Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun...
Note: Wow I got so many reviews this time...15 in total - which is a new record for me I think - so I'm going to make this a really nice long chapter.
Thanks to reviewers:
Blue and TK - Here is your update I tried to be as quick as possible and I think I know where I'm going with this chapter so it should be easy to write...hopefully. Thanks for your opinion on the whole Millie / Knives thing it actually helped me a lot. Anyways thanks for your review and enjoy!
Chibi Chibi - Yep Meryl and Vash forever! I wouldn't have it any other way and I would never be that mean to Vash . There will hopefully be some more Millie and Knives stuff in this chapter but I'm not sure yet as I write all my thanks stuff before I do the actual chapter but I'll probably make them talk about their feelings or something. Thanks for your review it is always much appreciated.
Suzuki Rei - Thanks for your review. I'm glad you like the way I portray Knives, I find his POV's the most interesting to write for some reason so I'll probably stick a few more of them in. Here is your update and I hope you enjoy it.
Neptune Butterfly - Hey don't worry about not finding time to review every chapter. As long as I still know you are enjoying it I don't mind, I know how busy things can get around this time of year so no worries. I'm glad you liked what I did in the last chapter it was actually really fun to write and I totally agree with you on what you said about Knives, he will definitely need to go slow. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Silverado6000 - Knives' POV's are fast becoming one of my favourites to write so there will probably be a lot more of him this chapter. I have no idea why I like writing his thoughts down more than others but I think its because he is such a different character compared with all the others. I'll keep trying with the Millie and Knives pairing as it seems most people are up to seeing them get together so I wont give up with them. After your comment about Ashley sorta fading into the background I decided that maybe she could help Knives and Millie get together as well since she appears to be good at that sort of thing. You're comment about adding another POV for why Vash took so long is a great idea and I will let you know when I've added it...although I'm not sure how long it will take...I remembered the sunglasses thing because of that comment you said before when Vash was on the cliff and Meryl was trying to apologise, I thought I would include that this time so I have you to thank for that too. Here is your update I hope you enjoy it.
Rainy-days13 - Yup Meryl could never stay angry at Vashie now could she? Thanks for your review and I hope you like this chapter just as much.
Dark-pyro-angel-2 - Hmm I'll have to give it some thought about Meryl's new powers and such and I think the reading minds thing could be fun so it is a possibility I will keep in mind. Thanks for your thoughts on Knives and Millie I think I have finally decided to make them a couple because of all the positive feedback. I'm glad you like this story it means a lot to me so thank you, thank you, thank you and enjoy this next chapter.
Allam - Ahh okay, okay, here is your update, thanks for your feedback and I'm glad you like it.
Rukato86 - number 1 - Yeah I know what you mean about the Millie/Wolfwood fics, there does seem to be getting a lot of them...but then I suppose its because they make such an obvious and cute couple. I am actually starting to prefer the Mille and Knives couple now although it took a while, its probably because I'm trying to write that pairing which is why I like it better than I did.
Rukato86 - number 2 - Thanks to all of the positive feedback I got on the Millie and Knives pairing (including yours) I have decided that I will give it a go, it'll probably be one of those slow things that progress over time though as I can't really see either of the characters moving towards each other very fast. I agree that Millie will need to move on cos its not like she can mope around forever and it just doesn't seem in her character do that. Thanks for both of your reviews and don't worry I'm not annoyed that it took you nine chapters to review, I'm just glad you did. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
White Ninja Spy - Nope my story definitely hasn't ended...actually I'm not sure when it'll end...but when it does I'll make sure to let you know and I'll probably write a sequel knowing me. Anyway thanks for both of your reviews and don't worry about the Millie/ Knives pairing, even though they probably will get together it wont be anything hardcore or extremely fluffy and my main pairing concentration is Meryl and Vash. So thanks again and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Faery Goddess - Thanks for your short but kind review and I hope you like this chapter just as much.
Lyn - Wow you read it all in one go! OO I'm glad it was good enough for you to stick with it. I will definitely keep writing so don't worry. Thanks for your review and enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter 16 - Memories
Knives' POV
I watched everyone dashing around madly from where I leaned against the wall by the door and kept silent hoping that they would forget I was here and not drag me into their packing. It had been their decision to move, not mine and I wasn't exactly pleased about it.
It had been three days since Vash's woman had caught him in the bar being seduced by that other female human and since then the house had been mayhem. The two had come back to house after 'making up' with the idea of leaving this place and all of its bad memories and since then I hadn't had a moments peace.
So why wasn't I happy with it? You might ask, and I'll tell you straight...they had decided to go home and visit their families and when I say 'they' I really mean Millie, as apparently it was her idea. I had overheard Meryl talking to Vash about how large Millie's family was and it got me slightly nervous seeing as I was going to be visiting them. If they got me annoyed I would probably lose it and try and kill them and although the idea didn't sound too bad I keep thinking of what it might do to Millie. I couldn't bring myself to hurt her and I'm afraid that I would just by being me.
I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of someone coming down the stairs and raised my eyes to see Vash's woman lugging her pink suitcase with difficulty. She paused on the last step and glared at me angrily so I quickly averted my gaze and tried to hide the amused smirk, which had appeared without my consent.
"And what do you think you're smiling at?" The woman demanded as she approached me with that threatening look I had seen her use on my brother a thousand times, and to be honest it was pretty scary. I cleared my throat and glanced down at her angry face and tried to look the picture of innocence. It failed.
"You should be helping! We were supposed to leave half an hour ago and now we're going to be late because you're too god damn lazy to help!" Her eyes darkened.
"You are the one who wanted to leave and if you haven't noticed I don't actually have much to pack...in fact all I have is a change of clothes which were already in my brothers bag so it's you who are making us late." I felt rather accomplished at that remark but that feeling lasted about five seconds before the annoying woman started again.
"I didn't ask whether you were ready, I wanted you to help...as in help the others to pack or something." Her eyes darkened even more and I tried to edge towards the door.
"Oh no you don't!" She blocked off my escape and pointed up the stairs before leaving the house to put her suitcase in the car but not without shouting a couple of threats on the way.
I started up the stairs mumbling about that idiotic human who thought she could order me around like I was some kind of servant when I heard a loud sound coming from my room...or the room I shared with Millie. I knew it had to be her since Meryl was outside and Vash was...well he had gone somewhere with Ashley before Meryl could catch them not helping with the packing. I should have gone with them...
I paused in the doorway of Millie's room, which was wide open and leaned against the frame to watch her. She was leaning over her suitcase, which had items of clothing and other things hanging out of the sides; there were also various items, which had been thrown carelessly around the room. I smiled slightly without realising it and continued to watch not wanting her to know I was there. She was trying to fold her things and get them to fit in her suitcase as well as all the other things she had slowly collected from her trip...it was a futile attempt yet she seemed adamant to keep trying.
Her hair that was usually down was tied up loosely in a ribbon so that it hung down her back as she tried to pack her things. Blue eyes, which were usually soft and kind, were deeper with concentration and her teeth had caught her bottom lip as she tried to clip the suitcase shut. After a few moments of struggling with the clasps, which just refused to meet, she gave up and sat back on the ground. She looked up then and noticed me standing in the doorway and gave me a cheerful wave. I took a step back a little startled at being caught staring at her and quickly got rid of the smile which had crept onto my face.
"Hello Knives, Meryl finally caught you then?"
"I guess you could say that." I murmured and stepped hesitantly into the room.
"Well as you can see I'm having a few problems with all my things." She laughed and I found the irritating smile creeping back onto my face again.
"Maybe you should sort out what you need to take and what you can afford to leave behind." I offered.
"Hmm...maybe, but most of my things are important to me."
"What...all of this stuff?" I gestured around the room and she laughed again.
"Yup, don't you have anything special that you keep?"
"No." I replied and she gave me a strange look as if she didn't quite believe my answer. Wasn't my answer true? I had nothing at all with me, not a single possession and she of all people knew that, so why that strange look? "You know I don't own anything other than a few clothes." I voiced my thoughts and she smiled at me again, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Well they don't have to be items, they can be special memories or people...I just happen to have a lot of items that remind me of those special people or memories, but they aren't necessary."
"Then you don't need to keep them all." I pointed out and she shrugged and began to collect the items, which had spilled out around the room.
"So?"
"So what?" I asked.
"Do you have any special memories?" I almost laughed out loud at that comment, didn't she realise all my past memories had been bloodthirsty and evil?
"Well not really." I finally said and her smile faded slightly.
"That's not good, we'll just have to find you some good memories wont we."
I knelt down to pick up more of her things and opened the suitcase to try and stuff them in and shook my head in disbelief at how many possessions she had.
"This wont fit." I told her.
"I know, looks like I'll have to leave some behind after all." She sighed and started to refold clothes and replace small items so that she could fit in as much as possible. I had the feeling she would be leaving a lot behind.
Raising my head I realised she had been watching me carefully fold one of her shirts and the heat of embarrassment crept up on me.
"You know Knives, you are much more capable than you're brother, when I watched him fold clothes he was hopeless." I laughed and shook my head slightly.
"My brother has always been like that, guess it's because he was the younger twin."
"I think he's just clumsy."
"That too." I agreed and our eyes met briefly again, I say brief because at that moment Vash's annoying woman came into the room and interrupted us, not that I minded or anything, its just she could have at least knocked instead of charging in.
"Will you two hurry up in here, I've got to go look for Vash and Ashley and when I get back I expect you to be finished."
"Meryl don't rush around so much, Vash will be back soon and my family are used to me being late." Millie chirped up happily and I couldn't help but smirk at the expression on Meryl's face, that comment seemed to have worked in calming her down.
"Okay fine, but I'm going to look for Vash anyway, I bet I know where he is anyway so I won't be long."
"Alright Meryl." Millie called and waved as the short woman left the room, I turned my attention back to her and after a great struggle we finally got most of her things in the suitcase without it exploding. The other things that wouldn't fit, we just left in the now extremely empty looking wardrobe.
I hoped that Meryl wouldn't find Vash just yet.
Normal POV
Meryl headed as quickly as she could back into town feeling a little annoyed that Vash had run off without so much as a word, she knew where he would be but still, it was pretty annoying. If he had Ashley with him then he wouldn't be at the saloon and that left only one other place. He was at the restaurant eating donuts.
Turning the corner into the street she found herself wondering whether she would miss the small town. Even though it held many bad memories it also held good ones that she would never forget and the mixed emotions created a muddle inside of her. She had been the one to suggest leaving and she really was happy to be going back home, not to see her own family but to get to her own apartment and to see Millie's family. She had always been close to them and they had treated her like another daughter or sister. They really were one of the kindest families she had ever met and she was almost as excited as Millie about seeing them again.
Her own family though were another matter, she didn't talk about them much mostly because she was ashamed and she was glad that Vash hadn't asked her about them. She knew the question would come sooner or later and she dreaded it. Her family wasn't the kind and caring one that Millie had but quite the opposite, they were partly the reason why she decided to take the job to follow Vash.
She was glad that Millie hadn't let slip anything about her relatives but she knew it was partly because Millie hardly knew anything about them either, when they had first become friends at the insurance company she had mentioned a little of the strictness of her father and the ways of her brothers but other than that she said nothing. Her tall friend must have picked up on that because she seemed to secretly know that Meryl's home life had not been the happiest which was confirmed when she finally moved into her own small apartment at the age of nineteen when she began receiving her steady income.
Meryl thought that maybe she didn't have to tell her family that she was back, and possibly just not talk to them but she knew in her heart it was useless. They would find out she was back and demand to see her, not because they wanted to but to cause her pain.
Sighing miserably she turned the corner to the restaurant and spotted Vash and Ashley almost instantly. They were sitting outside on a bench talking and laughing rather loudly and she paused to watch them from a distance, they did look just like father and daughter. She almost felt guilty about telling them to go back to the house but she knew she had no choice, they were already running an hour late.
"Vash what do you think you are doing?" She asked as she stood in front of them.
"Oh hey Meryl I was just teaching Ashley here how to-"
"-Eat fifty donuts and not get sick?" Meryl ended.
"How did you know?" He faked shock and she couldn't help but smile at him.
"Actually he was telling me just how beautiful you looked this morning." Ashley spoke up with a grin.
"I was?" Vash's face fell blank in confusion and Ashley sighed and shook her head.
"You were supposed to agree and go along with it you idiot." Ashley laughed.
"Oh! Yeah she's right, that's what we were talking about, I can't believe I forgot!" He ended with a nervous laugh, which trailed to silence at the look on Meryl's face.
"Come on we need to get back." She said sternly and turned to walk back towards the house.
"Now look what you did, she's mad at me...again." Vash whined.
"You were the dumb one who mucked up what I was trying to do."
"And what was that exactly?"
"To make Meryl happy, haven't you noticed she has been a little tense these past few days ever since Millie said she wanted to go home?"
"Uh..."
"You're hopeless Vash."
"Well now that you mention it she does seem a little more on edge than usual."
"Yeah, I think she's worried about going home."
"How do you know all this?"
"It just takes a bit of thought Vash..." She grinned, "You should try it some time."
"Yeah I...hey! Ashley that's just plain mean." He pretended to cry and Ashley thumped him playfully on his arm.
"Come on you don't want to make Meryl more angry do you?"
"No...wait for me."
A few more hours saw all of them into the car with everything finally packed and tucked into the boot of the car. Meryl decided on driving seeing as she didn't trust Vash or Millie, seeing as they were virtually bouncing off the walls at finally being on the move again. Knives may have been an option since he apparently was a good driver, but had fallen into a bad mood since Meryl had left him with Millie, and seeing as Ashley was too young Meryl knew it had to be her.
Vash was sitting beside her in the passenger seat with a stupid grin on his face whilst Millie and Knives sat in the back with Ashley between them. Peering in the car mirror Meryl noticed how Knives was slumped against the window, his eyes strangely unfocused and his jaw set in a way that made him look simply evil. Yet there was something in his eyes that took this view of him and made it less strong, like he was thinking about something that pained him. Meryl had seen that look on Vash plenty of times before but when it had been him he had reminded her of a child. On Knives it looked slightly menacing.
Millie and Ashley were chatting away about nothing in particular, most of it on Millie's family and helping Ashley remember all of their names and what jobs they did. Meryl's face hardened at the thought of family, she knew she should be happy she had one at all considering all the orphaned children in the city but still she couldn't help but feel slight resentment. She never noticed Vash watching her from the corner of his eye, concern deeply etched in his face, but he said nothing, knowing she probably didn't want to talk about what was bothering her, especially with everyone in earshot.
Instead he turned around in his seat and began to dig around for the donuts, which he had apparently hid in the car somewhere so that no one would find them. It didn't take too long to discover that they had slipped under his seat and for a moment there was frantic struggle as he reached down for it. Then finally content he managed to relax making sure to keep an eye on Meryl who had remained quiet so far.
"How long will it take to get there?" Ashley asked as the conversation on Millie's family came to a halt.
"We wont get there until evening tomorrow so we'll have to find somewhere to set up camp for the night." Meryl spoke, her voice tired.
"Do you want me to drive for awhile?" Vash asked gently hoping she wasn't going to fly off the rail and start hitting him.
"I'm fine." She replied, her eyes never once leaving the dusty track ahead of her.
"I don't mind." Vash continued nervously.
"No offence Vash but you're not the best driver." Meryl retorted and hoped he would drop it.
"Meryl's right Mr. Vash remember that time when you trashed our car and then Meryl made you carry us the rest of the way." Millie laughed and Vash sunk down in his chair.
"Don't remind me." He whimpered.
By nightfall they had travelled considerably far and had passed through one village where they had stopped to rest and eat. Meryl had only left the car for a short while before returning and sitting back down in the drivers seat as if making sure that no one else would try and drive. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the villagers talking and smiled, they all seemed very happy here in this small settlement and realised that most places seemed to be quite cheerful even in the hardest times.
'This planet really isn't all bad' Meryl thought.
Meryl's POV
I remained in the drivers seat alone for a few minutes knowing all too well that they would take ages getting ready. Ashley I think had gone with Millie too get a drink and some food for the trip whilst Knives had simply gone to stretch his legs. Where Vash had gone I could only guess...most likely the saloon.
It was good to finally be alone after the hours of travelling we had done and even though Millie had been talking cheerfully throughout the dread in my stomach had grown heavier until I thought I was going to be sick. I shivered slightly and turned on my side so I could nestle my face into the seat of the car. It was in this pitiful position that Vash found me.
He must have been watching me secretly from a distance and I heard the heavy thud of his boots as he approached. I lifted my head slightly as he opened the car door and lifted me up before sitting back down on the seat himself with me nestled in his lap. I almost burst into tears right then but I managed to hold onto my emotions whilst he positioned his arms around me in a comforting embrace.
"So now that everyone is gone, will you tell me what's been on your mind?" He asked in that soft, kind voice.
"There isn't anything on my mind." I replied, my voice muffled from where my face was hidden against his chest.
"Don't push me away Meryl, Ashley noticed you weren't yourself a day or so ago."
"So Ashley noticed and you didn't?"
"Ah ha! So there is something wrong." I scowled as I realised he had caught me in his trap, and quite cleverly as well, which made me even more annoyed.
"I guess I'm nervous about going home." I admitted after a moment's hesitation and he held me tighter as if he completely understood from that one short sentence.
"Well you've been away for so long, it's understandable." He replied and I smiled, okay so he didn't quite understand from that one sentence.
"It's not just that, although it is part of it."
"What's the other part?" He asked and I drew in a deep breath, I suddenly felt quite scared about telling Vash that I didn't have a wonderful, kind family like Millie's.
"It's my family." I finally said and held him tighter, just having him there seemed to help a lot.
"You're family?" He was obviously confused and I smiled slightly and nodded, he really was clumsy when it came to this kind of thing. I guess it's because he has never been close enough to anyone to be there to comfort them. He has had to run from town to town all his life, afraid of getting close to people in case he is caught and then they are punished for knowing him.
"They aren't exactly what you call a regular family, they are the exact opposite of Millie's family...so I'll let you use your imagination." I laughed; trying to lighten the situation and Vash leaned forward and rested his face against my neck.
"You never know Meryl, they may have changed." He whispered and I shook my head slightly.
"They have been the same way ever since I was born, there is no way in hell they would have changed."
"People can change."
"I know but...there are other things you don't know about them..."
"Like what?" He asked and I couldn't contain a small sob that escaped my throat. I wasn't sure how to answer and because everyone chose that moment to return I didn't have to.
"Should I drive?" Knives spoke up from where he stood by the car and I was about to tell him that it was fine when Vash spoke up first. He stood up; taking me with him and Knives took my place at the steering wheel. Ashley had jumped up into the passenger seat and I stayed snuggled in Vash's arms from the backseat next to Millie.
I would never have admitted it but I was glad Knives had offered and I decided that as soon as I got the chance I would thank him. He could be useful sometimes.
"We'll finish talking later, just get some rest now okay." Vash whispered and I nodded and closed my eyes.
Knives POV
The suns had finally disappeared on the horizon and the moons were making their slow ascent up into the darkening sky, which was already studded with sparkling stars. I had often watched the stars at night and for some reason found a sense of calm within them. It had the same effect on me tonight and I finally managed to relax.
I had continued to drive the rest of the evening and had found a secluded place for us to set up camp, which gave us shelter from the harsh wind that had risen not so long ago. It had seemed like a good idea and everyone else had agreed.
Meryl had silently thanked me, which I noted was unusual for the short-tempered woman, and then she lay down next to Vash on a blanket that they had brought with them. Ashley too had her own blanket and was lying not too far from Vash and Meryl. Millie had stayed asleep in the backseat of the car the window rolled down so her feet could hang slightly out of the car. Her head pillowed on her coat and one arm draped over her stomach whilst the other hung down beside her. She snored very lightly and her face looked angelic in the pale light of the moons.
I myself had found it impossible to sleep and had decided to sit in the driver's seat where I could watch over Millie and maybe try and sort out what had happened earlier.
It was soon after Meryl had left to find Vash that it happened; Millie was giving the room one last check when she spotted something she had left behind. It was a small necklace with a cross shaped pendant hanging on the chain. I was completely unprepared for the tears she started to shed and could do nothing but stand and stare at her in disbelief. One moment she had been completely happy, laughing and smiling just as I had always seen her and now she was in tears over a silly necklace.
I asked her what was wrong and she looked at me as if I was stupid and then those eyes, which were usually so kind and warm, turned cold and condemning.
"Wolfwood gave me this...the night before he...he died." She managed to choke between sobs and it was then that I understood. Whilst some of these so called items held good memories others held bad ones and this little necklace must have held a mixture of both.
Then I was hit by another thought, she knew that I had been involved with his death and that was what that look had been for.
"I'm sorry." She apologised and that just increased my confusion. She wiped at her eyes as if embarrassed of her sudden outburst and put the necklace into her pocket.
"Why are you apologising?"
"Because I shouldn't be crying anymore."
"You shouldn't bottle up your feelings Millie." I told her and she must have noticed that I used her name and she smiled at me.
"I loved Wolfwood but he is gone now and nothing will ever bring him back." She said sadly and for some reason that remark hurt me more than I would ever admit. The realisation that this woman loved someone else stung a part of me so badly I thought I was going to keel over and die but instead I was left standing with the echoes of the pain, which would never truly die.
She could never love someone after Wolfwood and I could never replace him.
Normal POV
Vash was the first to be awoken by the pale sunshine that filtered down upon them with its delicate rays, which were at a reasonable temperature. The blue sky was unscathed and beautiful with its cobalt perfection and the sand glowed under the suns' delicate touch.
Stretching he sat up slowly, Meryl's arm slipping from around his waist and landing on the blanket beside her. He smiled gently at her and glanced over to the car where his brother had fallen asleep spread against the steering wheel with his arms pillowing his head. He had to admit that life was pretty perfect right about now, apart from the problem of Meryl's family. He still hadn't had a chance to ask her anything else but he doubted she would worry this much over nothing.
He glanced out at the golden desert and the small mounds of sand, which seemed to dot the ground all around and the rich coloured boulders that rose magically up like tombs of great gods. It was a picture worthy of any postcard and he doubted that even if trees were added to the picture it could not be made to look any more beautiful.
Lying back down he rolled onto his side and positioned Meryl's arm around him again as it had been before and reached forward pressing a light kiss to her forehead. She stirred slightly and moved closer to him tightening her grip around his waist and murmuring something incoherent. He smiled and brushed the rebellious hair that blocked his view of her peaceful face. To him she looked like an angel and in truth she was, she had saved him so many times that the name 'angel' seemed quite appropriate for her.
"Ashley was right." He whispered. "You really are beautiful." He laid his hand against her cheek and stroked her soft skin enjoying the warm tingling sensation that was left on the pad of his thumb by doing so. He hardly even noticed when her eyes opened.
"Is it time to go yet?" She asked sleepily.
"Not just yet."
"Where is everyone else?" She asked and started to sit up.
"Asleep." Vash replied and wrapped an arm tightly around her so that she couldn't escape. She looked at first like she was going to resist him but instead relaxed once more.
"So are you going to tell me more about your family?" He asked and Meryl sighed as if she was weary of the whole subject.
"My family is...well...different...ugh I don't know where to start."
"Start from the beginning then, we have time."
"It started from the day I was born I suppose, or if not that day then the day after but I suppose that's not important, the fact is I was a mistake."
"Mistake?"
"I was the child who wasn't supposed to happen."
"How do you know that?" Vash seemed sceptical.
"My father would tell me often enough..." Meryl paused and drew in a deep breath. "I was the one who was blamed and beaten and constantly mocked."
"Why?"
"Because...I killed my mother." She ended in a sob and buried her face in her hands too ashamed to hide her face against Vash.
"H-how?"
"She died giving birth to me. If I hadn't been born then my mother would still be alive today and that's what my father and my two older brothers think when they look at me."
"Meryl that wasn't your fault. How can they blame something on you which was beyond your control?"
"Because they can and they hate me for it."
"So what happened?"
"As soon as I was old enough...about age six...they sent me off to study, not because they cared about my future but because they couldn't stand to be around me." She paused a moment to gather her thoughts then continued in a quieter voice. "Then when my studies were over my father tried to force me into marriage so he would be able to forget about me...he found a man whilst I was away and when I came back tried to force me into it."
"What happened then?"
"The man proposed to me and I didn't even know his name."
"What did you do?"
"What else, I slapped the idiot senseless and left." Meryl smiled then, her first smile since she had woken up and Vash couldn't help but return it, that sounded more like the Meryl he knew and loved.
"My father threw me out and said if I didn't want to be supported by the husband he had chosen for me then I could support myself. Well after the education I had been given it wasn't too hard to find a job, that's when I got employed at the insurance company and met Millie and since then I haven't really spoken to my father or my brothers. "
"Did you try and contact them?"
"I wrote a couple of times, I felt guilty after watching Millie sending so many heartfelt letters home, they probably know all about you before they have even met you. I guess that guilt fuelled the letters but I only wrote a couple. I never got any back."
"I'm sure everything will be fine, try not to worry anymore." She snuggled closer and Vash closed his eyes against the warm caress of the sun on his face as they steadily rose above the desert. He could feel the tickle of Meryl's breath against his neck.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For listening." She pressed a kiss to his neck and closed her eyes feeling the great weight from her shoulders being lifted and destroyed.
Vash was just about to fall asleep again when he heard someone stirring and realised it was probably time to get going if they wanted to be at Millie's house by the evening. He opened his eyes to see Millie standing just outside the car and Knives had probably been woken up at the same time. Ashley stirred in her sleep and it was only a couple of minutes before she woke up and started rolling up her blanket.
Vash prised himself out of Meryl's grip and shook her shoulders gently to wake her, which didn't prove too difficult. As soon as she was awake she was ready before anyone else and shoving Knives out of the drivers seat so she could take back her place. This time Millie took the passenger seat and Vash, Knives and Ashley were in the back, and together they headed towards the sun and to a future filled with hope.
Well that's another chapter done, it didn't actually take too long to write and seeing as I have a week off from exams and stuff I'll probably have another update by the end of the week...hopefully.