Hey hey hey! Welcome back to this exciting rendition of Retourn à Moi!
Thanks to my reviewers.. Vashies-Girl, Ala, AnonymousTrigunOtaku, chaotic
pink chocobo.. You are almighty! You are the reason I am writing this as of
now! I haven't had the chance to actually do any writing in my math
classes, so this is just at home now. Math is getting evil.. proofs.. are
evil. But besides that.. read, enjoy, review ^.~
That is the end of the authors note.
Disclaimer: I.. please don't make me say it.. *her mother, a patent lawyer, motions with a club over the computer* fine. I .. don't own Trigun. But I do have a Trigun manga!
Retourn à Moi
Sickness
"Sempai?!" screamed a shocked Milly as she saw her friend fall limp to the ground. She immediately kneeled to try and help her, but Meryl had fallen unconscious. She placed her hand beneath the raven locks and found her to be very hot.
"Mr. Vash?" she asked, getting his immediate attention. He turned around and saw Meryl's limp body sprawled on the floor, Milly kneeling beside her, hand on her forehead.
He sprinted back and looked at Milly. "Did she just collapse?"
Milly only nodded.
Vash looked at Meryl with concern in his eyes, now a soft turquoise compared to the normal, vital aqua. He brushed aside her hair and placed a tentative hand upon her head. He noted she was burning up, and that they needed to get some ice packs and liquids for her. He slowly picked her up, princess style, his right arm beneath her back and supporting her head, his left arm beneath her legs.
"Milly.. Grab the bags." He took the key and opened the door that could have been mistaken as driftwood. He walked through the makeshift living room and into the bedroom. Knives was unconscious on the far bed, and the bed nearest the door was vacant. He set her down on top of the ugly, white sheets provided by the hotel.
"Milly!" he called as he saw the brunette set the suitcases on the ground near the door of the hotel room. Her head perked and she ran into the bedroom. "Milly? I'm going to pick her back up and I want you to roll back the sheets so we can keep her warm." She nodded dumbly.
He lifted her body up, which was limp and rather light; she couldn't have weighed more than a hundred fifteen pounds. Milly turned back the sheets and smoothed out the bottom sheet for Meryl to lay upon.
Vash set her down lightly on the full bed and brought the recently turned down sheets and comforter over her frail, trembling body. He could tell she was cold.. at least that's how *she* felt. To the touch she was way too warm to be normal. He touched her bangs and lifted them from her forehead, which was soaked with sweat. He got up to leave and make her soup for when she awoke, and he heard her small voice. He looked back, but she was still sleeping, beads of sweat across her face. He dismissed it and left, looking at the ground.
Her tiny voice sounded no more than a whisper, but it was audible to anyone that was listening. She spoke in a long lost language.
"Merci.. Vash.. J'ai été très froid.."
~ ~ ~
Vash stood over the stove, stirring some tomato soup from a can. It was the least he could do.. Meryl was sick. She probably never got sick. He imagined she had an immune system of steel, but supposed even steel could break. Milly was in the bedroom looking after both Meryl and Knives, but constantly changing the cold, wet cloth on Meryl's head. Her fever was nowhere near breaking.
He kept stirring.
"V-V-Vash-sh?" came Milly's trembling voice from the bedroom.
"Yes Milly?" He kept stirring.
"Your brother.. Knives.. he's.. he's.." She was frozen.
"He's.." he repeated. Then it hit him. Knives was awake.
~ ~ ~
*Meryl's dream, first person POV*
I was so cold. It was snowing, and everything was white. And I was in my Bernardelli's outfit- my toes freezing in those damned boots, my legs thrashed by the bitter winds. My only source of some heat was my cape, but it didn't do much. It had to be about twenty degrees below freezing. Like sitting in ice. And it seemed hopeless that I'd ever be warm again.
And then..
And then he came.
He picked me up and wrapped me in his strong, warm arms, and I felt immediately at peace. I.. belonged there. But I couldn't let him know.. I just whimpered softly and tried to sleep. He took me somewhere warmer.
Somewhere *much* warmer.
He covered me in blankets, and I wasn't as cold anymore. But I was still cold. And I wanted him to stay with me, but he left. I tried to speak, but the only words that came were those my mother taught me when I was a small child. It was a language lost, that hadn't been spoken for at least a century, but passed along some families.
"Merci.. Vash.. J'ai été très froid.."
~ ~ ~
He walked into the room where the rest of their little ensemble was. He saw Knives laying face up in the bed, sharp eyes of ice open and staring at the ceiling.
"Knives," he stated simply. He made his way to his brother's bed, taking notice of Meryl's steadily worsening condition. He knew she had to get worse in order to get better. He knew that she had to get in horrible condition in order for the fever to break. But he hated seeing her like this. He flinched as he walked by.
His brother lay in bed, silent. He stood over the blond Plant, his only true family. It broke his heart that his only family was his foil- his complete opposite. Why couldn't he see that every living creature had the right to life? He knew that Knives was just bitter that the humans unknowingly exploited his kind.. the other Plants. But now, he had to change that point of view.
"Brother," came his brother's voice in response. "Why.. why am I here?"
"Because after we fought, I bandaged you and brought you here to rest and heal."
"With these.. these.. humans?! Scum.. idiotic spiders.." he grumbled. He squirmed in the bed.
"Yes. With 'these humans,' Knives. I've been taking care of you, and now they're going to help.. or at least Milly will." He motioned to the big girl, who waved at the pair, then turned back to Meryl to change the cloth on her head. He then looked to Meryl, and his brilliant eyes dulled.
"What is.. what is wrong with the other spider?" Knives asked curiously, but without much compassion. He had noticed the woman on the bed, sweating and shaking.
"She's.. she's sick. Very sick, Knives. She's trying to get better.. But her fever hasn't broken yet." Knives could see that he was deeply upset over the woman, but couldn't really say why. He just knew that he had to feel for her pain.
"And.. you care why? She's only a spider. She means nothing in the big picture." He simply brushed off the fact Vash was hurting.
"Means nothing? She's one of the most devoted and kindest people I know! She isn't a mere human; no human means nothing, Knives. They are alive, therefore they should mean something. Even the tiniest ant has his place in the world." Vash was becoming irritated. Already his brother had made his say about humans.
"You don't understand, brother. They mean *nothing*! They are powerless, stupid creatures. It's amazing they even rose this high on the evolutionary ladder."
Vash was about ready to scream. "At least they have a sense of compassion about them! You have no love for anything at all! You'll probably never love anyway, no matter what I say or do.. you don't understand.."
"Of course I'll never love.. it's a stupid emotion. Emotions only block your vision of the real picture. You're the one who's obviously grown numb to their evil ways." Knives struggled to stay up.
"No, Knives. You let the bad interfere with the good. It's been forever since you noticed one good thing about humans- how kind they can be, what amazing cooks they are, and so much other stuff! You never stopped to realize, that even though they war with each other, even though they can be mean, and yes, some aren't too bright, they are like us in more ways than you know. You never took in the fact that they are sentient and alive, and therefore deserve as much of a chance at life as you or I."
Knives laid back down. He couldn't come up with a good retort, so was just quiet as to avoid looking stupid.
Meryl let out a small groan in her fevered sleep. Her head turned to the other side of the pillow, and Vash noticed. His eyes softened at her discomfort, and he walked over and touched the cloth on her forehead. It had long since gotten warm, so he rinsed it in the ice water near the bed and squeezed out the excess water. He folded it and gently placed it on her forehead.
Knives could hear his brother shuffling around the room to serve the spider's needs. He didn't know why.. he had a feeling that it was because she was special to him. How pathetic. To feel for a spider.. a sign of weakness. He should have killed him, but he underestimated Vash in battle. But Vash left him living.. he couldn't understand why.. he probably would have been better off dead than being cared for by his weak brother and a spider.
Vash was continually moving around, trying to keep Meryl as comfortable as possible. He looked over to her occasionally, and could tell she was far from relaxed. He'd give her something to keep the fever down, but it would only break in time. He fixed her sheets and comforter unconsciously, only hoping she would get better soon.
He left the room and cast a glance at Knives, who was on the verge of sleep. He too needed to rest, Vash thought, or he'll never heal.
"Milly?" he questioned, hoping to find the whereabouts of the girl.
"Over here, Mr. Vash!" she said as cheerily as possible. She was on the couch, reading a book.
That was unexpected.
She turned the page and looked at Vash. "Yup?"
"Er.. I'm gonna go out, try and find something that may help Meryl, and then buy some more bandages for Knives."
She nodded. "I'll watch over the two."
So he got up and left. He took about fifty double dollars with him, and went by the drugstore and found nothing in a capsule that could have helped Meryl. He searched through the aisled until he found the first aid supplies, and grabbed some Neosporin and a few new rolls of bandages for his brother. He found an ice pack for Meryl's head and that was the best he could do for her. He paid for them at the front, shoveling out twenty double dollars and receiving five in change.
He walked into the desert path that doubled as a road and stood with the bag at his side in his first two fingers. Across the road, he saw the familiar swinging double doors that symbolized that there was booze inside. Hmm.. alcohol. When was the last time he had a good shot of whiskey? He couldn't remember. And he was hurting.
"I'm due for one. I need to get drunk.." He took those twenty steps across the dusty street and pushed open the two doors into the must of the room. He chose a stool and took a seat, then set his elbow on the bar and called for the bartender.
"For my first act, give me a Gibson." The tender slid it down the bar, and he skillfully caught it in his hand. He lifted the drink to his lips.
~ ~ ~
Vash stumbled numbly out of the bar, and into the dark road. It was midnight, and he had been drinking all night with the other drunks. He staggered down the street towards the general direction of the hotel where Milly was watching over his brother and.. Meryl!
He had forgotten about her. That was the intention, of course, but he hated himself for it. He had to get back to the hotel.. Meryl needed him there.. so did Knives..
He ran haphazardly towards the hotel and hobbled up the stairs to the top floor and pushed the key in the lock, turned it, and barged into the room, where he found Milly asleep on the couch. Her book was open across her chest, and her mouth was open slightly, her breathing easily heard by the man.
His head hurt like hell, and he realized he forgot the bag of stuff at the bar. He couldn't go back for it now- who knew where he would wake up. He blindly searched for something that may have dulled his pain and quickly gave up and poured himself a glass of water. He downed it like he would a shot and looked for a place to sleep. He wasn't going to sleep on the ground- his head would hurt more than it would if he had a bed, or even the couch. But the couch was taken, unfortunately, and he had to find somewhere to pass out. Knives wouldn't enjoy it much if he had taken residence in his bed, so he strayed away from that idea. And that left- Meryl's bed.
'No.. you cant sleep there.. she's sick, and you might get sick too, Vash.' He stared into the room at her sleeping form, which was curled up in sickness. He figured it would be better than to sleep on the floor and be all whiney in the morning, so he curled up at the foot of the bed, like a puppy, and fell fast asleep.
~ ~ ~
When Meryl awoke the next morning, she was so tired and her head felt like it was a hundred pounds. She groaned lightly and looked to see if there was a clock in the room, and found that there was indeed a small digital alarm clock, which said 6:15. She looked to the window and sunlight was pouring in and she shut her eyes in shock. She groaned again, and rolled over to find a very warm lump.
That.. was odd. She opened her eyes once more to see what was there, because her entire left side was warmer then the right.
Vash was shoved over as something moved and rolled back towards him. He was no longer at the foot of the bed, but completely stretched out lengthwise and his feet hanging off the edge of the bed.
Meryl opened her eyes to view the strange warmth, and saw a giant mass of blond hair.
Blond hair? She looked again. Yep. Definitely blond.
So.. who did she know with blond hair?
"Oh.. my God.." She lifted the sheets and saw a familiar long face with a jumbled mass of hair flung upon it haphazardly.
He heard the person next to him speak. His eyes fluttered open, and his aquamarine orbs met dark violet ones. He blinked, and suddenly he remembered.
She screamed, and Knives shuffled in the bed as he awoke.
"What the hell, Vash?!" She groaned as she got up from the bed, clutching the sheet to her chest just in case. "What the hell were you doing in my bed?!"
"Sleeping, if you didn't notice." Her screaming only aggravated his hangover, making his head hurt like mad. He grasped his head. "Don't scream- please."
"Why the hell not? I find you, asleep, in my bed, after I'm sick? What am I supposed to do?!" She was mad. Very mad. And Vash could tell. He needed to do something.
"I came home.. and my head hurt really badly.. and I laid down on the end of the bed so I could sleep off my headache, which is obviously not gone yet, and in my sleep I moved.. you're so small that I guess I just slid next to you and didn't notice.. I swear.. it was completely unintentional.."
She checked she was wearing clothes beneath the sheet, and threw it back onto the bed. She brought her hand up to her disheveled hair and ran her fingers through the raven locks. She closed her eyes and thought about the situation for a second, opened them again and stared straight into Vash's eyes.
"You had better be telling the truth Vash or I will never forgive you. Ever."
He nodded and looked back into her eyes. "You know I'd never do anything like that, Insurance Girl."
She looked appalled. "I should hope to God not!"
He looked at her, smiled one of those drop-dead smiles, and left to make her something to eat. Her fever had obviously broken and she had to be hungry. He took out a pan and opened the fridge, only to remove some frozen bacon. He cut through it and made strips, and let them thaw for about five minutes while the pan got hot.
Meryl stood in the middle of the room, reflecting on what had happened. Every time she played it through her head, the smile was the thing that paused in her mind. She looked at it for seconds, then played the scene again after a mental rewind.
What a sexy smile it was. Must have gotten tons of women to go for him, but then his mouth drove them to smack him. 'Hey, he deserves it,' she thought as she went to the bathroom to do normal morning stuff.
She took a toothbrush and toothpaste out of the front pocket of her bag and immediately went to brushing. Her breath must have been horrific. She didn't even know how long she was asleep. She looked in the mirror and thought herself a complete wreck. Wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and she swore she could see bags under her eyes. She then tried to pat down her hair and make it seem somewhat neater than it was, but decided a shower would probably make her better all around.
She started the water and held her hand under the running tap, waiting for it to get hot. She undressed and folded her uniform into squares, laying them on the counter. She stepped into the shower and just enjoyed the pressure of the water on her skin. She ran the water through her short locks with her tapered fingers and sighed. After five minutes, she decided it might be best to get out of the shower before someone came looking for her. She turned off the water and stepped out, and grabbed a towel, began to dry herself off, and then shuffled her hair through the towel in a sad attempt to dry her hair. She put the uniform back on, and straightened her cape after checking her appearance in the mirror. She touched her face softly, and then brought her tiny hand down again.
Before walking out the door, she hung up the towel and shook her head, making her hair stringy and weighed down, and her bangs hung heavily on her forehead. She walked out into the kitchen, cape trailing behind her. She stepped into the room, and saw Vash using the spatula to flip the cooked bacon onto a plate.
"Oh good!" he said. "You're not going to kill me. Hungry?" He smiled.
Actually, Meryl hadn't realized that she was starving. She hadn't eaten for a while, and her stomach was going to need some food if her body wanted to fully recover. "Umm.. yeah." She pulled up a chair next to the bar and watched Vash set a plate of bacon and toast in front of her. She looked at him, and noticed he was even more attractive when his hair wasn't standing straight up like it was making a point in defying gravity. When his hair was down, it made him look so carefree, so.. lets just get it in the open, just damn hot.
She picked at the bacon and decided to make a sandwich with the bacon and toast. She took bites while sneaking glances at Vash. She ate passively, taking small bites and was very quiet.
Vash took it as a sign that he was allowed to leave, so he went to the bedroom with more food to give to Knives. He had to eat too, you know. He entered the room and set the tray on the table in between the two beds. "Knives," he whispered.
"What *do* you want?" he snapped. "I've been awake ever since that wretched spider screamed her head off because she found you laying next to her, asleep."
Vash noticeably reddened. "I started out on the end of the bed and-"
"I heard it all. Why did you sleep in the bed with her? I mean, the floor would have been not only more fitting, but it would have saved you whatever pride you had left by not getting that close to that despicable human." He finished and quietly went to grab a piece of bacon off the plate brought in by Vash, who was currently failing in his attempt to keep his anger inside.
"So," Knives said again, "It seems you're somewhat attached to this spider- woman. I want to know why." He took a bite of the bacon.
Vash had to think. Why did he feel so attached to her?
"Because.." he began. "Because.. I think she knows that I'm more than just the Vash who is happy-go-lucky, that that's only my façade. I guess she's really compassionate.. she was there for Milly when.. Wolfwood died, and she is almost completely selfless. She works hard for her money. And she's good with weapons. Why that's a good thing, I haven't a clue. But she is. Never misses a shot with her derringers."
Silence.
"Again, why I brought that up.. I have no idea."
".. Yes. Well, anyway. Does she have any special powers? Does she feel for the earth like Plants do? Does she deserve any sort of pity from others because she's been taken advantage of to the point of death by the species that runs the planet?! I don't think so. So why is she so special?"
"Knives.. you don't understand. She knows.. she understands that I'm.. she sees through my mask, and I know others have, but she's the first who's wanted to know what was under it. Others just simply accepted I had a dark side. She was the first to care what was beneath my mask." Vash made his way toward the door.
"I don't think she cares."
"I hope to whatever God there is she does." He took the chance to exeunt.
Milly had risen from her sleep on the couch and was currently fixing herself a bacon omelet with the leftovers from what Vash made Meryl for breakfast. She looked up from the skillet. "Morning, Vash!"
"Morning, Milly. Sleep well on my couch?"
"Oops.. Yes, well I was tired and I had been reading, and you didn't come back for a while after you left to go to the drugstore.." Milly flipped her omelet expertly.
"I got that, Milly." He sat on the stool next to Meryl and looked at her. "Was the breakfast good?" he asked.
"Yes.. the bacon was nicely crisp," she said just above a whisper. 'Stupid.'
"That's good. Glad you enjoyed it." He smiled. "Do you forgive me?"
"Um.. er.. I suppose.."
"Forgive you for what, Mr. Vash?" came Milly's voice.
"Oh.. you were on the couch last night, and I had a really bad headache, and I accidentally found my way into Meryl's bed."
Meryl slapped her forehead.
"Oh." Milly went back to her omelet.
Meryl got up, but before she left, she slapped Vash on the back of the head.
"What was that for?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yay. Chapter two done. I really don't have a clue as to what chapter three is going to be about, but it would be nice to get some ideas ^__^ That means, (for my slower readers) that I would definitely like reviews. Reviews are good. Press le button! LE BUTTON!
^____^
Le button! v
That is the end of the authors note.
Disclaimer: I.. please don't make me say it.. *her mother, a patent lawyer, motions with a club over the computer* fine. I .. don't own Trigun. But I do have a Trigun manga!
Retourn à Moi
Sickness
"Sempai?!" screamed a shocked Milly as she saw her friend fall limp to the ground. She immediately kneeled to try and help her, but Meryl had fallen unconscious. She placed her hand beneath the raven locks and found her to be very hot.
"Mr. Vash?" she asked, getting his immediate attention. He turned around and saw Meryl's limp body sprawled on the floor, Milly kneeling beside her, hand on her forehead.
He sprinted back and looked at Milly. "Did she just collapse?"
Milly only nodded.
Vash looked at Meryl with concern in his eyes, now a soft turquoise compared to the normal, vital aqua. He brushed aside her hair and placed a tentative hand upon her head. He noted she was burning up, and that they needed to get some ice packs and liquids for her. He slowly picked her up, princess style, his right arm beneath her back and supporting her head, his left arm beneath her legs.
"Milly.. Grab the bags." He took the key and opened the door that could have been mistaken as driftwood. He walked through the makeshift living room and into the bedroom. Knives was unconscious on the far bed, and the bed nearest the door was vacant. He set her down on top of the ugly, white sheets provided by the hotel.
"Milly!" he called as he saw the brunette set the suitcases on the ground near the door of the hotel room. Her head perked and she ran into the bedroom. "Milly? I'm going to pick her back up and I want you to roll back the sheets so we can keep her warm." She nodded dumbly.
He lifted her body up, which was limp and rather light; she couldn't have weighed more than a hundred fifteen pounds. Milly turned back the sheets and smoothed out the bottom sheet for Meryl to lay upon.
Vash set her down lightly on the full bed and brought the recently turned down sheets and comforter over her frail, trembling body. He could tell she was cold.. at least that's how *she* felt. To the touch she was way too warm to be normal. He touched her bangs and lifted them from her forehead, which was soaked with sweat. He got up to leave and make her soup for when she awoke, and he heard her small voice. He looked back, but she was still sleeping, beads of sweat across her face. He dismissed it and left, looking at the ground.
Her tiny voice sounded no more than a whisper, but it was audible to anyone that was listening. She spoke in a long lost language.
"Merci.. Vash.. J'ai été très froid.."
~ ~ ~
Vash stood over the stove, stirring some tomato soup from a can. It was the least he could do.. Meryl was sick. She probably never got sick. He imagined she had an immune system of steel, but supposed even steel could break. Milly was in the bedroom looking after both Meryl and Knives, but constantly changing the cold, wet cloth on Meryl's head. Her fever was nowhere near breaking.
He kept stirring.
"V-V-Vash-sh?" came Milly's trembling voice from the bedroom.
"Yes Milly?" He kept stirring.
"Your brother.. Knives.. he's.. he's.." She was frozen.
"He's.." he repeated. Then it hit him. Knives was awake.
~ ~ ~
*Meryl's dream, first person POV*
I was so cold. It was snowing, and everything was white. And I was in my Bernardelli's outfit- my toes freezing in those damned boots, my legs thrashed by the bitter winds. My only source of some heat was my cape, but it didn't do much. It had to be about twenty degrees below freezing. Like sitting in ice. And it seemed hopeless that I'd ever be warm again.
And then..
And then he came.
He picked me up and wrapped me in his strong, warm arms, and I felt immediately at peace. I.. belonged there. But I couldn't let him know.. I just whimpered softly and tried to sleep. He took me somewhere warmer.
Somewhere *much* warmer.
He covered me in blankets, and I wasn't as cold anymore. But I was still cold. And I wanted him to stay with me, but he left. I tried to speak, but the only words that came were those my mother taught me when I was a small child. It was a language lost, that hadn't been spoken for at least a century, but passed along some families.
"Merci.. Vash.. J'ai été très froid.."
~ ~ ~
He walked into the room where the rest of their little ensemble was. He saw Knives laying face up in the bed, sharp eyes of ice open and staring at the ceiling.
"Knives," he stated simply. He made his way to his brother's bed, taking notice of Meryl's steadily worsening condition. He knew she had to get worse in order to get better. He knew that she had to get in horrible condition in order for the fever to break. But he hated seeing her like this. He flinched as he walked by.
His brother lay in bed, silent. He stood over the blond Plant, his only true family. It broke his heart that his only family was his foil- his complete opposite. Why couldn't he see that every living creature had the right to life? He knew that Knives was just bitter that the humans unknowingly exploited his kind.. the other Plants. But now, he had to change that point of view.
"Brother," came his brother's voice in response. "Why.. why am I here?"
"Because after we fought, I bandaged you and brought you here to rest and heal."
"With these.. these.. humans?! Scum.. idiotic spiders.." he grumbled. He squirmed in the bed.
"Yes. With 'these humans,' Knives. I've been taking care of you, and now they're going to help.. or at least Milly will." He motioned to the big girl, who waved at the pair, then turned back to Meryl to change the cloth on her head. He then looked to Meryl, and his brilliant eyes dulled.
"What is.. what is wrong with the other spider?" Knives asked curiously, but without much compassion. He had noticed the woman on the bed, sweating and shaking.
"She's.. she's sick. Very sick, Knives. She's trying to get better.. But her fever hasn't broken yet." Knives could see that he was deeply upset over the woman, but couldn't really say why. He just knew that he had to feel for her pain.
"And.. you care why? She's only a spider. She means nothing in the big picture." He simply brushed off the fact Vash was hurting.
"Means nothing? She's one of the most devoted and kindest people I know! She isn't a mere human; no human means nothing, Knives. They are alive, therefore they should mean something. Even the tiniest ant has his place in the world." Vash was becoming irritated. Already his brother had made his say about humans.
"You don't understand, brother. They mean *nothing*! They are powerless, stupid creatures. It's amazing they even rose this high on the evolutionary ladder."
Vash was about ready to scream. "At least they have a sense of compassion about them! You have no love for anything at all! You'll probably never love anyway, no matter what I say or do.. you don't understand.."
"Of course I'll never love.. it's a stupid emotion. Emotions only block your vision of the real picture. You're the one who's obviously grown numb to their evil ways." Knives struggled to stay up.
"No, Knives. You let the bad interfere with the good. It's been forever since you noticed one good thing about humans- how kind they can be, what amazing cooks they are, and so much other stuff! You never stopped to realize, that even though they war with each other, even though they can be mean, and yes, some aren't too bright, they are like us in more ways than you know. You never took in the fact that they are sentient and alive, and therefore deserve as much of a chance at life as you or I."
Knives laid back down. He couldn't come up with a good retort, so was just quiet as to avoid looking stupid.
Meryl let out a small groan in her fevered sleep. Her head turned to the other side of the pillow, and Vash noticed. His eyes softened at her discomfort, and he walked over and touched the cloth on her forehead. It had long since gotten warm, so he rinsed it in the ice water near the bed and squeezed out the excess water. He folded it and gently placed it on her forehead.
Knives could hear his brother shuffling around the room to serve the spider's needs. He didn't know why.. he had a feeling that it was because she was special to him. How pathetic. To feel for a spider.. a sign of weakness. He should have killed him, but he underestimated Vash in battle. But Vash left him living.. he couldn't understand why.. he probably would have been better off dead than being cared for by his weak brother and a spider.
Vash was continually moving around, trying to keep Meryl as comfortable as possible. He looked over to her occasionally, and could tell she was far from relaxed. He'd give her something to keep the fever down, but it would only break in time. He fixed her sheets and comforter unconsciously, only hoping she would get better soon.
He left the room and cast a glance at Knives, who was on the verge of sleep. He too needed to rest, Vash thought, or he'll never heal.
"Milly?" he questioned, hoping to find the whereabouts of the girl.
"Over here, Mr. Vash!" she said as cheerily as possible. She was on the couch, reading a book.
That was unexpected.
She turned the page and looked at Vash. "Yup?"
"Er.. I'm gonna go out, try and find something that may help Meryl, and then buy some more bandages for Knives."
She nodded. "I'll watch over the two."
So he got up and left. He took about fifty double dollars with him, and went by the drugstore and found nothing in a capsule that could have helped Meryl. He searched through the aisled until he found the first aid supplies, and grabbed some Neosporin and a few new rolls of bandages for his brother. He found an ice pack for Meryl's head and that was the best he could do for her. He paid for them at the front, shoveling out twenty double dollars and receiving five in change.
He walked into the desert path that doubled as a road and stood with the bag at his side in his first two fingers. Across the road, he saw the familiar swinging double doors that symbolized that there was booze inside. Hmm.. alcohol. When was the last time he had a good shot of whiskey? He couldn't remember. And he was hurting.
"I'm due for one. I need to get drunk.." He took those twenty steps across the dusty street and pushed open the two doors into the must of the room. He chose a stool and took a seat, then set his elbow on the bar and called for the bartender.
"For my first act, give me a Gibson." The tender slid it down the bar, and he skillfully caught it in his hand. He lifted the drink to his lips.
~ ~ ~
Vash stumbled numbly out of the bar, and into the dark road. It was midnight, and he had been drinking all night with the other drunks. He staggered down the street towards the general direction of the hotel where Milly was watching over his brother and.. Meryl!
He had forgotten about her. That was the intention, of course, but he hated himself for it. He had to get back to the hotel.. Meryl needed him there.. so did Knives..
He ran haphazardly towards the hotel and hobbled up the stairs to the top floor and pushed the key in the lock, turned it, and barged into the room, where he found Milly asleep on the couch. Her book was open across her chest, and her mouth was open slightly, her breathing easily heard by the man.
His head hurt like hell, and he realized he forgot the bag of stuff at the bar. He couldn't go back for it now- who knew where he would wake up. He blindly searched for something that may have dulled his pain and quickly gave up and poured himself a glass of water. He downed it like he would a shot and looked for a place to sleep. He wasn't going to sleep on the ground- his head would hurt more than it would if he had a bed, or even the couch. But the couch was taken, unfortunately, and he had to find somewhere to pass out. Knives wouldn't enjoy it much if he had taken residence in his bed, so he strayed away from that idea. And that left- Meryl's bed.
'No.. you cant sleep there.. she's sick, and you might get sick too, Vash.' He stared into the room at her sleeping form, which was curled up in sickness. He figured it would be better than to sleep on the floor and be all whiney in the morning, so he curled up at the foot of the bed, like a puppy, and fell fast asleep.
~ ~ ~
When Meryl awoke the next morning, she was so tired and her head felt like it was a hundred pounds. She groaned lightly and looked to see if there was a clock in the room, and found that there was indeed a small digital alarm clock, which said 6:15. She looked to the window and sunlight was pouring in and she shut her eyes in shock. She groaned again, and rolled over to find a very warm lump.
That.. was odd. She opened her eyes once more to see what was there, because her entire left side was warmer then the right.
Vash was shoved over as something moved and rolled back towards him. He was no longer at the foot of the bed, but completely stretched out lengthwise and his feet hanging off the edge of the bed.
Meryl opened her eyes to view the strange warmth, and saw a giant mass of blond hair.
Blond hair? She looked again. Yep. Definitely blond.
So.. who did she know with blond hair?
"Oh.. my God.." She lifted the sheets and saw a familiar long face with a jumbled mass of hair flung upon it haphazardly.
He heard the person next to him speak. His eyes fluttered open, and his aquamarine orbs met dark violet ones. He blinked, and suddenly he remembered.
She screamed, and Knives shuffled in the bed as he awoke.
"What the hell, Vash?!" She groaned as she got up from the bed, clutching the sheet to her chest just in case. "What the hell were you doing in my bed?!"
"Sleeping, if you didn't notice." Her screaming only aggravated his hangover, making his head hurt like mad. He grasped his head. "Don't scream- please."
"Why the hell not? I find you, asleep, in my bed, after I'm sick? What am I supposed to do?!" She was mad. Very mad. And Vash could tell. He needed to do something.
"I came home.. and my head hurt really badly.. and I laid down on the end of the bed so I could sleep off my headache, which is obviously not gone yet, and in my sleep I moved.. you're so small that I guess I just slid next to you and didn't notice.. I swear.. it was completely unintentional.."
She checked she was wearing clothes beneath the sheet, and threw it back onto the bed. She brought her hand up to her disheveled hair and ran her fingers through the raven locks. She closed her eyes and thought about the situation for a second, opened them again and stared straight into Vash's eyes.
"You had better be telling the truth Vash or I will never forgive you. Ever."
He nodded and looked back into her eyes. "You know I'd never do anything like that, Insurance Girl."
She looked appalled. "I should hope to God not!"
He looked at her, smiled one of those drop-dead smiles, and left to make her something to eat. Her fever had obviously broken and she had to be hungry. He took out a pan and opened the fridge, only to remove some frozen bacon. He cut through it and made strips, and let them thaw for about five minutes while the pan got hot.
Meryl stood in the middle of the room, reflecting on what had happened. Every time she played it through her head, the smile was the thing that paused in her mind. She looked at it for seconds, then played the scene again after a mental rewind.
What a sexy smile it was. Must have gotten tons of women to go for him, but then his mouth drove them to smack him. 'Hey, he deserves it,' she thought as she went to the bathroom to do normal morning stuff.
She took a toothbrush and toothpaste out of the front pocket of her bag and immediately went to brushing. Her breath must have been horrific. She didn't even know how long she was asleep. She looked in the mirror and thought herself a complete wreck. Wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and she swore she could see bags under her eyes. She then tried to pat down her hair and make it seem somewhat neater than it was, but decided a shower would probably make her better all around.
She started the water and held her hand under the running tap, waiting for it to get hot. She undressed and folded her uniform into squares, laying them on the counter. She stepped into the shower and just enjoyed the pressure of the water on her skin. She ran the water through her short locks with her tapered fingers and sighed. After five minutes, she decided it might be best to get out of the shower before someone came looking for her. She turned off the water and stepped out, and grabbed a towel, began to dry herself off, and then shuffled her hair through the towel in a sad attempt to dry her hair. She put the uniform back on, and straightened her cape after checking her appearance in the mirror. She touched her face softly, and then brought her tiny hand down again.
Before walking out the door, she hung up the towel and shook her head, making her hair stringy and weighed down, and her bangs hung heavily on her forehead. She walked out into the kitchen, cape trailing behind her. She stepped into the room, and saw Vash using the spatula to flip the cooked bacon onto a plate.
"Oh good!" he said. "You're not going to kill me. Hungry?" He smiled.
Actually, Meryl hadn't realized that she was starving. She hadn't eaten for a while, and her stomach was going to need some food if her body wanted to fully recover. "Umm.. yeah." She pulled up a chair next to the bar and watched Vash set a plate of bacon and toast in front of her. She looked at him, and noticed he was even more attractive when his hair wasn't standing straight up like it was making a point in defying gravity. When his hair was down, it made him look so carefree, so.. lets just get it in the open, just damn hot.
She picked at the bacon and decided to make a sandwich with the bacon and toast. She took bites while sneaking glances at Vash. She ate passively, taking small bites and was very quiet.
Vash took it as a sign that he was allowed to leave, so he went to the bedroom with more food to give to Knives. He had to eat too, you know. He entered the room and set the tray on the table in between the two beds. "Knives," he whispered.
"What *do* you want?" he snapped. "I've been awake ever since that wretched spider screamed her head off because she found you laying next to her, asleep."
Vash noticeably reddened. "I started out on the end of the bed and-"
"I heard it all. Why did you sleep in the bed with her? I mean, the floor would have been not only more fitting, but it would have saved you whatever pride you had left by not getting that close to that despicable human." He finished and quietly went to grab a piece of bacon off the plate brought in by Vash, who was currently failing in his attempt to keep his anger inside.
"So," Knives said again, "It seems you're somewhat attached to this spider- woman. I want to know why." He took a bite of the bacon.
Vash had to think. Why did he feel so attached to her?
"Because.." he began. "Because.. I think she knows that I'm more than just the Vash who is happy-go-lucky, that that's only my façade. I guess she's really compassionate.. she was there for Milly when.. Wolfwood died, and she is almost completely selfless. She works hard for her money. And she's good with weapons. Why that's a good thing, I haven't a clue. But she is. Never misses a shot with her derringers."
Silence.
"Again, why I brought that up.. I have no idea."
".. Yes. Well, anyway. Does she have any special powers? Does she feel for the earth like Plants do? Does she deserve any sort of pity from others because she's been taken advantage of to the point of death by the species that runs the planet?! I don't think so. So why is she so special?"
"Knives.. you don't understand. She knows.. she understands that I'm.. she sees through my mask, and I know others have, but she's the first who's wanted to know what was under it. Others just simply accepted I had a dark side. She was the first to care what was beneath my mask." Vash made his way toward the door.
"I don't think she cares."
"I hope to whatever God there is she does." He took the chance to exeunt.
Milly had risen from her sleep on the couch and was currently fixing herself a bacon omelet with the leftovers from what Vash made Meryl for breakfast. She looked up from the skillet. "Morning, Vash!"
"Morning, Milly. Sleep well on my couch?"
"Oops.. Yes, well I was tired and I had been reading, and you didn't come back for a while after you left to go to the drugstore.." Milly flipped her omelet expertly.
"I got that, Milly." He sat on the stool next to Meryl and looked at her. "Was the breakfast good?" he asked.
"Yes.. the bacon was nicely crisp," she said just above a whisper. 'Stupid.'
"That's good. Glad you enjoyed it." He smiled. "Do you forgive me?"
"Um.. er.. I suppose.."
"Forgive you for what, Mr. Vash?" came Milly's voice.
"Oh.. you were on the couch last night, and I had a really bad headache, and I accidentally found my way into Meryl's bed."
Meryl slapped her forehead.
"Oh." Milly went back to her omelet.
Meryl got up, but before she left, she slapped Vash on the back of the head.
"What was that for?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yay. Chapter two done. I really don't have a clue as to what chapter three is going to be about, but it would be nice to get some ideas ^__^ That means, (for my slower readers) that I would definitely like reviews. Reviews are good. Press le button! LE BUTTON!
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