Ohayou, My Dear Chapter 0010, a trigun fanfic

Trigun Fanfic

The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.

--Ohayou, My Dear—

Trigun Fanfic Featuring Vash and Meryl. "Pervert!" "Wh-what are you doing in my bed?" "Put some clothes on for God's sake!"

By Chiruken

Chapter 10

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    After dragging Millie through every corner of town Vash was beginning to feel his panic rising with each frantic step. "Nothing…nothing…nothing!" He stopped in front of the hotel they'd stayed in the night before and leaned against the wall, head bowed. Millie dropped to the porch wearily and dragged in great gulps of air. "Why didn't I go in?!" He banged his head against the rough stucco of the wall repeatedly. "I **knew** something wasn't right! How could I be so stupid?!"

    "Mr. Vash, it isn't your fault." Millie looked up at him sympathetically. She felt a little guilty over her part in the whole scheme, but not enough to fess up to it. **They needed something to wake them up…I hope this does it.** "I'm sure Meryl will be fine. Let's go to her room and see if there is anything…"

    "Right! Why didn't I think of that?" He reached down and grabbed her hand again and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go!" Not giving her time to say anything he dragged her through the lobby and up the stairs, down the hall and halted before room 203. He reached for the knob and frowned when he found it locked. "What the—" Shrugging, he reached into his pocket and withdrew the key. "Good thing I have the key."

    "Yeah…" Millie sighed and shook her head. She had a feeling that if he didn't have the key the hotel would be repairing another door. Following him into the room she frowned and tried to look as concerned as she knew she should be. "Hmm…it doesn't look like anything's out of place, Mr. Vash."

    "Yeah…" He stared at the unmade bed for a moment before turning to the open window. "He must've come in through the window…" Glancing over at the small table he saw her typewriter. "Meryl and her daily reports…" He murmured walking over slowly. Spotting the paper he lifted it and read with a growing sense of dread.

    Hearing a sharp gasp, Millie turned in time to see her friend collapse into the only chair in the room set up beside the table holding Meryl's typewriter. "Mr. Vash?" Concerned by the sudden pallor in his face she crossed over to him quickly. **Knives, I hope you didn't leave a threatening letter…that would just be bad taste.** "What is it?"

    He looked up slowly, green eyes filled with pain as he held the letter up. "M-Meryl…" He whispered and choked, bowing his head as he felt the sting of tears.

    "Hmm?" Catching the note of despair in his voice she knelt before him and placed her arms around him. "It's okay, Mr. Vash…we'll get her back. Don't worry." She felt bad seeing him like this. She knew he'd be upset, but neither she nor Knives had anticipated this extreme of a reaction to Meryl's abduction.

    "S-she…she was going to…to leave anyway, Millie." He held out the letter to her.

    Blinking uncertainly, she scanned the letter Meryl had written the night before. "Oh my gosh! This…this is a letter of resignation!" She sat back on her heels and stared blankly into space. **This is bad…really bad…** "I-I'm sure Meryl was just upset, that's all. She never would've sent it, Mr. Vash…I'm sure of it."

    He gave her a skeptical look and shrugged. "Even if she was going to resign, we still have to get her back. There's no telling what Knives might do to her!" He drew in a deep breath and stood. "All right. She isn't in town so he must've taken her out into the desert. They can't have that much of a head start on us. So…hurry up and pack Millie. I'll get the car ready and get some supplies. I'll meet you in front of the hotel."

    "Got it! You can count on me, Mr. Vash!" Hurriedly packing her friend's meager belongings first, Millie pulled the little pink traveling case behind her as she ran to her room to do the same. "Oh Meryl…what were you thinking? You can't quit! Not now, not after everything we've been through together…" She intended to give her friend a piece of her mind the next time she saw her. "So childish…" She muttered as she paid the room bill and rushed outside in time to see Vash pull up in front of the hotel. "All ready, Mr. Vash!" She called as she carried their luggage down the steps and tossed it into the back seat of the car. "Which way?" She asked as she hopped into the front seat and squirmed to get comfortable.

    Vash sighed. He really had no idea which way Knives could've gone and he couldn't afford to make a mistake…not with Meryl's life hanging in the balance. Closing his eyes he focused his mind on trying to catch a thread of the connection he shared with his brother, a frown of intense concentration firmly in place. An instant later his eyes snapped open. "West." **That was almost too easy…what are you up to, Knives?** He thought with a scowl, reaching into his coat pocket and withdrawing his sunglasses. "We go west. That's where the trail leads, at least."

    "Trail?" Millie repeated in bewilderment. **Must be that strange telepathic thing they do.** She shrugged and leaned back as Vash put the car in gear. "I'm sure Meryl will be fine, Mr. Vash. Try not to worry too much, all right? She's pretty good at taking care of herself."

    "I know. But this is **Knives** we're dealing with. One wrong move and who knows what'll happen?" He shook his head sadly. He'd had high hopes that his brother had finally come to terms with humanity. The longer they'd followed him and found no signs of his usual violence directed at the humans he'd hated for so long the more Vash had begun to relax. This latest development crushed those hopes and left him feeling almost betrayed…a feeling he was, unfortunately, getting used to where his brother was concerned. **Knives, don't hurt her!** He sent the thought outwards, hoping his twin would catch it and heed his silent plea. Of course, there was no reply, only emptiness just like there had been for the passed three years since Knives had disappeared.

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