Under the Willow Tree, Part 2
By: fairysphinx
fairysphinx: Second part of the story is now here!!!!! Please read and review, and of course, enjoy!!! Thanks!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Trigun.
Milly walked up the hill. It was a beautiful hill, where Vash had proposed to Meryl. It was also the hill on which her companion was buried. As the tall girl neared the top, the willow tree came into view, and under it, Vash.
"Mr. Vash?" Milly said, coming up behind him. He was crying, and his gun was smoking at the tip, and there was a hole in the tree trunk where the bullet had landed. "Mr. Vash, are you okay?" He didn't look up, didn't move. All he did was sob.
"I miss her so much. I can't stand the empty space she left. I can't fill it no matter how hard I try. How can I go on like this?" Milly blinked, and looked at Vash. She was so used to him being able to take control of any situation, being either goofy or really serious. Never had he, in her presence, broken down like this.
"Well," the tall girl said, "you'll get through it day by day. You'll never forget Meryl and Souji and Haruta and Yuuka, and there will always be that void where they were, but they wouldn't want you to dwell on the past and on them, and how you should have done something different. They would have wanted you to go on with your life. Don't you think so, Mr. Vash? I mean, I really, really miss them. They were part of my family, just like you. But I can let myself be tied down to the past, or else I can never be happy in the future, and I'll probably end up loosing my fiancé if I did." Vash sat there, stunned that such wisdom came out of that girl's mouth. It was very startling.
"Yeah. You're right, Milly."
"So you want try to kill yourself anymore?" He shook his head.
"No. But, could you leave me alone for a bit?"
"Uh huh. Sure."
"Thanks." Milly wandered back down the hill. Vash got up, and turned around, to where he was facing the graves.
'Hey Daddy, what's wrong?' A translucent form appeared on top of the last grave. She had brown hair, and blue-green eyes, and was floating slightly above the ground.
"Haruta? Haruta, is that you?"
'Well, duh, what other brown-haired five-year-old do you know that calls you daddy?'
"Well none. Are you alone?" She giggled.
'Of course not. We're all here. Mommy and Yuuka and Souji, too.' Three other translucent figures formed over the other three graves, each depicting one of the members of his family.
'Daddy, I am so disappointed. I've seen you take bullets, not to mention what pains you've taken to protect the human race! So how is it that you fall apart over our passing. It's not like you'll never see us again.'
"Yuuka. How is it that such a young girl can be so serious?" The blonde girl shrugged.
'Dad, don't be so pathetic. You'll join us after a while. Just enjoy life while you can. And when you do die, bring a stack of pancakes with you! I'm gonna miss those!!!!'
"Souji, my son. You goof."
'Hey Vash, you dope! Quit your grieving! Keep fighting the way you do, and you'll be her right next to us in no time. Don't make me get out of my grave, or I'll hit you a couple of times. It took me years to finally get away from you, and I don't want to see you for a while! You got that?!' Meryl yelled at him. She didn't mean it, of course. But that was how the crazy woman worked. Soft and sentimental one minute, harsh and closed the next.
"Heh. You're right. I will live. I will live for all of you. And when I die, I will join you. Just don't forget about me. I love you all."
'I love you Daddy. We'll see you when you cross over!'
'Yeah, Daddy, and you'd better do so, or else!'
'Don't forget the pancakes when you come, Dad!'
'I love you, Vash. Don't forget about me. I know I'll never forget you. And I will wait, and wait, and continue waiting until you come back to us.' Her eyes were brimmed with tears as she and her children began to fade away. He began to reach out to catch them from going away, but he retracted his hand.
It was time to let go.