((Disclaimer: I didn't write or create Trigun nor do I claim to own the
rights of Trigun and it's story line.))
DESCRIPTION: The days grow longer as the arrival of a new hero arises. Vash the Stampede has destroyed life unintentionally within many cities. But with the defeat of his brother, Knives, life returns to normal since the drought many years ago. But what lies ahead of him when the last of Knives' minions return out of spite to defeat Vash the Stampede once and for all? And is it possible that by Vash not killing Knives, that he could change?
--Prolog--
In a desolate area 150 Iles away from Augusta, a tall, blonde man walks with pride while carrying another white haired man in tote. Unaware of what awaits him back at what he calls his home, he stomps his boots in the dust and places his companion down next to him. With a thud, Vash sat down and rested his head against Nicholas D. Wolfwood's cross. Sweat ran down his brow and onto the cross in zigzag streaks of sweet water and dust.
"Come on, Knives. We've got a long way to go. Lets just get up and keep moving." He paused and looked at his brother. His eyes closed and his mouth ajar. The sweat was still beading on his face, but he couldn't move. Knives was paralyzed. "You're right, Knives. Lets just... take... a nap..." Vash's head hit the ground with a thud. The sun beamed down on the two and left Vash weak and unable to continue walking back to the girls he missed so much. Especially the one he left with no answers of how he felt about her. The one that accepted the fact that he had a bounty of 60 billion double dollars and that he left a trail of destruction in his wake.
Vash's brow crinkled as he breathed in dust from the Earth underneath him. "This isn't how I expected it to end." Vash began to cry pathetically has he sprawled out on the desert floor. "IT JUST ISN'T FAIR! IT'S TOO HOT! I'M JUST GOING TO WITHER UP LIKE A PRUNE AND DIE! THAT'S IT! I'LL JUST WITHER UP AND DIE!" Vash flipped around onto his back and let the sun beat down on his face. "I wish I had some water. All that yelling made me thirsty." Just as quick as he had said it, a canteen flew out of the air and hit him in the head. "HEY! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?! THAT REALLY HURT, YOU KNOW!" Vash rubbed his head with a frown on his face until he discovered the silver canteen next to him. He gasped with delight and dove at it. He drank the entire thing in one gulp. He sighed with relief and threw the canteen behind him. "Looks like someone heard my prayers! Now it's time to go back to shriveling up and dying." He laid back down until he saw shadows block the sunlight. "Excuse me, but you're--" He stopped as soon as he saw the person standing in front of him. He was too excited to breathe, in fact, he passed out.
--Chapter One-- -Welcome Home-
The house was quiet except for the clinking of spoons and the whistling of a teapot. Millie looked across the room at Vash and his brother. Knives, who upon arrival had been sedated and had his injuries attended to with much care by the city doctor, was sleeping soundly with a worried frown on his face. Vash was also sedated and had his wounds dressed by the town doctor. When his coat was removed the day they had returned, Meryl's face turned to a blush as she turned to walk to the back of the room. Millie tried to ignore the two sleeping men, but instead couldn't help herself and continued to study them.
She noted the similarities in the two. But they were also like night and day. Their facial structure was alike and their builds, but that was the only thing Millie could see. Vash's eyes are green, Knives' are blue. Vash's hair; blonde. Knives'; white. Vash has a heart of gold. Knives has a heart as black as night. She was confused as to how the two could be related. Maybe a strange strand of DNA set them apart. Millie didn't know their past, as Vash had only told Meryl.
Millie contemplated on the subject for quite some time before Meryl came through the door with her arms full of groceries. She tried not to look at Vash while she set down the bags on the table as the sight of him made tears well up in her eyes and her knees go weak. She knew she had to tell him how she felt when he awoke. But how could she tell the man she had been in love with for so long how she really saw him. Not as Vash the Stampede with 60 billion double dollars on his head, but as Vash. The kind hearted blonde haired boy she had been sent to find.
"Millie, I picked up some new clothes for Vash and Knives. I'll leave them right here for when they wake up." Meryl set out two pairs of pants, two T-shirts, two pairs of socks and underwear, and two pairs of new boots, compliments of the city store. "I hope they fit. The store owner seemed unsure as to why I asked for their pants to be extended by about a foot. I told him that they were very tall but he was relentless to do it without seeing them first. Then I showed him Vash's wanted sign and he seemed very glad to do it. Some people just need motive to go out and be helpful." Meryl couldn't help her stare as her eyes started to move towards Vash. "How is he?" She said with a worried tone.
"The doctor said for him just to get some rest and he'll be in topnotch shape in no time!" Millie smiled and moved a bowl of soup onto the table next to Meryl. "You haven't eaten in a few days. Why don't you try to sip some of this soup I made?"
"This is no time for eating, Millie. We've got serious work to do." Meryl balled her hands into fists and raised one hand high. "We've got to get these boys back to normal and working condition!"
"But Meryl..." Millie said softly. "The doctor said that Knives wont be able to walk again."
Meryl's expression turned small and disappointed as she lowered her arm. "Vash will be upset."
"Mr. Vash is the one who did it to him, remember?"
"Are you going to hold that against him?! Knives was crazy! He wanted to destroy all humans, Millie! That means you and me! That means everyone we've ever loved! That means--"
"That means you wouldn't see Mr. Vash ever again and tell him that you love him."
Meryl cupped her face in her hands with an angst against Knives. Her eyes filled with tears as she crumbled to the floor in one big heap. "It's not fair, Millie. If I died he would find someone else. You know how quickly he could get someone else too, Millie and don't you deny it! He would do away with the fact that I died without saying a word to him and think nothing of it! Millie, I don't want to die! What if I lose the chance to tell him before I do? What if he feels the same way and I died?! What if! What if!" Meryl's screams turned to sobs as she quickly lost her motive to speak and continued to sink to the floor.
Millie ran to Meryl's side and cradled her in her arms. "You've just got to tell him when he wakes up, Meryl! That's the only way he's going to know. You've got to do what's right for you and Mr. Vash and if that means telling the man you love how you feel, then that's what you've got to do!" Millie patted Meryl's back an sighed. "I'm sorry if you think Mr. Vash doesn't have any feelings for you, Meryl. But if he does anything to hurt you, I'll... Well, I'll shoot him!"
"No, don't kill him!" Meryl pushed away from Millie and put her knees to her chest. "Even if he doesn't love me... He doesn't deserve to die. No one deserves to die, Millie." Meryl sat there for a few more minutes before she got up and walked to the bathroom to dry her eyes and to be alone. Millie walked back to the stove and continued to wait for Vash and Knives to awake from their medicated slumber.
***
Vash and Knives had been asleep for 5 days. Vash had terrible nightmares of their last days on the SEEDS ship. The image of the ship exploding ran through his head and he couldn't wake up from his dreams to realize in reality, everything was fine. Knives dreamt about a day he had with Rem those last fateful days. Rem was explaining the meaning of life while Knives sat and listened.
"Earth was a wonderful place, Knives. It was full of life and beauty. I can't wait to capture the beauty for you. I know you'll fall in love with it." Rem spoke softly as she held Knives close to her.
Knives looked up at Rem with a frown. "But Rem, how can something so beautiful take the person you loved?"
Rem smiled and held Knives tightly against her. "It was his time to go. Even though I might not have wanted it to happen, that's what Mother Earth wanted. She works in mysterious ways, Knives. Never forget that."
Days later was Knives' take over. He had forgotten about beauty. He had forgotten about Rem's philosophy. But he had no idea that it would haunt him the rest of his life.
Meryl sat on the porch watching the sun rise. Millie had noticed that Meryl hadn't spoken since her meltdown two days before and suspected that she might not speak until Vash woke up. Millie slept soundly while Meryl rocked back and forth on the rickety old porch. The sand was beginning to be replaced with lush farm lands. The city wasn't as uncomfortable and awkward to be in anymore. Meryl heard stirring in the house and knew it couldn't be Millie. She turned around quickly to see Vash standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.
"Good morning." He took a seat in the chair next to her and continued to smile.
"Oh! Good morning! I bet you're starving! Let me go get you something to eat!" Just as she was standing up, Vash caught her arm.
"No please, just stay here for a while." His expression turned to a serious glance as she stared into his green eyes. "I just need to talk to you. Please don't go inside right now. I..." He began. "I need you here with me."
Her eyes fell to his hand as she saw that his grip was tight. He wasn't going to let her go. She sat back down and turned her chair to face him. "Alright. I wont leave."
He smiled softly and let go of her arm. "While I was sleeping I had a lot of nightmares about when I was a child. You remember when I told you, don't you?"
"Of course! I don't forget a word you tell me!"
"And I hate remembering that day Rem died, but that's really the day that I learned how different I was from Knives." He looked down into his hands as tears glazed his eyes.
"Oh Vash." Meryl began to learn forward to comfort him, but Vash stopped her from getting closer.
"Please Meryl. Let me finish." He looked up at her with his eyes full of tears. "And since I didn't kill Knives, I kept my oath never to kill. But I don't know how he's going to react when he finds out he needs to change. I don't know what to do. If he starts more trouble then I'll be forced to kill him. And then what? What will that make me? A cold hearted killer just like he was. I hope he changes, Meryl. I hope he doesn't make me kill again. I couldn't handle it. I don't know how I could live."
"Vash, you are the most wonderful person I've ever met. I trust your judgment and if you feel that Knives gets out of control again, you need to do what's right." Meryl wanted to reach out and hold him so badly. She had to keep herself together. If Vash broke down anymore than he was, she was sure to spill everything too quickly. It would be too much for Vash to handle.
"Meryl I need to tell you something that's been burning a hole in my heart for a long time." Vash reached out to hold her hands. Meryl's hands grew clammy as she began to shake. "I've really never told anyone this before, so if it sounds funny just pretend that it was more put together." Meryl only nodded. Her mouth wouldn't allow her to speak. It took Vash a few moments to form the words in his mouth. Suddenly, his mouth opened and he let everything that had been in his mind out. "I just want to hold you right now and never let you go, Meryl. I love you so much. I've never felt like this before and it scares me because I don't want to lose you."
Meryl's voice suddenly returned as she fell into his arms. "Vash, I've been dying to tell you how I've felt about you for so long, too. I love you. I never wanted you to leave me. Whenever I didn't see you I cried. I cried so much, Vash."
Vash's grip tightened on Meryl as tears ran down his cheeks. He could feel her warmth that he had only dreamed of. She felt just like he had imagined. "Meryl I don't want to scare you and leave you again. I want to stay with you forever. I promise. I wont make you cry anymore."
Just as the sun rose, Millie was awoken by the sound of people talking on the porch. She walked outside to find the two embracing. "Oh good morning Mr. Vash! Are you feeling better?"
Vash smiled and nodded. "I feel much better. Thank you for taking such good care of me."
Millie smiled at the two and walked back inside to check on Knives. She knew things were going to get easier from here on out.
--Chapter Two-- -Hello Again-
The sun was setting on the now lush, overgrown farm town. Millie walked inside the house after finishing her work outside. Their home was decorated with beautiful pictures of canyons with horses and far off lands. They had many pieces of decorations in the house, but there was one beautiful flower that caught her eye. Knives. She loved watching him sleep. The way his chest rose and fell again and again. It was uncanny how she somehow knew he was dreaming. His eyelids fluttered in his sleep while his fingers twitched in rhythm to his breaths, almost as if he was touching something or someone. Millie walked to the sink and scrubbed the dirt from underneath her nails. Just as quickly as she had turned, Knives' eyes opened slowly.
Vash pushed the saloon door open as he forced his way out with a clunky motion. "Vash, you'd be better off not eating so much before bed." Meryl pointed a finger at Vash accusingly. Her blue hair was slightly messed about her head. The result of the bar fight moments before when a farmer called Vash a "cold hearted killer". Needless to say, she convinced him never to say such a thing ever again with a firm hand and a solid punishment.
"You sure showed that guy, Meryl! Bet he wont mess around with us again!" He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest. "Should we go home?"
"Just walk slow. We're in no hurry, right?" Meryl sighed and sunk into him. This was the feeling that she had only dreamt of. He slid his hand to meet hers and intertwined their fingers together in one warm ball.
Vash's eyes fell to Meryl's. Her eyes were quiet and her face was full of emotion. The kind of face he loved to see. Suddenly, a smell swept through the air as he looked up. "Look over there Meryl!" Vash shouted excitedly. Meryl's eyes darted to look around. Vash scrambled to the door of a building and sighed with a huge grin on his face. "Doughnuts, Meryl! DOUGHNUTS!!"
"One track mind." She shook her head.
As fast as he had heard it, Vash whip lashed his head around with a serious expression on his face. "Did you hear that..."
"No, what?" Meryl questioned.
A scream poisoned the air and soared into their ears. "VASH!!" A male voice yelled in anger.
"OH MY GOD. KNIVES!" Vash yelled as he began to run though the city.
"Wait up!" Meryl ran after him leaving plumes of dust in her wake.
Vash blazed through the crowded city bumping into people who stood between him and his brother. "I hope he hasn't gotten out of the house. I pray he's still in his bed and not harming Millie or any other of the town's people!" His thoughts were raging as he assumed the worst. His foot steps stopped when he saw Millie standing outside of the house, blood covering his face. His stomach dropped. "Millie..."
Millie's face turned from tears to anger. "Your brother is a terrible person."
"How did he do this? Is he still here? Millie, please talk to me!" Vash reached out to hold her hand, but she pulled away from him.
"You should have killed him when you had the chance." She turned her back and walked away in the direction of the doctor's. "He's a monster."
Vash's emotions sunk deep into his chest. He knew she had never known of the horrible things the crew had said about himself and his brother on the SEEDS ship. The way they blamed them when things went wrong. The way Steve always called them monsters and toyed with their minds. "Millie, I'm sorry. He's not a monster. He's scared, Millie and I'm sorry." She kept walking. "Are you listening to me? I'M SORRY FOR MY BROTHER'S ACTIONS, MILLIE! I'M GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE HIM!"
"You can't change pure hate." She calmly said back.
As she was walking, Meryl ran up to her, out of breath until she saw her face. "Millie! You're bleeding! Did Knives do this?" Meryl stared into Millie's eyes and noticed the vacant look she had. Millie had only looked this way twice. Once before when she saw Nicholas D. Wolfwood feeling up a girl in a saloon, and when she and Meryl got into a fight.
Millie stopped at turned around to look at Vash. "Tell your brother he shouldn't throw glass at people he doesn't know." She revealed the gun attached to her belt and slowly began to walk towards the doctors again.
Vash feared that Millie may have killed Knives. He ran into the house to find Knives in bed peeling off his bandages. "Knives, don't do that." Vash walked over to his brother and sat down on the bed next to him. Knives looked up at Vash, but no words could express his hatred. "Why did you hurt Millie?"
"That dumb bitch tried to feed me piss water." He exclaimed as he pointed to the shattered bowl on the floor. "I figured she deserved it back."
Vash's expression turned to a scowl. "You can't do that, Knives."
Knives looked down at his bandages on his arms. "Why didn't you just kill me, Vash? Anything would have been better than living on this shit hole of a planet. I should just go again and leave you here so lost and helpless with out big brother's direction and guidance." Knives grinned.
Vash put a serious expression on his face. "Knives, you can't walk."
"Damn right I can! Watch me, you bastard!" Knives struggled to move his torso around the side of the bed. "What in the hell did you do to my legs, Vash?!"
"I didn't want to kill you, Knives. I just couldn't."
"So you paralyze me? Give me a gun. I'll finish your sloppy work once again."
"No, Knives! I didn't kill you so I could change you. I want you to be my brother again." Vash's eyes became glossy and full of angst.
"What are you talking about? I've always been your brother. It wasn't until you went and fell in love with Rem that you got brainwashed."
"You're the only one that's brainwashed here, Knives! Rem was my everything and you destroyed that for me. She was the only one who really understood me besides you. How can you call yourself my brother?"
"Shut up, Vash. You knew she had unrealistic dreams of peace and serenity!"
"And you believed it once too before you went crazy!" Vash yelled out at his brother.
"I wish I could have taken Earth in my hand and destroyed everything you loved. Love, peace, hope, friends..." Knives grinned with a sick happiness.
"You bastard!" Vash lunged at Knives and wrapped his hands around his neck. Knives placed his hands around Vash's forearms as he squeezed the air out of his lungs. His face began to turn red. "NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN! YOU NEVER REALIZED HOW MUCH WHAT YOU SAY HURTS ME, KNIVES! YOU NEVER REALIZED HOW I'M A PERSON JUST LIKE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE AND WHEN YOU THREATEN THEM, YOU'RE THREATENING ME! NOW, TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK KNIVES, OR I'LL LET YOU TURN ONE MORE SHADE OF PURPLE!" Knives struggled for air as Vash pushed on his throat. "PROVE TO ME THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE, KNIVES!"
"VASH!!" Knives spat out with his last breath. Vash released his grip on him.
"Say it." Vash sat in front of him, ready to reach forward again.
Knives rubbed his neck and glared at his brother. "You're not a pushover anymore, I see."
"Exactly. I let you get away with your life this time. One more slipup and I'll finish you off, Knives. And I'm not afraid to either."
Knives' expression turned from shocked to a grin. "I knew you had it in you."
Vash glared hard at Knives and spat out sharply, "What."
"The will to kill with animal instinct. Underneath it all, that's all we are. Savage animals with no disregard for anyone or anything." Knives leaned forward as if he was preaching a great prophecy.
"Shut up. Just shut up, Knives. I'm tired of hearing you talk about what I am. I know who I am and it's different than you. You know nothing about me. You never will." Vash stood and turned his back in his brother for the first time. "I only wish my aim would have a slipped a bit and you were still laying on that desert floor." That was all that was said as he left the house.
***
Meryl sat outside on the porch listening to Vash and his brother fight. She rubbed the insides of her palms nervously while she chewed on her bottom lip. The tension grew stronger as she heard the front door slam behind her and turned to see an angry Vash. Meryl stood to face Vash and to see if there was anything she could do for him. "Vash?" His face was still has he moved to the end of the porch. He quickly sat and began to cry. Meryl ran to his side and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace.
"He wont change, Meryl. I can just feel it." Tears ran down his face and began to puddle on his knee. "He's too stubborn. Too hateful. I should have known this all along, Meryl. Should have known this would blow up in my face."
"You've just got to give him time, honey." Meryl shifted his head onto her shoulder as he wept. "It's not your fault he's like that."
"Meryl, I could have killed him and I didn't. More than once. Once when we were young boys, another time when we were adults, and now this. He's had too many chances! I should have killed him!"
Meryl pushed him up to face her. "You know you don't want to kill anybody."
He sucked in tears quickly. "If it saves my friends I do. If it's for the good of the planet, I'll do it." Vash sunk back into Meryl's chest. "I just need time to think about what I'm going to do with him."
Meryl sighed and leaned back onto a post in the porch. Beyond Vash's cries, she could hear Knives' from inside of the house as well.
--Chapter Three-- -So Lost-
Vash laid next to Meryl in the darkness of the house. Everything was still and quiet. Knives had fallen asleep and was still in his bed. He hadn't moved but once to go to the bathroom where he had to be picked up and carried to the bathroom by Vash. Vash was wide awake. Too many questions were running through his mind all at once. All of them were "what if's". Assuming everyone was asleep, Vash crawled out of bed and walked outside of the house to look at the stars. He climbed up a small cliff overlooking the town. He was just high enough to be out of the city lights and in the dark with his favorite thing. The stars. He quietly hummed the song Rem used to sing whenever she was happy to himself. Suddenly a small pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, startling him. A warm body slid up behind him as he smelled a familiar scent in the air. A head rested itself on Vash's shoulder. He could smell her perfume. "Meryl, what are you doing up here?"
"I can't be with you?" She questioned as she moved in front of him and into his lap. She faced Vash with her legs up around his sides, moving ever closer to him with every breath she took.
"No, but... it's late. Don't you have to work in the store tomorrow?" Vash faced Meryl with a concerned frown on his face.
"Did you want to be alone? Do you want me to just go back and wait for you at the house?" Meryl began to stand up.
"No! That's not what I meant." Vash put his arms around her torso and pulled her close to him. "I did want to be alone, but there's no one I'd rather be alone with than you."
Meryl smiled and let herself go numb in his arms. Her head rested softly on his chest while her hands curled around his neck. She let her fingers linger around his neck as she ran them through his blonde hair. His scent was invigorating. The soft smell of shaving cream and shampoo brought together by the smell of sweet sugar on his lips from his last sugary snack. She breathed in deep as he rubbed his cheek against her hair. She could feel his heat resonating from his neck. She was drawn to it and moved her head onto his shoulder. A deep sigh on Vash's part proved to Meryl that he too was emotionally exhausted and felt like falling asleep in her arms. Vash closed his eyes and let his hands rest on Meryl's waist. The way she felt to him was like getting a new toy. He wanted to study every detail, every defect, and everything that made it so wonderful. Vash moved his hands up to the small of her back and rubbed the tips of his fingers there. "Meryl, I want to stay here forever with you under the stars."
"Me too, Vash." She closed her eyes and relaxed more as he rubbed her back with softer, longer strokes. "I wish that it was always like this." Meryl's body was getting warmer with every word she said. She felt so safe in his arms that she could fall asleep on a cliff with him.
"Meryl, I'm starting to get sleepy. Are you ready to go back?" Meryl could only nod she had become so comfortable. Vash smiled and stood up with Meryl in his arms. He walked down the cliff slowly and into the house with a new reason to live. Love.
***
DESCRIPTION: The days grow longer as the arrival of a new hero arises. Vash the Stampede has destroyed life unintentionally within many cities. But with the defeat of his brother, Knives, life returns to normal since the drought many years ago. But what lies ahead of him when the last of Knives' minions return out of spite to defeat Vash the Stampede once and for all? And is it possible that by Vash not killing Knives, that he could change?
--Prolog--
In a desolate area 150 Iles away from Augusta, a tall, blonde man walks with pride while carrying another white haired man in tote. Unaware of what awaits him back at what he calls his home, he stomps his boots in the dust and places his companion down next to him. With a thud, Vash sat down and rested his head against Nicholas D. Wolfwood's cross. Sweat ran down his brow and onto the cross in zigzag streaks of sweet water and dust.
"Come on, Knives. We've got a long way to go. Lets just get up and keep moving." He paused and looked at his brother. His eyes closed and his mouth ajar. The sweat was still beading on his face, but he couldn't move. Knives was paralyzed. "You're right, Knives. Lets just... take... a nap..." Vash's head hit the ground with a thud. The sun beamed down on the two and left Vash weak and unable to continue walking back to the girls he missed so much. Especially the one he left with no answers of how he felt about her. The one that accepted the fact that he had a bounty of 60 billion double dollars and that he left a trail of destruction in his wake.
Vash's brow crinkled as he breathed in dust from the Earth underneath him. "This isn't how I expected it to end." Vash began to cry pathetically has he sprawled out on the desert floor. "IT JUST ISN'T FAIR! IT'S TOO HOT! I'M JUST GOING TO WITHER UP LIKE A PRUNE AND DIE! THAT'S IT! I'LL JUST WITHER UP AND DIE!" Vash flipped around onto his back and let the sun beat down on his face. "I wish I had some water. All that yelling made me thirsty." Just as quick as he had said it, a canteen flew out of the air and hit him in the head. "HEY! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?! THAT REALLY HURT, YOU KNOW!" Vash rubbed his head with a frown on his face until he discovered the silver canteen next to him. He gasped with delight and dove at it. He drank the entire thing in one gulp. He sighed with relief and threw the canteen behind him. "Looks like someone heard my prayers! Now it's time to go back to shriveling up and dying." He laid back down until he saw shadows block the sunlight. "Excuse me, but you're--" He stopped as soon as he saw the person standing in front of him. He was too excited to breathe, in fact, he passed out.
--Chapter One-- -Welcome Home-
The house was quiet except for the clinking of spoons and the whistling of a teapot. Millie looked across the room at Vash and his brother. Knives, who upon arrival had been sedated and had his injuries attended to with much care by the city doctor, was sleeping soundly with a worried frown on his face. Vash was also sedated and had his wounds dressed by the town doctor. When his coat was removed the day they had returned, Meryl's face turned to a blush as she turned to walk to the back of the room. Millie tried to ignore the two sleeping men, but instead couldn't help herself and continued to study them.
She noted the similarities in the two. But they were also like night and day. Their facial structure was alike and their builds, but that was the only thing Millie could see. Vash's eyes are green, Knives' are blue. Vash's hair; blonde. Knives'; white. Vash has a heart of gold. Knives has a heart as black as night. She was confused as to how the two could be related. Maybe a strange strand of DNA set them apart. Millie didn't know their past, as Vash had only told Meryl.
Millie contemplated on the subject for quite some time before Meryl came through the door with her arms full of groceries. She tried not to look at Vash while she set down the bags on the table as the sight of him made tears well up in her eyes and her knees go weak. She knew she had to tell him how she felt when he awoke. But how could she tell the man she had been in love with for so long how she really saw him. Not as Vash the Stampede with 60 billion double dollars on his head, but as Vash. The kind hearted blonde haired boy she had been sent to find.
"Millie, I picked up some new clothes for Vash and Knives. I'll leave them right here for when they wake up." Meryl set out two pairs of pants, two T-shirts, two pairs of socks and underwear, and two pairs of new boots, compliments of the city store. "I hope they fit. The store owner seemed unsure as to why I asked for their pants to be extended by about a foot. I told him that they were very tall but he was relentless to do it without seeing them first. Then I showed him Vash's wanted sign and he seemed very glad to do it. Some people just need motive to go out and be helpful." Meryl couldn't help her stare as her eyes started to move towards Vash. "How is he?" She said with a worried tone.
"The doctor said for him just to get some rest and he'll be in topnotch shape in no time!" Millie smiled and moved a bowl of soup onto the table next to Meryl. "You haven't eaten in a few days. Why don't you try to sip some of this soup I made?"
"This is no time for eating, Millie. We've got serious work to do." Meryl balled her hands into fists and raised one hand high. "We've got to get these boys back to normal and working condition!"
"But Meryl..." Millie said softly. "The doctor said that Knives wont be able to walk again."
Meryl's expression turned small and disappointed as she lowered her arm. "Vash will be upset."
"Mr. Vash is the one who did it to him, remember?"
"Are you going to hold that against him?! Knives was crazy! He wanted to destroy all humans, Millie! That means you and me! That means everyone we've ever loved! That means--"
"That means you wouldn't see Mr. Vash ever again and tell him that you love him."
Meryl cupped her face in her hands with an angst against Knives. Her eyes filled with tears as she crumbled to the floor in one big heap. "It's not fair, Millie. If I died he would find someone else. You know how quickly he could get someone else too, Millie and don't you deny it! He would do away with the fact that I died without saying a word to him and think nothing of it! Millie, I don't want to die! What if I lose the chance to tell him before I do? What if he feels the same way and I died?! What if! What if!" Meryl's screams turned to sobs as she quickly lost her motive to speak and continued to sink to the floor.
Millie ran to Meryl's side and cradled her in her arms. "You've just got to tell him when he wakes up, Meryl! That's the only way he's going to know. You've got to do what's right for you and Mr. Vash and if that means telling the man you love how you feel, then that's what you've got to do!" Millie patted Meryl's back an sighed. "I'm sorry if you think Mr. Vash doesn't have any feelings for you, Meryl. But if he does anything to hurt you, I'll... Well, I'll shoot him!"
"No, don't kill him!" Meryl pushed away from Millie and put her knees to her chest. "Even if he doesn't love me... He doesn't deserve to die. No one deserves to die, Millie." Meryl sat there for a few more minutes before she got up and walked to the bathroom to dry her eyes and to be alone. Millie walked back to the stove and continued to wait for Vash and Knives to awake from their medicated slumber.
***
Vash and Knives had been asleep for 5 days. Vash had terrible nightmares of their last days on the SEEDS ship. The image of the ship exploding ran through his head and he couldn't wake up from his dreams to realize in reality, everything was fine. Knives dreamt about a day he had with Rem those last fateful days. Rem was explaining the meaning of life while Knives sat and listened.
"Earth was a wonderful place, Knives. It was full of life and beauty. I can't wait to capture the beauty for you. I know you'll fall in love with it." Rem spoke softly as she held Knives close to her.
Knives looked up at Rem with a frown. "But Rem, how can something so beautiful take the person you loved?"
Rem smiled and held Knives tightly against her. "It was his time to go. Even though I might not have wanted it to happen, that's what Mother Earth wanted. She works in mysterious ways, Knives. Never forget that."
Days later was Knives' take over. He had forgotten about beauty. He had forgotten about Rem's philosophy. But he had no idea that it would haunt him the rest of his life.
Meryl sat on the porch watching the sun rise. Millie had noticed that Meryl hadn't spoken since her meltdown two days before and suspected that she might not speak until Vash woke up. Millie slept soundly while Meryl rocked back and forth on the rickety old porch. The sand was beginning to be replaced with lush farm lands. The city wasn't as uncomfortable and awkward to be in anymore. Meryl heard stirring in the house and knew it couldn't be Millie. She turned around quickly to see Vash standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.
"Good morning." He took a seat in the chair next to her and continued to smile.
"Oh! Good morning! I bet you're starving! Let me go get you something to eat!" Just as she was standing up, Vash caught her arm.
"No please, just stay here for a while." His expression turned to a serious glance as she stared into his green eyes. "I just need to talk to you. Please don't go inside right now. I..." He began. "I need you here with me."
Her eyes fell to his hand as she saw that his grip was tight. He wasn't going to let her go. She sat back down and turned her chair to face him. "Alright. I wont leave."
He smiled softly and let go of her arm. "While I was sleeping I had a lot of nightmares about when I was a child. You remember when I told you, don't you?"
"Of course! I don't forget a word you tell me!"
"And I hate remembering that day Rem died, but that's really the day that I learned how different I was from Knives." He looked down into his hands as tears glazed his eyes.
"Oh Vash." Meryl began to learn forward to comfort him, but Vash stopped her from getting closer.
"Please Meryl. Let me finish." He looked up at her with his eyes full of tears. "And since I didn't kill Knives, I kept my oath never to kill. But I don't know how he's going to react when he finds out he needs to change. I don't know what to do. If he starts more trouble then I'll be forced to kill him. And then what? What will that make me? A cold hearted killer just like he was. I hope he changes, Meryl. I hope he doesn't make me kill again. I couldn't handle it. I don't know how I could live."
"Vash, you are the most wonderful person I've ever met. I trust your judgment and if you feel that Knives gets out of control again, you need to do what's right." Meryl wanted to reach out and hold him so badly. She had to keep herself together. If Vash broke down anymore than he was, she was sure to spill everything too quickly. It would be too much for Vash to handle.
"Meryl I need to tell you something that's been burning a hole in my heart for a long time." Vash reached out to hold her hands. Meryl's hands grew clammy as she began to shake. "I've really never told anyone this before, so if it sounds funny just pretend that it was more put together." Meryl only nodded. Her mouth wouldn't allow her to speak. It took Vash a few moments to form the words in his mouth. Suddenly, his mouth opened and he let everything that had been in his mind out. "I just want to hold you right now and never let you go, Meryl. I love you so much. I've never felt like this before and it scares me because I don't want to lose you."
Meryl's voice suddenly returned as she fell into his arms. "Vash, I've been dying to tell you how I've felt about you for so long, too. I love you. I never wanted you to leave me. Whenever I didn't see you I cried. I cried so much, Vash."
Vash's grip tightened on Meryl as tears ran down his cheeks. He could feel her warmth that he had only dreamed of. She felt just like he had imagined. "Meryl I don't want to scare you and leave you again. I want to stay with you forever. I promise. I wont make you cry anymore."
Just as the sun rose, Millie was awoken by the sound of people talking on the porch. She walked outside to find the two embracing. "Oh good morning Mr. Vash! Are you feeling better?"
Vash smiled and nodded. "I feel much better. Thank you for taking such good care of me."
Millie smiled at the two and walked back inside to check on Knives. She knew things were going to get easier from here on out.
--Chapter Two-- -Hello Again-
The sun was setting on the now lush, overgrown farm town. Millie walked inside the house after finishing her work outside. Their home was decorated with beautiful pictures of canyons with horses and far off lands. They had many pieces of decorations in the house, but there was one beautiful flower that caught her eye. Knives. She loved watching him sleep. The way his chest rose and fell again and again. It was uncanny how she somehow knew he was dreaming. His eyelids fluttered in his sleep while his fingers twitched in rhythm to his breaths, almost as if he was touching something or someone. Millie walked to the sink and scrubbed the dirt from underneath her nails. Just as quickly as she had turned, Knives' eyes opened slowly.
Vash pushed the saloon door open as he forced his way out with a clunky motion. "Vash, you'd be better off not eating so much before bed." Meryl pointed a finger at Vash accusingly. Her blue hair was slightly messed about her head. The result of the bar fight moments before when a farmer called Vash a "cold hearted killer". Needless to say, she convinced him never to say such a thing ever again with a firm hand and a solid punishment.
"You sure showed that guy, Meryl! Bet he wont mess around with us again!" He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest. "Should we go home?"
"Just walk slow. We're in no hurry, right?" Meryl sighed and sunk into him. This was the feeling that she had only dreamt of. He slid his hand to meet hers and intertwined their fingers together in one warm ball.
Vash's eyes fell to Meryl's. Her eyes were quiet and her face was full of emotion. The kind of face he loved to see. Suddenly, a smell swept through the air as he looked up. "Look over there Meryl!" Vash shouted excitedly. Meryl's eyes darted to look around. Vash scrambled to the door of a building and sighed with a huge grin on his face. "Doughnuts, Meryl! DOUGHNUTS!!"
"One track mind." She shook her head.
As fast as he had heard it, Vash whip lashed his head around with a serious expression on his face. "Did you hear that..."
"No, what?" Meryl questioned.
A scream poisoned the air and soared into their ears. "VASH!!" A male voice yelled in anger.
"OH MY GOD. KNIVES!" Vash yelled as he began to run though the city.
"Wait up!" Meryl ran after him leaving plumes of dust in her wake.
Vash blazed through the crowded city bumping into people who stood between him and his brother. "I hope he hasn't gotten out of the house. I pray he's still in his bed and not harming Millie or any other of the town's people!" His thoughts were raging as he assumed the worst. His foot steps stopped when he saw Millie standing outside of the house, blood covering his face. His stomach dropped. "Millie..."
Millie's face turned from tears to anger. "Your brother is a terrible person."
"How did he do this? Is he still here? Millie, please talk to me!" Vash reached out to hold her hand, but she pulled away from him.
"You should have killed him when you had the chance." She turned her back and walked away in the direction of the doctor's. "He's a monster."
Vash's emotions sunk deep into his chest. He knew she had never known of the horrible things the crew had said about himself and his brother on the SEEDS ship. The way they blamed them when things went wrong. The way Steve always called them monsters and toyed with their minds. "Millie, I'm sorry. He's not a monster. He's scared, Millie and I'm sorry." She kept walking. "Are you listening to me? I'M SORRY FOR MY BROTHER'S ACTIONS, MILLIE! I'M GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE HIM!"
"You can't change pure hate." She calmly said back.
As she was walking, Meryl ran up to her, out of breath until she saw her face. "Millie! You're bleeding! Did Knives do this?" Meryl stared into Millie's eyes and noticed the vacant look she had. Millie had only looked this way twice. Once before when she saw Nicholas D. Wolfwood feeling up a girl in a saloon, and when she and Meryl got into a fight.
Millie stopped at turned around to look at Vash. "Tell your brother he shouldn't throw glass at people he doesn't know." She revealed the gun attached to her belt and slowly began to walk towards the doctors again.
Vash feared that Millie may have killed Knives. He ran into the house to find Knives in bed peeling off his bandages. "Knives, don't do that." Vash walked over to his brother and sat down on the bed next to him. Knives looked up at Vash, but no words could express his hatred. "Why did you hurt Millie?"
"That dumb bitch tried to feed me piss water." He exclaimed as he pointed to the shattered bowl on the floor. "I figured she deserved it back."
Vash's expression turned to a scowl. "You can't do that, Knives."
Knives looked down at his bandages on his arms. "Why didn't you just kill me, Vash? Anything would have been better than living on this shit hole of a planet. I should just go again and leave you here so lost and helpless with out big brother's direction and guidance." Knives grinned.
Vash put a serious expression on his face. "Knives, you can't walk."
"Damn right I can! Watch me, you bastard!" Knives struggled to move his torso around the side of the bed. "What in the hell did you do to my legs, Vash?!"
"I didn't want to kill you, Knives. I just couldn't."
"So you paralyze me? Give me a gun. I'll finish your sloppy work once again."
"No, Knives! I didn't kill you so I could change you. I want you to be my brother again." Vash's eyes became glossy and full of angst.
"What are you talking about? I've always been your brother. It wasn't until you went and fell in love with Rem that you got brainwashed."
"You're the only one that's brainwashed here, Knives! Rem was my everything and you destroyed that for me. She was the only one who really understood me besides you. How can you call yourself my brother?"
"Shut up, Vash. You knew she had unrealistic dreams of peace and serenity!"
"And you believed it once too before you went crazy!" Vash yelled out at his brother.
"I wish I could have taken Earth in my hand and destroyed everything you loved. Love, peace, hope, friends..." Knives grinned with a sick happiness.
"You bastard!" Vash lunged at Knives and wrapped his hands around his neck. Knives placed his hands around Vash's forearms as he squeezed the air out of his lungs. His face began to turn red. "NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN! YOU NEVER REALIZED HOW MUCH WHAT YOU SAY HURTS ME, KNIVES! YOU NEVER REALIZED HOW I'M A PERSON JUST LIKE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE AND WHEN YOU THREATEN THEM, YOU'RE THREATENING ME! NOW, TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK KNIVES, OR I'LL LET YOU TURN ONE MORE SHADE OF PURPLE!" Knives struggled for air as Vash pushed on his throat. "PROVE TO ME THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE, KNIVES!"
"VASH!!" Knives spat out with his last breath. Vash released his grip on him.
"Say it." Vash sat in front of him, ready to reach forward again.
Knives rubbed his neck and glared at his brother. "You're not a pushover anymore, I see."
"Exactly. I let you get away with your life this time. One more slipup and I'll finish you off, Knives. And I'm not afraid to either."
Knives' expression turned from shocked to a grin. "I knew you had it in you."
Vash glared hard at Knives and spat out sharply, "What."
"The will to kill with animal instinct. Underneath it all, that's all we are. Savage animals with no disregard for anyone or anything." Knives leaned forward as if he was preaching a great prophecy.
"Shut up. Just shut up, Knives. I'm tired of hearing you talk about what I am. I know who I am and it's different than you. You know nothing about me. You never will." Vash stood and turned his back in his brother for the first time. "I only wish my aim would have a slipped a bit and you were still laying on that desert floor." That was all that was said as he left the house.
***
Meryl sat outside on the porch listening to Vash and his brother fight. She rubbed the insides of her palms nervously while she chewed on her bottom lip. The tension grew stronger as she heard the front door slam behind her and turned to see an angry Vash. Meryl stood to face Vash and to see if there was anything she could do for him. "Vash?" His face was still has he moved to the end of the porch. He quickly sat and began to cry. Meryl ran to his side and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace.
"He wont change, Meryl. I can just feel it." Tears ran down his face and began to puddle on his knee. "He's too stubborn. Too hateful. I should have known this all along, Meryl. Should have known this would blow up in my face."
"You've just got to give him time, honey." Meryl shifted his head onto her shoulder as he wept. "It's not your fault he's like that."
"Meryl, I could have killed him and I didn't. More than once. Once when we were young boys, another time when we were adults, and now this. He's had too many chances! I should have killed him!"
Meryl pushed him up to face her. "You know you don't want to kill anybody."
He sucked in tears quickly. "If it saves my friends I do. If it's for the good of the planet, I'll do it." Vash sunk back into Meryl's chest. "I just need time to think about what I'm going to do with him."
Meryl sighed and leaned back onto a post in the porch. Beyond Vash's cries, she could hear Knives' from inside of the house as well.
--Chapter Three-- -So Lost-
Vash laid next to Meryl in the darkness of the house. Everything was still and quiet. Knives had fallen asleep and was still in his bed. He hadn't moved but once to go to the bathroom where he had to be picked up and carried to the bathroom by Vash. Vash was wide awake. Too many questions were running through his mind all at once. All of them were "what if's". Assuming everyone was asleep, Vash crawled out of bed and walked outside of the house to look at the stars. He climbed up a small cliff overlooking the town. He was just high enough to be out of the city lights and in the dark with his favorite thing. The stars. He quietly hummed the song Rem used to sing whenever she was happy to himself. Suddenly a small pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, startling him. A warm body slid up behind him as he smelled a familiar scent in the air. A head rested itself on Vash's shoulder. He could smell her perfume. "Meryl, what are you doing up here?"
"I can't be with you?" She questioned as she moved in front of him and into his lap. She faced Vash with her legs up around his sides, moving ever closer to him with every breath she took.
"No, but... it's late. Don't you have to work in the store tomorrow?" Vash faced Meryl with a concerned frown on his face.
"Did you want to be alone? Do you want me to just go back and wait for you at the house?" Meryl began to stand up.
"No! That's not what I meant." Vash put his arms around her torso and pulled her close to him. "I did want to be alone, but there's no one I'd rather be alone with than you."
Meryl smiled and let herself go numb in his arms. Her head rested softly on his chest while her hands curled around his neck. She let her fingers linger around his neck as she ran them through his blonde hair. His scent was invigorating. The soft smell of shaving cream and shampoo brought together by the smell of sweet sugar on his lips from his last sugary snack. She breathed in deep as he rubbed his cheek against her hair. She could feel his heat resonating from his neck. She was drawn to it and moved her head onto his shoulder. A deep sigh on Vash's part proved to Meryl that he too was emotionally exhausted and felt like falling asleep in her arms. Vash closed his eyes and let his hands rest on Meryl's waist. The way she felt to him was like getting a new toy. He wanted to study every detail, every defect, and everything that made it so wonderful. Vash moved his hands up to the small of her back and rubbed the tips of his fingers there. "Meryl, I want to stay here forever with you under the stars."
"Me too, Vash." She closed her eyes and relaxed more as he rubbed her back with softer, longer strokes. "I wish that it was always like this." Meryl's body was getting warmer with every word she said. She felt so safe in his arms that she could fall asleep on a cliff with him.
"Meryl, I'm starting to get sleepy. Are you ready to go back?" Meryl could only nod she had become so comfortable. Vash smiled and stood up with Meryl in his arms. He walked down the cliff slowly and into the house with a new reason to live. Love.
***