I love you my gorgeous readers! You guys sparkle and shine! A shout out to:

Some Dude- Knives is very evil but that's how he is. He is one of my favorite characters too but Vash is my favorite of all.

Neai- Wow, thanks! I've never read the manga before but I have the whole Trigun series. You just really boosted my ego!

Dragon of Sesshomaru- I know, I hated doing that to Vash. Vash is too cute to be hurt like that. Poor Vashy-poo…

Kawaiibabe14- Hehehehehehe…good idea. I would just love Wolfwood to bless my body. (gets ready to jump off cliff) Oh wait, I can't. I'm the author of this story. Shucks… (makes hand cuffs and whip appear out of the air) Then again…oh Nick, where are you?

vashluver1- I know how you feel. It's very sad. I hope Meryl will come around… or not.

KeNsHiNs GuRl- They might get back together. Who knows? Meryl's so frickin' stubborn. It might be too late by the time she realizes what has happened…dun, dun, dun!!!!!

Pyro- Yeah, it's so sad. I hope you drained all the tears in your house because with this chapter, you might drown. (hands over snorkel mask and scuba oxygen tank) I think you might need this.

Inuyasha: WTF?! How in the hell did I get here?

Me: Coolies! Dude, could you do the Disclaimer for me? Puh-lease?

Inuyasha: I don't have time to waste! I need to get back to the Feudal Era and find those damn shards!

Me: Fine then, I won't help you get back.

Inuyasha: Dammit! I'll do it. Stupid wench.

Disclaimer (by Inuyasha): The author claims that she "doesn't own Trigun or any of its characters, or Inuyasha or any of its characters (mutters) thank god, or the song "Everytime". Now send me back now!

Me: Keep your pants on. I'll do it later.

Chapter 11: Don't Walk Away From Me

Vash's POV

Where the hell am I? I look around and I realize I'm in a church. Ribbons and flowers decorated the seats and a pastor stands in front. I look down and I see that I'm wearing a tuxedo. I glance at the other people sitting to my right and I see Wolfwood and Milly sitting together. They looked a tad bit older but still youthful. I notice that a tall white-blond man standing next to the pastor eagerly looking down the aisle. Knives…

Suddenly, the organ starts playing and I see the tiny flower girls happily throwing petals on the ground and the bridesmaids being escorted by their partners. Then the song changes to the "Wedding March." I stand up with the rest of everyone and I see a small woman walking down the aisle. Her veil covers her face and I cannot clearly see who it is. Once the woman reached Knives' side, the ceremony began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Millions Knives Saverem and Meryl Elizabeth Stryfe…" No, it cannot be. I frantically look around and I see Legato, his parents, and Meryl's parents sitting in the front. My attention is drawn back to the speech. "Do you Millions Knives Saverem take Meryl Elizabeth Stryfe to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold until death do you part?"

"I do," said Knives.

"And do you Meryl Elizabeth Stryfe take Millions Knives Saverem to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold until death do you part?"

"I do," said Meryl.

"Now then, if anyone has any objections as to why these two shouldn't be together in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I OBJECT!" Everyone turned around to look at me. Meryl's parents looked coldly at me.

"Shut up Needle-Noggin! You're ruining the ceremony!" It was Wolfwood. My friend, my brother… "It's okay Pastor, continue." Wolfwood was accepting this? I couldn't believe it.

"Okay, by the power invested in me and this church, I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Everyone cheered as I felt my heart break into tiny shards. I nearly blinded myself as Knives kissed Meryl.

"You can't be serious Meryl! Why did you marry him? I love you!" I shouted.

"If you hadn't cheated on me a long time ago, maybe things would've been different. You chose your path, I chose mine," said Meryl. I stared at her forlornly. "Besides, you're happily married aren't you?"

"What?" I asked bewildered.

"You married Jessica," said Meryl, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. I glanced to the left side of me and Jessica was sitting next to me. I looked down at my left ring finger and there was a golden band. No, it couldn't be, I thought desperately.

"No," I said weakly.

"Yes. Vash, the least you can do for me is to let me live my life," said Meryl. "Be happy for me." Meryl began to walk away with Knives and turned around. "Oh and by the way, I'm pregnant." That nearly gave me a heart attack. I stared helplessly as I saw Wolfwood wrap an arm around Knives' shoulder while congratulating him.

"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I woke up screaming in my bed, drenched in sweat. Holy shit! I looked down at my left ring finger. There was no golden band. It was all a dream.

"What?! What's happening?" It took me a while to figure out whose voice it was. Then I remembered that Wolfwood was sleeping at the foot of my bed. He had been doing that for a few days now because he was afraid I would do something stupid. That dream had really shaken me up. I couldn't take it anymore. That horrible vision…

I stood up and frantically started searching through my drawers. Where the hell was it… Wolfwood turned on the light.

"What are you doing?" he asked coolly. A cold metal brushed my fingers. I grabbed it and yanked it out. I stared for a long time at my silver .45 Long Colt. I cocked the gun and placed it against my head.

"I'm sorry Wolfwood," I muttered. Good-bye Meryl. I'll always love you no matter what… I took in my last breath, squeezed my eyes shut, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

It was empty. What the hell?! My friggin' gun was empty! I started to shake uncontrollably. If there had been a bullet in the cartridge, I'd be dead right now, I thought.

"You didn't expect me to forget about that now did you?" Wolfwood said, raising an eyebrow. I lunged at him and he merely pushed me back. I stumbled against my bed.

"Why?! Show some mercy!" I cried. He was standing up with his arms crossed leaning against the wall. I looked down at my gun and dropped it. Wolfwood sat down besides me.

"You know, suicide isn't the answer. I thought you disapproved of suicide?" said Wolfwood.

"Guess that makes me a hypocrite," I replied.

"What was it about this time?" said Wolfwood gently. I told him all about the horrible nightmare. By the time I finished, I was crying freely.

"I would never be on that asshole's side and don't you think for one second that Meryl will marry Knives. One thing I know for certain is that God did not put Meryl in this world to spend the rest of her life with that idiot. She is what you have always called her," said Wolfwood.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Your angel."

"Meryl, you have a phone call," said Mrs. Stryfe. Meryl picked up the phone in her room.

"I got it Mom," she said. "Hello?"

"Hey Meryl!" said Milly.

"Oh hi Milly!" said Meryl happily. She really missed hanging out with Milly and Wolfwood during lunch. "What's up?"

"Nick and I were wondering if you would like to go out to lunch with us," said Milly. "We haven't been doing that for a long time." Meryl heard a tiny note of sadness in her voice.

"Of course I will. Where are you guys going to be at?" asked Meryl.

"It's at that place right next to the mall. I can't recall what the name was…"

"Wolfgang Puck?" said Meryl.

"Yeah, that's right! Wolfgang Puck," said Milly.

"I'll be there in ten?"

"Okay, see you soon. Bye," said Milly.

"Bye," said Meryl and hung up.

"I'm going out to lunch Mom," said Meryl.

"Oh all right dear. Tell Vash I said hi," said Mrs. Stryfe. Meryl felt her eyes slightly water.

"O-Okay," said Meryl and quickly left before her Mom suspected anything. When she arrived at Wolfgang, Meryl saw Milly and Wolfwood in a lip lock. I guess they haven't heard of public indecency before. Meryl cleared her throat. Milly broke away.

"Hi Meryl," said Milly. Wolfwood stood up and gave Meryl a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," said Meryl and she sat on the opposite side of the booth. "So how are things?"

"Very well," said Milly happily.

"And you Mr. Wolfwood?" He shook his head.

"I have a suicidal time bomb on my hands," Wolfwood said. Meryl didn't give any physical reaction but on the inside, it made her heart wrench. Jeez, is it that bad? It's his fault! He had it coming dammit! I know, but- "Is Knives treating you well?" Meryl snapped out of her thoughts. She detected bitterness in his tone.

"Yes he is. At least he's not a cheating bastard," mumbled Meryl.

"Vash didn't cheat on you. You just caught Vash in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Wolfwood.

"Vash is innocent Meryl. It wasn't his fault," said Milly. Meryl sighed.

"I would love to believe that but I just can't," whispered Meryl. "Please can we change the subject? It hurts just to talk about him."

"May I ask you one more question?" asked Wolfwood.

"Okay."

"What did you mean to say?" asked Wolfwood. "The sentence that you didn't finish, the one that had no importance." Meryl shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn-"

"I loved him Nick. I was deeply in love with him." A tear trailed down her cheek. "I guess it was for the best that I never told him." After lunch, they took a walk in the park. Meryl felt like a third wheel. She would've loved to bring Knives with her but he and Wolfwood would probably beat each other to a pulp.

"So Meryl, who are you going with to the dance?" asked Milly.

"Knives," said Meryl.

"What a bastard," muttered Wolfwood.

"Oh come on. You should give him a chance. He's really a nice person," said Meryl.

"Humph!" Meryl sighed. There would be no use trying to convince Wolfwood to get along with Knives.

"What do you wear to a dance anyways?" asked Meryl.

"It's very casual," said Milly. "Usually the girls wear skirts and a blouse and boys wear either slacks or jeans with a nice shirt."

"Okay. I've never been to a school dance before," said Meryl.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it," said Milly.

"No alcohol right?" said Meryl.

"Of course not. This is a school dance, not one of Brad's parties," laughed Milly.

Vash's POV

I feel so dead, I thought. I never knew it would affect me this badly. But hey, what do you expect to feel when the girl who captured your heart tears it apart. I don't blame Meryl. It's not her fault. I wish Jessica had never been born. She totally wrecked my life.

"Hey Vash, you still alive?" and Wolfwood entered my room. I gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"Barely," I muttered.

"Well, we saw Meryl today," said Wolfwood. Instantly, my heart filled with eagerness and sadness.

"What'd she say?" I asked.

"She doesn't want to believe the truth. Plus, she's going to the dance with Knives. I'm sorry Vash." I waved it off. I was pretty numb by now. It didn't hurt as much. "Are you going to the dance?" asked Wolfwood.

"Now what kind of stupid question is that?" I asked. Wolfwood gave me a good knock in the head.

"Owww, that hurt!" I whined. The corner of Wolfwood's mouth lifted slightly. I guess for a second I sounded like my old self. "I don't know. I probably won't be going."

"C'mon Vash. You need to get out. What ever happened to the 'damn I'm sexy' confidence?" teased Wolfwood.

"It died along with my heart," I said. I heard Wolfwood growling.

"Dammit Vash! I'm sick and tired of you moping around all day. Be a man for goodness sakes! You're just going to give up just like that because Knives is currently Meryl's boyfriend. Show some balls! Be confident! Tell her the truth," said Wolfwood.

"I've tried telling her the truth," I said.

"The other truth. The one that you still hold in your heart," said Wolfwood.

Meryl entered the decorated gymnasium with Knives. The music was extremely loud. Many people were already dancing and there were teachers pulling apart students who were a bit too close.

"Do you want to get something to drink?" asked Knives.

"Sure!" said Meryl. She looked around and saw Jessica grinding with two guys. Wonder why the slut isn't with Vash, thought Meryl She looked around and saw Wolfwood and Milly dancing. Meryl smiled softly. They were so happy together. Just like how you and Vash were. She shook her head. This had to stop. No matter how hard she tried, Meryl couldn't completely forget about Vash. It wasn't fair.

"Here you go," and Knives gave Meryl a cup of punch. A slow song started playing. It was a soft sound with a tinkling piano in the background. "Let's dance," and Knives guided Meryl to the dance floor. Meryl placed her arms around Knives' neck and gently swayed to the music. As Meryl listened to the song, it reminded her of Vash. It irritated the heck out of her.

Every time I try to fly I fall,

Without my wings, I feel so small.

I guess I need you baby.

And every time I see you in my dreams,

I see your face, it's haunting me.

I guess I need you baby.

Finally, the song ended and the next song was more upbeat. Knives and Meryl easily fell into the rhythm. He was a pretty good dancer. But not as good as Vash. Meryl wanted to slap herself silly. She always found herself comparing Knives to Vash. Her thoughts were interrupted when Knives placed his hands low on her hips.

"Having fun?" asked Knives sensually. A curl of unease entered her body. Why does this feel so wrong?

"Yeah," said Meryl. Why was she feeling this way? Stupid song ruined the mood… All of a sudden, she felt Knives grope her butt. "Excuse me?!" Meryl exclaimed.

"What?" said Knives amusingly. "This is what you like right?" The stupid fucker! Who does he think he is. "I know what you're thinking right now."

"And what is that?" asked Meryl, who was quite annoyed and pissed off.

"You want me to take you hard and swift. You want to scream my name and-" Meryl slapped him across the cheek.

"You are disgusting! You are no better than that brother of yours," and Meryl stomped out of the gym.

Vash stared aimlessly at the happy couples. He glanced over at Wolfwood and Milly having a good time. I wish that could be Meryl and me, thought Vash He saw Meryl dancing with Knives and it broke his heart all over again. Vash studied her features. He expected her to be happy dancing with Knives but her expression was one of confusion. What's wrong Meryl? The damn song was making him tear. He wanted to tell the song to shut up. To his relief, the music had changed into a hip-hop beat.

He continued to watch Meryl and he saw her expressions go from confusion to annoyance to just plain angry. Vash felt his heart leap when Meryl slapped Knives across the cheek and start for the exit.

"Hey Vash." Vash looked up and saw Wolfwood. "This might be your ticket to the future. Don't let it slip away." With that being said, Vash followed Meryl out into the darkness.

"Frickin' asshole! Who the hell does he think he is? That's it! I'm through with men. They're all disgusting jerks who only want one thing!" Meryl muttered to herself.

"Hey Meryl!" She froze. I don't need this right now. Meryl swung around and stared at Vash.

"What now?" sighed Meryl.

"I want to talk to you," said Vash firmly. Meryl let out an irritated breath. She knew that Vash would never stop until she submitted. Silently, Meryl walked towards the bleachers. The lights were on so it wouldn't be pitch black. She sat down and crossed her arms.

"You have five minutes," snapped Meryl.

"I was looking for Wolfwood on that night. I decided that he could've been upstairs so I tried to look there. Jessica snuck behind me and dragged me into a room. She pushed me onto the bed and started kissing me. I tried pushing her off but she had me in a position to her advantage. Then that's when you came in." Meryl was silent for a few moments.

"I don't believe you," she said. Vash gaped at her.

"I'm telling you the god honest truth!" exclaimed Vash. Meryl stood up and began to walk away. "Wait! I'm begging you for all I'm worth," cried Vash. She swiftly turned around.

"All right Vash. Give me one good reason why I should believe you," said Meryl. Vash stared deeply into her eyes. Even in her angry mood, it still managed to give Meryl shivers.

"Because-"

"Because what?!"

"I love you."

Uh-oh…another cliffy…your lives are at stake once again…O.O'----------this is you right now…

Inuyasha: Dammit girl! Are you gonna send me back or what?

Me: Fine. Just give me a sec.

Inuyasha: Finally! Ungrateful wench. Didn't even say thank you…

Me (irritated with Inu's attitude): Thank you oh mighty Inuyasha…(mutters) for nothing.

Inuyasha: I heard that dammit!

I know there are like a bijillion parts missing in the wedding ceremony but I couldn't remember it all. Anyways, you get the point right? If not, (devil horns pop out) TOO BAD!!!! Oh, erm, I mean (horns disappear and an angel's halo appears) I'm terribly sorry that it wasn't comprehensible enough. Be a good boy or girl and click on that beautiful button!