Disclaimer: We do not own Trigun. Someone else does.
A/N: XBlade is lazy, so I have to write the next 2 chapters. This is gonna kill me… x_x
Anyway…
Search for Truth
By Kouji
Meryl sighed while washing dishes. It had been half a year since she had seen her family. Vash and Knives were declared dead, one son had gone crazy while the other son went off to find him. She hadn't seen Milly in 4 years, so all the people closest to her were gone. The days became lonelier and lonelier. Things they all left behind reminded her of them, making it several times worse. Suddenly a plate hit the floor, shattering. Meryl began to quietly cry.
~~~
Meanwhile, Jin and Sly were in the back of a school supplies truck, starving to death. Nothing in the truck was edible. It was all things like erasers, pencils, paper, etc.
But that didn't stop Sly…
Sly stared at the white stick in his hand. "Hey…"
Jin looked over to Sly. "What?"
"Is chalk edible?"
"I think so… Why?"
"Oh, no reason…"
"Okay…"
Sly stared at the piece of chalk and took a bite out of it.
Jin stared at Sly. "Sly, I'm disappointed in you…"
"Sorry…"
"If you were hungry, why didn't you say so?" Jin said happily, smiling.
"Hm?"
"Try paper, it tastes better!" Jin smiled, eating a piece of notebook paper.
"Okay…"
The duo then commenced to eat paper.
~~~
Meryl then glared. "What am I doing? I shouldn't be standing here crying! I should go look for my babies! Jin, Daggers… Momma's coming!" She yelled as she searched for something. She got out her old outfit, and seeing it still fit, she put it on. She adjusted her cloak, and went into her and Vash's bedroom. She looked under her bed and pulled out a case. Meryl opened the case, where all 50 of her derringers were carried. She reloaded them all, which took awhile, then put them all in her cloak. Her hair had since grown all these years, so she took it out of it's pony tail, and cut it back to the way it was when she had met Vash. "Don't want it to get in the way", she said.
~~~
Milly had just woken up. Wearing a purple nightgown, she yawned, went into the kitchen, grabbed a cup of pudding from the fridge, got a spoon, and sat down on the living room couch. She then, well began eating. The door bell suddenly rang. Milly brightened up and said, "Yay! Visitors!" She put the pudding down, went over to the door, and opened it. What she saw made her teary eyed. Her lip trembled. "M-Meryl? Is that really you?"
Meryl smiled, nodding. She eyes were also getting a bit misty. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" She looked at Milly. She hasn't changed a bit… The two hugged, then Meryl's face became serious. "Milly, I have to ask you a favor…"
Milly's head tilted a bit. "Hm? Like what?"
"I'm going to find my sons, and I need you to come with me…"
"… You really want my help?"
"Yes… I have no one else to turn to… Vash is dead…"
"Not Mr. Vash! I'm sorry…"
"It's alright… That's why I need you… You're the only one I have left that I can turn to…"
"Alright, I'll help you! Wait here!" Milly closed the door, then a few minutes later, opened the door and appeared to be fully dressed, tidied up, and Stun Gun in hand.
"… How did you do that?" Meryl asked.
"Do what?" Milly smiled.
"… Nevermind…"
~~~
Meryl and Milly hopped into a red Jeep, and began their journey. They first traveled to all the cities visted in their adventures, when they heard that 'Jin the Stampede' was last seen in March City. Meryl gulped. "He's in the outer cities?! My poor baby!"
"What's wrong with the outer cities?"
"They're so… big! He could be lost!"
"Aw… He should be fine! My second middle brother who is younger than my fourth older sister who has a twin sister has been to the outer cities and he was fine!"
"… I'm a bit confused at what you said, but I'll take your word for it… Let's take a Sandsteamer!"
"Oh, that nice man over there with 3 sixes carved on his forehead said that the Sandsteamer that usually goes through the outer cities was badly damaged!"
"Oh no! Looks like we'll have to drive! And Milly?"
"What?"
"Um… Stay away from people like that from now on…"
"Aw… But he seemed so nice!"
~~~
As the two friends traveled through the badlands, a sandstorm kicked up. Milly frowned while yelling over the noise. "Meryl, when will this stop?!"
Meryl squinted and yelled. "I don't know! If I get my hands on the person that damaged that Sandsteamer, though…"
The storm began to get worse. The two became lost in the sand…
~~~
Meryl woke up in a cave. She looked around and saw Milly looking at her.
"Meryl!" she yelled. "You're awake!"
"Yeah… Where are we?"
"Oh, Mr. Knives brought us here!"
"Milly, don't be silly… Knives died, too…"
"Oh, too bad… Because this person looks like him too!" Milly said, pointing at someone who looked remarkably like Knives. He waved.
"Yes, it's me…" Knives said, looking bored. He was wearing a tattered space suit.
"Knives? It's really you… Is… Vash--" Meryl began.
"Yes, he's fine… Sort of…"
"What do you mean, 'sort of '?"
"He's… sort of---"
A man with tall spiky blond hair walks into the cave. He was also wearing a tattered space suit. "Hello, Knives… Who are these two?"
"Oh my god… My poor Vash, he's--"
Knives interrupted. "Yep. Lost his memory… He thinks he's a man called 'Ericks'…"
Vash, or 'Ericks' smiled. "The one with the black hair is kinda cute!"
Meryl blushed. Still a charmer, at least…
Ericks sat down. "So, what are your names, if I may ask?"
Meryl fought the urge to cry. "I'm… Meryl…"
Milly looked confused. "But Mr. Vash! You know my name! It's Milly, silly!"
"Well hi there, Meryl… Milly Silly… And why did you call me 'Vash'? My name is Ericks…"
"Because you are Vash! And my name is just Milly! And… Oh wait, that's right… You lost your memory…" Milly said sadly.
~~~
Later, after the sandstorm had ended, Meryl and Ericks were looking at the stars.
"…Why are you so sad, Meryl?…" Ericks asked.
Meryl sighed. "Because… I thought I had lost someone very important to me… Then I realized he was alright… But didn't remember me…"
"… You're talking about me, right?"
"… Yes…"
"Well, I don't know what this 'Vash' guy is like, but from what I've heard, he's a pretty swell guy…"
"Yes… He's a wonderful man…"
"I see…"
Meryl edges over toward Ericks.
"Um… What are you doing?" Ericks asks nervously.
Meryl kisses him on the lips, and Ericks returns the kiss. After they end the kiss, Ericks grabs his head and screams out.
"Ericks, are you okay?!"
Ericks has a rush of memories going through his mind. Memories of the explosion, memories of his sons, the rehabilitation of Knives, the fight with Knives, the Gung Ho Guns, Wolfwood, Meryl…, Milly, July City, Sky City, the 2 guns, Project SEEDS, Knives, and Rem… He then blacked out.
~~~
Vash woke up next to Meryl, Knives and Milly. It was morning. He blinked and said "What's going on? How did I get here? Meryl, what are you doing here? And Milly?! Nice to see you again!"
Meryl began to cry and hugged Vash. Vash looked confused, but returned the hug. "Meryl… Why are you crying?"
"Because…" Meryl whispered. "I love you…"
Vash smiled. "I love you too, Meryl…"
Milly began crying in happiness. "Awwww! That's so beautiful!"
Knives just smirked. "Welcome back… Brother…"
Meryl let go, ran over to the Jeep and got out a case from it. "I have a gift for you…" She got out a new red coat and gave it to Vash. "I know it's not as good as you old one, but… I had been working on it before the ship explosion, and I finished it last night…"
Vash, still smiling, put it on. "It's better than the old one, because it was made by you…"
Meryl got out a black coat just like Vash's new one. "And this is for you, Knives… It's a late 'Welcome to the Family' present…"
Knives smiled. "Thank you, Meryl…"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's find Jin and Daggers!" Milly yelled.
"Can we get something to eat, first?" Vash asked. "I'm hungry…"
Meryl smiled. "Oh, Vash…"
~~~
Somewhere in a desert at night, Jin and Sly were pouting. "Hey!… We were barely even in this episode!"
The End… For now!
~~~
Must… keep… writing… x_x