**A/N** Ok- so I took a brief vacation from writing, but for what it's worth, I couldn't really avoid not updating. Babysitting woes, y'know, and no computer to work with kind of makes it difficult. However! *raises a hand* I bring you a new chapter ^_^.
Rosebud- ^_^ To think that I'd been going to that mall for a year and not once had I stopped into that store! Kind of ironic, isn't it? Oh well- the CDs are great and giving me a lot of ideas for chapter titles, and with those titles come ideas for the actual chapters. You gotta love any dialogue between Spike and Faye- its all just so priceless- and something tells me that Jet would scowl about gaining weight…he's just that type of person to me.
Jess Perry- Sorry you were grounded, but thanks for making it to leave a comment!
Luis- Aren't you glad I updated?! I'm debating on whether or not the Gung-ho Guns will make an appearance in this, but if any of them do I know it'll be between Midvalley, Legato, or Chapel. Those three are my favorites, next to Dominique, though I'm not sure if I want her in this story or not. And yes, there shall be some bounty huntin!
Ultra Sonic007- Well you're guessing correctly! How many others do we know of who get money from poor Vash-kun? ^_^ Though, I didn't say how they'd get the money…
Merlyn- Well then- here's the next chapter!
Disclaimers: I do not own any manga, anime, or other manga/anime merchandise related to the Trigun or Cowboy BeBop titles, nor do I own any of the characters, ideas, or art design from said titles- this work is purely fictional, I'm making no profit from it other than the great comments from my readers, and therefore should not (hopefully) be sued. (I have nothing to give but my brain anyway, and believe me, you don't want that.)
**A/N PS** By the way- if anyone would like to submit song titles for chapters, feel free to do so, I just might use them! Also, I am going to rename the fan fiction title, something different than "Vacation", that might infer that this is a Cowboy BeBop/Trigun crossover. Any ideas for titles would be greatly appreciated! J
Vacation
Session Ten
Bad Dog, No Biscuit
Meryl Strife popped an eye open at the sound of her partner's snoring. The black haired woman had gotten nearly no sleep due to Milly's nasal congestion, though it wasn't something that Meryl wasn't already used to. What the petite insurance agent was unused to had to be the snoring symphony from two others in the room, joining in with Milly's own melody. Either way, the sound definitely would never be categorized as beautiful music.
Once again the insurance girls had run out of cash- thus sharing a room with Vash and Wolfwood became a necessity. The tickets for the sand-steamer had just about all but depleted their funds from Bernardelli and so once again they had to turn to the blond gunman for financial help.
"Please Mr. Vash the Stampede! If Meryl and I don't have anywhere to stay, how can we keep an eye on you?! Please don't make us sleep outside in the cold, cold sand!"
Milly had practically attached herself to the tall man's leg begging for the double dollars.
Vash, of course, had been quite embarrassed at being called by his name in front of the innkeeper, who appeared shocked at the sound of it.
"Ah, if you'll let go of me, I'll see what I can do," he had replied, a stupid grin on his face…
It turned out that the ace gunman had been running out of cash himself. However, with Wolfwood's help they managed to combine funds for a single room that all four would just have to share. Vash had been sure that the innkeeper had charged them extra for the room, but a good whack on the head had kept his mouth shut. Naturally that was the work of both Wolfwood and Meryl- they weren't about to lose a room because of his complaints.
Funny how quickly a person could change their mind. Meryl would've been content with a sleeping bag on the roof with the cats at this moment.
The twin suns had long risen in an otherwise unmarred azure sky- they'd been rising when the motley bunch of travelers arrived in New Oregon, several hours after they'd been scheduled to. Walking instead of remaining in the comforts of the sand-steamer had done a number on Meryl's nerves, and to top off the sand in her shoes, she couldn't say she particularly enjoyed the extra company. The other four were partially responsible for this whole thing after all, why not hold a bit of a grudge against them?
There was something about the purple-haired woman too, that rubbed Meryl the wrong way. This…Faye some-head or other that Vash was completely enthralled with from the moment they informally met. A vein pulsed in Meryl's temple at the thought of that golden latex scantily clad woman with the perfect face…the perfect eyes…the perfect body. She felt her blood boiling. Of course Faye didn't want anything to do with Vash, but her manner of dress didn't help the situation any, and Vash was known to keep on those good looking girls until he had no other choice but to turn away. The guy was never going to get a girlfriend that way.
Those other three were strange as well. The big guy, Jet, had an oddity about his left arm. While it'd been too dark to see it at first, when the sky had gotten light enough Meryl noted that it was cybernetic. She'd thought Vash was the only person with an arm like that. That kid, Ed of too many names, with the bright orange-red hair, amber catlike eyes, and eccentric demeanor- he, or she, or it, might as well have been an alien. Anything that skinny, that limber, that odd, and that androgynous couldn't be anything but an alien.
Then there was Spike. He came off as the most laid back and normal of his three companions. The only off element about him was probably his hair color- a deep forest green that Meryl had never laid eyes on before. She tried to recall anything of that color and had to admit to herself she couldn't. Where on Gunsmoke were these people from? Even their dog was strange.
In any case, Meryl had a disaster report to type and it'd do her well to stop thinking about the odd people who were probably far, far away by now. Stretching a bit, she carefully climbed over her still snoring insurance partner. The two girls had gotten to share the only bed in the room since Vash had kindly insisted- (more like Meryl had unkindly threatened to beat his face in otherwise)- that they take it. Deftly stepping over Wolfwood who slept beside the bed on the floor, Meryl moved toward the desk with a flicker of her grey eyes to the wood chair in the corner containing the P.J. clad slumbering gunman.
Meryl plopped into the chair in front of the desk where she'd set her typewriter before going to sleep and placed a sheet of paper in between the rolling presses. Nimble fingers poised over the keys, she thought a moment. Just how was she supposed to explain this one? The chief at Bernardelli wasn't likely to believe that a giant ship had come crashing down from the sky in front of the sand-steamer. He was less likely to believe there'd been four people and a dog inside of it all perfectly intact upon impact. If someone had told her the same story, Meryl wouldn't have taken them very seriously.
"I hope you're not planning on typing that stupid report while everyone's still asleep."
Vash spoke quietly from his corner, one aquamarine eye open to gaze at Meryl's profile. When did he wake up?
"Besides," he continued when she only stared in reply, "can you really count that as a disaster? I didn't even have anything to do with it, and nobody was injured."
Meryl's expression fell into a scowl. "Tell that to my sore backside."
"Either way, I had nothing to do with the crash. How could I have? I was with you the whole time." Vash responded with a lopsided grin.
Still scowling, Meryl sighed and pushed back from the desk. Her chair groaned at the rub of wood on wood resulting in a snort from Wolfwood and a strange remark from Milly.
"I can't have more ice cream but some sake in my tummy is nice, mommy."
Both Vash and Meryl gazed at the slumbering girl in puzzlement for a moment before the blond man resumed his crooked, little boy grin. It was one that Meryl found both moronic and adorable at once.
"Glad you see it my way- I don't feel like getting into any more trouble, you know?"
Raven hair fell over Meryl's gaze as she shook her head.
"It's not because I agree with you, Vash. The chief would never believe a story like this." She paused and averted her eyes in saying, "If nobody was injured then I don't really need to report it."
Vash stood from his chair, "I won't tell if you won't," he mused with a wink.
Meryl suppressed the urge to bean him over the head with her shoe.
At that moment, Milly rolled over on the bed and yawned noisily as she awoke. Wordlessly, the big girl scooted to the edge of the bed and promptly stepped on Wolfwood's stomach as she crossed over the floor.
"Oof!" The priest's grey-blue eyes shot wide open, a curse ready on his lips for the one who so rudely awakened him. However, in seeing it'd been Milly, he concluded that the slightly airy-headed woman could be forgiven.
Slowly, Wolfwood stood up, his blanket falling away to the floor as he dusted off his blue-black pants and stretched his muscles a bit.
"That floor is so uncomfortable- I hope you girls slept well enough on the bed," he quipped with a slight tone of envy to his gravely voice.
Milly grinned brightly. "I sure did, Mr. Priest! It sure was nice of you and Mr. Vash to let Meryl and I have the bed, and one good deed deserves another, like my little big sister always says."
Meryl wasn't sure she'd like where this was going.
Vash looked up from his attempt to gel his hair back up into place. "I hope that means you're buying breakfast. I could go for some doughnuts right about now."
"I wonder if they even serve breakfast in the afternoon," Wolfwood added, "but I'm damn hungry- it'd be great if you paid for our next meal to compensate for the hotel room."
The insurance girls exchanged glances. Milly was positive she hadn't said a word about buying anyone anything, but once again her words of wisdom had spoken a little too loudly. Meryl objected.
"Excuse me, but don't you remember we hardly have any money left? Otherwise we wouldn't have had to share a room with you two!"
"Touchy," Vash grinned. "But I get discounts at the restaurant- so you won't have to worry much. Besides, you still have a little money left, don't you? I'm sure you can cover the cost of a doughnut or two."
"Or eight," Wolfwood threw in with a knowing chuckle.
Meryl finally gave in. There was just no use arguing with those two, especially when they were together. If it wasn't out of pure annoyance, it was because they made a point. She supposed it was only fair.
Milly beamed, "Cheer up Meryl! We're getting paid tomorrow, so it's not a total loss, right?"
The raven haired insurance woman had forgotten about that. She sighed. Well, then she supposed squandering away their last double dollars for doughnuts and coffee wouldn't be too horrible. She was a touch hungry herself.
With an emphatic cheer coming from a supposedly starving gunman, the four proceeded to clean themselves up and change before heading out to the café. When they arrived the owner trembled a bit, recognizing Vash for who he was, and offered them the best seats in the quaint eatery, not to mention complimentary doughnuts. That was one less thing to worry about paying for…
* * *
"Jet-person, feed Ed!!" Ed wailed, flailing her limber limbs maniacally as she rocked on the floor. She paused only for a moment to clutch her stomach, "Ed needs food! Tummy-tum is making weird noises, grrr!"
With a stoic expression on his face, Jet turned his black eyes on the youngest BeBop crew member and sighed. "We're all hungry, Ed, not just you, we just don't have any money."
Spike glanced up from tying his shoes, fingers moving to fix the loosened tie around his neck. He still looked half-asleep, but then, when he was relaxed, he always did have a just-rolled out of bed look about him.
"Correction- we have money, just not the right kind. What do you think we ought to do about that, Jet? We have to get out of here somehow."
For the moment Ed put aside her hunger cries, pulling her laptop over and opening it to stare at the blank screen. No online connection- no nothing, just that stupid blank screen. She scowled at it and whined at her precious, broken computer.
The oldest crew member scratched under his chin then rubbed the top of his head as he thought about how to get out of this mess. Spike smirked.
"I don't think rubbing your bald head is going to make us lucky, Jet. How 'bout a real plan?"
"Shut up Spike," Jet replied flatly and crossed his arms, standing from the bed which gave a loud creak as he did. "I'm thinking…right now we need food. A guy can't think on an empty stomach…some bell peppers and beef sounds good about now."
Chuckling, the green-haired man from mars didn't make a reply, but rather turned his gaze out the window. There was nothing but sand all around them, all around this town there was absolutely nothing. Well, almost nothing. From their place, Spike could see a weird bulb out on the left corner of the window. He thought he'd seen that same bulb earlier from a distance emitting electrical surges.
The bathroom door creaking interrupted his thoughts, Faye emerging from the small room after being in there for the last five minutes.
"Jeez Faye, what'd you do in there?" Spike wrinkled his nose some, "I think I'll have to open the window."
Arching a brow, Faye looked somewhat bewildered to the comment before humiliation set in on her.
"Listen here, Fuzzy! It was that stupid dog," she jutted a finger in Ein's direction, the Welsh Corgi looking positively guilty, "doesn't he know to go outside?!"
Ed blinked at Faye's outburst and Ein whimpered softly.
Jet chuckled, "Don't be so simple minded, Faye- there are no doggy runs in outer-space."
"So much for being a genius data-dog," she muttered and blushed when her stomach growled. "Can't we do something about food? I'm so hungry- it's not good to ignore hunger pains you know!"
"Calm down Faye, we're working on it," Jet rubbed the top of his head again, sighing. "It just ain't coming to me…"
Ed stood up and saluted, "Soldier Ed reporting for duty!" Her fingers moved from her forehead to point at Faye, "Faye-Faye can do it! Pretty girl gets the guy, woooo!"
That was it. Spike, Jet, and Ed stared at their female counterpart expectantly, knowing she'd eventually catch on to what was just suggested. Not that it was always easy for one to figure out everything the little hacker genius said. As soon as Faye did catch on, she immediately tried to back out of it. However, she knew she had charm, and looks, and she knew if she didn't have something to eat soon someone was going to get hurt.
"Fine," she said with a sigh, "I'll do it. But you three so owe me."
Ed cart-wheeled into the door and rubbed her skull through the thick mass of red-orange hair, though grinning widely.
"Food!"
* * *
It took about half an hour before the crew of the BeBop found the small café in New Oregon. The town wasn't that big; in fact it was a lot smaller than what they'd thought it'd be. This was found out more or less the hard way- there were a lot of wrong turns that led the crew straight to the wide expanse of desert just outside of the cluster of sand colored buildings. Asking directions was a no go- especially when there were two men who were as hard-headed as they come, a strange "it" looking kid and her weird dog, and Faye the instantaneous attention getter.
Either people were afraid of the group or couldn't bring themselves to talk because they couldn't stop gawking. Apparently none of these backwater homebodies had seen anything like Jet, Spike, Faye, and Ed.
In any case, a mild case of embarrassment overcame the four when the café was found at last. Naturally it was the only building painted with bright sun yellow and blue with big red lettering that read "Cactus Café". Nevertheless, there was a certain amount of exuberance in the female members of the crew- they were starving.
"Faye-Faye's gonna get food for Ed?" The lanky girl inquired with an auspicious gleam in her amber eyes. "Food for Ed's tummy-tum-tum?"
Faye groaned lightly but being so hungry herself she supposed she really couldn't back out. "Yes, food for Ed- but I'm not promising anything." A thin hand brushed back some purple hair. "My womanly charms might not be completely irresistible since I'm working on an empty stomach."
Spike rolled his eyes, "Please, spare us the drama, Faye." He grew more irate by the minute- he hadn't had a cigarette in about thirteen hours. "Can we get on with this?"
To comply with Spike's request, the group strode into the Cactus Café, Faye in the lead with Ed and Ein bringing up the rear. They could hardly all fit in the foyer and that was hardly a crowd by any means.
The little sweaty man behind the counter's eyes nearly bugged out when he saw Miss Faye Valentine, though, and right away the others following her got a good feeling that there'd be some good eating fairly soon. As Faye worked her charms to the best of her ability, the others merely watched- with the exception of Ed who was getting a kick out of poking a small cactus potted plant beside her.
Over the ledge that separated the foyer from the main eating grounds of the café sat an irritable black haired woman and her air-headed insurance partner along with a blond haired gunman and a gun toting priest. They were feasting on the free doughnuts and sipping their coffee as well as partly enjoying the eggs and toast (it wasn't that great of a breakfast, but to Vash, any food was good food)- completely oblivious to what was going on the opposite side of the wall.
On top of the ledge a black cat with exceptionally large green-yellow eyes lazed about, tail swishing to and fro slowly. She watched everything vigilantly and when her gaze rested upon the dog standing with the crew on the foyer's side of the ledge, her mouth opened and a very flat "meow" was sounded.
Ein's ears perked, his head cocked to one side, and his brown eyes peered up. To him, getting that cat was more important right now than any data-processing or bone catching was. A loud bark emitted from the Welsh Corgi and Ed spun around, catlike eyes wide as she could easily foresee what was about the take place.
"Uh-oh…" the red mop topped girl said rather blandly, then tugged on Jet's shirt.
Jet's eyes were already on the dog, following Ein's gaze to the cat on the ledge who had now stood, arched her back and hissed loudly. The little sweaty man behind the counter craned his neck, looking past Faye to see the scene and proceeded to scold the crew for bringing an animal inside the café.
"What kind of stupid double-standard is that? That cat's in here, isn't it?" Faye screamed, about ready to let loose her wrath, which would've included her massive feeling of insult by having attention taken from her by a dog.
"I'm sorry, miss, but…"
In that instant the little man was cut off by another bark, followed by a crash. The cat had leaped from her perch and over Ein and he pivoted to chase the black fur-ball. Immediately the four leapt backwards as the chase began- Ein and the cat wove between people's legs, heading right for the heart of the eatery- the kitchen. But this wasn't to say they didn't wreak their havoc on the rest of the restaurant first.
People peacefully eating brunch were rudely interrupted when the black cat pounced on their tables, following Ein who knocked over glasses, pushed off table cloths and careened into a waiter carrying a tray of Cactus Café Specials. The noise was nigh on deafening- the cat hissed, Ein barked, and people screamed.
Among them were the insurance girls, gunman, and the priest, who were one of the tables assaulted. Vash's doughnuts were crushed and Milly's Ceylon tea and bowl of pudding had spilled all over the table. Both of them had a fit. Needless to say, Meryl had gone off like a rocket, pounding the table as she stood up.
"What the hell is going on here?!" she shouted, watching the two animals tear across the dining room floor and straight into the kitchen.
There more crashes and cries could be heard, along with some big time cursing.
Vash stood up and peered over the ledge, spotting the BeBop crew, then pointed at Faye. His eyes grew large and watery.
"It's the pretty lady! My fair maiden has returned!"
Upon hearing these words, Faye's green eyes met Vash's enlarged ones, and she groaned. "Oh great- as if we aren't in enough trouble…"
Naturally, Spike found time for dry humor. "Look Faye, it's your boyfriend. You should've told us you were meeting him here and saved us the trouble of hurricane Ein."
"This isn't funny, Spike!" Faye snapped.
Jet arched a bushy black brow, "I hate to interrupt this little spar of yours, kiddies, but shouldn't someone go catch Ein before more damage is done?"
All eyes went to Ed who blinked, puzzled.
From the other side of the ledge, Meryl climbed onto a chair to see what Vash was gawking at- although she couldn't really say she was surprised to see the lustful Faye Valentine on the other side. Of course…who else? Her scowl deepened and she slapped Vash's cheek, leaving a red handprint.
"You idiot! Don't you ever think of anything else? And look at this mess!"
Wolfwood nonchalantly lit a cigarette, grey-blue eyes watching the dog and cat rip out of the kitchen for another round in the dining room- this time they managed to knock the café's owner on his rear end.
Milly jumped to Vash's defense, "But sempai, Mr. Vash didn't cause this!"
Vash rubbed his stinging cheek and whined, "Ouch! I didn't do anything, why does everyone always pick on me? It's just not fair!"
The priest chuckled, "It's just your destiny to get picked on, tongari…duck." The last word from his mouth was so abrupt, nobody knew what to make of it until the cat had leapt onto her final resting place- Vash's head.
Vash wailed maniacally as the claws dug into his scalp, arms flailing "Get it off of me!"
Ein barked loudly up at the feline, causing Vash to recoil even more.
"Rabid dog! Rabid dog!"
At that moment, Ed ran up, her arms flinging around Ein's middle and she struggled to pick him up to drag him away.
"It's the Vash-person! Ooh…" her eyes widened at the cat on his head, "cat-hat Vash, Vash with a cat-hat!"
Meryl wrinkled her nose at the strange child- usually she liked children but this one was just too weird. Milly, on the other hand, beamed.
"Hullo!"
Before Ed could reply, however, the café owner skulked up to her, stumbling over the mess and having had to go past several annoyed customers.
Jet, Spike, and Faye had come out of hiding from behind the ledge and didn't seem too optimistic about the results of Ein's escapade.
"Is this your dog?" the owner asked crossly.
Spike wished Ed had said no- but of course she didn't. The green-haired man looked to the smoking Wolfwood and spoke.
"Mind if I bum a cigarette? It might be a long time before I get the chance for another one."
**A/N** ^_^ Well, I certainly hope the small wait was worth the chapter! The next will be up shortly! (I hope!).
**Upcoming Chapter**
Chapter Eleven- Go, Go Cactus Man
Summary:
The BeBop crew is doing time- in the kitchen that is! To pay for Ein's damages to the Cactus Café, they're stuck doing the dirty work in the kitchen, and that means dish duty! However, they do a little more than their share and with some pity from the owner, end up leaving with 100 double dollars in their pockets. This is enough for a couple of Tomases, which are needed for a short trek to check on the BeBop- guess who gets the job of teaching the lucky ones how to ride? ^_^ Mr. Vash the Stampede, ladies and gents…