First off, I'd just like to say that I love to read fanfictions with the
Meryl and Vash pairing. I don't know why, but I think they are just a
great couple. I guess that even though they may be opposites in many ways,
they seem compliment each other in many other ways. I know there are many
of other MxV fanfictions, but I just wanted to contribute my own idea of
what might have happened after the series ended. I guess it was my love
for this couple that's driving me to write this story.
This first chapter is mostly introspection on Meryl's part (hence the title Introspection), but picks up where the anime leaves off at the very end. There will be more character interaction in coming chapters.
Feel free to review and tell me what you like or don't like.
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun
============================================
Chapter One: Introspection
A small figure rustled beneath her covers in a silent room lit only by moonlight. Meryl cursed at herself for once again not being able to simply clear her mind and fall asleep. It had been five days now since he had left and during that time she had been able to get only a couple hours of sleep each night. Her thoughts were constantly focused on that one man and visions of him had even begun to invade her dreams.
"Damn, can't I just get a break from this?" Meryl asked the empty room as she turned in her bed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.
While many of her thoughts centered around what she would say to him when he got back and what possibilities might lay in the future for them, there was a more cynical part of her mind that couldn't help but go over possible darker outcomes.
Meryl knew that she was an inherent worrier as well as a realist. The combination of those two traits were bringing up thoughts that she would rather not deal with.
What if she poured her heart out to him, told him how much she loved him and all he did was laugh? What if he told her he didn't return her feelings or that he didn't want to be tied down with a woman like her? But worst of all, what if she never got a chance to tell him anything? What if he never came back.
The last thought made Meryl turn in her bed once again and let out a heavy sigh. "Oh Vash" she whispered. She knew somewhere deep inside that if she wasn't given an opportunity to tell Vash her feelings she might never fully recover. Meryl wasn't completely sure how she would be able to move on if he rejected her, but the thought of never knowing seemed worse to her. At least with the first scenario there would be some type of closure.
Lately, everything around her reminded her of Vash. Whenever she left the small house that they shared she couldn't help but glance up at the cliff overlooking the tiny town. The place, she supposed, he had gone to think about his problems during the time both his mind and body seemed to be in shambles.
Her view of him had changed so much over the last few years. Initially she saw him as exactly the opposite of the kind of man she would want to get involved with. He was reckless, perverted, immature, and irresponsible. But, as she had gotten to know him better she realized that much of his juvenile and comedic behavior was simply a front to cover all of the pain and despair he truly felt. His true nature, she reflected, was incredibly kind and forgiving. He also felt the need to protect or help anyone he saw in trouble, even if such a person had tried to kill him only moments before. He truly was a purveyor of love and peace. She hoped that he would soon come to be in a place, if he hadn't already, where he would no longer feel the need to mask his real emotions with false ones.
However, she had to admit to herself that she was occasionally guilty of hiding her true emotions as well. For a long time she had denied her feelings for Vash. But, after the fifth moon incident she had finally been willing to let some of those feelings surface and while she had never really made them obvious to him she no longer denied them through her actions towards him.
During the two years they had been separated, Meryl believed that she had changed quite a bit. She had definitely grown emotionally and was able to control her temper more easily. It seemed to her that she had also become slightly more compassionate and wondered if this might have been an effect of observing the blonde gunman for so long.
Meryl's thoughts wandered back to the present and she began to think about the current state of her and Vash's relationship. The fact that he had told her all about his past in Carcasses seemed to indicate that he trusted her on some level. She also remembered the hug he had given her after the ordeal with the vengeful towns people. At first, she was quite surprised by Vash taking such an action, but after a few seconds she had decided to just enjoy the moment and the closeness of Vash's body to her own. But, eventually her enjoyment had led to embarrassment and then to full out annoyance when he began to roughly swing her around and rub his face against hers. Maybe hitting him on the head had been a bit hash of a retaliation for his actions, but at least she had gotten her point across. She couldn't help but smile slightly at her last thought.
She doubted it, but maybe that hug could've meant something more? He seemed to be sincerely happy when he had embraced her and had also seemed quite hesitant to let go of her.
'Now you're just overanalyzing Meryl" she told herself.
Meryl shifted in her bed once again, but this time only slightly. She had never really seen herself as being religious, however lately she had noticed herself constantly saying little prays for Vash's safe return. 'Please God' she thought. 'Please bring him back safe'.
The idea of Vash being killed almost seemed unbearable right now. She couldn't imagine the level of grief she would feel if it actually happened when simply the thought of it currently made her whole body tense up uncomfortably.
It was then she realized that Milly was probably feeling somewhere near the level of grief that she could only imagine.
'Milly, I'm so sorry' she thought turning her head towards the wall that separated her and the other girl's rooms.
Milly had been handling the whole situation like a real trooper, but she knew that the girl must have been going through a huge amount of pain. Meryl understood that all she could do was be there for her friend as an emotional support. Although, it was difficult for her to know what to say a lot of times and sometimes she couldn't think of anything to say at all. In those situations, she would usually just end up changing the subject instead of actually having to be drawn into a discussion about her friend's feelings. Meryl felt guilty that about those occurrences, but knew that as time passed she would probably become more comfortable with talking with Milly about what had happened to Wolfwood.
It was finally after her thought about Wolfwood and Milly that Meryl was able to begin drifting to sleep. Subconsciously she knew that with the coming day there would be a renewed hope of Vash returning home.
*****************
Meryl and Milly stood in the middle of town near the (now functional) well. Everyone in the town had come out to celebrate the fact that they had finally obtained a reliable source of water. The well now stood as a humble monument which would help to revitalize and sustain the small town for many years to come. There was such an overwhelming sense of relief and joy exuded from the towns people that Meryl and Milly couldn't help but get swept up in it.
They had been standing around in the flooded area around the well for several minutes when Milly finally turned to Meryl and pointed towards the edge of town.
"Meryl, what's that?" Milly asked shielding her eyes as if trying to get a better view with a slight tone of anticipation in her voice.
Meryl turned towards the direction Milly had just pointed with her heart in her throat. 'Could it be? Could it be him?' she thought to herself.
Meryl could just make out a figure in the distance walking on the main dirt road which lead into town. Before she realized what she was doing, Meryl began to jog towards the figure and then broke out in an all out run once she had passed through the flooded grounds. Milly was fairly close behind initially, but fell back a bit after Meryl picked up her pace. The figure definitely seemed to be a man, but he was lacking the red trench coat that Vash just about always wore. However, Meryl kept her pace and as she neared the figure she realized that it truly was Vash, just minus the long, red coat.
Meryl suddenly had an urge to run up and embrace Vash. She no longer cared if she embarrassed herself or not, the simple relief she had now gained from seeing him alive and unharmed made her momentarily throw any previous inhabitations surrounding the gunmen. As she neared she saw a big smile on his face, a genuine one. This made Meryl pick up her running speed even more, so that now she was practically sprinting.
However, as she came closer, Meryl became aware that he was carrying something over his right shoulder. She suddenly realized that it was not a something, but a someone. This someone had a build similar to Vash, and seemed to have blonde hair as well. At this point, Meryl had slowed down her pace considerably and was no longer looking at Vash, but instead at the body slung over his shoulder. Her initial desire to embrace Vash with all her might was now being overshadowed by a feeling of contained terror.
'He wouldn't...he couldn't...' she thought to herself as she stared at the unconscious stranger.
Milly had finally caught up with Meryl, and now both girls were standing only a short distance from Vash. Milly was staring at the man hanging over Vash's right shoulder as well. Both Milly and Meryl's expressions had shifted from ones of absolute ecstaticism to ones of subtle disbelief and horror.
Vash stood still and didn't move towards or away from the pair of girls. His expression had changed as well and now seemed to be one slight anxiety and concern.
Finally, after several seconds, Milly spoke up in an unsteady voice tinged with disbelief. "You brought back Knives!?"
This first chapter is mostly introspection on Meryl's part (hence the title Introspection), but picks up where the anime leaves off at the very end. There will be more character interaction in coming chapters.
Feel free to review and tell me what you like or don't like.
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun
============================================
Chapter One: Introspection
A small figure rustled beneath her covers in a silent room lit only by moonlight. Meryl cursed at herself for once again not being able to simply clear her mind and fall asleep. It had been five days now since he had left and during that time she had been able to get only a couple hours of sleep each night. Her thoughts were constantly focused on that one man and visions of him had even begun to invade her dreams.
"Damn, can't I just get a break from this?" Meryl asked the empty room as she turned in her bed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.
While many of her thoughts centered around what she would say to him when he got back and what possibilities might lay in the future for them, there was a more cynical part of her mind that couldn't help but go over possible darker outcomes.
Meryl knew that she was an inherent worrier as well as a realist. The combination of those two traits were bringing up thoughts that she would rather not deal with.
What if she poured her heart out to him, told him how much she loved him and all he did was laugh? What if he told her he didn't return her feelings or that he didn't want to be tied down with a woman like her? But worst of all, what if she never got a chance to tell him anything? What if he never came back.
The last thought made Meryl turn in her bed once again and let out a heavy sigh. "Oh Vash" she whispered. She knew somewhere deep inside that if she wasn't given an opportunity to tell Vash her feelings she might never fully recover. Meryl wasn't completely sure how she would be able to move on if he rejected her, but the thought of never knowing seemed worse to her. At least with the first scenario there would be some type of closure.
Lately, everything around her reminded her of Vash. Whenever she left the small house that they shared she couldn't help but glance up at the cliff overlooking the tiny town. The place, she supposed, he had gone to think about his problems during the time both his mind and body seemed to be in shambles.
Her view of him had changed so much over the last few years. Initially she saw him as exactly the opposite of the kind of man she would want to get involved with. He was reckless, perverted, immature, and irresponsible. But, as she had gotten to know him better she realized that much of his juvenile and comedic behavior was simply a front to cover all of the pain and despair he truly felt. His true nature, she reflected, was incredibly kind and forgiving. He also felt the need to protect or help anyone he saw in trouble, even if such a person had tried to kill him only moments before. He truly was a purveyor of love and peace. She hoped that he would soon come to be in a place, if he hadn't already, where he would no longer feel the need to mask his real emotions with false ones.
However, she had to admit to herself that she was occasionally guilty of hiding her true emotions as well. For a long time she had denied her feelings for Vash. But, after the fifth moon incident she had finally been willing to let some of those feelings surface and while she had never really made them obvious to him she no longer denied them through her actions towards him.
During the two years they had been separated, Meryl believed that she had changed quite a bit. She had definitely grown emotionally and was able to control her temper more easily. It seemed to her that she had also become slightly more compassionate and wondered if this might have been an effect of observing the blonde gunman for so long.
Meryl's thoughts wandered back to the present and she began to think about the current state of her and Vash's relationship. The fact that he had told her all about his past in Carcasses seemed to indicate that he trusted her on some level. She also remembered the hug he had given her after the ordeal with the vengeful towns people. At first, she was quite surprised by Vash taking such an action, but after a few seconds she had decided to just enjoy the moment and the closeness of Vash's body to her own. But, eventually her enjoyment had led to embarrassment and then to full out annoyance when he began to roughly swing her around and rub his face against hers. Maybe hitting him on the head had been a bit hash of a retaliation for his actions, but at least she had gotten her point across. She couldn't help but smile slightly at her last thought.
She doubted it, but maybe that hug could've meant something more? He seemed to be sincerely happy when he had embraced her and had also seemed quite hesitant to let go of her.
'Now you're just overanalyzing Meryl" she told herself.
Meryl shifted in her bed once again, but this time only slightly. She had never really seen herself as being religious, however lately she had noticed herself constantly saying little prays for Vash's safe return. 'Please God' she thought. 'Please bring him back safe'.
The idea of Vash being killed almost seemed unbearable right now. She couldn't imagine the level of grief she would feel if it actually happened when simply the thought of it currently made her whole body tense up uncomfortably.
It was then she realized that Milly was probably feeling somewhere near the level of grief that she could only imagine.
'Milly, I'm so sorry' she thought turning her head towards the wall that separated her and the other girl's rooms.
Milly had been handling the whole situation like a real trooper, but she knew that the girl must have been going through a huge amount of pain. Meryl understood that all she could do was be there for her friend as an emotional support. Although, it was difficult for her to know what to say a lot of times and sometimes she couldn't think of anything to say at all. In those situations, she would usually just end up changing the subject instead of actually having to be drawn into a discussion about her friend's feelings. Meryl felt guilty that about those occurrences, but knew that as time passed she would probably become more comfortable with talking with Milly about what had happened to Wolfwood.
It was finally after her thought about Wolfwood and Milly that Meryl was able to begin drifting to sleep. Subconsciously she knew that with the coming day there would be a renewed hope of Vash returning home.
*****************
Meryl and Milly stood in the middle of town near the (now functional) well. Everyone in the town had come out to celebrate the fact that they had finally obtained a reliable source of water. The well now stood as a humble monument which would help to revitalize and sustain the small town for many years to come. There was such an overwhelming sense of relief and joy exuded from the towns people that Meryl and Milly couldn't help but get swept up in it.
They had been standing around in the flooded area around the well for several minutes when Milly finally turned to Meryl and pointed towards the edge of town.
"Meryl, what's that?" Milly asked shielding her eyes as if trying to get a better view with a slight tone of anticipation in her voice.
Meryl turned towards the direction Milly had just pointed with her heart in her throat. 'Could it be? Could it be him?' she thought to herself.
Meryl could just make out a figure in the distance walking on the main dirt road which lead into town. Before she realized what she was doing, Meryl began to jog towards the figure and then broke out in an all out run once she had passed through the flooded grounds. Milly was fairly close behind initially, but fell back a bit after Meryl picked up her pace. The figure definitely seemed to be a man, but he was lacking the red trench coat that Vash just about always wore. However, Meryl kept her pace and as she neared the figure she realized that it truly was Vash, just minus the long, red coat.
Meryl suddenly had an urge to run up and embrace Vash. She no longer cared if she embarrassed herself or not, the simple relief she had now gained from seeing him alive and unharmed made her momentarily throw any previous inhabitations surrounding the gunmen. As she neared she saw a big smile on his face, a genuine one. This made Meryl pick up her running speed even more, so that now she was practically sprinting.
However, as she came closer, Meryl became aware that he was carrying something over his right shoulder. She suddenly realized that it was not a something, but a someone. This someone had a build similar to Vash, and seemed to have blonde hair as well. At this point, Meryl had slowed down her pace considerably and was no longer looking at Vash, but instead at the body slung over his shoulder. Her initial desire to embrace Vash with all her might was now being overshadowed by a feeling of contained terror.
'He wouldn't...he couldn't...' she thought to herself as she stared at the unconscious stranger.
Milly had finally caught up with Meryl, and now both girls were standing only a short distance from Vash. Milly was staring at the man hanging over Vash's right shoulder as well. Both Milly and Meryl's expressions had shifted from ones of absolute ecstaticism to ones of subtle disbelief and horror.
Vash stood still and didn't move towards or away from the pair of girls. His expression had changed as well and now seemed to be one slight anxiety and concern.
Finally, after several seconds, Milly spoke up in an unsteady voice tinged with disbelief. "You brought back Knives!?"