Chapter One
Author's Notes: I'm borrowing something from the manga here. As far as I could tell from the translations, Wolfwood hasn't died in the manga yet. So I'm just assuming here that he will survive the end of the manga. If anyone knows this is just plain wrong (it may very well be) then just consider this an Alternate Universe fic in which Wolfwood did not die. ^_^ Also, in the manga Vash calls Meryl by her given name (Meryl) instead of "insurance girl". I don't really know what he calls Millie, but to make it easier, I'm having him call her by her given name as well. Oh, and in case you don't know, -san after a name is just a way of addressing someone respectfully. It's actually the general way people refer to each other unless they're fairly close or are small children.
Vash knew it was going to be a very bad day when he woke up screaming. He was still trembling when he climbed out of bed and headed blindly for the shower. He couldn't seem to force himself to calm down. That dream had been far too haunting to merely forget, or even shove to the back of his mind. He'd had nightmares about Rem's death before, but never like that. Never had he seen her in such pain. All he could think about were those horrible wounds all over her, ones that put his to shame. And all that blood….
"Stop it!" he commanded himself. Scrubbing his face with steaming hot water, he tried to think of something else. Anything else. Suddenly Meryl's devious portrait came to his mind, and he jerked the shower curtain back roughly to try to make himself forget that too.
He knew Meryl would never do something like that. Try to replace Rem? To destroy Vash's memory of her? She wouldn't even consider it. He toweled off and slipped on his shorts. He was going to stop thinking about that, he had to.
A much appreciated distraction presented itself when a knock came at the door. "Vash-san, I finished sewing up your coat."
Great. It was Meryl. Vash considered telling her to just leave it by the door, but then decided against it. She'd stayed up all night mending the tears and holes that had shown up in his coat through the week. The least he could do was thank her. He opened the door and smiled at her. "Thanks, Meryl."
She returned his smile and walked on in, laying the coat across a nearby chair. "It wasn't too bad this time. Just try to be more careful" she said, now standing over his bed and beginning to fold the scattered pieces of clothing. She packed them all neatly into his bag and zipped it up. "There. Maybe your clothes won't be so wrinkled now."
He grinned and thanked her, idly wondering if she could tell how fake he was this morning. "Think we should head out early today?"
Meryl thought for a moment before answering "I'd say leaving around midday would be good, don't you?"
He nodded. Since the whole Knives issue was over with, Vash, Meryl, Millie, and Wolfwood had taken to traveling around the planet together, if nothing more than to pass the time. Vash was a natural wanderer, as was Wolfwood, but Meryl and Millie followed only out of habit. They'd been traveling with these men for so long that they couldn't imagine life without them in it. The only difference from the old days was that they all discussed and planned where they would go together, and things were much more lighthearted, since the dread of facing Knives and the danger of meeting his minions were now gone. In fact, until he had that horrible nightmare, Vash had been happier now than he could ever hope. The violence in his life was at an all-time low, as now he only dealt with the strange situations he came across, instead of being targeted by assassins, gunmen, and all other manner of dangerous creatures.
Wolfwood had become like a brother to him, as they could both get drunk and have a great time just talking or making fools of themselves at the bar. Meryl had taken to sewing up his coat once a week, to make sure that it didn't get so bad that it couldn't be salvaged. She had also taken over most of the planning, as she was the only one who actually tried to make plans to begin with. The others would have been just as happy roaming around, but they all admitted that they would have missed some great spots without Meryl's plans.
Millie was still as sweet and sharp as she always was, but Meryl seemed to be getting lonely when Millie took off in the night to Wolfwood's room and returned hours later to say that they were "just talking". Vash and Meryl both knew better, but while Vash found it amusing, and Meryl smiled and giggled, Vash could tell that Meryl hated it when Millie would leave her friend's company in favor of her lover's.
Meryl walked toward the door. "I'm going to pack up a few of Millie's things. She's still in Wolfwood-san's room."
Vash couldn't help but notice the hint of bitterness in Meryl's voice. "Why don't you just talk to Millie? Tell her that you're lonely."
"That would be awfully selfish of me, don't you think?" Meryl asked him. "It's not right to expect Millie to discard her own relationships just because I don't have one."
"But you do have a relationship. You have one with her."
Meryl smiled. "You're right. I'll talk to her."
In a moment, Meryl was gone and Vash had almost forgotten about the dream. It was still lingering in the back of his head, but he was successful in not thinking much about it. He finished getting ready and walked out of his room. He thought he'd relax and have another drink at the local bar before they moved on out. He made his way down a couple of blocks, taking in the scenery. The town was small and quaint, comfortable and clean. Somewhere in his thoughts, Vash wondered if the next town would be so nice.
Upon reaching the bar, he walked in casually and sat down at a small table in the corner. Half an hour and three drinks later, Wolfwood walked in and spotted him. He ordered a drink for himself and sat down beside Vash. "The girls want to leave in about an hour." He said between taking drinks.
Vash nodded. "I kind of dread leaving this town. It's so nice here."
"Yeah," Wolfwood agreed, "it's real nice. We're heading to Whisper City, though, and I've heard it's a nice place too."
Vash smiled. "I hope so."
Wolfwood eyed him strangely. "What's wrong with you today? You sound like you're half-asleep."
"I think I am." Vash said, leaning his head on the table.
"Up late last night?"
"Not as late as you, I'm sure." Vash said with a hint of a grin.
Wolfwood laughed and took another drink. "I don't know. You and Meryl seem pretty snug lately."
Suddenly the words from Vash's nightmare came back to his mind. You've touched another woman. You've touched her. Is that what it really looked like? Vash shook his head almost violently. "No, we're not like that!"
Wolfwood was a bit surprised. "Okay, whatever. Don't get so upset about it."
Vash forced a smile onto his face. "Sorry. I'm just really tired, that's all."
"You must be. You don't usually mope around like this. Maybe Whisper City will make you feel better." He stood up and laid some money on the table. "Finish your drink and let's get moving. I'm sure the girls won't mind leaving a bit early."
Vash tried to force another smile, but he knew it was useless, particularly with Wolfwood. Instead he continued to drink while his friend left the bar. He stared at the ice cubes shifting in his glass. Try as he might, he simply couldn't get the dream out of his head. He wondered then if he ever would be able to.
He stood up slowly and added a few dollars to what Wolfwood had already left. He walked out of the bar and met the others outside the hotel, rechecking their packs and bags. "Ready to get going, Vash-san?" Millie asked.
He nodded and the four of them began their walk. Whisper City was only two miles away, and they were sure they make it there soon enough to have a good lunch in town. But Vash wasn't excited, nor was he in any hurry to get there. Something about the very name of the town gave him a strange sense of dread. An ominous feeling came over him as they left the previous city, and all he could hear was Rem's voice from his dream: "Kill Meryl Stryfe!"
Author's Notes: Next chapter will be up soon!