Hello everyone.... After a very very very
long delay, CHAPTER SEVEN! Yeah! Finally got my butt in
gear and cranked out another chapter. WHEW! I was a little scared
some of you readers would kidnap me and torture me until I finished
this! But you guys can relax now, right? heh heh. -Stel
p.s. I don't own Trigun, so you can't sue! (I have, however, put a copyright on Vash's hair)
Chapter 7- Home
Twin suns hung over the sky of Gunsmoke radiating intense heat. Meryl
squinted through the noontide sand storms, her eyes locking on their
next hapless target. Vash stood a few paces away, golden hair and
aqua-marine eyes gleaming in the sunlight. He carried on, seemingly unfazed by
the dust and grit.
'Ugh. I'm really going to give him a piece of my mind! What possessed
him to get us into this mess anyway? He's going to get it. . . unless I
collapse first.'
"Where the HELL do you think you're going, BROOMHEAD!" she shouted
aloud.
Ahead, Vash stopped his ceaseless rolling strides and turned to regard
the vengeful insurance lady. "Now just calm down! We wouldn't want
another one of your incidents to happen, now would we?" He paused long
enough to shoot her a warning glance, then turned away.
"Another incident?" Meryl growled, struggling to keep her voice down.
"What could possibly happen? In case you haven't noticed, we're in the
middle of the freaking desert!"
"Would you two please try to keep it quiet, I just got Mr. Knives to
fall asleep."
They both turned apologetically to the approaching Milly, who had
Knives slung unceremoniously over her shoulder.
"Sorry Milly," Vash said, a goofy smile covering his face. "Meryl was
just venting some steam."
The aforementioned plant rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Anyway, someone told me there was a town in this direction, about 60
iles away. If we keep going, we should make it there by morning."
Meryl's face turned red and she started to scream. "And who exactly
gave you this tidbit of information, considering we haven't run into any
signs of civilization for the last 40 iles?"
Vash had the grace to look chastised, kicking aimlessly at a dirt pile
and bringing one arm up behind his head in a nervous habit. "Well. . .
um, see. . . That nice hotel Manager Man was kind enough to give me
directions, beforehishotelwasdestroyed, that is."
"WHAT?" Meryl cried, almost giving herself a hernia. "The Manager? The
one that pulled a huge rifle out of nowhere and tried to BLOW US AWAY?"
Behind them, Knives made a minuscule groan. Instantly their voices
dropped down to heated whispers, still holding the same intensity as
before.
"How could you take directions from a maniac psychopath?"
"Well being a maniac psychopath doesn't make him an automatic lier!"
Vash gave her a meaningful glance. "Besides, this direction is just as
good as any other. We need to lie low for awhile."
"Hey you guys!" Milly called in a wondrous tone. "It looks like there
are some rocks ahead!"
The two plants turned in the direction Milly was pointing, argument
suddenly long forgotten.
"We're saved!" Meryl cried, swirly eyed in relief.
"Huh?"
"Look! There's a crevice on the side of that rock formation. It must be
a cave. We can wait out the rest of the storm in there."
"Whoohoo!" cheered Vash.
Knives limp form twitched. Head dangling upside down over Milly's
shoulder, he muttered something that sounded vaguely obscene, but it was
inaudible through the scathing wind. Milly sighed.
Climbing across the uneven ground, the weary travelers reached the
opening in the rock and hurried into shelter. The space inside was cramped.
Milly and Vash had to hunch their shoulders to avoid banging their
heads on the ceiling. The air remained dry and thick with dust, yet the
trio still panted in relief. Wearily, they hunkered down to wait out the
storm.
Twilight found them huddled around a small fire, fighting off cold and
hunger. The darkness seemed oppressive, silence pressing in on them
from all sides. They each stared moodily into the flames, consumed by the
memories of recent events. Soon Milly broke the quiet, in an attempt to
lighten the mood.
"So Meryl," she asked cheerfully, "you never told me how you changed
your hair!" She leaned closer to inspect her boss. "Your eyes look
different too! Come to think of it, you've been acting awfully strange
lately. . ." She gave her friend a worried frown. "Are you sure you're all
right?"
"Yes Meryl, do tell. This should prove to be a very interesting story."
They all turned to stare at Knives. It was the first civil comment he
had made all evening. Meryl pinned him with a nasty glare, immediately
assuming the worst.
"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"
He favored her with one of his contemptuous smirks, eyebrows raised in
a snide manner.
'Oh great,' Meryl thought. 'He probably has more respect for a lump of
coal then he'll ever have for me. Why do I even bother?'
"People. . . especially humans. . . don't just go around changing their
molecular compositions, in case you haven't noticed." His eyes seemed
to frost over, hiding all emotion. "I haven't met another like you,
besides Vash, for many years."
He turned his deadly gaze to Vash, eyes now blazing in anger. "There's
only one way this could have happened, Vash. Your stupidity is
unfathomable. Don't you realize the consequences of your actions? Not only
could her power destroy herself, she could destroy this planet and
everything on it, including you and me."
His voice held a cold superiority and condescending anger that made
Vash's blood boil.
"Now just hold on a second, Knives!" He shouted in fury. "You make it
sound like this is all my fault. It was an accident! How could I ever
want this to happen?"
"Was it, dear brother? I'm not so sure." Knives murmured quietly.
At his words, Meryl gave a pained cry and dashed out the exit.
Vash stared desperately after her. Turning, he snarled at Knives.
"Don't move until I get back. . . Or else!" Then he raced out into the
desert after the runaway plant.
Knives shrugged and turned back to stare at the flames. His mind mulled
over the recent confrontation. Already a plan was beginning to
formulate.
'Meryl never answered my question, and Vash avoided it altogether. He's
afraid of the truth. He's afraid of the fact that he's happy Meryl
turned into a plant. He tries to hide it, but Vash was never good at
keeping anything from me.' He smiled thinly into the fire. 'I still can't
understand how it happened, though. A plant wouldn't give someone like her
its power without a very good reason, even if Vash asked it to. There
must be an ulterior motive, and I'll make sure to find out what it is.'
His mind set, Knives let his weary body succumb to sleep at last,
focusing his energies on healing his weakened body.
--
It didn't take long for Vash to find Meryl, huddled at the base of the
rocks, crouched with her head in her hands. She looked up sharply at
his approach. Eyes wary and suspicious. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes,
then slowly stood up, as if the movement required a great deal of
energy.
"I thought you said it was an accident, Vash." Meryl whispered to the
ground.
Vash felt despair grip his heart. Meryl meant more to him than
anything, he couldn't lose her now.
"It was an accident."
"Then what did Knives mean just now?" Meryl challenged angrily, tears
gleaming in her eyes.
"Meryl, please, just listen." Vash sighed, looking down at the ground
and running a hand through his spiky hair. At last he raised his head to
meet her gaze. Pain and compassion glowed in his eyes.
"I know what it feels like, to live this kind of life. I've felt your
pain a thousandfold. I've felt the agony of an entire planet since its
birth. I've seen generations live and die. I've known that ache in my
chest, reminding me I've outlived all my friends. Believe me, Meryl. I
would never wish this kind of life on anyone," his voice softened gently.
"Especially you."
Meryl stared back at Vash, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
She desperately tried to hold back the tidal wave of emotions flooding
her body. But they proved too strong for her to keep in, and with a
shuddering gasp the flood gates collapsed. She rushed to Vash, enveloping
him in a loving, trusting, forgiving hug.
"I believe you." She whispered in his ear, tears streaming down her
face to land on his chest.
Vash looked at her tear stained cheeks in open amazement. 'She's crying
for me? That hasn't happened since Rem left. Maybe Milly was right, she
really does care for me.'
Slowly he came to his senses, raising his arms to return Meryl's
embrace. Tears swelled in his own eyes, but they were tears of indescribable
joy. He crushed her small body to his own, reveling in the glorious
warmth and comfort of her presence. All too soon, his infectious laughter
bubbled forth, spreading to Meryl.
At length, he set her down and stepped away. He observed her standing,
bathed in the glow of Gunsmoke's five moons. Her hair seemed to glow,
twirling in mysterious patterns as an answer to the wind. But it was
nothing compared to her eyes. Lit from within by her unimaginable power,
he could see the energy radiating in waves. The sight captivated him,
and before he knew it he was stepping closer, raising his hand to caress
her cheek. Impulsively he leaned in, gracing her lips with a gentle
kiss. For a moment both of their eyes closed, then Vash froze, realizing
just what it was he had been doing.
Instantly he lept away, giggling nervously and grabbing the back of his
neck. He felt his face heat up and quickly glanced to assess Meryl's
reaction. She was still standing where he had left her, frozen in shock.
'Did that just happen?' She wondered dazedly. Slowly she lifted her
fingers to touch her lips in disbelief, then looked at Vash in wonder.
"Sorry about that." Vash murmured, studying something on the ground
with intense concentration.
"That's all right." She finally managed to reply. "I liked it."
She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, realizing what she had
just said. 'Ohhh! I am such an idiot! What am I supposed to do now?
Think, Meryl, think!'
To her everlasting surprise, Vash began to laugh. Immediately the
tension melted from the air.
"You know," Vash said at last, "I actually came out here for another
reason."
Meryl raised her eyebrows. "Oh, and what would that be?"
Vash grinned mischievously in answer. "Training. It's high time you
learned how to keep those powers of yours under control."
Meryl nodded in wholehearted agreement. Head still spinning, she forced
herself to focus on his words. She definitely didn't want another
incident like the hotel explosion to happen again. She had been meaning to
ask Vash about it all day, and was rather relieved that he was the one
that brought the topic up for discussion.
"That sounds good to me, but where do we start?"
Vash tapped the side of his head in thought. "How about mental
protection. That way, Knives won't be able to pull any more stunts like that
one in the jail cell. Whadda you say?"
"Sure." She replied, stepping closer to see Vash a little better in the
dim light.
Vash happened to move at the same time, and before she knew it, Meryl
was falling. Her arms shot out in momentary panic, grasping nothing but
thin air. She windmilled for a second before completely losing her
balance. She was aware of someone grabbing her arm, to prevent her from
hitting the ground, before she instinctively reached within herself. Meryl
touched a secret wellspring of energy, amazed at this feeling of power
she had never experienced before.
There was a flash, then a bang as Meryl landed spectacularly on her
butt. When she looked around, Vash was gone.
'Oh no! What have I done? I might have vaporized him with my powers on
accident! I'll never forgive myself!'
Suddenly she heard screaming to her right, a distinctive, girly
screaming. She turned just in time to witness the infamous humanoid typhoon
sail through the air, only to execute a majestic faceplant into the side
of a sand dune 100 yards away.
Meryl gawked for a moment, then sprinted to his side.
Vash lay on the sand, still.
A bolt of terror stuck her in the heart. 'Oh no, Vash, please. . . You
can't be dead. I love you too much! You have to wake up. . . Vash!'
She held trembling hands to her face, waiting for her secret love to
stir. When he didn't move, Meryl gave in to her tears, turning away in
horror.
At length, she felt the warmth of hands on her shoulders. Looking up,
she beheld Vash's worried eyes, glowing a vibrant green. Meryl stared
for a few moments in startled disbelief, then started to laugh
hysterically. Vash blinked in amazement.
"I see your wonderful sense of humor definitely hasn't changed." He
proceeded to shake about a gallon of sand from his gravity-defying golden
locks. Looking closer at Meryl, he noticed the decidedly vacant look in
her eyes. His brow creased with worry.
"Hey Meryl...You okay?" He waved his hand in front of her face.
"I thought you were dead." Meryl replied in a monotone voice, all
traces of her insane laughter evaporated. She sniffled and looked down at
her hands. "I thought you were dead, and that I had killed you."
Vash gave her a sad look and moved to her side. Gently he took her
hands in his and clasped them close to his heart. "Hey don't worry. I've
been around a long, long time. I've survived Knives for 133 years. After
him, you're a piece of cake. You may think being a plant is some
terrible thing, but there are benefits too. You just haven't seen them yet."
"Benefits?" She asked skeptically. "Like what? Being able to dominate
the human race?"
"Shhhhh," Vash whispered. "Just watch."
He placed her hands flat on the ground, palms down. Then he covered
them with his own, closing his eyes in concentration. Meryl watched with
interest, then intense curiosity as her hands began to glow. Warmth
spread from her fingertips, tickled up her arms and gently kissed her
heart. Deep within the warmth something moved. Meryl felt herself bend in a
way she had never bent before, and the heart of Gunsmoke bent in
return. Far below her feet the soil heaved, sending up a tendril of something
more precious than gold. Meryl gasped in awe as she felt a spring of
water bubble up from under her fingers.
The sensation made her giggle softly, sending her curling white hair
bouncing.
Vash smiled when she laughed, relieved to see her tears replaced with
joy. Grasping her hands a little tighter, he concentrated on his task.
Meryl's joy soon turned to amazement as her power surged. All around
them grass sprung to life, flowers bloomed and trees grew. What had once
been a barren wasteland was now an emerald oasis, luscious and green.
--
Meryl sat in deep meditation. Nearby, she could feel Vash's protective
energy, along with her own. She found she could see the world through a
different light when she concentrated on her power. Vash's being looked
completely different. His radiant energy warmed her soul, repairing old
scars and new wounds. His body glowed brilliantly, shedding power and
life.
At last she opened her eyes, soaking in the oasis she had created. With
a growing feeling of contentment and completion she met Vash's eyes.
All at once she realized what she had been trying to figure out all
along.
"I'm home. This is where I belong."
Well, there it is. I hope you like it. They finally kissed! What do you think of that, huh? I did most of this chapter, but Zuka helped a little. (She will help MORE on the next chapter...) Sorry for the long delay, hopefully it won't take that long for the next chapter. Until next time, Stelmaria
Thank you wonderful reviewers. Your praise keeps us going. We are always grateful.
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p.s. I don't own Trigun, so you can't sue! (I have, however, put a copyright on Vash's hair)
Chapter 7- Home
Twin suns hung over the sky of Gunsmoke radiating intense heat. Meryl
squinted through the noontide sand storms, her eyes locking on their
next hapless target. Vash stood a few paces away, golden hair and
aqua-marine eyes gleaming in the sunlight. He carried on, seemingly unfazed by
the dust and grit.
'Ugh. I'm really going to give him a piece of my mind! What possessed
him to get us into this mess anyway? He's going to get it. . . unless I
collapse first.'
"Where the HELL do you think you're going, BROOMHEAD!" she shouted
aloud.
Ahead, Vash stopped his ceaseless rolling strides and turned to regard
the vengeful insurance lady. "Now just calm down! We wouldn't want
another one of your incidents to happen, now would we?" He paused long
enough to shoot her a warning glance, then turned away.
"Another incident?" Meryl growled, struggling to keep her voice down.
"What could possibly happen? In case you haven't noticed, we're in the
middle of the freaking desert!"
"Would you two please try to keep it quiet, I just got Mr. Knives to
fall asleep."
They both turned apologetically to the approaching Milly, who had
Knives slung unceremoniously over her shoulder.
"Sorry Milly," Vash said, a goofy smile covering his face. "Meryl was
just venting some steam."
The aforementioned plant rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Anyway, someone told me there was a town in this direction, about 60
iles away. If we keep going, we should make it there by morning."
Meryl's face turned red and she started to scream. "And who exactly
gave you this tidbit of information, considering we haven't run into any
signs of civilization for the last 40 iles?"
Vash had the grace to look chastised, kicking aimlessly at a dirt pile
and bringing one arm up behind his head in a nervous habit. "Well. . .
um, see. . . That nice hotel Manager Man was kind enough to give me
directions, beforehishotelwasdestroyed, that is."
"WHAT?" Meryl cried, almost giving herself a hernia. "The Manager? The
one that pulled a huge rifle out of nowhere and tried to BLOW US AWAY?"
Behind them, Knives made a minuscule groan. Instantly their voices
dropped down to heated whispers, still holding the same intensity as
before.
"How could you take directions from a maniac psychopath?"
"Well being a maniac psychopath doesn't make him an automatic lier!"
Vash gave her a meaningful glance. "Besides, this direction is just as
good as any other. We need to lie low for awhile."
"Hey you guys!" Milly called in a wondrous tone. "It looks like there
are some rocks ahead!"
The two plants turned in the direction Milly was pointing, argument
suddenly long forgotten.
"We're saved!" Meryl cried, swirly eyed in relief.
"Huh?"
"Look! There's a crevice on the side of that rock formation. It must be
a cave. We can wait out the rest of the storm in there."
"Whoohoo!" cheered Vash.
Knives limp form twitched. Head dangling upside down over Milly's
shoulder, he muttered something that sounded vaguely obscene, but it was
inaudible through the scathing wind. Milly sighed.
Climbing across the uneven ground, the weary travelers reached the
opening in the rock and hurried into shelter. The space inside was cramped.
Milly and Vash had to hunch their shoulders to avoid banging their
heads on the ceiling. The air remained dry and thick with dust, yet the
trio still panted in relief. Wearily, they hunkered down to wait out the
storm.
Twilight found them huddled around a small fire, fighting off cold and
hunger. The darkness seemed oppressive, silence pressing in on them
from all sides. They each stared moodily into the flames, consumed by the
memories of recent events. Soon Milly broke the quiet, in an attempt to
lighten the mood.
"So Meryl," she asked cheerfully, "you never told me how you changed
your hair!" She leaned closer to inspect her boss. "Your eyes look
different too! Come to think of it, you've been acting awfully strange
lately. . ." She gave her friend a worried frown. "Are you sure you're all
right?"
"Yes Meryl, do tell. This should prove to be a very interesting story."
They all turned to stare at Knives. It was the first civil comment he
had made all evening. Meryl pinned him with a nasty glare, immediately
assuming the worst.
"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"
He favored her with one of his contemptuous smirks, eyebrows raised in
a snide manner.
'Oh great,' Meryl thought. 'He probably has more respect for a lump of
coal then he'll ever have for me. Why do I even bother?'
"People. . . especially humans. . . don't just go around changing their
molecular compositions, in case you haven't noticed." His eyes seemed
to frost over, hiding all emotion. "I haven't met another like you,
besides Vash, for many years."
He turned his deadly gaze to Vash, eyes now blazing in anger. "There's
only one way this could have happened, Vash. Your stupidity is
unfathomable. Don't you realize the consequences of your actions? Not only
could her power destroy herself, she could destroy this planet and
everything on it, including you and me."
His voice held a cold superiority and condescending anger that made
Vash's blood boil.
"Now just hold on a second, Knives!" He shouted in fury. "You make it
sound like this is all my fault. It was an accident! How could I ever
want this to happen?"
"Was it, dear brother? I'm not so sure." Knives murmured quietly.
At his words, Meryl gave a pained cry and dashed out the exit.
Vash stared desperately after her. Turning, he snarled at Knives.
"Don't move until I get back. . . Or else!" Then he raced out into the
desert after the runaway plant.
Knives shrugged and turned back to stare at the flames. His mind mulled
over the recent confrontation. Already a plan was beginning to
formulate.
'Meryl never answered my question, and Vash avoided it altogether. He's
afraid of the truth. He's afraid of the fact that he's happy Meryl
turned into a plant. He tries to hide it, but Vash was never good at
keeping anything from me.' He smiled thinly into the fire. 'I still can't
understand how it happened, though. A plant wouldn't give someone like her
its power without a very good reason, even if Vash asked it to. There
must be an ulterior motive, and I'll make sure to find out what it is.'
His mind set, Knives let his weary body succumb to sleep at last,
focusing his energies on healing his weakened body.
--
It didn't take long for Vash to find Meryl, huddled at the base of the
rocks, crouched with her head in her hands. She looked up sharply at
his approach. Eyes wary and suspicious. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes,
then slowly stood up, as if the movement required a great deal of
energy.
"I thought you said it was an accident, Vash." Meryl whispered to the
ground.
Vash felt despair grip his heart. Meryl meant more to him than
anything, he couldn't lose her now.
"It was an accident."
"Then what did Knives mean just now?" Meryl challenged angrily, tears
gleaming in her eyes.
"Meryl, please, just listen." Vash sighed, looking down at the ground
and running a hand through his spiky hair. At last he raised his head to
meet her gaze. Pain and compassion glowed in his eyes.
"I know what it feels like, to live this kind of life. I've felt your
pain a thousandfold. I've felt the agony of an entire planet since its
birth. I've seen generations live and die. I've known that ache in my
chest, reminding me I've outlived all my friends. Believe me, Meryl. I
would never wish this kind of life on anyone," his voice softened gently.
"Especially you."
Meryl stared back at Vash, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
She desperately tried to hold back the tidal wave of emotions flooding
her body. But they proved too strong for her to keep in, and with a
shuddering gasp the flood gates collapsed. She rushed to Vash, enveloping
him in a loving, trusting, forgiving hug.
"I believe you." She whispered in his ear, tears streaming down her
face to land on his chest.
Vash looked at her tear stained cheeks in open amazement. 'She's crying
for me? That hasn't happened since Rem left. Maybe Milly was right, she
really does care for me.'
Slowly he came to his senses, raising his arms to return Meryl's
embrace. Tears swelled in his own eyes, but they were tears of indescribable
joy. He crushed her small body to his own, reveling in the glorious
warmth and comfort of her presence. All too soon, his infectious laughter
bubbled forth, spreading to Meryl.
At length, he set her down and stepped away. He observed her standing,
bathed in the glow of Gunsmoke's five moons. Her hair seemed to glow,
twirling in mysterious patterns as an answer to the wind. But it was
nothing compared to her eyes. Lit from within by her unimaginable power,
he could see the energy radiating in waves. The sight captivated him,
and before he knew it he was stepping closer, raising his hand to caress
her cheek. Impulsively he leaned in, gracing her lips with a gentle
kiss. For a moment both of their eyes closed, then Vash froze, realizing
just what it was he had been doing.
Instantly he lept away, giggling nervously and grabbing the back of his
neck. He felt his face heat up and quickly glanced to assess Meryl's
reaction. She was still standing where he had left her, frozen in shock.
'Did that just happen?' She wondered dazedly. Slowly she lifted her
fingers to touch her lips in disbelief, then looked at Vash in wonder.
"Sorry about that." Vash murmured, studying something on the ground
with intense concentration.
"That's all right." She finally managed to reply. "I liked it."
She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, realizing what she had
just said. 'Ohhh! I am such an idiot! What am I supposed to do now?
Think, Meryl, think!'
To her everlasting surprise, Vash began to laugh. Immediately the
tension melted from the air.
"You know," Vash said at last, "I actually came out here for another
reason."
Meryl raised her eyebrows. "Oh, and what would that be?"
Vash grinned mischievously in answer. "Training. It's high time you
learned how to keep those powers of yours under control."
Meryl nodded in wholehearted agreement. Head still spinning, she forced
herself to focus on his words. She definitely didn't want another
incident like the hotel explosion to happen again. She had been meaning to
ask Vash about it all day, and was rather relieved that he was the one
that brought the topic up for discussion.
"That sounds good to me, but where do we start?"
Vash tapped the side of his head in thought. "How about mental
protection. That way, Knives won't be able to pull any more stunts like that
one in the jail cell. Whadda you say?"
"Sure." She replied, stepping closer to see Vash a little better in the
dim light.
Vash happened to move at the same time, and before she knew it, Meryl
was falling. Her arms shot out in momentary panic, grasping nothing but
thin air. She windmilled for a second before completely losing her
balance. She was aware of someone grabbing her arm, to prevent her from
hitting the ground, before she instinctively reached within herself. Meryl
touched a secret wellspring of energy, amazed at this feeling of power
she had never experienced before.
There was a flash, then a bang as Meryl landed spectacularly on her
butt. When she looked around, Vash was gone.
'Oh no! What have I done? I might have vaporized him with my powers on
accident! I'll never forgive myself!'
Suddenly she heard screaming to her right, a distinctive, girly
screaming. She turned just in time to witness the infamous humanoid typhoon
sail through the air, only to execute a majestic faceplant into the side
of a sand dune 100 yards away.
Meryl gawked for a moment, then sprinted to his side.
Vash lay on the sand, still.
A bolt of terror stuck her in the heart. 'Oh no, Vash, please. . . You
can't be dead. I love you too much! You have to wake up. . . Vash!'
She held trembling hands to her face, waiting for her secret love to
stir. When he didn't move, Meryl gave in to her tears, turning away in
horror.
At length, she felt the warmth of hands on her shoulders. Looking up,
she beheld Vash's worried eyes, glowing a vibrant green. Meryl stared
for a few moments in startled disbelief, then started to laugh
hysterically. Vash blinked in amazement.
"I see your wonderful sense of humor definitely hasn't changed." He
proceeded to shake about a gallon of sand from his gravity-defying golden
locks. Looking closer at Meryl, he noticed the decidedly vacant look in
her eyes. His brow creased with worry.
"Hey Meryl...You okay?" He waved his hand in front of her face.
"I thought you were dead." Meryl replied in a monotone voice, all
traces of her insane laughter evaporated. She sniffled and looked down at
her hands. "I thought you were dead, and that I had killed you."
Vash gave her a sad look and moved to her side. Gently he took her
hands in his and clasped them close to his heart. "Hey don't worry. I've
been around a long, long time. I've survived Knives for 133 years. After
him, you're a piece of cake. You may think being a plant is some
terrible thing, but there are benefits too. You just haven't seen them yet."
"Benefits?" She asked skeptically. "Like what? Being able to dominate
the human race?"
"Shhhhh," Vash whispered. "Just watch."
He placed her hands flat on the ground, palms down. Then he covered
them with his own, closing his eyes in concentration. Meryl watched with
interest, then intense curiosity as her hands began to glow. Warmth
spread from her fingertips, tickled up her arms and gently kissed her
heart. Deep within the warmth something moved. Meryl felt herself bend in a
way she had never bent before, and the heart of Gunsmoke bent in
return. Far below her feet the soil heaved, sending up a tendril of something
more precious than gold. Meryl gasped in awe as she felt a spring of
water bubble up from under her fingers.
The sensation made her giggle softly, sending her curling white hair
bouncing.
Vash smiled when she laughed, relieved to see her tears replaced with
joy. Grasping her hands a little tighter, he concentrated on his task.
Meryl's joy soon turned to amazement as her power surged. All around
them grass sprung to life, flowers bloomed and trees grew. What had once
been a barren wasteland was now an emerald oasis, luscious and green.
--
Meryl sat in deep meditation. Nearby, she could feel Vash's protective
energy, along with her own. She found she could see the world through a
different light when she concentrated on her power. Vash's being looked
completely different. His radiant energy warmed her soul, repairing old
scars and new wounds. His body glowed brilliantly, shedding power and
life.
At last she opened her eyes, soaking in the oasis she had created. With
a growing feeling of contentment and completion she met Vash's eyes.
All at once she realized what she had been trying to figure out all
along.
"I'm home. This is where I belong."
Well, there it is. I hope you like it. They finally kissed! What do you think of that, huh? I did most of this chapter, but Zuka helped a little. (She will help MORE on the next chapter...) Sorry for the long delay, hopefully it won't take that long for the next chapter. Until next time, Stelmaria
Thank you wonderful reviewers. Your praise keeps us going. We are always grateful.
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