Chapter 11 What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

"Kiba! Vash!" Meryl yelled out as she sat up quickly, tears running down her face.

"Meryl? Shhh, it's ok!" Milly was by her side, stroking her back as Meryl continued to cry. Slowly, her cries softened until they were gone and she wiped her eyes, looking around. It was dark, the moons hanging in the sky, bathing the land with an eerie glow. She looked to her side, seeing Kiba was still out beside her. She felt relief wash over her as she reached out to smooth his dark hair away from his face.

"Milly, when did you guys…how did you…" Meryl was obviously confused and Milly spoke up.

"We decided to follow you. We didn't want to be left behind, for you two to have all the adventures by yourself…" Milly trailed off, smiling softly.

Meryl blinked, feeling a smile grow on her face. "I'm glad you guys came."

"Me too! Considering the situation we found you in!"

Meryl nodded slowly, looking around. "Where's Vash?" she questioned and Milly pointed her finger up to the rocks where he sat, his silhouette against the fifth moon. She felt her heart sink a bit. He looked sad…

She was about to get up and go to him when Kiba stirred, sitting up gingerly. "Kiba! How are you feeling?" Meryl asked him.

He cracked an eye open to look at her, responding, "Like I've been hit by a truck…" He said softly and she put her hand on his shoulder. Milly took this as her cue to walk away, knowing that the two had things to talk about.

"Kiba…why are you here?" Meryl asked and all at once, Kiba's demeanor became self-protective.

"Oh, so that's how you thank someone for saving you?" He bit out coldly and she was taken aback. He had never spoken to her like that before and she felt her hackles rise defensively.

"Kiba, that's not how I meant it and you know it!"

"Oh yeah? Well, just what did you mean Meryl?"

"Kiba, thank you for saving my life today…" She said quietly and he deflated a little, although his face still held irritation.

"You're welcome." was his short reply. Inwardly, he was berating himself for acting so coldly. He wanted to see Meryl again to confirm their friendship, not push her away. But now that she was before him, his mind turned cynical. He guessed it was because he was still hurting…

"I'm sorry I had to put you in that position Kiba." He heard Meryl say and looked at her, seeing unshed tears in her eyes. He wanted to reach out to her and wipe them away, but he refrained. He knew it was not his place anymore…

He was still aggravated and when he didn't respond to her, Meryl sighed, starting to stand. "I'm sorry Meryl. I'm…I'm still in pain…" he said faintly and she sat back down.

Meryl thought her heart might break at the sight of him, so down and out. "Kiba…did you ever stop to think that it's just as painful for me as it is for you? Maybe even more so."

He stared at her. He hadn't thought of that…but could she really be experiencing more pain than he was? He doubted it. He shook his head. "No, I don't think so Meryl. How could you know what I feel right now?"

She clenched her fists, feeling her temper rise. "Do you know how much it hurts me to know that you are sad and alone Kiba? Because of me? How much it hurts to sit here and watch you cry, knowing that I can't be the one to comfort you from this? Knowing that I wanted to be that person so badly, for you?" She buried her head in her arms, letting her tears fall steadily now.

Kiba's jaw dropped open as her words hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew she was being serious…he had known her for years.

He dropped his gaze to the ground, his heart pounding painfully in his throat as his own tears threatened to fall. "I…" He started as a lone tear fell down his cheek. He made no move to wipe it away, instead closing his mouth as he shut his eyes, eyebrows furrowing together.

"Let's just give it some time Kiba." Meryl said quietly as she stood, wiping her tears with the back of her sleeve.

All he could do was nod; his eyes still shut as more tears leaked from behind his closed lids.

"I'm glad you came Kiba…thank you for still being my friend." Meryl said as she left him alone.

Vash strained his ears to hear their conversation and felt his heart thud with sympathy, not only for Meryl, but for Kiba as well. He knew that there was more to the breakup than she had let on…

It was strange…he hadn't felt jealous when Meryl had crawled crying into the other man's arms. Just an overwhelming sense of sadness. He knew Meryl loved Kiba, even if it wasn't that way, and he wondered if she would ever open up to him about it. He wanted so badly to take their relationship further…to tell her how he felt. But, he knew that the timing wasn't right. She was in pain from her break up and he felt it would be inappropriate to try and make her move on so fast…if she even wanted to move on with him. He didn't know that either, to tell the truth. He could clearly see that she harbored affections for him. But, what kind, he still was unsure of…

He turned his head to see Meryl staring up at him and he stood to offer her a hand.

Meryl looked up through her tears to see Vash still sitting on the rocks, his face turned in her direction. She slowly made her way up the sides and he stood, bending down and reaching a helping hand towards her. She grabbed it and allowed him to haul her up next to him. They sat back down, eyes gazing upwards at the moon.

"The stars are beautiful way out here…" Meryl broke the silence with her quiet observation.

"Yeah…I've noticed it too. When in a city, or near one, the air is dirtier, it seems, blocking a lot of the light." Vash responded.

Meryl eyed him, trying to read his face. But she couldn't…"Thank you Vash, for saving us today." She decided this was a good start to the conversation.

He looked at her, smiling. "You're welcome. It was Kiba who really saved you though."

"I know, but you saved him. And that meant a lot to me." Meryl looked down at her hands, absently wringing them together.

"I would have saved him, even if you didn't want me to." Vash's smile widened and she gave him a sarcastic look.

"You know that wouldn't be the case…and…I know you would have. You have a good heart like that."

"Yeah…I know you wouldn't have wanted him to die…you also have a good heart like that."

The two went silent for a bit as a comfortable quiet ensued.

"Are you upset that everyone is here?" Meryl asked hesitantly and Vash looked at her.

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" He felt a spark of hope ignite in him. Maybe she wanted to be alone with him as much as he did with her…

"No reason." Came her mumbled response and he smiled.

"It will certainly be more exciting with our friends around, won't it?"

Meryl looked up at him, a huge smile coming across her features. "Yeah, that's for sure!"

Vash locked eyes with her and her smile began to dissolve until she was looking at him seriously. "What is it?" She asked.

"I…" he hesitated. Should he tell her what he was really thinking? Could he chance that right now? "I just think…that you're beautiful, Meryl. That's all. Inside and out."

Meryl felt her cheeks redden, the warmth in her belly growing tenfold. 'Did he just call me…beautiful?'

When she didn't say something for a bit, Vash began to think that it was bad timing. He turned his gaze towards the sky again, trying to suppress his embarrassment. He nearly jumped when he felt her head lay on his shoulder, her arm wrap around his.

"Thank you Vash. That means a lot to me."

And he smiled, laying his head on top of hers.

They sat like that in companionable silence until Meryl yawned. Reluctantly, Vash lifted his head from hers, missing the feel of her silky locks on his rough face. "Let's go to bed. Looks like everyone else already have." He indicated to the trio behind them, all lying down, eyes closed. Meryl nodded, her eyes instantly beginning to droop. Vash helped her to stand and then, with one fell swoop, scooped her up in his arms. It was all she could do not to squeak in alarm as her arms automatically wrapped around his neck. He leaped down from the rocks, setting her down gently once they had touched ground again.

"Well, that was easy." Meryl joked and Vash smiled and winked.

He lay down upon the blanket that he stretched out, pulling his other one up to his shoulders. He opened his eyes to see Meryl still standing near him, arms clasped in front of her, looking very hesitant. He smiled as he lifted his blanket, indicating silently to lie next to him. She locked eyes with him, as if needing reassurance, and he used his other hand to beckon to her. Meryl slowly lowered herself down, lying with her back to him. She smiled when she felt him scoot closer, putting the blanket over them both. His arm remained over her for a moment and her smile grew. She grabbed onto it and pulling it down to her. Clasping it underneath her chin, Meryl snuggled closer to him and she heard him let out a small sigh. He was smiling too. She could feel it. Immediately, she felt herself being whisked away to sleep, not caring that she would probably have another dream. She was next to Vash, and she knew that he would protect her.

Vash smiled into her hair, breathing in her scent. 'Jasmine…suits her…' He thought absently. It felt nice to be this close to Meryl. It felt…right. He relaxed almost instantly as he continued to smile. It seemed that despite her pain, she wanted to be near him, as if relying in him to help her through it. That thought made Vash's heart leap with hope, the hope that maybe, one day soon, he could tell her what he really felt.

Kiba cracked his eyes open from across the way, feeling a stab of jealousy as he watched Meryl lying next to Vash. He shut his eyes, willing the overpowering feeling to die down. It did, a little. But he could do nothing about the stinging pain of rejection in his heart and he curled up closer to himself, trying to sleep. 'Maybe this was a bad idea for me to come…'

Seeing Meryl get closer to Vash by the moment was going to kill him. 'Well, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Isn't that what they say?' This was exactly what he needed, to tell the truth. He needed to see this- it was the only way he would be able to get over Meryl. 'He had better be good to her…' He thought tiredly, right before he finally dropped off to sleep.

"Ta-su-ki! Wake-UP!" Meryl nearly kicked the still sleeping red head and watched in irritation as he mumbled and rolled onto his back. Milly giggled as she watched her friend grab the blanket from him.

"Get up! We need to get going! Gods he sleeps like a rock!" She shoved the blanket away, earning more giggles from Milly and a laugh from Vash as she stomped towards their bags. Grumbling, she bent down, searching for Vash's bag.

"Ah hah!" Vash raised an eyebrow when he noticed her pull a canister from his bag and stomp back to Tasuki, a malicious smile on her face. He looked to Milly and she shrugged, turning her attentions back to Meryl.

Vash nearly spit out his toothbrush as he witnessed a side of Meryl he had never seen before. Currently, she was spraying a boatload of shaving cream into both of Tasuki's hands, her laughter full of mischief. "Yeah, we'll see how you like this, sleepyhead!" She was talking quietly to herself. Vash shoved his hand to his mouth in an attempt to squelch the bubbling laughter within him. He risked blowing the whole operation if he laughed too loud and woke Tasuki early.

Once Meryl had deemed his hands full enough of the white foam, she looked around for something to tickle him with.

"Ahem…" She looked to Vash, who stood there, eyes skyward while he held out his hand. Her eyes lit and she rushed to his side, plucking the feather from his grasp and scurrying back to her victim.

"Pssst…Vash…where did you get that feather?" Milly eyed him and he grinned.

"I found it the other day on the ground. I thought it was neat…so I picked it up…" He shrugged.

Milly placed a hand to her mouth, eyes wide as she grinned, turning her gaze back to the scene in front of them.

Vash looked out of the corner of his eye to see Kiba had joined them. He was standing right next to him, arms folded as he shook his head. Vash saw the twinkle of amusement in the man's eyes and elbowed him lightly, getting his attention.

"This is gonna be great…" Vash grinned and Kiba tried to keep the smile from growing on his face as he merely nodded.

"Come on Task…here's your morning wakeup call…" Meryl adopted a crazy light in her eyes, giggling as she tickled his nose with it. His eyebrows creased and he scrunched his nose, mumbling incoherently. All eyes were on the duo as Meryl continued her assault. After a minute, she thought that he wasn't going to do it and she cursed quietly, her fun seemingly ruined.

All at one, Tasuki sneezed and splat! His left hand hit his face and Meryl heard the burst of laugher from behind her.

"Wha- what the hell!" Tasuki sat up in a flash, bringing his other hand to his face in an attempt to wipe off the offending foam.

Meryl doubled over, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Well…good morning sunshine!" She breathed out and Tasuki was on his feet in a flash, an enraged look on his face. Meryl's eyes widened as she bolted away, still laughing her head off as she called out, "And oh, what a morning it is!"

"Meryl! I'm gonna kill you!" Tasuki yelled out and took off after her. She let out a scream; her shrieks intermingled with her laughter as she ran from him.

Vash was chocking on his laughter, Milly wiping tears from her face. Vash looked to Kiba, who stood there gazing at Tasuki and Meryl, small chuckles coming from him. He looked like he was trying very hard to contain it.

"Kibaaaa! Help!" Meryl streaked by, Tasuki close on her heels.

"Why don't you just slow down a bit Meryl? Let's have a chat!" Tasuki bit out as he caught up with her. He tackled her and they both tumbled unceremoniously to the ground, dust rising from where they fell. Meryl was still shrieking with laughter as Tasuki latched onto her, rubbing his face all over hers. "How about a hug Mer?"

Kiba couldn't take it any more and he threw back his head, roaring with laughter. The sound was very infectious and Vash hollered with laughter again, reaching out to pat Kiba's back as the man chocked on his merriment.

"Ok! I give I give! Truce!" Meryl yelled out and Tasuki pulled back from her, a look of contentment on his face as he grinned.

"You look a little…foamy Mer. What happened?" He laughed and Meryl tried hard to contain her laughter again.

"Oh I don't know…just trying to wake the dead I guess…and this seems to be the only way to do it! You sleep like a rock!"

The five friends dissolved into another round of laughter, even Kiba having to wipe a few tears away. When the merriment had died down, Tasuki stood, holding his hand to Meryl. She accepted it and he pulled her easily to her feet. They looked at one another, shaking their heads.

"Wow, I need a shower now…" Meryl said and Tasuki was quick to agree.

"That's for sure. I could smell you in my sleep."

Meryl swatted his arm as she stalked by him, beginning to clean up camp.

"There should be a town not that far away. We could stop there and eat and shower if you guys want." Vash said as he packed his bag and threw it in Kiba's car.

"Sounds like a plan." Meryl confirmed and helped the others pack up. Within minutes, the five were on the road.

It had taken a minute to get the seating arrangements down. No matter how you looked at it, it would be awkward. So, in the end, Kiba took the drivers seat, Vash the other front seat, while Meryl, Milly and Tasuki squished in the back. Tasuki was in the middle and Milly began to think that she should have placed herself there, as Meryl and Tasuki quipped and poked at each other the entire way to the city. She laughed at their antics, silently telling herself that she would sit in the middle next time. It would be the only way they would ever get some peace on their long drive.

"Aaahhh, this is so great! A shower and clean clothes!" Meryl sighed happily. They had made it to Friday County and she couldn't have been happier to be clean again. While the shaving cream incident was fun, feeling the foam dry and crust up on her skin was less than appealing to her and she was grateful when the town finally came into view.

She hummed happily to herself as she got dressed. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face and she stopped, shaking her head. "What has gotten into you Meryl?" she asked herself out loud. She was in a great mood, happiness nearly bursting at her seams. The fact that she had actually let loose this morning and had some fun could be it. Or it could have been the fact that Vash had held her close all night, and she didn't have a dream…that could be it too…either way, she felt happier than she had felt in years. And she wasn't about to complain!

Meryl towel dried her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. She didn't have any of her electric hair supplies with her and had to opt for the air-drying method. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she felt a little self conscious at the outfit she was wearing. While she had showered, Vash has magically shown up and placed a new set of clothes for her on the bed. She liked them, actually, thinking that they were very much her style. Milly had to have helped him pick them out. She turned to view her backside in the dark denim jeans, new black leather boots adorning her feet. Vash had said that she needed proper shoes for traveling and she had protested at first, saying that her shoes had suited her just fine when she and Milly had traveled with him. It was then that she stopped to think about just how long ago that actually was and smiled as she accepted the new boots. For her shirt, she wore a simple little black t-shirt, which was light and comfortable. To top it off, her favorite item, was a long black duster, full of pockets and silver buckles. It wasn't too big, fitting her in all the right places, yet allowing enough room for her to hide her derringers.

She gave herself a once over in the mirror before grabbing the duster from the bed and heading out the door of the hotel and into the sunshine. She looked for her party and smiled when she noticed them sitting at a restaurant, outside on the patio area.

She waved as she jogged up to them. "Hey guys, sorry it took so long. A girl's got to have a long shower every once in a while." She smiled at Milly, noticing that she had on new attire as well. "I like the outfit Milly! It's great!"

Milly blushed as she said thank you. Indeed the beautiful brunette looked great in her lighter blue jeans, her boots looking very similar to Meryl's. Her shirt was white, sloping into a v-neck. She had a new duster as well. Hers was navy blue and Meryl thought it brought out her friends eyes dramatically.

She chuckled a bit. "Wow. Don't we all look hauntingly the same now." She joked of their apparel.

Tasuki shrugged. "What better clothing to travel across Gunsmoke in than boots, jeans and a proper duster?"

All nodded their heads in agreement.

Vash watched as Meryl sat down between he and Kiba, a small blush rising to his face.

"What?" Meryl asked when she saw him staring.

He quickly looked back to his menu, feigning ignorance. She gave him a curious look before shrugging and smiling at him. "Thank you Vash. For the new outfit."

He smiled as he nodded. "Well, Milly picked it out…"

"Yes, but he paid for it!" Milly chimed in and Vash chuckled.

"Yeah well…" He trailed off and Meryl continued to smile at him.

She turned her attentions to Kiba, who sat quietly next to her, eating his lunch. "How are you feeling today Kiba? Better than yesterday, I hope…" She was really meaning his physical fatigue, but could read the emotion in his eyes as he looked at her.

"I'm doing fine Mer. Thanks for asking." He responded and continued to eat.

Giving up on any conversation with him at the moment, she picked up a menu. "Let's see what they have." Scanning the menu, she finally settled on pasta. It was actually her favorite food and she was delighted to see that they had regular spaghetti with red sauce. Placing her order, she sat back to observe their surroundings while Tasuki and Milly chatted amiably.

The small town of Friday seemed friendly enough; it's quaint buildings and atmosphere giving her a sense of nostalgia, as it reminded her of her hometown.

"Hey. Your foods here Mer." Her attention was brought to the steaming plate of spaghetti in front of her, courtesy of Vash, and she grabbed her fork, digging into the pasta.

Vash chuckled as he watched her eat. "Slow down girlie, you'll choke."

Meryl swallowed her bite and took a long drag of her water, wiping her sleeve across her mouth. "Yes dad." She joked and he shook his head smiling.

"You'll never break that bad habit, will you?" He spoke of her sleeve and she grinned. Meryl, all in all, was a pretty prim and proper woman. But lately, she seemed to be letting herself go more…loosening up more and more in the gunman's presence.

Kiba was noticing this too, feeling his heart twist. Indeed, the scene he witnessed this morning with the shaving cream was so unlike the Meryl he knew…

Sadness welled within him. He had wanted to be the one to do that for her, to bring that out of her…but instead, he was forced to sit by and watch the woman he loved fall for someone else. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Looking over to Vash, he eyed the man. He sighed inwardly. No matter how much he tried to say that he hated Vash for taking Meryl from him…he couldn't help the feeling that he liked Vash as it grew inside of him. He hadn't thanked him yet for saving his life. In fact, he hadn't spoken a word to the other man and was beginning to feel bad about it. But, Vash seemed oblivious to this, always smiling at Kiba and joking with him, including him in their conversations. If he didn't know any better, Kiba might have thought that Vash was going out of his way to include him. He sighed. It would take time…but he would thank Vash for helping him. Eventually…