DISCLAIMER: I've written a couple chapters, more than two, you KNOW these aren't my characters, so PLEASE DON'T SUE! (who would be stupid enough to anywayz? -.-')

SPECIAL THANK YOU's TO:

Akima The Stampede Maxwell, kiki, Amanda, Lynda-chan, Skittles, K-chan, LinaIX, Zazies, Nadeshiko Kinomoto, Ca (Rinoa Toki Moro Lockheart, MagicGirl256, lilith, Numena, CardMistress Sakura

Lynda-chan: yes, evil evil phone. I don't think it's black, but I'm the author so I can make it black ^.^ Poor Meryl… all her good moments are ruined (DFS looks innocent)

Skittles: EVIL DWARVES!! ^.^' that's not very nice… but my leprechaun will protect me! HA! *does a victory dance* (*glomps Skittles* Thx for the great reviews on my other ficcys! You're great! ^.^)

Zazies: m-monkeys? *shivers* DFS is scared of monkeys… (you're not killing anymore??? *gulp*) Glad you liked the ficcy! ^.^

Ca (Rinoa Toki Moro Lockheart: NO! NO PUPPY DOG FACES! *guilt is seeping in* Pwease stop! *cries* I'll write! I'll write! Just no puppy faces! *sniff*

MagicGirl256: DFS always talks about herself in third person… she doesn't know why. DFS agrees with Bruka-chan, but the voices in her head seem to think it's a mental disorder. DFS doesn't care. ^.^ (NO!! LEGATO AND HIS LOLLIPOP ARE MINE!! … *thinks about it* Weelll…. If you promise to give him back… after he's done with my fic though! ^.~ hehehe)

YAY! And it is time for the 6th chapter of EVEN THE STRONGEST WALLS CRUMBLE!! Ready Legato??

LEGATO: … -.- This is gonna be one of those fics where you pick on me, isn't it?

ME: Weell… I DO think that 'Legato likes Meryl' thing is kinda interesting… *snicker*

LEGATO: 0.0

* * * * * * *

EVEN THE STRONGEST WALLS CRUMBLE

CHAPTER 6



"And what would you like to eat tonight?" Meryl asked, trying to keep a cheerful expression on her face. Today was just not her day. Yesterday evening (yes, the same yesterday evening when Vash had saved her) her boss has called her up to say that today, Sunday, she would have to be working a 12 hour shift, since two fellow waitresses had called in sick. Well, he had at least agreed to double her pay for the day… but still. Sunday's were not fun.

"I think I'll just have a salad…" One woman at the table of five responded. She looked very unsure, staring at the menu as if she'd rather eat everything on there, "I'm sort've on a diet…"

"I'll have the New York Strip!" Person number 2 shouted, handing over the menu.

"How would you like that?" Meryl asked.

"Um… Medium well."

"Ok, and-"

"Aw, screw it!" Said diet woman, "Give me the Super Turkey Meal with a side of fries and sweet potato."

"And I want the chicken strips… no, wait, The Double Bacon American Cheeseburger!" Said Person number 3.

"Wait, I'd like my steak to be Medium Rare instead. I was confused." Said Person number 2.

"Give me a big bowl of Clam Chowder!" Yelped Person number 4.

"Change that side of sweet potato to a side of mushrooms." Said diet woman.

"Oh, I want a side of fries as well!" Yelled Person number 3.

"Is it possible to remove the clams from my soup?" Asked Person number 4, "They make me really really sick."

"And you?" Meryl asked in an exasperated voice, staring down at the fifth member at the table who hadn't spoken the whole time.

The boy smiled and replied, "I'll just have the spaghetti, with extra Parmesan cheese, please."

Meryl smiled back, sort've relieved, and jotted down the last order. Just as she was about to walk away, the diet woman pulled her sleeve.

"On second thought, I'll have the spaghetti too, no sauce."

"Forget the bacon on mine!" Person number three said. "I just remembered I'm allergic to it.'

"Oh, the same sides!" Diet woman added.

"And maybe-" Person number four began.

*twitch*

*twitch*

'I'm going to kill something…' Meryl thought, scribbling and jotting down the orders in silence.

* * * * * *

Finally it was the end of her shift, and Meryl was allowed to leave. Grabbing her leather jacket on the way out, Meryl shrugged it on and walked out the door. As she did, she noticed two things.

Her friends, (Milly, Wolfwood, and Vash) were waiting for her.

Wolfwood and Milly were very very close… and Wolfwood had his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, it's about time." Meryl commented dryly, letting a small smirk reach her lips as Wolfwood and Milly blushed. Milly, however, had something more serious to talk about.

"Meryl," She said, rushing over to glomp her friend, "We heard what happened! How could you not tell us?! You could have been killed!!"

"Milly…" Meryl muttered, but Milly cut her off.

"At least now those guys are in jail! Now we can go rescue your sister and everyone will be happy! We decided to come walk you home tonight because something might happen, and tomorrow after school we can go and help your sis-"

"Milly," Meryl interrupted, turning slightly red, "I can't breath."

Milly immediately let her friend go, giving her an apologetic laugh. Meryl smiled slowly, straightening her jacket as she headed back towards her apartment on foot.

"Thanks guys, I guess. I really don't need anyone to walk me home though. I'll be fine."

"OK, well, do you want to go to a restaurant or something with us before you go home?" Vash asked, his hands in his pockets. They had all started to walk with Meryl in a line that went from one edge of the sidewalk to another. Meryl twitched, shaking her head viscously.

"NO! No restaurant! You can't make me go into another restaurant!"

Milly patted Meryl's back in an understanding, reassuring way as Wolfwood leaned over to whisper to Vash.

"It's Sunday… Sunday's are always hard. She'll be back to her normal mental state by tomorrow… thought we're not quite sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"I heard that!" Meryl growled, pummeling Wolfwood over the head with a big mallet that had appeared out of no where. Vash and Milly sweat-dropped.

"Well, at least it wasn't me this time!" Vash said, smiling worriedly. Meryl turned on him just then, a wicked look in her eyes.

"Would you like to be next, Vash?"

"Heh… heh… how about the movies then?"

"Yeah, the movies are always fun." Milly agreed, helping Wolfwood up and trying to keep the peace.

"We always get kicked out of the movies." Meryl grumbled, but put her mallet away anyway. What was the point of ruining a perfectly good night? She followed the others, putting a smile on her face as they all began to talk.

* * * * * *

'Well, it's been an OK night.' Meryl reasoned to herself, walking into her apartment and locking the door behind her. She had laughed a bit, the movie was good, and even though they HAD gotten kicked out, the movie had almost been over anyway. Meryl smiled as she remembered the main reason it had been such a good night.

*~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK*~*~*~*~*

Vash and Meryl were walking side by side through the movie theater, Wolfwood and Milly just a bit ahead of them. Vash's head turned slightly as a pretty blonde walked by, wearing flare jeans and a tight black top that showed her stomach. Meryl sighed, rolling her eyes as she began.

"Nichole Dereks, 17 years old, owns-"

She got cut off as Vash put his hand on her mouth, shaking his head. "Nope, I don't need to hear it. I'm not looking for any girls."

"What?!" Meryl exclaimed, pushing his hand away and pretending to check for a temperature, "Are you FEELING alright Vash? Ever since you moved here there hasn't been one DAY when you haven't been chasing every hot girl in our school!"

Vash just smiled mysteriously, refusing to say anything. Meryl looked suspicious.

"Don't tell me you actually FOUND someone!"

"Maybe…" Vash replied, still wearing the same strange smile. Meryl shook her head.

"You better point her out at school… I want to see this person who's actually made Vash stop chasing girls."

Vash kept smiling, but didn't reply as they walked into their directed theater.

*~*~*~*~*END OF FLASHBACK*~*~*~*~*

'And then he didn't mention a single girl in the movie theater the whole time… even though we still got kicked out.' Meryl shook her head, remembering. OK, so it wasn't so great that Vash had found a girl… Meryl had actually started to get somewhat attracted to him. Not that she hadn't been in the first place… she had just been really angry with him all the time. Now, though… she felt sort've giddy when he was around.

'Stupid…' Meryl told herself, sitting down on her bed, 'You can't fall for anyone! That's bad! Really bad! Even if Vash saved you, that doesn't mean he won't hurt you in the end!'

'And then I'll be no where,' Meryl agreed with herself, hugging her pillow tightly, 'I'm destined to never be with someone, I know it. No one can really love me completely forever… that's just not possible. I'll end up getting hurt in the end, and it's not worth it.'

It suddenly occurred to Meryl that she was actually thinking about Vash this whole time. Blushing slightly and shaking her head, she pretended to build up another wall inside herself, closing her eyes tightly.

'Even if he's talking about me… which he's not… I can not like him. I can't like him that way… I just can't! I love him as a friend, just like my other friends, and that's it!'

Realizing that her thoughts were just getting her more and more confusing, Meryl decided to go get a drink from the fridge… just a soda. Maybe it would calm her down a bit.

As she neared the kitchen, someone started knocking on her door. Meryl jumped, afraid at first, then realized it must be one of her friends coming to check on her or something. Shaking her head, Meryl straightened her rumpled clothes (a pair of tight black flares and a gray shirt that represented the restaurant she worked at) and went to answer the door.

"Yeah?" She asked, opening the door wide. The person who stood in front of her was NOT one of her friends however, but an all-too-familiar face… Legato.

"Hello lit- … girl. Miss me?"

"You…" Meryl growled, immediately backing back into the house as she narrowed her stormy gray eyes, "You didn't get caught?!"

"Nope," He replied with a small smirk, grabbing her arm before she could slam the door closed and dragging her out into the open with him, "Looks like I got lucky."

"Let go of me you bastard!" Meryl hissed, kicking him hard in the leg. Legato flinched but mostly ignored her attempts to get away, dragging her kicking form out into the streets and then into the alley. Finally Meryl pushed away, glaring death rays at him.

"What do you want, you demented freak?! Revenge for what we did to your gang?"

"Nope," Legato said, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her up against the alley wall, "I only have a message. From me to you."

Meryl froze as he leaned closer, his breath tickling the side of her cheek as he whispered in her ear, "You've left me nothing… the gang I belonged to is gone and my way of life has been all but destroyed. I don't hold this against you though. I only have one request. I'm leaving tomorrow, for another town to start another Gung-ho gang by myself. Come with me…"

Meryl could barely breath, surprised at how close he was to her. Her eyes went wide at his request, but she slowly shook her head.

"I can't go with you, you idiot. I have a life here, and I don't even LIKE y-" Meryl started to say, trying to push Legato away.

Legato didn't move, letting one hand trail down the side of Meryl's face. She shivered slightly, more from disgust then anything else. But a dark part of her mind was tempted… REALLY tempted. And it scared her.

"You have nothing here… I've seen your life. Your mother's dead, you've been kicked out of your family, and you barely have enough money to survive on. Please, Meryl, come with me… you know you want to…"

Meryl could feel herself about to agree, but shook it off.

"What kind of mind game is this?!" She growled, kicking him away, "No way in HELL I'm going anywhere with YOU. I hate you! You threatened to kill my friends and you tried to kill ME! Now leave me alone!"

Surprisingly, Legato just smirked, walking off in the opposite direction of her apartments. She could hear the amusement in his voice when he spoke.

"I'll let you think about it, little girl. Maybe then you'll realize that you have nothing here… and everything if you come with me. Just think about it."

"You're wrong!" Meryl yelled, whacking him on the head with the 'suddenly appearing' mallet she had used previously on Wolfwood, "AND DON'T CALL ME A LITTLE GIRL, DAMMIT!"

Meryl took in a deep breath as he left, feeling a soft, cool breeze hit her as she exited the alley. Legato was wrong… she had her friends. No one could convince her that they were worth nothing, not after her experience in the lake. But still…

…it scared her that she had actually been ready to accept Legato's offer. She had been two seconds away from saying yes!

And what was Legato's deal anyway? One second he'd be trying to kill her… and now he wanted to be with her? Very weird…

Meryl stomped into her apartment and locked the door tightly behind her, taking a deep breath.

* * * * * *

(Now we get some point of view from Vash-chan! ^.^ yay!)

(And I can call him 'chan' if I want to! =P )

The next day at School was torture. Vash woke up in a good mood, with a smile on his face and a big basket full of optimism. That basket full of optimism didn't last long.

When he first arrived at school, he scanned the crowded halls for his friends, especially Meryl. Just as he was passing the janitors closet though, he got a creepy feeling and stopped, looking around. It was that feeling of being watched. Vash was sure it was coming from one empty spot in the hall, but when he looked all he saw was a fleeting shadow of someone who had just rounded the corner. Vash shook his head, confused. He was getting jittery for no reason at all.

Later on he finally found Meryl, Milly, and Wolfwood. They were standing outside their next period class, talking. Surprisingly, Wolfwood and Milly seemed to be having what looked sort've like an argument, while Meryl stood blankly beside them, staring off into space and looking like she hadn't got any sleep at all. This couldn't be too good.

"Hiya Meryl!" Vash said cheerfully, grabbing the girls shoulder and whispering, "What's going on with them?"

That seemed to snap the girl back to life. She looked over at Wolfwood and Milly and shook her head, a small smile showing up on her face. "Wolfwood wants to go out with Milly… but he can't seem to say it right. Now Milly thinks he wants to go out with some other girl, and is asking her permission. It's very confusing."

"I'll bet!" Vash responded, laughing as they turned to watch their friends.

"No really," Milly was saying, "It's OK with me, Mr. Wolfwood. I don't see what the problem is."

"It is?" Wolfwood said, looking slightly hurt. Then he shook his head. "No, no! That's not what I meant anyway, Milly! And stop calling me that!"

"But you told me-"

"When I said I wanted to go out with someone, I didn't mean some other girl in this school!"

"Mr. Wolfwood!" Milly exclaimed, turning slightly pale, "I didn't know you were that way! I-I'm s-sorry-"

"No, no, no!" Wolfwood said, holding his head in his hands, "That's not what I meant, Milly! I'm STRAIGHT! And stop calling me THAT!"

"Oh…" Said Milly, pausing, "So what DID you mean Mr. Wolfwood?"

"Ok, I KNOW you're just doing that to get on my nerves!" Wolfwood pouted, shaking his head, "Stop calling me that before I-"

"You're right… this IS confusing," Vash mumbled, getting a nod out of Meryl. She seemed to be more awake now, listening intently to the conversation at hand.

"Before you WHAT?" Milly asked calmly, smiling a little. Wolfwood frowned and shook his head, looking more nervous by the second.

"Nothing, forget it. When I said all that stuff, I meant, well, I didn't mean go out with some other girl. I meant I wanted to ask you if… I mean…"

"What do you want, Wolfwood?" Milly asked, tilting her head as she tried to understand what he was saying. Finally Wolfwood pulled her into a deep kiss, ignoring the rest of the student body around them.

"There you go!" Vash and Meryl cheered, waving little 'go team' flags and clapping madly. A couple other students joined in.

When the couple finally pulled away, Wolfwood made sure to give Vash and Meryl a good deathglare before turning back to Milly.

"I MEANT to ask if YOU would go out with me."

"I think he's finally got it!" Meryl giggled, acting like her old happy self for the first time in days. Milly immediately laughed as well, giving Wolfwood a big hug.

"Of course! All you had to do was ask!"

Wolfwood sweat-dropped, but hugged her back just as the morning bell rang. Vash smiled at his friends, letting them go through the classroom door first. Just then things were good, however, the creepy you're-being-watched feeling came over him again… and his smile dropped. He was never this jittery about nothing. Was he finally going crazy?!

(LATER: At Lunch)

Vash was wearing his usual smile as he collected his food and went to sit down at a table with Milly, Meryl, and Wolfwood…. but inside he really wasn't feeling much like smiling. He had gotten that creepy feeling two more times today… both between passing… and by now he was pretty sure he had a stalker. But why? What had he done?

The gang came to mind, but they were all in jail as far as he knew. Then again, nothing was impossible.

Slightly worried, Vash took his seat right next to Meryl, while Milly and Wolfwood sat across from them. They now looked like an official couple… holding hands, leaning against each other, the lot. It made Vash feel slightly jealous… he had never had that sort of relationship with someone. He had never even KNOWN someone as long as Wolfwood and Milly had known each other. Them… together… just seemed RIGHT. He wanted that.

Glancing over at Meryl, he noticed that she wasn't touching her lunch. Instead, her eyes were focused on a certain spot on the table, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Or maybe she was just in deep thought… who knew. Vash could tell, however, that something was wrong. His problem was that he was too chicken to ask.

'What if she goes into one of her bitchy modes??' A little voice whined in his head. Vash grinned, shaking his head. Yeah, Meryl was definitely unpredictable. One moment she'll be shining you this great smile, and the next second… BAM. You're on the floor and missing a couple teeth.

'Still…' Vash thought, glancing over at her again, 'I wonder if she's hiding something important…'

Shrugging it off for the time being, Vash commenced it gulping down his food and joining in Milly and Wolfwood's conversation on whether or not ostrich's could fly.

* * * * * *

Vash was out of the school two seconds after the last bell had rung, not even bothering to wait for his friends. He'd catch up with them later… but there was no way he was getting stuck in those halls. All day that creepy feeling had been following him around, every time he entered the hall. He was hoping he could escape it this time.

"Man…" He panted, sitting down near a tree about a block away from the school, "I wonder what that thing was… it's getting me really freaked out."

Silently Vash watched as students from the High School passed, pretending to ignore the sly looks some of the girls were giving him. Usually he'd be jumping for joy at those looks… but lately he hadn't felt like chasing any girls at all. For some reason, he had devoted most of his time to figuring out Meryl. He wasn't quite sure why yet… maybe it was a bit of attraction towards the pretty little High Schooler. And maybe it was something more. Yeah, he could feel that sometimes. A tingling, exciting feeling whenever she smiled or laughed… that weird, heart racing feeling whenever she walked with him or passed him in the hall… and that shiver of joy whenever she touched him. Man, he really was a loser. A poetic loser.

Fifteen minutes later everyone had passed, and Vash was still sitting by the tree. He wasn't quite sure why… He knew his friends usually walked in the other direction and there was no reason to still be sitting there… but it was kinda peaceful. He needed to rest.

Suddenly the creepy feeling was back. Vash sat up immediately, looking around as shivers ran up his spine. Yes, it was definitely back… someone was watching him again.

He jumped to his feet immediately, starting casually down the street as if nothing was wrong. He'd just have to make it home as quickly as possible… he probably should have stayed with his friends. But no, there was no time for regret. He just had to keep on walking. He knew he was a good enough match for any punk looking for a fight, but what if this punk, or whoever was stalking him, had a weapon? Or even a group of friends? That could tilt the odds drastically… and Vash really wasn't in the mood for fighting anyway.

The invisible eyes followed him down the street and all the way to his house, no matter how many twists and turns he took. Realizing he didn't want to lead the follower to his actual house, in case this person was dangerous, he walked passed his house and into a forest area at the edge of his housing complex. There. Safe.

"So we meet again Vash."

Ok, maybe not.



* * * * * * * * * *



-TO BE CONTINUED!!

MUHAHAHAHA! And it is done! (well, this chapter anyway! ^.^' phew)

LEGATO: .. .\\ I hate you DFS…

ME: ^.^ Then why are you still here? Huh??

LEGATO: *motions to ropes that have him bound head to foot and glares*

ME: ^.^ hehehe… evilness. Ciao peeps!