Disclaimer: Trigun is not mine.
I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I hit a bit of writer's block on this
one. I am working on the next part. You can go and look at my
'Revelations' fic, if you are craving more sap stuff. (Yes, I know- what a
shameless plug, right?)
"All right, Nicholas, what happened?" Millie asked him the minute he closed the door behind him. She was looking at him as if he had just taken her last cup of pudding.
"Huh?"
"Nicholas? I'm waiting..." Millie stepped closer to him. She was a big girl, he reminded himself as she looked him in the eye.
"Well, after you left for the doctor, Vash told me Knives was killing Meryl."
"Was he?"
"I don't know. Meryl told Vash that she knew it and asked him to let her do this for him. She asked me to pray for her, so I started..."
"Oh..."
"And then- Vash went ballistic. He screamed at her that he wasn't going to let Knives get another one. Then he started to glow. Remember March city?"
"Of course," Millie had turned white. She sat down on the bed.
"Then, next thing I know they're both unconscious on the bed and you came in with the doctor." Wolfwood sat down next to her. "That's it. That's all I know. Somehow he saved Meryl."
"This time," Millie looked at Wolfwood. "We're only a day away from LR town. What if..."
"I've already thought about it. I don't know what to tell you honey, except that you should keep a close eye on Meryl and I'll keep one on Vash."
"Okay, but my other eye is going to be on you." Millie leaned closer and put her arms around his waist. "You can't leave me again." He knew it was foolish to promise her anything, knew Knives would be after him as well. But he couldn't not reassure her.
"I won't, honey. I won't."
Meryl opened her eyes. Sunlight was streaming through the window and she could hear birdsong. A lovely morning, she thought. She was feeling so comfortable in bed... she looked down. Arms were wrapped around her and she could hear soft breathing in her ear. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder. She was happy... Wait a minute...she had been dying. She remembered- Wolfwood had been praying with her- Vash had been holding her hand. Then this light had appeared- the light everyone always talked about. So, how was she still here? And why did she feel so different?
The morning was so beautiful: the smell of the sheets, the birdsong, everything seemed clearer, sharper... Without turning she knew that he had opened his eyes.
"Vash."
"I'm sorry Meryl, but I had to...uh... how do I explain this?" She turned and looked into his big blue eyes. She could feel his apprehension and fear, behind that however was hope and...
"How do I know what you're feeling?" Surprise followed by a sudden joy. "Vash?"
"I had to- Knives had put a drain on your chi. I managed to slow it down, but not stop it. So I tied your chi to mine." Her confusion rippled through him and he smiled.
"Vash, explain it so I can understand it."
"Sorry- chi is your life energy- what keeps you alive. Knives was draining yours so I closed down the drain as much as I could and then created a channel between you and me. You're sharing my life energy. That's why you can feel what I feel- you're a part of me now- in a way."
"So, the drain is pulling my chi out of my body and you're replacing it with yours?"
"Kind of. Your body is trying to replenish itself and it will to a certain extent, but yes, that is kind of what's happening."
"No! You can't..." Vash put his fingers to her lips.
"I did already. Don't worry- we'll live at least the 50 years that Knives promised. Won't that be enough?"
"It's more than enough for me," Meryl began. "But..."
"Meryl, you were willing to give your life up for me. Why won't you accept that I am willing to do the same?" He touched her cheek gently. Meryl caught her breath, feeling what he felt. Love.
"But before- you said- you were different- that we couldn't..." He felt her fear that he would back away again and leave her alone.
"I'm afraid I've made you different too by tying you to me like this. I just couldn't lose you..." He smiled faintly. "So now you're kind of stuck with me." His mouth brushed over hers gently, and he smiled as her love and relief washed over him.
"It's not over Vash," she said softly after a moment. "We still have to face Knives."
"I know." Vash's eyes grew cold.
"All right, Nicholas, what happened?" Millie asked him the minute he closed the door behind him. She was looking at him as if he had just taken her last cup of pudding.
"Huh?"
"Nicholas? I'm waiting..." Millie stepped closer to him. She was a big girl, he reminded himself as she looked him in the eye.
"Well, after you left for the doctor, Vash told me Knives was killing Meryl."
"Was he?"
"I don't know. Meryl told Vash that she knew it and asked him to let her do this for him. She asked me to pray for her, so I started..."
"Oh..."
"And then- Vash went ballistic. He screamed at her that he wasn't going to let Knives get another one. Then he started to glow. Remember March city?"
"Of course," Millie had turned white. She sat down on the bed.
"Then, next thing I know they're both unconscious on the bed and you came in with the doctor." Wolfwood sat down next to her. "That's it. That's all I know. Somehow he saved Meryl."
"This time," Millie looked at Wolfwood. "We're only a day away from LR town. What if..."
"I've already thought about it. I don't know what to tell you honey, except that you should keep a close eye on Meryl and I'll keep one on Vash."
"Okay, but my other eye is going to be on you." Millie leaned closer and put her arms around his waist. "You can't leave me again." He knew it was foolish to promise her anything, knew Knives would be after him as well. But he couldn't not reassure her.
"I won't, honey. I won't."
Meryl opened her eyes. Sunlight was streaming through the window and she could hear birdsong. A lovely morning, she thought. She was feeling so comfortable in bed... she looked down. Arms were wrapped around her and she could hear soft breathing in her ear. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder. She was happy... Wait a minute...she had been dying. She remembered- Wolfwood had been praying with her- Vash had been holding her hand. Then this light had appeared- the light everyone always talked about. So, how was she still here? And why did she feel so different?
The morning was so beautiful: the smell of the sheets, the birdsong, everything seemed clearer, sharper... Without turning she knew that he had opened his eyes.
"Vash."
"I'm sorry Meryl, but I had to...uh... how do I explain this?" She turned and looked into his big blue eyes. She could feel his apprehension and fear, behind that however was hope and...
"How do I know what you're feeling?" Surprise followed by a sudden joy. "Vash?"
"I had to- Knives had put a drain on your chi. I managed to slow it down, but not stop it. So I tied your chi to mine." Her confusion rippled through him and he smiled.
"Vash, explain it so I can understand it."
"Sorry- chi is your life energy- what keeps you alive. Knives was draining yours so I closed down the drain as much as I could and then created a channel between you and me. You're sharing my life energy. That's why you can feel what I feel- you're a part of me now- in a way."
"So, the drain is pulling my chi out of my body and you're replacing it with yours?"
"Kind of. Your body is trying to replenish itself and it will to a certain extent, but yes, that is kind of what's happening."
"No! You can't..." Vash put his fingers to her lips.
"I did already. Don't worry- we'll live at least the 50 years that Knives promised. Won't that be enough?"
"It's more than enough for me," Meryl began. "But..."
"Meryl, you were willing to give your life up for me. Why won't you accept that I am willing to do the same?" He touched her cheek gently. Meryl caught her breath, feeling what he felt. Love.
"But before- you said- you were different- that we couldn't..." He felt her fear that he would back away again and leave her alone.
"I'm afraid I've made you different too by tying you to me like this. I just couldn't lose you..." He smiled faintly. "So now you're kind of stuck with me." His mouth brushed over hers gently, and he smiled as her love and relief washed over him.
"It's not over Vash," she said softly after a moment. "We still have to face Knives."
"I know." Vash's eyes grew cold.