***DISCLAIMER*** Vash belongs to Meryl, (though Meryl's in denial) and Wolfwood belongs to Milly. None of them belongs to me (*sobs*) so you can't sue!

*~*Sorry this chapter took so long… ^.^' poor DFS was grounded… (cry for me)*~*

THANK YOU's TO: (takes a deep breath)

Lynda-chan, Kathy, Miraba, Chibiman, K-chan, tenshi no ai, Miss Eriks, Alyson Metallium, Akima The Stampede Maxwel, Silver-Stampede, CardMistress Sakura! Thx for reviewing chapter 2!

To Miraba: Thx for mentioning the alley thing… I read back through the chapters, and realized that in the first chapter I mentioned it was a shortcut, and then the second chapter I accidentally made it sound like it was the only way to get to her apartment ^.^' very screwed up. Anyway, thx so much for helping me set it straight!

(Oh, and in this chapter I was going to finally explain why she's not living with her parents… so don't worry ^.^ hehehe)

To tenshi no ai: hehehe… yup, I know, very imcompetent gang members *lol* I tried to think of something more professional to put, but in the end it was 2 in the morning and my brain wasn't working right. (Don't ask me why I choose to type all my fics up after midnight… 0.0) ^.^ Thx for the comments!

To Chibiman: *lol* You're welcome!!

To Miss Eriks: A pansy song?? ^.^ HAHAHA!! That's awesome! (poor Vash… I almost feel bad for him… ^.~)

To Alyson Metallium: Thx for the reviews! ^.^ yeah, I was wondering whether wolfwood called him needle-noggin or needle-nose… but I decided on needle- nose because high schoolers just don't use the word 'noggin' that much ^.~ thx for telling me the real nickname! One of my many Trigun mysteries solved! (I should probably try watching the series over again or something… I've forgotten everything about the characters… -.-)



SO THEN, now that that's settled, thx again for the reviews guys and ON WITH THE FIC!

LEGATO: It's ab-

ME: . Zip it mister! Don't say -ANYTHING-!

LEGATO: *growls and shuts his mouth*

^.^

…. Angstish warning for this chapter….

* * * * * * * * * * * *

EVEN THE STRONGEST WALLS CRUMBLE

CHAPTER 3



Meryl sat down wearily on her full size bed, shaking her head as thoughts ran through her head. How had she gotten herself into this mess? All she wanted to do was sleep and rest her tired mind, but the thought that she might be beaten or killed the next day was keeping her awake. She knew she should tell someone, but there was no way she was going to take the chance of the gang finding out and going after her friends.

Meryl slowly took off her shoes and jacket, throwing them on the floor. All she had in her apartment was one table, one chair, and a bed. It was pretty much all she could afford, since her only income was waitressing on the weekends and odd jobs here and there. Not even enough to live on, though she would never admit it to anyone.

Just as Meryl was about to stretch out across the bed and try to get some sleep, evil played its ultimate trump card.

--RING--

'Crap. The phone did NOT just-'

--RING--

"Not NOW!" she groaned loudly, falling on the bed face first. "It's a wrong number… it's gonna stop…"

--RING--

"DAMMIT!!" (It's probably safe to say that Meryl has phone-phobia, ne? ^.^ *laughs evilly*)

Meryl yanked the phone off the hook before it could ring again, glancing down at the digital clock strategically placed on her floor. Geez, it was already 11:00!

"Hello?" She mumbled grumpily into the receiver, her eyes half-closed with sleep. The voice she heard on the other end of the line, however, made her jump halfway to the roof, sleep forgotten.

"Meryl? …. That's you, right?"

"J-Jessica?" Her sister! Why was her sister calling her?! Especially at 11 at night! "Jess, what's wrong? What happened?"

A dry laugh, bare of any amusement what-so-ever, filled the line. Meryl flinched just to hear it.

"Mom's gone Meryl… she's dead. She died in the hospital 3 nights ago because of her cancer. And you know what Dad did?"

Meryl was too shocked to answer, her mouth slightly open as she forced herself to hold the phone to her ear. The dry humor in her sister's voice had turned to shaky bitterness as she continued, her tone picking up speed rapidly.

"He cursed her! He came into the hospital drunk, cursed her dead body for leaving him the kids and the bills, and stomped out! HE DID THAT TO OUR MOTHER, MERYL! And you know what else?! Since you got kicked out last year Dad said he wouldn't let you come to her funeral. He's holding a private one, and only because our family is forcing him to. Otherwise I don't think he'd even care! Mom's DEAD!"

The last two words came out as a screaming wail as her sister cried into the phone, the noisy sobs cutting Meryl's heart deeply. All she could do was sit in silence, listening to Jessica cry as she stared into the empty corners of her apartment. Mom was dead… HER mom was dead….

Even though the shock of the situation had not quite seeped into Meryl's mind yet, she couldn't help feel a deep and painful pull on her heart as she listened to her sister. When the cries had finally quieted a bit she spoke.

"It's alright Jessica… don't cry. It's okay. Everything will be okay."

The 15-year-old girl on the other end of the line quieted down, comforted by her sister's gentle voice. Just as she was about to speak again, however, Meryl heard a loud shout in the background. Jessica growled, obviously upset by what had been said.

"SHUT UP YOU DRUNK! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY!"

Meryl cringed but said nothing as the incoherent shouting in the background continued. Then Jessica hissed, directing her voice back into the phone. "Sorry Meryl, I have to go… The Almighty Drunk One is calling." It was obvious by the tone in her voice that she was close to throwing something at him.

"Ok Jess, call me as soon as you can. And don't do anything stupid."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and then Meryl heard what sounded like desperate breath, shaky with sadness and suppressed anger.

"S-sis… I wish I could come live with you. Mom's gone… and I don't wanna be alone. I don't wanna be alone with HIM!"

Meryl flinched, sighing sadly. She knew the anger and pain her sister felt… she had felt it before. "I'm… I'm so sorry Jess. Just hang in there. I promise I'll get you out."

"Promise?"

Meryl smiled shakily, remembering full well what was going to happen at 6 tomorrow. But how could she let this gang kill her now, now that her sister needed her so badly? If she died… then her sister would be alone. No matter what happened, she WOULD protect her friends and her family in every way she could. It sounded almost too noble for Meryl's taste, after the life she had been through, but it was the only thing she truly believed in.

"I promise Jess, I'll get you out of there."

For 5 minutes after Meryl had hung up the phone she sat in complete silence, her mind racing with the information she had just learned. And that's when what she had just heard hit her. Truly hit her.

"I-I'll never see her again?" She whispered to herself, her eyes wide open in shock, "Mama? Never again?"

A tear threatened to spill down Meryl's cheek but she held it back, a look of horror on her face. She continued stating the obvious outloud to herself, forcing the truths into her unyielding mind. "I'll never see her again. All she'll be to me now is a piece of stone in a grassy field, surrounded by other graves. I won't even get to go to her funeral!"

"DAMMIT!" Meryl shouted for the second time that night, angrily pounding one fist into her pillow. But even that small action seemed to drain all her strength as she fell onto the bed right afterwards, burying her face into the soft pillows. A shiver went down her back as her groggy mind reflected on the day, slipping away into twisted thoughts and 'what-ifs' as her mind slowly slipped into the silence of the dreamworld.

* * * * * * *

(this is Meryl's dream ^.^' It's what happened to her a year ago when she still lived with her parents)

*****A heavy man was coming after her, and Meryl was running. She was running as fast as she could, catching glimpses of the red-faced old man as she ran, her feet becoming more and more like lead as she tried harder and harder to get away. Finally she was at the door of her house and turned, looking back to see the big man bounding up the steps after her, yelling something she didn't understand. She knew without trying to open it that the door to the house was locked. After all, she had lived this dream. She knew this fear.

Finally the man was in her face, the smell of beer thick in his breath. He was still yelling at her, shaking his fists and screaming. Meryl started to yell angrily back at him, but before she got more then two words he slapped her hard across the jaw.

His shouts were now drowned into the back of her mind as she lifted one hand to her face, shocked. She wasn't going to cry though… she was too strong for that. It wasn't fear or grief she felt in front of this man, it was anger. It was the silent fury that could only be understood in the back of ones mind when they feel the suppressed violence and outrage building up inside of them. The feeling of helpless injustice.

Meryl clenched her teeth, shouting at the man in front of her and shoving him backwards, off the steps of the porch. She watched him scream and fall backwards, slamming the cement with his back. Only when his cries filled the air did Meryl truly realize the horror of what she had just done, too petrified to move as she stared down at the man's foot, twisted in an impossible position.

And then people were running out of their houses. The large man was sitting up, his painful shouts echoing through the streets. And this time she heard clearly what he was saying.

"Get out, you bitch! Go! GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK! You're not my daughter you little whore! YOU'RE NOT PART OF THIS FAMILY!"*****

* * * * * * *

Meryl sat up in a cold sweat, her pillow crushed in the tight grip of her hands as she held on to it. The word 'disowned' echoed in her ears as she tried to calm her breaths, glancing down at the clock. It was 10am, Saturday morning.

Despite the dream and the previous days events, everything didn't seem so bad in the new light of the morning. Maybe because things from the day before felt so unreal, even though she knew they were true. In any case, she refused to let herself break down and curse the world for all its unfairness. She just wasn't that sort of person.

And so she got up, stretching slightly, and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. The warm water would definitely help clear her mind.

'And then maybe I'll think of a way to deal with this gang.' Meryl tried to convince herself, taking off her clothes from the day before and starting the water. Just then….

--RING--

*twitch*

--RING--

"Dammit!!!!"



* * * * * * *



-TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really short chapter, I know. It was supposed to be short, angsty, and a chapter to explain everything about Meryl's history. NEXT chapter has more VxM, WxM, and the fight with the gang!

^.^ don't worry, the next one's coming real soon! I won't take as long as last time! Thx for reviewing and helping me out ppl! CIAO!

LEGATO: … ^.^

ME: … 0.0 why… are.. you… smiling?

LEGATO: ^.^

ME: … why is he smiling?

LEGATO: ^.^

ME: It's just… not… like him…

LEGATO: ^.^

ME: STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!

LEGATO: …… ^.^

ME: STOOOPPP!!!!!!! *holds head* STOP IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT!!

LEGATO: … ^.^

ME: STOOOOPPPPPP!!!! *runs and hides underneath a couch, cowering and whimpering* why is he smiling like that? Legato doesn't smile like that… legato NEVER smiles like that… Legato is NEVER that happy….

LEGATO: ^.^ I think I finally found a way to mess with your mind DFS. This is fun.

ME: *growls* Good job Genius… waddaya want, a cookie? . AND STOP IT!

LEGATO: ^.^