I don't know why she does it. Why she follows me around. Her and the other
insurance girl. And I don't know why I let them.
She trotted beside me, taciturn and tense. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, and then I had realized that we'd been walking for miles. Her breaths were slightly ragged, but she inhaled and exhaled through her nose to hide it.
"I say we take a break!" I beamed at her.
"But Mr. Vash, the town's only a few miles away! Don't you need to check up on Knives?" The other girl walked up in long strides; she had the advantage of height.
I glanced at the smaller girl. She blinked as she kicked the sand.
"He can wait. It's not like he's going to blow it up." I plopped onto the ground.
The taller girl looked at me as if I were insane. I couldn't agree with her more. "You shouldn't be sarcastic like that. What if he does?"
I shrugged. "He's probably there to buy something to eat."
She sighed and sat down beside the other girl. I looked up into the azure sky. There were a few strands of clouds here and there. Not all too exhilarating.
"Meryl, you look a little flushed. . ." The taller girl put her hand over the other girl's forehead. "You're running a fever!"
The shorter girl waved her hand to dismiss the issue and stood up. "Let's go." She muttered.
I pushed myself up from the ground and stretched. "Alrighty dighty," I looked back at the two of them as I started walking. "You guys okay?"
The short one nodded and the other sighed. "After we find Knives we need to go to the apothecary."
I smiled. "Of course." I watched as the shorter one scrambled up to my side. It was so childlike that it was cute. Yes, I just said cute.
"It's okay," she said softly. "I don't need anything."
I looked at her. I don't know how to explain it, but she looked miserable and pallid. Flushed too, if that makes any sense. I shook my head. "If you're sick, you need medicine."
She paused. "It'll be out of your way, and I feel fine. . ." She said finally.
I sighed and shrugged. There was no point arguing with her. She was the most adamant person I knew.
We continued for another ten minutes, and then she started to fall behind. At first, I slowed my pace. She continued to lag farther until she bent over to breathe with elongated and labored breaths.
I stopped and waited. Thinking for a minute, I finally asked, "Do you want me to carry you?"
She looked up with a disgusted face.
"Just wondering. . ." I laughed nervously and turned away. "You're probably too heavy anyways. . ."
I then heard the thud of footsteps and felt a huge pang in the side of my head. I rubbed it as I saw her huffing forward.
***
We reached the town in about half an hour. We found Knives in double that time.
He was sitting in a little noodle restaurant. . . eating noodles. . . tranquilly. . .
Meryl decided to accompany me to the bank. Bad idea.
So we went and withdrew about three hundred double dollars. As we walked back, I noticed a group of men following us surreptitiously.
"Hey Meryl. . ." I looked at her from the corner of my eye.
"Yes?'
"Maybe you should go ahead and find Knives and Millie. I forgot something. It'll only take a minute. . ."
"I'll come with you."
"No. . . go back. . ."
She looked at me confused. "Why?"
I glanced around and saw a glint from the sun from something in the hands of one of the men. That was no good.
"Just go!" I pushed her roughly aside as the men began their chase.
I saw her stand hurt and shocked as she watched the horde of men after me. Then, I saw one of them grab her wrist.
They chased me into an alley and fanned out. They revealed their weapons, and without a word, the attack came from the left.
I dodged the first few without ease, and I realized that this wasn't the normal crowd of pissed villagers and their pitchforks. They were fast: really fast.
The first hit also came from the left. From what I saw, it was a knife. I drew out my gun and fired, hitting my attacker in the shoulder.
There were roughly twenty of them, all attacking with the skill of a Gung Ho Gun.
I saw her reach for her derringers without luck. She had left her cape back at the hotel in the other town. She scanned for any sort of weapon, and she found a stick.
I'll be the first to say that this wasn't the stereotypical sort of alley. No trash cans, no black cats. It was just secluded. I guess the stick wasn't too bad of a find.
She rushed in and started hitting whomever she could. Wham! A shot on my arm came from the right. It's what I get for not paying attention. I shot back, hitting the man in the leg. I focused my attention back on Meryl.
She was now coughing and hunched over, the stick dropped from her hands.
I started shooting at the men around her. Two of them went down with minor injuries. She looked up with apologetic eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and pointed above my head. That's where everything got dizzy and dark, and where something buried into my stomach. I collapsed.
***
I woke up with grogginess, trying to sit. My stomach wouldn't let me as a pain shot through my torso. I groaned and lay back down.
There was no question; I was in a hospital room. I heard a door slowly open and close.
A nurse. I asked her how I got here.
She was surprised that I was awake. "You've been asleep for two days," she said. She then shook her head. "Anyways, a woman carried you here. I asked her what happened to the two of you. You, sir, had knife and gun wounds all over your body. She said you were attacked. Then I asked how the two of you managed to escape. That's when she fainted from exhaustion and her injuries. But honestly, we never get trouble in this town. It's very unfortunate that it happened to you folks."
I winced. Meryl. How had she. . .? "You said she carried me?"
The nurse nodded. "Yes. Well, more like dragged you on her shoulder. But for such a small stature, and with those wounds. . ."
"How is she?"
The nurse frowned. "I'm not so sure." She paused. "Now, if you'll excuse me. . ." She then walked to the door and left.
I closed my eyes with fatigue. All I could dream about was Meryl.
***
It must have been midnight. I saw the door open and close with a deliberate tenderness.
Meryl. In the dim light, I saw much of her fragile body wrapped with bandages, blood seeping through them. She stumbled over to my bed.
"Meryl. . . what are you doing here. . .?" Was all I could manage to whisper to her.
She cocked her head. "To make sure you were okay. . ." She sat on her knees beside my bed and twisted the wrinkles on her shirt with her hands. I could tell she was nervous.
I smiled and, with much pain, sat up. I groaned and held my stomach. "Sorry. . ." I muttered.
"No, no, please don't move!" She looked at me with pained eyes. "You were shot in the stomach."
I shook my head and climbed down beside her. "Vash. . ." She murmured. "You should rest. . ."
I smiled. "It's okay. I feel much better anyways. Knowing that you're okay. . ."
I saw her flush in the moonlight.
I sighed. I couldn't lie to my curiosity; I wanted to know what had happened. I asked her.
She smiled and took my hand into both of hers. Closing her eyes, she brought it to her cheek.
I was surprised. It wasn't much of an answer, but I felt the numbness melting, and I embraced her. Another sort of numbness took over my body as her body leaned against mine. I've never felt anything like it before. But it made me happy, and that's all I cared about.
She trotted beside me, taciturn and tense. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, and then I had realized that we'd been walking for miles. Her breaths were slightly ragged, but she inhaled and exhaled through her nose to hide it.
"I say we take a break!" I beamed at her.
"But Mr. Vash, the town's only a few miles away! Don't you need to check up on Knives?" The other girl walked up in long strides; she had the advantage of height.
I glanced at the smaller girl. She blinked as she kicked the sand.
"He can wait. It's not like he's going to blow it up." I plopped onto the ground.
The taller girl looked at me as if I were insane. I couldn't agree with her more. "You shouldn't be sarcastic like that. What if he does?"
I shrugged. "He's probably there to buy something to eat."
She sighed and sat down beside the other girl. I looked up into the azure sky. There were a few strands of clouds here and there. Not all too exhilarating.
"Meryl, you look a little flushed. . ." The taller girl put her hand over the other girl's forehead. "You're running a fever!"
The shorter girl waved her hand to dismiss the issue and stood up. "Let's go." She muttered.
I pushed myself up from the ground and stretched. "Alrighty dighty," I looked back at the two of them as I started walking. "You guys okay?"
The short one nodded and the other sighed. "After we find Knives we need to go to the apothecary."
I smiled. "Of course." I watched as the shorter one scrambled up to my side. It was so childlike that it was cute. Yes, I just said cute.
"It's okay," she said softly. "I don't need anything."
I looked at her. I don't know how to explain it, but she looked miserable and pallid. Flushed too, if that makes any sense. I shook my head. "If you're sick, you need medicine."
She paused. "It'll be out of your way, and I feel fine. . ." She said finally.
I sighed and shrugged. There was no point arguing with her. She was the most adamant person I knew.
We continued for another ten minutes, and then she started to fall behind. At first, I slowed my pace. She continued to lag farther until she bent over to breathe with elongated and labored breaths.
I stopped and waited. Thinking for a minute, I finally asked, "Do you want me to carry you?"
She looked up with a disgusted face.
"Just wondering. . ." I laughed nervously and turned away. "You're probably too heavy anyways. . ."
I then heard the thud of footsteps and felt a huge pang in the side of my head. I rubbed it as I saw her huffing forward.
***
We reached the town in about half an hour. We found Knives in double that time.
He was sitting in a little noodle restaurant. . . eating noodles. . . tranquilly. . .
Meryl decided to accompany me to the bank. Bad idea.
So we went and withdrew about three hundred double dollars. As we walked back, I noticed a group of men following us surreptitiously.
"Hey Meryl. . ." I looked at her from the corner of my eye.
"Yes?'
"Maybe you should go ahead and find Knives and Millie. I forgot something. It'll only take a minute. . ."
"I'll come with you."
"No. . . go back. . ."
She looked at me confused. "Why?"
I glanced around and saw a glint from the sun from something in the hands of one of the men. That was no good.
"Just go!" I pushed her roughly aside as the men began their chase.
I saw her stand hurt and shocked as she watched the horde of men after me. Then, I saw one of them grab her wrist.
They chased me into an alley and fanned out. They revealed their weapons, and without a word, the attack came from the left.
I dodged the first few without ease, and I realized that this wasn't the normal crowd of pissed villagers and their pitchforks. They were fast: really fast.
The first hit also came from the left. From what I saw, it was a knife. I drew out my gun and fired, hitting my attacker in the shoulder.
There were roughly twenty of them, all attacking with the skill of a Gung Ho Gun.
I saw her reach for her derringers without luck. She had left her cape back at the hotel in the other town. She scanned for any sort of weapon, and she found a stick.
I'll be the first to say that this wasn't the stereotypical sort of alley. No trash cans, no black cats. It was just secluded. I guess the stick wasn't too bad of a find.
She rushed in and started hitting whomever she could. Wham! A shot on my arm came from the right. It's what I get for not paying attention. I shot back, hitting the man in the leg. I focused my attention back on Meryl.
She was now coughing and hunched over, the stick dropped from her hands.
I started shooting at the men around her. Two of them went down with minor injuries. She looked up with apologetic eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and pointed above my head. That's where everything got dizzy and dark, and where something buried into my stomach. I collapsed.
***
I woke up with grogginess, trying to sit. My stomach wouldn't let me as a pain shot through my torso. I groaned and lay back down.
There was no question; I was in a hospital room. I heard a door slowly open and close.
A nurse. I asked her how I got here.
She was surprised that I was awake. "You've been asleep for two days," she said. She then shook her head. "Anyways, a woman carried you here. I asked her what happened to the two of you. You, sir, had knife and gun wounds all over your body. She said you were attacked. Then I asked how the two of you managed to escape. That's when she fainted from exhaustion and her injuries. But honestly, we never get trouble in this town. It's very unfortunate that it happened to you folks."
I winced. Meryl. How had she. . .? "You said she carried me?"
The nurse nodded. "Yes. Well, more like dragged you on her shoulder. But for such a small stature, and with those wounds. . ."
"How is she?"
The nurse frowned. "I'm not so sure." She paused. "Now, if you'll excuse me. . ." She then walked to the door and left.
I closed my eyes with fatigue. All I could dream about was Meryl.
***
It must have been midnight. I saw the door open and close with a deliberate tenderness.
Meryl. In the dim light, I saw much of her fragile body wrapped with bandages, blood seeping through them. She stumbled over to my bed.
"Meryl. . . what are you doing here. . .?" Was all I could manage to whisper to her.
She cocked her head. "To make sure you were okay. . ." She sat on her knees beside my bed and twisted the wrinkles on her shirt with her hands. I could tell she was nervous.
I smiled and, with much pain, sat up. I groaned and held my stomach. "Sorry. . ." I muttered.
"No, no, please don't move!" She looked at me with pained eyes. "You were shot in the stomach."
I shook my head and climbed down beside her. "Vash. . ." She murmured. "You should rest. . ."
I smiled. "It's okay. I feel much better anyways. Knowing that you're okay. . ."
I saw her flush in the moonlight.
I sighed. I couldn't lie to my curiosity; I wanted to know what had happened. I asked her.
She smiled and took my hand into both of hers. Closing her eyes, she brought it to her cheek.
I was surprised. It wasn't much of an answer, but I felt the numbness melting, and I embraced her. Another sort of numbness took over my body as her body leaned against mine. I've never felt anything like it before. But it made me happy, and that's all I cared about.