Chapter Two: Gash

Meryl felt like a board. As to say, she felt stiff. She didn't like sitting next to Vash; she only felt uncomfortable. People around the bus were able to lean against each other with ease and sleep with peaceful hearts; she felt the distinct awkwardness of leaning into Vash. It would feel so weird. She felt like he was the type to look at her as though she was lice or something before shoving her off.
But Meryl could feel her muscles and bones aching. She heard everyone deeply sleeping, and let out a sigh. She chanced a glance to her right, where Vash was quietly looking outside the window, leaning against his hand and looking outside the window.
'He's sleeping already?'
She thought. Then again, she wasn't surprised. The bandits weren't particularly difficult to handle, but there had been so many of them.
'Speaking of which,'
Meryl thought, looking down to her hand. Visible to her view, there was a vertical gash across her back of her hand, which she knew was enough to scar for life. She'd gotten the injury when a bandit with a knife had tried to stab Vash, and Meryl had just thrust her hand across just in time. The knife had gone right through her hand, but Meryl pushed her hand away from Vash's neck and pulled the knife out before using her left hand to shoot the bandits knee.
Milly had practically been crying as she wrapped Meryl's hand up, even though she'd been lucky that the knife hadn't pierced anything too serious and Meryl acted as though it didn't hurt her a bit.
Yeah right.
Who cared how lucky she was.
It still hurt like hell.
But Meryl wasn't about to show Vash that it hurt her. She knew Vash would be tormented at the idea of someone in pain because of him. Meryl had an idea that Vash knew how she'd gotten the injury, so she acted like it didn't hurt her at all. She even removed her bandages once the gash had stopped bleeding, just to kind of prove that it wasn't serious.
Meryl tried balling her right hand into a fist, and felt the gash stretch, the clotted blood beginning to open. Cursing extremely quietly, Meryl stopped exerting her hand. But after a while, she felt that she should try again.
Meryl flexed her fingers, feeling her gash begin to throb as she did so.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when another hand put itself on top of hers.
'Vash-san...?!'
Meryl realised Vash hadn't been asleep after all. She tried to move her hand away from his, but he pressed her hand down slightly.
She looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking outside the window. Meryl tried to tug her hand away again, but Vash only increased pressure, although not enough pressure to hurt.
Sighing in defeat, Meryl gently leaned back into the bus seat. Then she saw that now Vash had a hand on hers, she was in just the right position to lean against him. 'He'll just shove me away.'
Meryl thought. Then the image of him putting his hand onto hers came to mind.
'Okay, so he's not that mean... in fact... he's too nice...'
So she tried a different tack, trying to reason with herself.
'I do NOT want to lean against him, he'll be all bony and buckly and...'
Meryl's thoughts were frantic, but for once, her desire won, and she leant against him very slightly and gently.
He wasn't bony or buckly after all - not with that big red trenchcoat on.
Meryl was again startled to feel Vash relax, allowing Meryl to lean against him more comfortably. She rested her cheek against his arm, then realised how short she really was in comparison.
'Argh! Dammit. I don't even go up to his shoulder,'
Meryl thought annoyedly.
Then it happened.
Vash took her hand into his, and began to rub the gash very gently with his thumb. Meryl nearly bolted upright, but she somehow managed to calm down. Then she closed her eyes.
Was he making it better, somehow? Then again, he was a plant... maybe he had the power to heal...? Don't be ridiculous, she told herself, you're just sleepy... getting sleepy thoughts... but then again... he doesn't have to literally heal me to have the power to heal...
'Dammit... I really am getting sleepy, am't I...'
Meryl thought, a small smile lighting her face at herself. She fell asleep soon after, to fall into a dream.
If she'd stayed awake a little longer, and kept her thoughts going, Meryl would've realised how similar the scene between Wolfwood and Milly had just been between her and Vash.