~Yeah, but I was dreaming, Rem. Everything... Everything was so horribly
dry, even peoples' hearts. From far away, as I watched the people who lived
there, I always found myself wondering how and why could they possibly keep
on living? What motivation did they have that would get up everyday, no
matter what, for the rest of their lives?~
Vash stared in unbelief at the man standing in front of him. He did not
know what to think. He turned to look at Meryl.
"Brother?!?" He said watching her as she slowly walked towards him.
Meryl looked at the man who now stood trembling in front of her. Much to
his surprise she ran up to and hugged him tightly. Unsure, he hugged her
back. There were tears in her eyes.
"Tom. I thought that I would never see you again. After you left we were
all sure that we'd never see you again." Meryl said starting to cry.
Vash was confused. "Ummm....excuse me Meryl...."
Rem was now gripping onto Vash's leg tightly with her small hands.
"Who is that guy, daddy?" Rem said as she peered at him.
Vash patted her on the head. "I'm wondering that too."
Meryl finally let go of him and wiped her eyes. "Oh...I'm sorry... Tom this
is Vash my husband, and my daughter Rem. Vash, this is my brother Tom. I
haven't seen him in years."
Tom now looked at Vash and Rem. "Vash? Vash the Stampede?!?"
Vash grinned and bowed. "Yes it is me. The infamous humanoid typhoon,
terror of the lands! Beware my awesome speed and handsome face!"
Meryl face grew annoyed and she whacked him on the head. "Don't mind him.
He's really quite an idiot. Sometimes I wonder why I married the guy."
Vash sat on the ground rubbing his head, tears streaming down his face.
"Hey that hurt!" He exclaimed.
Then Tom looked at Rem. She recoiled slightly from him, remembering his
gun against her head. He reached out a hand to her.
"I'm sorry about that. I'm Tom, your mommy's brother."
Rem smiled and ran to hug him. "Mommy told me about you once. She said you were the nicest guy and she missed you a ton...."
Meryl looked anxiously at Tom. "I need to talk to alone Tom. There are some things I need to ask you."
She looked over to Vash, who nodded and lead Rem out of the compartment.
"Hey, Rem, let's go for a little walk with daddy." He said smiling.
"Ok!" she responded skipping out the door after him.
Meryl turned to look at Tom.
"What was that all about?!" She said her face now hard.
Tom shifted anxiously. "I didn't know that it was you or I wouldn't have done it."
"That's beside the point. Why would you want to hurt innocent people! I can't believe that you would do that! The Tom I knew was the nicest guy in the world. I don't understand. If hadn't of gotten mixed up with that girl, Rachel, none of this would have happened." Meryl said ashamed.
"Leave Rachel out of this Meryl! It's none of your business anyway!" He said angrily.
Memories of the past began to flash through her mind. Rachel was Tom's old girlfriend. She had been in a local gang, one that did some pretty horrible stuff, but Tom kept insisted that she was a good person. He said that she didn't want to be in the gang, but she had too. He had never said why Rachel was still in it. Then one day he had just disappeared, along with Rachel, without a word of goodbye. Meryl had been only sixteen then, and she had missed her brother dearly.
"What happened after you left?! I need to know Tom. I missed you." Meryl said her anger fading away and turning into sadness.
Tom's face grew painfully sad. "We had to leave. Rachel owed a lot of money and they were forcing her to do awful things. I couldn't stand to see her in such pain, so we ran away. We thought that if we got far enough away we could forget about all the horrible things of the past. We got married later, but it wasn't soon after that she died."
Meryl got very quiet. "How did it happen?"
"They came back for her. They found us....and they weren't happy. It was an accident...they weren't really going to kill her. They just wanted to kill me, but she....she got in the way....and she died instead...It's all my fault Meryl....and then....and then...they came after me....and I didn't want to die, so I agreed to work for them....I should of just let them kill me, but I was too afraid." Tom said starting to cry.
Meryl stared at horror at her older brother. What a horrible life he must be living. She put her arm around him. "Don't worry. I'll help you get out of this, no matter what."
~Happy Holidays everyone~
Vash stared in unbelief at the man standing in front of him. He did not
know what to think. He turned to look at Meryl.
"Brother?!?" He said watching her as she slowly walked towards him.
Meryl looked at the man who now stood trembling in front of her. Much to
his surprise she ran up to and hugged him tightly. Unsure, he hugged her
back. There were tears in her eyes.
"Tom. I thought that I would never see you again. After you left we were
all sure that we'd never see you again." Meryl said starting to cry.
Vash was confused. "Ummm....excuse me Meryl...."
Rem was now gripping onto Vash's leg tightly with her small hands.
"Who is that guy, daddy?" Rem said as she peered at him.
Vash patted her on the head. "I'm wondering that too."
Meryl finally let go of him and wiped her eyes. "Oh...I'm sorry... Tom this
is Vash my husband, and my daughter Rem. Vash, this is my brother Tom. I
haven't seen him in years."
Tom now looked at Vash and Rem. "Vash? Vash the Stampede?!?"
Vash grinned and bowed. "Yes it is me. The infamous humanoid typhoon,
terror of the lands! Beware my awesome speed and handsome face!"
Meryl face grew annoyed and she whacked him on the head. "Don't mind him.
He's really quite an idiot. Sometimes I wonder why I married the guy."
Vash sat on the ground rubbing his head, tears streaming down his face.
"Hey that hurt!" He exclaimed.
Then Tom looked at Rem. She recoiled slightly from him, remembering his
gun against her head. He reached out a hand to her.
"I'm sorry about that. I'm Tom, your mommy's brother."
Rem smiled and ran to hug him. "Mommy told me about you once. She said you were the nicest guy and she missed you a ton...."
Meryl looked anxiously at Tom. "I need to talk to alone Tom. There are some things I need to ask you."
She looked over to Vash, who nodded and lead Rem out of the compartment.
"Hey, Rem, let's go for a little walk with daddy." He said smiling.
"Ok!" she responded skipping out the door after him.
Meryl turned to look at Tom.
"What was that all about?!" She said her face now hard.
Tom shifted anxiously. "I didn't know that it was you or I wouldn't have done it."
"That's beside the point. Why would you want to hurt innocent people! I can't believe that you would do that! The Tom I knew was the nicest guy in the world. I don't understand. If hadn't of gotten mixed up with that girl, Rachel, none of this would have happened." Meryl said ashamed.
"Leave Rachel out of this Meryl! It's none of your business anyway!" He said angrily.
Memories of the past began to flash through her mind. Rachel was Tom's old girlfriend. She had been in a local gang, one that did some pretty horrible stuff, but Tom kept insisted that she was a good person. He said that she didn't want to be in the gang, but she had too. He had never said why Rachel was still in it. Then one day he had just disappeared, along with Rachel, without a word of goodbye. Meryl had been only sixteen then, and she had missed her brother dearly.
"What happened after you left?! I need to know Tom. I missed you." Meryl said her anger fading away and turning into sadness.
Tom's face grew painfully sad. "We had to leave. Rachel owed a lot of money and they were forcing her to do awful things. I couldn't stand to see her in such pain, so we ran away. We thought that if we got far enough away we could forget about all the horrible things of the past. We got married later, but it wasn't soon after that she died."
Meryl got very quiet. "How did it happen?"
"They came back for her. They found us....and they weren't happy. It was an accident...they weren't really going to kill her. They just wanted to kill me, but she....she got in the way....and she died instead...It's all my fault Meryl....and then....and then...they came after me....and I didn't want to die, so I agreed to work for them....I should of just let them kill me, but I was too afraid." Tom said starting to cry.
Meryl stared at horror at her older brother. What a horrible life he must be living. She put her arm around him. "Don't worry. I'll help you get out of this, no matter what."
~Happy Holidays everyone~