Two weeks. Two long weeks without him. Without the man that I miss so much. The man that I must so importantly speak to. Vash the Stampede.
He left to fight his brother. I wasn't able to tell him before he left. Therefore I must wait until he returns. He promised me. I must talk to him. She told me to tell him, and so I will.
I see something appear in the horizon. A dark lone figure, with a large lump on its shoulder. As it gets closer I notice that the figure, is black, tall slender. The lump….is a man. Who is that? It can't be…..it is. Vash.
I run out to meet him, to grab him and hug him. To never let go. I must get to him. I must.
I wander up on the city, the lone dusty town that I left behind. She is there. Meryl. The dust has gotten caught in my boots, and my ankle has long been hurting from the wear of it against my boot and sand. It is painful, but I can't stop. Not until I get back to her.
I hope she is still there, still waiting for me. She tried to tell me something. Something before I left, and I never got to hear it, but I know it had to be something important. I need to know, or I will never rest easy. She must tell me when I get back, and I must ask her.
I see something heading towards me. Something short, small. It's her. It has to be. Meryl.
The two of them finally met, Vash dropped his brother on the ground next to him. He was finally back, she had waited for him. "Vash. Vash what took you so long?" She was still enveloped in his grasp. In his arms, finally protected against any pain physically or emotionally.
"I'm sorry. I came back as soon as I could." Everything was oblivious. Knives, Milly, the towns people, it was just him and her. Together. Yet neither of them knew what they meant to each other.
Meryl felt something wet hit her cheek. It was thick. It wasn't sweat, no, it didn't smell like it. It smelt like……blood. She looked up at his face, he just smiled as if nothing was wrong and she stepped back to observe him. His shoulder was bleeding, heavily. "Vash…….Vash you're hurt!" She set her hand on the wound gently and he winced.
"I'll be okay. Please don't worry about it." She ignored his request and started observing it closer, pulling up his shirt to see it. "What are you doing?"
"Take off your shirt." He looked at her strangely.
"What?"
"I mean it. You can't just go around with a bleeding shoulder. There is no telling how much blood has been lost on your trip."
He quickly gave in and removed the cloth from his chest, revealing his scars and metal implants that embarrassed him so. "What are you going to do?" He pointed to the piece of clothing that she had ordered him to remove.
"Making you a bandage." With that she ripped the shirt hem and removed it completely from the shirt itself. After that she ripped another piece of his shirt off and set it on his chest.
"Man short girl. That was the only shirt I have besides that tacky white one."
"Well you need to stop wearing the same shirt everyday anyways. You are starting to smell."
"And you would know that how?" He asked in his seductive voice.
"Because I could smell it from and ile away. Pig." She continued with the bandaging, folding the larger cloth and laying on the wound on his shoulder and then using the hem as a string and tying it down to his shoulder and around his arm. "There. That will do until we get back to the house."
"Uh….Thanks." Vash leaned over and picked up his psychotic brother, setting him back on his shoulder.
They walked into town, past the house that was where they had stayed before Vash left. "Wasn't that the house?"
"We moved somewhere better." Vash just followed as they went through town- that he was just noticing was pretty big.
"So insurance girl, how have you been?" Vash made an attempt at small talk.
"I have been fine. I was fired from Bernardelli."
"Why is that?" Vash was suddenly shocked. The all work and no play Meryl was fired?
"Because Milly and I promised to wait for you. We kept our promise even when called back to work." Vash felt a sense of happiness overcome. They gave their jobs up for him. His questions about whether they only stayed for work had been answered. They really had stayed because of him.
"Thanks."
"Did you actually think that we were that selfish? We weren't going to let you come back to an empty house and not have anyone to dress your wounds."
"Well I always thought that you had stayed because your job."
"At first yes…. But as we got to know you…." She didn't finish the sentence before stopping abruptly. "Here we are." Vash ignored the previous incomplete statement and looked at the house. It was bigger than the house they were in before, and nicer too.
"Wow. How did you get to afford something like this?" The impressed sound in his voice wasn't fake, after all, as a waitress and a construction worker they couldn't have made that much money.
"Well, it is a long story so I will tell you inside." He accepted that answer and followed her into the house, up the stairs and into a room. "You can sleep here, there is a door to the room next door and that is the only door to that room, so Milly and I promised it to you and Knives."
"How did you know I was going to bring Knives back with me?"
"Oh please. We knew that you wouldn't kill him and where else would he go?"
"Yeah I guess you're right." He walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a small room much like his own. He laid Knives down on the bed and looked at his wounds. He was fine. Still breathing. Inhale….. Exhale…. Inhale….. Exhale….. Nothing. His breathing suddenly stopped. "Knives?" Vash shook his brother. Still nothing. Meryl walked up behind him.
"What's wrong."
"Knives isn't breathing….help me." She walked over to the unconscious man and began pushing on his chest, as a beginning to the CPR procedure.
"Breath for him."
Vash nodded while saying "Right." and leaning over his brother and breathing in his mouth. Meryl pushed on his chest again, but still no sign of breathing. Milly, who just came back from the store with her daughter, came over to assist the two of them, laying her baby down on Vash's bed.
They worked for over an hour, with no sign of improvement. Knives was gone.
He left to fight his brother. I wasn't able to tell him before he left. Therefore I must wait until he returns. He promised me. I must talk to him. She told me to tell him, and so I will.
I see something appear in the horizon. A dark lone figure, with a large lump on its shoulder. As it gets closer I notice that the figure, is black, tall slender. The lump….is a man. Who is that? It can't be…..it is. Vash.
I run out to meet him, to grab him and hug him. To never let go. I must get to him. I must.
I wander up on the city, the lone dusty town that I left behind. She is there. Meryl. The dust has gotten caught in my boots, and my ankle has long been hurting from the wear of it against my boot and sand. It is painful, but I can't stop. Not until I get back to her.
I hope she is still there, still waiting for me. She tried to tell me something. Something before I left, and I never got to hear it, but I know it had to be something important. I need to know, or I will never rest easy. She must tell me when I get back, and I must ask her.
I see something heading towards me. Something short, small. It's her. It has to be. Meryl.
The two of them finally met, Vash dropped his brother on the ground next to him. He was finally back, she had waited for him. "Vash. Vash what took you so long?" She was still enveloped in his grasp. In his arms, finally protected against any pain physically or emotionally.
"I'm sorry. I came back as soon as I could." Everything was oblivious. Knives, Milly, the towns people, it was just him and her. Together. Yet neither of them knew what they meant to each other.
Meryl felt something wet hit her cheek. It was thick. It wasn't sweat, no, it didn't smell like it. It smelt like……blood. She looked up at his face, he just smiled as if nothing was wrong and she stepped back to observe him. His shoulder was bleeding, heavily. "Vash…….Vash you're hurt!" She set her hand on the wound gently and he winced.
"I'll be okay. Please don't worry about it." She ignored his request and started observing it closer, pulling up his shirt to see it. "What are you doing?"
"Take off your shirt." He looked at her strangely.
"What?"
"I mean it. You can't just go around with a bleeding shoulder. There is no telling how much blood has been lost on your trip."
He quickly gave in and removed the cloth from his chest, revealing his scars and metal implants that embarrassed him so. "What are you going to do?" He pointed to the piece of clothing that she had ordered him to remove.
"Making you a bandage." With that she ripped the shirt hem and removed it completely from the shirt itself. After that she ripped another piece of his shirt off and set it on his chest.
"Man short girl. That was the only shirt I have besides that tacky white one."
"Well you need to stop wearing the same shirt everyday anyways. You are starting to smell."
"And you would know that how?" He asked in his seductive voice.
"Because I could smell it from and ile away. Pig." She continued with the bandaging, folding the larger cloth and laying on the wound on his shoulder and then using the hem as a string and tying it down to his shoulder and around his arm. "There. That will do until we get back to the house."
"Uh….Thanks." Vash leaned over and picked up his psychotic brother, setting him back on his shoulder.
They walked into town, past the house that was where they had stayed before Vash left. "Wasn't that the house?"
"We moved somewhere better." Vash just followed as they went through town- that he was just noticing was pretty big.
"So insurance girl, how have you been?" Vash made an attempt at small talk.
"I have been fine. I was fired from Bernardelli."
"Why is that?" Vash was suddenly shocked. The all work and no play Meryl was fired?
"Because Milly and I promised to wait for you. We kept our promise even when called back to work." Vash felt a sense of happiness overcome. They gave their jobs up for him. His questions about whether they only stayed for work had been answered. They really had stayed because of him.
"Thanks."
"Did you actually think that we were that selfish? We weren't going to let you come back to an empty house and not have anyone to dress your wounds."
"Well I always thought that you had stayed because your job."
"At first yes…. But as we got to know you…." She didn't finish the sentence before stopping abruptly. "Here we are." Vash ignored the previous incomplete statement and looked at the house. It was bigger than the house they were in before, and nicer too.
"Wow. How did you get to afford something like this?" The impressed sound in his voice wasn't fake, after all, as a waitress and a construction worker they couldn't have made that much money.
"Well, it is a long story so I will tell you inside." He accepted that answer and followed her into the house, up the stairs and into a room. "You can sleep here, there is a door to the room next door and that is the only door to that room, so Milly and I promised it to you and Knives."
"How did you know I was going to bring Knives back with me?"
"Oh please. We knew that you wouldn't kill him and where else would he go?"
"Yeah I guess you're right." He walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a small room much like his own. He laid Knives down on the bed and looked at his wounds. He was fine. Still breathing. Inhale….. Exhale…. Inhale….. Exhale….. Nothing. His breathing suddenly stopped. "Knives?" Vash shook his brother. Still nothing. Meryl walked up behind him.
"What's wrong."
"Knives isn't breathing….help me." She walked over to the unconscious man and began pushing on his chest, as a beginning to the CPR procedure.
"Breath for him."
Vash nodded while saying "Right." and leaning over his brother and breathing in his mouth. Meryl pushed on his chest again, but still no sign of breathing. Milly, who just came back from the store with her daughter, came over to assist the two of them, laying her baby down on Vash's bed.
They worked for over an hour, with no sign of improvement. Knives was gone.