EDIT June 2019: Livio stories written in 2013 now gathered into this collection.

A/N: well I was trawling the internet when I landed up on Karaii's site, there was this little line among all the gorgeous Livio pics which just killed me. I laughed so hard. Dunno why it was so funny, but I sure needed the laugh. So Karaii, thanks for the laugh, and here is a story.

"The person who taught me meditating told me he did it for 3 seconds only, but I like doing it for longer." Livio.

[To be found on tumblr at: karaii OR her excellent roleplay blog (also tumblr) liviothedoublefang ]

Spoilers? (or to see pics of Vash exercising) Trigun Manga vol 2 / Trigun Maximum vol 1 &14 (and Livio) Trigun Maximum 13.

Three Seconds

First Posted: 06 13 2013

"The secret," Vash said with a smile, "is meditation."

Livio gave him a nod and continued counting out his push-ups. Vash was doing one armed push-ups while in hand stand position. There was something about the concentration on Vash's face that made Livio pay attention; it was incongruous to what he knew meditation to be. Relaxing and soul calming.

"You meditate while doing that?" He asked incredulously.

Vash switched hands in mid press, this time doing it with his prosthetic arm, which Livio privately considered cheating. Until he realised that the man seemed to double his concentration. Ah, he was strengthening his shoulder, but it clearly cost him something in either effort or pain.

Vash didn't answer for a while, as he counted out fifty and switched hands again.

Livio found he had lost count of his own push-ups. What was the last number he could recall counting? Four hundred and fifty, and four hundred and fifty one, four hundred and fifty-

"No." Vash said. "Before the exercise."

Livio considered this.

He was used to exercising until he fell asleep. It had been a habit he had picked up at the Eye of Michael while trying to keep up with Razlo. A bad habit, according to Razlo. But it was all that had kept him from being kicked out of the Eye of Michael. He did not have the natural raw ability Razlo was able to exhibit when he took control of his body. No. Calming the mind beforehand was a rather strange idea. Also, didn't it waste time? Wouldn't more exercise be better than time spent, well, just doing nothing?

Vash, in the mean time, had decided that sit-ups on the floor weren't good enough. He had tied his ankles to the coat rack bolted to the wall, and went from hanging upside down to almost touching his nose to his knees with each movement.

Livio then realised he had lost count again. What was with him? He usually did hundreds of push-ups without any effort. This thinking, that was what it was, it interrupting his rhythm. Four hundred and seventy two, four hundred and-

He finished his set of push-ups and stretched then went looking for the dumbbells. Various sizes were stashed under the bed. He selected a pair and stood doing curls and lunges at the same time. He was not going to try to compete with Vash, who had a different approach to exercise. He seemed to prefer using his own body weight, which made sense, Livio realised. The man spent his life travelling; it was not as if he was going to lug a few extra pounds in weights at the bottom of his duffel. Although he had picked up Vash's duffel bag once, and was not sure it did not contain weights. It was a lot heavier than it should be if it simply contained clothing. He had heard a strange story from the insurance girls once, about how Vash had brained one of the Gung Ho Guns with it. Not a bad use for a duffel bag.

Vash finished his sit-ups on the wall and disentangled his scarred feet. Livio could not help but marvel. He was slightly envious. He could never scar, his body healed too well for that. Vash's somewhat ostentatious collection of them made him wish he could have a few for all the times he had lost various limbs and appendages in battle.

"Three seconds?" Livio asked.

Vash stretched out his spine, leaning backwards.

"Yes." He said as he straightened. "I dwell on love and life."

Livio blinked.

"Not love and peace?"

"Not in the morning meditation." Vash grinned. "But to the world I declare love and peace!" He pulled a peace sign.

Livio was quite pleased that he had remembered his count. Thirty three. Hang on. Was that a hundred and thirty three or two hundred and thirty three? Argh! Doing exercises while Vash chatted was so distracting!

Vash then belted on his holster and practiced quick draws. Livio became aware that he had frozen in a lunge to watch the man. He realised he was actually trying to see the whole trajectory of the gun, which was impossible as Vash moved so quickly. He should be able to track something like that. He stepped out of the lunge and stood and watched the man. Damn, was that the difference it made being a plant? Even enhanced as he was, he could not follow it. But, then again, he did not have to be able to follow it to be able to predict the trajectory of a bullet. He stretched his legs and looked at the weights in his hands. Damn, Vash had made him loose count again.

Vash finished with his quick draws and began setting up an odd collection of washer rings at shoulder height, which he tied to a string he had tacked across the room. It was then that Livio decided that the man's exercises were as strange as he was. Livio set the dumbbells down and stretched.

"Vash," he had to ask, "why three seconds?"

Vash grinned.

"Just because." Which was no answer at all.

Livio spent the rest of the exercise session losing count because thoughts and questions kept intruding. He would try the meditation thing to see if it worked. However, what worked for Vash would not necessarily work the same for him. He would try six minutes and see what that lead to, and if he found it good, there was the possibility of increasing the time. Mmh, yes, that sounded good. And damn it! He had lost count yet again. This was the last time he was exercising with Vash the Stampede in the same room.