was looking like Sophmore year was going to get a lot worse. It was only the first day and she'd already found out her best friend was dating some guy and she already had three essays due the next week. Meryl sighed heavily as she walked down the hall clutching her books to her small chest. She saw Legato's sister, Azi walk by. Azi was not at all like Legato, on the contrary she had to be even further from her brother than Vash and Knives were. She was a year younger, yet in the same grade, not smart, they just had to keep Legato back. Azrielle was her real name, but everyone called her Azi, Meryl had no Idea why, they just did. She had black hair and chocolate brown eyes. Her skin was pale and she did her best to cover up her freckles. She was of average height and a bit overweight. She was a lot like Meryl a loner, she never talked, except on rare occasions and she usually minded her own business. Legato had dyed blue hair, was a great deal taller than the grade and was pale as a fish. He was bony and looked underfed even though he ate more than Avery did. Meryl watched as the girl walked by and shook her head, she would have killed herself already if she had to live with Legato, poor girl, it was no wonder why she was so quiet.
She walked into her Bio class and sat down in her seat. She hated Biology, it was horrible. Bio was just plain evil. She always failed science. Math, well …she just wasn't good at. Science, she just didn't care. Often in science, it was just too gross or boring for her to even concentrate. Every other subject she excelled at but Science…ugh science was the devil's subject. She snickered as she saw Vash with his "Fan club". Most of the girls in the school LOVED vash and crowded him where ever he went. They were like puppies, following him, well at least that's what SHE thought. Most girls thought that she was weird for not worshipping the very ground he walked on. He was always out to try to get her to join his fanclub, well at least that's what she speculated. Vash caught Meryl's glance and winked at her, giving her that roguish grin that slew so many girls. In an instant her face was a soft pink with indignance. Vash on the other had, saw something else and gave a great big wave, which earned him the cold shoulder from her. She hated him, so popular, so annoying, so…so out to get her. She loathed him and refused to play his little game. She would make sure that he knew, she was not going to fall prey to his perverted ways.
Suddenly the door flew open with a huge crash and everyone jumped, every one, that is except Meryl. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. It was "The king of terror" and his gang, the Gunho guns. Knives Millions and Legato stood in front, the two leaders of the gang. Behind them stood a various mix of shady characters, the co-captains Dominique and the boy who went by the name "The horn freak". All of these creatures menacing and not worth her time. They were stupid and rarely did anything that made sense. Dominique had earned herself the title of co-captain as she had gotten her eye stabbed out. She said it was from a rival gang, but Meryl Knew that the fake had never been in a real gang fight, she had fallen off her bike and poked her eye out on a sharp rock.
Knives' eyes stared at Meryl noticing that she was not at all frightened or in fact even noting that they were there. He had always hated her and she knew it. It was because she refused to give in to the stupid intimidation. She had yet to see them carry out one of their so called threats. He nudged Legato in the side with his elbow and nodded to Meryl. The whole gang walked over to her desk and both Legato and Knives slammed down one hand onto her desk, peering at her as if she were some specimen in a jar that he had never seen before. She hated the way he looked at her like that. Meryl slowly looked up at the two boys before her. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Pixie dust!" Legato said in a harsh tone. The whole gang snickered as if on cue. Trained little puppies asking 'How high?' when their masters told them to jump, the image just made her smirk, which wasn't that good of an idea. Knives' lip twitched and he turned to talk to his gang. "I noticed that you didn't seem afraid of me and my gang!"
Meryl gave them a well placed stare through her chopped bangs. It was known throughout the school that she could easily kill a man with that look. "I have reason to be scared?" she asked in an even voice, betraying no emotion and the class gulped. Legato looked like he was going to leap at her and tear her limb from limb. He started to talk but knives held his hand up for silence and all eyes fell on the two. He grabbed her Jaw in a tight grip and hissed at her darkly and threateningly "You might wanna remember your place, little trailer-trash! Little nobodies with spider legs like you with attitudes can get in big trouble…yeah spider, that's your name from now on. An insult to fit such a pathetic nobody." He grinned with an evil, maniac look in his eye, the guy had always been loony.
Meryl tried to struggle to get herself away from him, but his grasp on her chin only tightened. "Ow! You're hurting me, let go Knives!" He grinned sadistically and brought his lips down to an inch above hers. She could feel his hot breath on her face and it made her cringe slightly.
Meryl started to shake and blush, she wasn't used to being this close to a guy. Knives was good looking after all and he smelled good too. She almost hit herself for saying that, but decided against it when he began to speak again. "Is the little spider turned on by this? Turned on by one holding power over her." Knives let go and slapped her. She immediately brought her hand up to her cheek. "DON'T make me mad, spider!"
Suddenly from the corner a girl's voice rang out "Leave her alone knives!" The whole class's heads turned to see who had stood up against the most powerful boy in school. There stood Azi, glaring at knives looking pretty deadly herself. Legato walked over and slapped her and grabbed her wrist taking out a knife. "It would be BEST, my dear sister, if you DON'T speak up. You might get hurt." With that he trailed the knife down her wrist making it look like the mark Meryl knew so well. The mark of suicide.
What bothered Meryl, by that time, was not that the fact that she had gotten slapped but by the fact Azi was just standing there taking all of this, as if it were normal. Then she noticed something else, Vash actually looking serious. He was usually the last person to look serious, but then again he hated his brother.
Vash, with all the calamity going on had stood up basically unnoticed by the rest of the class. He walked over to Azi and took her wrist out of Legato's hand. He tore a piece of his wife beater off and wrapped her wound in it tenderly. He then walked over to Meryl and took her face and looked at it to make sure she was ok. "That's going to bruise, keep ice on it." Knives snarled, and Vash turned around to glare at him then things returned to normal. As the teacher walked in, the event was all but forgotten about.