Disclaimer: Alright. Do I own Trigun? No. Vash? Meryl? Even Millie? No. What about Knives? Uh, no. Nobody? Nobody.

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BE STRONG

A oneshot Trigun romance.

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NOTE: This takes place after Vash comes home, after episode 26, when Vash is carrying his unconcious brother Knives to God knows where. We all wonder what would happen if he came home to the girls, and so this is my outlook!

The gunman, the little woman, the big girl, and the black cat sat on the porch of the old wooden house, all smiles for the first time in months. Millie suggested a sing-along with everybody, and even though Meryl had protested quite strongly at first, Vash has talked her into leading.

"Ahem!" Meryl stood and cleared her throat dignantly.

'Millie always told me to loosen up... Well now I can. I'm going to try to be a fun girl, Millie! I really am!' She thought to herself confidentally. Vash had left Knives on an abandoned land reserve with everything he needed to survive: food, water, and a shelter. He knew Knives would create chaos once more and he knew he'd have to leave the girls soon to fight him once again, but the girls looked so happy... So carefree, for the first time in ages. He couldn't tear them down when they had been built up so high.

Meryl fidgeted nervously as she was about to sing. She looked at them, orange hues radiated off of every object under the sun. The sunset was beautiful that day. "You have to sing with me after I start, alright?" She asked firmly, still embarrassed about the whole ordeal. Millie nodded and Vash raised his right hand. "Promise." He said, grinning that goofy grin of his.

"Long ago, on a boat they rowed, they came unto an island. They washed ashore and the hope they bore had vanished into the silence. A poor little girl had her bonnet tight, and called to her daddy, 'Come quick!' 'A man on the island is dying, and a man said he is very sick!'" Meryl sang soulfully, an old folk song she'd heard as a child. By this time, Millie and Vash were singing along with her, amazed at her wonderful voice. "'Well what did you tell him, Dolly?' Her daddy began to ask. 'What did you tell him, Dolly? Dolly, what did you say?' 'I told him to dance with a daffodil. I told him to lay with the waves. I told him to run through the golden fields. I told him to sing it all day.' Oh... Dolly. Dolly, what did you say? Oh... Dolly. Too-ra, too-loo-ra, eh!" They became enchanted with the song and Millie began to skip around to the beat.

As the song ended, Meryl slumped down on the highest step and sighed, stroking the black cat, gazin out at the setting sun. "I remember my Mom singing that to me when I was young..." She said, smiling. Millie was still skipping around, humming enthusiastically.

Meryl looked over at Vash and noticed that he was looking at her, smiling seriously. She didn't know what to think of this, so she looked away. "You did good." He said. "Thanks. So did you." She replied.

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Meryl and Millie sat on the couches, telling funny and ironic stories of their lives. Millie's tended to be a little half-witted at times, and Meryl's seemed to be more tragic and stressful. Vash listened cooly as he tried to ignore that horrible little voice in his head.

'Vash...' It hissed. 'I'm awake...'

Meryl stood and stretched, giving a large yawn. Millie did the same. "G'night girls!" Vash called to them as they headed upstairs, waving at him. He laid back, tense, yet he was amazed that Meryl could be so fun-loving at times. Maybe since Millie was always like that, she felt she had to be the responsible one.

'Vash...' The voice spoke again. Vash jumped, seeing as he was so enveloped in his thoughts. He glared. "What do you want?" He asked, acid dripping from every word.

'Those girls... You like them?' The voice asked, laughing sadistically soon after. Vash went pale. He knew then what he must do. He, alone, was putting the girls in danger... He was putting Meryl in danger!

Later that night, Vash sat in his darkened room and clutched his head as he feebly tried to gather the things he needed. Every inch of him surged with pain. It was Knives causing this, he knew it. Knives was calling him.

He stood wearily, the pain diminishing slowly. He had to get out, before the girls were harmed. He had to get away.

He fumbled over to the little desk in his room and opened a crooked drawer, removing a letter to Meryl he'd prepared before, for just this occasion. Suddenly, the heaviness of it all hit him. Leaving Meryl... For good. His hand shake as he looked over the letter momentarily. It wasn't nearly everything he wished he could tell her, but it was enough to let her know.

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Meryl tossed in her bed uncomfortably. Millie's snoring from the next room might have been the reason, but Meryl simply felt insomnia. She heard footsteps and perked up. "Vash?" She whispered to herself, confused. They proceeded to get louder as they neared her room and stopped at her door. She flung her head and and pulled the blanket up and slowed her breathing; she was so perfectly disguised.

As soon as the tall man stepped inside, sorrow seemed to ricochet off the walls. She suddenly felt worried. What was he doing in her room in the middle of the night? She wondered if he planned on trying anything while she slept, but she was prepared. He neared her bed and she tensed. His shadow hung over her as he placed something beside her. After that, though, he continued to tower over her, as if he was watching her. She then felt his face very near hers, his warmth reaching her. She felt as if she could just lay against him and feel his warmth, and she'd sleep sounder than ever before. All the while, she kept up her disguise. Though, all of the sudden, she felt very tired. She was half asleep and he recoiled. She twitched ever so slightly as his cold glove stroked her cheek. Something definitely wasn't right. Her stomach turned over with worry at that moment.

Then the shadow descended and her door creaked closed.

She opened one eye, looking around cautiously, making sure he wasn't still there. She then sprang up and located the object near her head. It was a piece of paper, she thought, and then internally slapped herself for being so absent-minded. It's a letter! She lifted it and flipped on the little lamp beside her bed... And gasped.

Her eyes grew wide and her hand trembled as she skimmed over the first line again, of the battered letter.

'I am not human, Meryl'.

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'I'm not human, Meryl. You know that. My brother's and my fates are intwined together, and believe me, this cannot be escaped. By the time you recieve this, I will be gone.'

She brought her hand to her mouth suddenly as the next line jumped out at her.

'This is to you, Meryl. It's a poem I wrote a while back, one night when I couldn't sleep. I know, I don't seem like a real poetic person, but, just read it.'

She had to sit. She located the bed by hand, never letting her eyes leave the letter. As she comfortably sat atop the silken sheets, she swallowed hard and prepared for what was to come.

'The sky's are grey,
The blossoms are new,
Death's all around us,
And then there's you.

There are shadows beyond,
Shadows within,
Every aspect of me,
You're under my skin.

Every wall, every room,
Every hall, there you loom.
I cannot leave you.
Nor do I want to.
I can just feel you now.

I know it's hard
To understand.
How someone as great as you,
Could love one man.

That man is me,
And I certainly believe,
That even though you scream,
You at least care for me.

You've been by my side,
You were there when I cried,
Constantly hurting,
Watching my heart die.

I've kept my distance,
From people like yourself,
Though fate brought you here,
To see through my tears.

You've shown me love,
And made me believe,
You are my dear friend,
...I don't want to leave.'

After reading that line, Meryl's tear-filled eyes could no longer hold the buildup and overflowed. After a moment of silent sobbing, the courage to finish it had recovered and she gazed down at the last few lines.

'Take care of Millie,
Don't let her down,
Take care of yourself,
And don't leave this town.

You'll forget me soon,
I'm just a whisper to the wind,
And then all will be right,
You can begin again.

Meryl...'

She gave an abrupt sob.

'Be strong.'

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She clutched the letter in her hands tightly, shaking as if it were below zero outside. She read the conclusion aloud, but barely audible.

'My dear Meryl, I'm sorry for everything I've done. I'm not sure how you're reacting right now, but please don't follow me. This is for the best.'

She crumpled it slightly. "Damn him!" She hissed, tears falling in cascades. "He just walks out and all he can say is 'It's for the best'?!" She decided to look over the poem again, to try and get the hidden messages underlying, but a smaller print at the bottom of the paper caught her attention.

"I wish I could stay with you forever. I wish I didn't have to leave. But... I am resigned to my fate. I have finally accepted it. I would have said this in person, but I couldn't stand having to tell you goodbye for good, while gazing into those endless grey eyes of yours. I have many feelings for you. Many. I no longer feel as if one girl never could keep me going forever. My outlook on commitment has changed, and it's because of you. I want to spend my life with you, Meryl Stryfe. Please be strong.'

And so she ran. She flew down the stairs, knowing he'd slipped this to her just a moment before she found it. He couldn't be far. In her oversized polo shirt, no pants or shoes, she raced down the dirt road, searching madly. 'Don't follow me.' 'I want to spend my life you you.' 'You'll just forget me soon.' His words repeated themselves in her head like a never-ceasing record player. She continued to run, clinging to the letter with one hand. Tears flying from the corners of her eyes, she dashed around the corner of an old cafe and there she saw him. She couldn't waste time.

"Vash!" She shouted. Annoyed townspeople that were trying to sleep and were bothered by the shouting cast leers her way and closed their windows. She didn't notice.

He stopped walking, not turning. She was suddenly struck with the thought that maybe he was angry at her for not obeying him, since she followed him when he specifically asked her not to, though she quickly pushed that aside. She didn't care! She needed to let him know!

"So we go through all that, and then you just walk out?!" Her voice was pleading, and she was trying hard to sound strong and angry; trying hard to hide her feelings from the world again. "How... How could you?!" She choked out, a new wave of tears washing over her. He began to turn towards her slowly, the moon with its gigantic crater looming above him eerily. She expected to see him, angry and serious.

She was taken aback. His look was of pure sorrow, hopelessness, and fear. He was afraid to face her like this, she thought immediately, afraid that maybe when he turned away and walked out the door, it'd break her. She saw it now. The whole time, he was protecting her and he knew she cared for him, at least as a good friend. She could tell this was true, because she hurt inside. Seeing him like that, it hurt.

Vash gazed at her, the moonlight casting genuine white glows on her more divine features. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. She looked like an angel, generous enough to stand before him.

Meryl watched in disbelief as his sorrow transformed into a sad little smile. She took a step forward. "Hey Meryl..." He said softly, in his same friendly little voice, though it wasa bit sad now. He was aware that the neighbors were disturbed by all the shouting, so he made an effort to be quieter.

That was it. Meryl was staring at the man she loved, and it was all she could do but fall to her knees and beg him not to go. She thought back to the days when she was just a lonely insurance girl, trying to make a living, and it seemed so ironic that now, looking at the Humanoid Typhoon, the man she was hired to keep an eye on, was the man she wanted to love forever more. Through all this, she hadn't noticed that she was slowly walking towards him. Although there was quite a distance left between them, she stopped as soon as she saw the tears in Vash's eyes flash for a second as the moonlight hit them.

She didn't know she was moving. A million different thoughts raced through her head, each one lasting a milisecond before they were replaced by a thousand more. She didn't know she was calling out to him. All she saw was him. That was all she chose to see.

Vash opened his arms wide, welcoming the deranged little woman's embrace. She sobbed into his slick red coat, clinging to him like a child to their mother, loosening her grip from exhaustion and relief. "I was afraid you were already gone..." She breathed into his chest. He looked down at her with that same smile and then noticed the letter in her hands. His face flushed red. "Y-You weren't supposed to find that yet..." He said quietly, looking down at her, noticing she hadn't move for a moment. She was asleep. Exhaustion, he thought. "Damn. And I was so close to that kiss." He muttered smoothly, feeling her gentle limpness fall against him as he shifted positions. He removed the letter from her hand and realized, with sad inner pride, that it was covered in tears. Meryl's tears. He picked her up in a cradle-like position and kissed her head lightly, carrying her back to the house. He wouldn't leave her... Not now that they had actually admitted something. Not now that they had gotten somewhere, a somewhere that could last forever.

...And the rain began to fall.