Disclaimer- Don't own it. Wish I did. I'm done.
Vashluver1 walks down the meat isle. She picks up 200 packs of hot dogs. She strolls down the bread isle and places 200 packs of buns in the shopping cart. – Ah... done. Meryl's gonna kill but I don't care.
Back with the Trigun group.
Millie- Na nana nana na! I'm in charge! Go me! Go me! Who's your leader? Who's your leader?
Knives- I am!
Vash- Hey! I'm second in command! Second the best!
Wolfwood- Vash, you're not responsible enough to be in command. Let me ahem borrow your spot for a while.
Vash- ok!
Wolfwood- Yeah! I'm second in command! ... FOREVER!!!
Vash- Hey! That was mean!
Wolfwood- I'm cooler than you, Tongari!
Meryl- It's ok, Vash. I still love you!
Vash- I love you, too!
Knives- Don't make me vomit! Where is my Leggiepoo?
All- Oo
Knives- Why do you all stare at me like that? I didn't do anything!
All- Whatever...
Millie- I get to introduce the chapter! Yay! This is the-
Narrator pops up- and this is the chapter!
Millie- Hey!
She starts crying.
Wolfwood- I'm going to blow your ass to hell! You made my darling angel cry!
Narrator- How can you blow my ass to hell when your hands are chained to the wall?
Wolfwood- DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Narrator- Here. I'll unchain you.
He unchains Wolfwood.
Narrator- Now you can blow my ass to hell!
Wolfwood blows the Narrator's ass to hell, blows the smoke off the end of the rocket launcher, and chains himself back to the wall.
Vash- Wolfwood! Killing is bad!
Knives- No it isn't!
Wolfwood- Too late!
Meryl- God help me!
God- No!
Meryl- Fine! Be that way! Here's the damn chapter!
Millie- Hey!
Chapter 10 Her Death
"Where are you going?" asked Meryl indicating Vash who was walking out of their hotel room.
"I'm just going to go grocery shopping because I kind of want to stay here and make sure Knives is really ok. If he isn't, we can always send him back to the hospital," he replied.
She gasped. "But Vash! That's what a responsible person would do!"
"So what? I'm not responsible?" he asked defensively.
"Well... no!" she stared at him wide-eyed.
"Your so mean! Ok, well... I'll be back soon. Stay here until I come back. I don't want to have to search the whole city for you." He walked out.
"B- b- but... he's not responsible!" Meryl stuttered.
Vash walked to the closest grocery store. "Hmm... bread? Check. Salmon? Check. Doughnuts? ..." He smiled and started drooling. Vash placed the doughnuts in his shopping cart. "Check!" He grinned.
"Wait a second!" Meryl exploded. "I'm not going to listen to him! He's Vash, for crying out loud! How could I be so stupid?" She walked out of her room, checked on Knives who was sleeping, and stepped out into the bright sunshine. Meryl squinted her eyes against the harsh suns. "Why must we have two suns?" She headed to the bank where she thought Vash might be. She didn't know that he already had his money.
Stepping into the large air-conditioned building was the first mistake. Taking out a hidden derringer and pointing it at the bank robber was the second. And running in front of the child and its mother was the third.
A shot was heard around the city. Vash's keen ears picked it up quickly. A bad feeling settled in his stomach. Everything was going in slow motion, from the mad dash to the bank to the sight of Meryl's lifeless body on the floor. His eyes went wide at the body drowning in its own blood. "H- how? W- why?" Anger he never knew he had filled his eyes. "Who? Who d-? Who did this? Who?" He muttered breathlessly. Walking to her form was the second hardest thing he had done in all his years of living. Kneeling down and feeling her cold, dead skin was the first. Vash broke down in tears.
The bystanders surrounding him held pity in their eyes. The little girl Meryl took the bullet for slowly and guiltily walked up to the sobbing man. "It was my fault, mister. It was my entire fault. If I hadn't told my mommy to by me a toy today, the nice lady never would have had to do that for me. She wouldn't be... be..." The little girl tried to hold back tears but her eyes wouldn't allow it.
Vash heard the snivel and lifted his head to see the little blonde girl with innocent watering sky blue eyes. "It's not your fault," he whispered. "I should have been there. I should have protected her. I should have found her before it was too late." He slowly stood up and walked over to the feds who were standing by. "Is the man that shot this woman in custody?" The men nodded. Vash walked back to Meryl, slowly scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the hotel.
When they arrived, Vash acquired sympathetic stares from the other patrons of the hotel. He gingerly walked up the stairs and briefly checked on Knives who slept on, oblivious to Vash's melancholic presence. Back in their hotel room, Vash gently laid Meryl on the bed, the blood soaking through onto the bed sheets from the wound in her chest. Her violet eyes were open and dead staring into nothing. They were emotionless, spiritless, listless, and passionless. Her skin was bloodless, pallid, and ghostly. Her hair had lost its shine and was dull and lackluster. Vash spent and hour just staring into her eyes before closing them tenderly and picking up the phone provided by the hotel services. He dialed Millie's family's house number. Mura answered the phone in a cheery voice.
"Hey, Mura. This is Vash," he said in a inexpressive voice, so unlike him.
"Well, hello, Vash! You sound different. Is anything wrong?" she asked. Vash was silent for a minute. "Hello?" she asked.
"I'm still here, Mura. This ... I need to speak with Millie or Wolfwood, please."
"Of course, Vash. Here is Millie. Good day," she said softly and soothingly.
"Hey, Mr. Vash! What's up? We haven't spoken in a while. How's Meryl?" Millie asked innocently.
Vash choked. "She's dead." It was the first time he said it and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"What?" Millie asked.
"Please don't make say it again," he pleaded.
"But how?" Tears filled her light blue, usually cheery eyes.
"She- she was shot in the chest about an hour ago in bank robbery," he whispered, drops of hot, salty water running down his cheeks.
"What's the matter, honey?" Wolfwood asked.
"I- I- it's Meryl," Millie wailed. "She- she- she- she's- dead!"
Wolfwood just stared, remembering the short little tyrant woman. He was always teasing her. A qualm twisted his stomach guiltily. "No," he mumbled. "No. It can't be. Can I talk to him?" asked Wolfwood.
"Y- yes. I need to tell everyone else anyway." She walked out of her room, biting her lip and clenching her fists trying to stop the tears falling from her pale face.
Wolfwood grabbed the phone and slammed it to his ear. "How?" was the only word that escaped from his lips.
"Bank robbery. She ran in front of a child and took the bullet to the chest."
"So you didn't kill the guy?" Wolfwood asked harshly.
"Killing him won't bring her back!" Vash snapped.
"I'm sorry, Vash. I'm so sorry," Wolfwood said softly. "We're coming there."
"No. You guys stay. I'm not at the house anyway. We traveled to July to visit my brother."
"You took her to see your brother?" Wolfwood asked unbelieving.
"He's all better now. The mental hospital really cured him. Besides, Meryl was different. We sort of... did it a couple nights ago and I changed her into a plant-like creature. She would have lived twenty to thirty years more if she hadn't ... you know ..."
"You told each other your feelings?" Wolfwood asked uneasily. 'That must have been even harder,' he thought.
"I don't know what do to, Wolfwood! I don't want to bury her here! I don't want to bury her at all, but I have to."
"You can cremate her," he suggested already knowing the answer.
"I don't think I'll be able to burn her body either."
"I'm coming to July, Vash. You shouldn't be alone right now. You need someone. I'll take Millie, too. She always cheers me up."
"All right." Vash could see that there was no changing Wolfwood's mind.
"Just don't do the little "ditching friends when they're trying to help you" act. I don't feel like looking for you for two years again."
Vash smiled. 'That's Wolfwood!' "I won't. I promise." They hung up. 'It's hard to be alone. I don't want to be alone,' Vash thought sadly and cried himself to sleep on the bed next to his dead lover.
Millie sniffed- That was so sad!!!!!!!!
Meryl- I died?! When Vashluver1 comes back, she has some serious explaining to do!
Vash- She told me what's going to happen! She trusts me!
Wolfwood- But you're not supposed to be the trusted one!
Knives sniveled- That was so sad!
All- Oo
Knives- I just wanted to thank all who reviewed. My master, Vashluver1, told me to specifically thank Kawaiibabe something something for all her reviews. Thank you Kawaiibabe! You really made my master's inbox very happy! Thank you to all else who reviewed. We can't really answer because we don't have that authority. Only master can do that. Wait until she captures my darling Legato.
All- ((OO))
Vashluver1 is seen on her way back to her evil fortress of doom in the middle of the desert with a shopping cart filled with hot dogs and buns- Hey all! I'm sorry for my sorry ass attempt at angst. I know some of you may be thinking, "Why the hell did she kill Meryl? I'm never going to read her fics again!" Don't be thinking that! I'll just say, she's not dead and it's not over yet. I don't want to give anything away. Damn! I forgot the ketchup! Please review! Oh, um... could any of you let me borrow some ketchup? I've forgotten to waste Meryl's money on it. Oh. And sorry for the short chapter! It will get longer. Also... sorry for the long wait. I didn't know what to write. I had a huge plan! I just didn't know how to get there.