Trigun Fanfic
Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc.
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 23
**~**
Meryl slowly opened her eyes and blinked blurrily up at the ceiling. **Ceiling?** She thought fuzzily as she frowned uncertainly and snuggled beneath the blankets covering her a bit more. **Wait a minute…blankets?**
Vash looked up at the slight rustling sounds emanating from the bed he was sitting beside. "Meryl?" He asked softly, rising from the chair to lean over her prone form anxiously.
She smiled a little at the concern she saw reflected in his green eyes. "Hey, Vash…" She whispered and sighed, her eyes sliding closed again. "I have the worst headache you can imagine…" Her voice trailed off as she winced at the throbbing between her eyes. "It hurts something awful…"
"I'm really sorry, Meryl…" He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"A couple of Aspirin would be dandy about now…" She opened her eyes again and frowned up at him. "Where are Millie and Knives?"
"Downstairs, I imagine."
"Oh." She sighed and allowed her eyes to slide closed again. "Damn but you have a hard head…" She murmured as she drifted off to sleep again.
***
Millie leaned her head against Knives' shoulder and giggled. "Everything will be fine now, right?"
He glanced down at her and shook his head. "Maybe…" He shifted until she could nestle against his side with his arm around her shoulders. "If they get their act together, that is."
"Mr. Vash was really very worried…"
He raised a hand and gingerly rubbed at the bruises on his neck that amazingly matched his brother's left hand. "Yeah…I could tell." He muttered and dropped his hand again. "So…what happened to that week we agreed on?"
"He drives really fast…" She murmured and closed her eyes. "I missed you." She whispered softly as she snuggled a little closer. When he didn't answer she cracked one eye open. "Knives?"
"Millie…" He began slowly, shifting away from her. He averted his eyes, unable to meet her concerned blue gaze any longer. "I…" He began only to cut off the rest immediately. "We…" He tried again only to trail off on a sigh.
Millie sat up straighter and smiled. "It's okay, Knives. I understand." She shrugged and stood. "I think I'll go to bed now. It's late and it's been a hectic few days and I'm sure Meryl will want to talk to me in the morning and Mr. Vash will want to get moving again…" She frowned and then brightened immediately. "Well, maybe not. After all, we found you and that's what we've been doing, you know. Looking for you, that is. I never told them where you were…after all, a promise is a promise, right?" She laughed a little nervously and turned away. "Good night, Knives."
He stood quickly. "Millie, wait!" He hurried after her. "Take a walk with me…please?"
She looked up at him in surprise. "Sure…but…"
He gestured towards the door. "There's something I want to talk to you about…" He took her arm and led her outside into the cool night air.
***
Vash sat down at a vacant table and stared down at the scarred wooden surface glumly. He didn't know what to do now that he'd finally found Meryl again. He was relieved that she was unharmed, yet at the same time he was still frustrated with her beyond belief. During the search for her he'd been able to push his hurt anger to the back of his mind and concentrate instead on finding her. Now that he had, he could feel the uncertainty returning. He really wished he had someone he could talk to, but he didn't want to try having a heart to heart with his brother. Just the thought of opening up to Knives and revealing so much of his internal conflict and insecurities left him feeling more than a little ill.
"Speaking of Knives…" He looked up and surveyed the room, scanning the tables for his brother and Millie. "Hmm…" He shrugged and returned to his contemplation of the water rings on the table. "This whole mess is 'cause we ended up sleeping together…" He muttered under his breath and then blushed in acute embarrassment. "Well…kinda…" He still didn't know what had happened and how they ended up in the same bed…naked… He shook his head sharply to dislodge the mental image that sprang to mind with the memory. He stood abruptly and approached the bar. "Hey, bartender…" He called and flashed a friendly grin. "Got any Aspirin?"
***
Meryl sighed and slowly sat up, running a hand wearily over her face and wincing at the pain that accompanied the movement. "Ugh…I feel horrible…" She muttered through what felt like cotton balls stuffed in her mouth. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed she paused and dropped her head into her hands. Her head felt as if there were an entire regiment of marching bands marching at double time behind her eyes. "Damn it, Vash…you and your stubborn, bull-headedness." She shook her head gingerly and stood slowly to stagger across the room to where she hoped the light switch was. She ran her hand along the wall until she found it and flicked it on. Groaning aloud she squeezed her eyes shut tight and leaned against the wall for support. "I thought he was bringing me some Aspirin…" She muttered under her breath before cracking one eye open gingerly. When the light didn't stab into her head she opened the other one and crossed over to the mirror hanging on the wall. She took one look and groaned again. She had a giant sized goose egg in the middle of her forehead and two black eyes. "Not bad for tangling with the Humanoid Typhoon…" She grinned weakly and staggered back to the bed. She was lucky her skull was still intact.
Vash opened the door and stopped, blinking in surprise. "Meryl! You shouldn't be out…of…bed…" His anxious words trailed off as he stared in horror at her. "Oh man…I'm so sorry!" He hurried to her side and set the glass of water down on the table beside the bed, his eyes never leaving her bruised face. "Maybe you shouldn't be up, Meryl…" He began slowly, wincing in sympathy for the pain she must be feeling at that moment.
She shrugged and gingerly touched her forehead with a wince. "I'm not on my death bed, Vash." She peered up at him and wrinkled her nose. "Did you bring my Aspirin?" When he didn't answer, just continued to stare at her with wide green eyes she sighed. "What? Never saw a black eye before? Come on, Vash. It isn't that bad."
"Well, you look terrible!"
Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. "It's all your fault!" She poked a finger into his chest. "You and your stubborn, pig headed temper and total lack of common sense! If you would've only stopped to listen I wouldn't look like this now!" She jabbed her finger into his chest again. "If you wouldn't have tried to kill your brother again without at least stopping to listen for a minute this wouldn't have happened!"
"He kidnapped you!" He shouted, his fear and worry for her safety from the passed few days rising to the forefront. "I didn't know what was happening and how was I supposed to know that you were safe? The last time I saw him he was still spouting that 'kill the humans' crap he's been blabbing about for over a century!"
"If you would've just stopped and listened you would've found out that I was fine!" She retorted with equal heat. "Besides, why would you care?! You made it abundantly clear that you could care less what happened to me!"
"When did I ever say that?!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently, mindful of her recent injury even in his rising anger. "You're the one who slammed that damn door in my face after pointing a gun at me!"
"What the hell are you talking about? And stop shaking me, you moron! I'm injured here in case you've forgotten!"
"Oh, like you didn't know! And what the hell gives with that letter anyway? Are you resigning 'cause you can't stand to be around someone who isn't **human**?!"
Meryl opened her mouth to shout a furious retort back at him when she stopped and stared. Behind the anger and the anxiety, she could see the deep hurt in his eyes. She closed her mouth and sighed. "I…" She paused and drew in a deep breath. "I never meant that, Vash. I don't know why I said that, but I never meant it. I don't care that you aren't human…never did care. But you made me so angry…and the words just slipped out…and then I didn't know how to take them back because you refused to speak to me."
He released her shoulders and took a slow step back, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I thought you hated me…" He whispered softly, hands closing into fists at his sides.
"I don't hate you, Vash. It's just that you make me so angry sometimes that I lose my head and say things that I don't really mean." She sat slowly and shook her head. She turned her head and stared at the wall. "The truth is…" She paused and tried to summon the courage to say the words that resided deep in her heart. "The truth is…I…I really…" She silently berated herself for stumbling over such a simple little thing to say.
"Meryl?" He asked softly as he sat beside her on the bed, wondering why her face was turning red and also why she wouldn't look at him. "Are you still angry with me?"
She turned back to him quickly. "No!" She shouted and winced. "No…" She said again, softer this time. "I'm not angry with you, Vash…honest." She frowned and touched her forehead. "Well, maybe a little. But I'll get over it." She shifted and reached out to place her hands over his. "Vash…what I'm trying to say…" She closed her eyes and drew in a deep, fortifying breath. **Courage, Meryl…** She thought a little desperately. "I'm trying to tell you that…that I…" She bit her lip and tightened her hands over his. "I really care…about…y—" The door crashed open cutting off the rest of her confession.
"Meryl!" Millie shrieked as she barreled into the room an insanely giddy expression on her face. "Guess what?! Knives proposed to me!"
~*~