Yes, It looks like another one of those everyday, ordinary Trigun "High school" AU's... But keep reading all the way through, especially if you hate these things...
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Agh... Just ten more minutes..." A young Millie Thompson mumbled while swatting at the snooze button on her alarm. She rolled over, and was snoring again in seconds.
"MILLIE! Hurry up, or you'll be late for the first day, like you were last year!" One of her sisters called through the door.
"Alright, alright, I'm up... She rubbed her eyes to help them adjust to the blinding morning light, gathered her clothes, and headed off for a quick shower. When done in the bathroom, she ran downstairs and out the door, calling 'goodbye's' to her family.
She hurried down the bustling streets of Juniper City, towards her school: Sierra High. She was beginning her sophomore year... or would be soon. She just needed to get halfway across town in three minutes... No problem for sprightly Millie, though. She'd done it before, and could do it again!
She looked at her watch after rounding the last corner, "I can still make it! I still have half - - "The school bell rang before she could finish the sentence, or make her way through the front door of the building.
"Darn it!" She picked up the pace, "I almost made it, too! Oh well... as long as I get there!"
She smiled as she pushed the front door open, and walked down the hall to her homeroom.
"Ahh, Miss Thompson... How nice of you to join us."
"Sorry, I'm late, I'm not a morning person... I even missed my breakfast pudding!" The tall girl apologized while taking her seat, and pulling out a notebook. She began doodling little hearts and happy stick-figures while she waited for her schedule.
I just hope I don't have English, first! Calculus would be nice, though... She was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn't even notice when the teacher called her name.
"Miss Thompson?"
Pause.
"Miss Thompson..." He said a little louder.
She looked up, innocence in her eyes, "Yes?"
"...Your schedule."
"Oh!" She got up to retrieve it.
"You know, this isn't a very good way to start the year..."
"Yes, I know, sorry, Sir! I'll pay more attention and be punctual from now on!" She beamed.
"I hope so..."
The rest of the day went by quickly, and before she knew it, she was meeting her friends outside after the final bell.
"Millie! Over here!" She heard a familiar voice calling her. She turned her head to see her boyfriend, Nicholas Wolfwood, calling her name. He was in the grade before hers, so they hadn't seen each other all day.
He sat on top of a picnic table a few yars away, lighting his after-school cigarette.
Millie wrinkled her nose as she walked over to him, "You're never going to give up that horrible habit, are you?"
He grinned, and looked at her over the top of his black sunglasses, "Not as long as they keep makin' these babies!"
"Where are Meryl and Vash?"
"Well, Shorty's walkin' up behind you now... but I dunno where Tongari is... Haven't seen him all day."
"He'll be here soon... He's trying to wrangle his insolent brother away from that blue-haired freak." Meryl muttered while setting her books on the table. "So, let me see your schedule, Millie!"
Millie handed it to her, and Meryl took a quick look over it.
"Ooh, English first period! I'm sorry, Mil!"
"Your two favorite things combined, Hun!" Wolfwood grinned and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
She plucked the cigarette from his lips and stamped it out. "Now you just need a mint... Lucky for you, I have some." She smiled.
"Wow... Honors calculus... That's a senior class! It's amazing how bright you are in math..." Meryl gaped at the class listing. "I'm not even taking it!"
"That's okay, you make up for it by being great in everything else! Especially literature and history!" Millie raved. "By the way... I'll probably need your help again in those this year..."
Meryl nodded, "No problem."
The girls had met the year before through the school's tutoring program, and had become great friends, despite their age, and study-habits. Meryl was going into her senior year, and getting ready for college, while Millie hadn't even thought of further education yet.
Meryl was done with the other girl's schedule, and was handing it back to her, when her on-again, off-again, and currently on, boyfriend ran into her, almost knocking her over.
"Omigosh, I'm so sorry, Meryl! I wasn't paying attention!"
"THAT was obvious!" Meryl fumed, turning the same bright shade of red as Vash's shirt.
"I was watching to make sure Knives didn't do anything - -"
He was cut off as the North wing of the school exploded, sending debris all around, just barely missing Vash. He watched in horror as large pieces of brick and roof came raining down on his three unlucky friends.
Millie screamed wildly, pain shooting through her body as the school fell upon her... and suddenly everything went black...
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"Millie! MILLIE! Are you alright?" Meryl shook her friend, hoping to wake her up, or at least get her to stop screaming. A little more shaking, and she succeeded in both.
"Millie, it's okay! You're safe, now! It was just a bad dream." The small girl wrapped her arms around her friend, and smoothed her hair down. She was soaked in a cold sweat, and still shaking.
"Oh, Meryl... It was horrible!" She cried.
"It's alright now, though. You're safe in the hotel room... The boys are right down the hall. Nothing will happen to you." Meryl soothed.
"But Meryl, you don't understand! If I go back to sleep... I might have another nightmare..." She shuddered.
"It wasn't real! You're dreams can't hurt you..."
"I know... but it was so scary, Meryl! I dreamt... I dreamt..."
"What? What did you dream?"
"I dreamt we were all in one of those horrible high school fanfics!" She sobbed.
"Oh, my goodness! No wonder you were so shaken up! That's the scariest dream of all!" They both shuddered, "Why would anyone want to write us into THAT cliché?? Morons, I tell you... Morons." She sighed.
"Thank goodness it was just a dream..." Millie smiled. Her face then grew weary, "But, I still don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep..."
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I just couldn't help myself. Really... When I go into the Trigun section of the site and 75 of the fics are high school AU's... I want to vomit. Get some creativity, guys... Just because you're in high school, doesn't mean you have to write the characters into high school situations. Spare us the time, space, and boredom.