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Nova

Chapter 4:

The Guns and a Date

Meryl

I tapped my finger next to my fifty Derringers that were all laid out on the surface of the counter.

The gunsmith, Yoshi Hansen, checked each one carefully, tuning something there, replacing a part here. It was slow work. I'd been a little surprised to see Yoshi here. He used to work for Bernardelli, as a field agent till he got into an accident that crippled him from the waist down.

He now sat in a wheelchair looking over my guns.

"Don't worry Miss Stryfe, I'll be done in just a minute."

"Sorry if I seem impatient, but I've had a trying day."

Yoshi laughed, "Hasn't everyone."

The chime on the door sounded, meaning someone had entered, I turned my head to look at the person entering.

He was an older man, wizened by long exposure to the wind and sand, the creases in his face indicated a life long lived.

He smiled a toothless grin at Yoshi, "Uru, here would like to sell something."

Yoshi looked up, "What are you selling?"

The old man scratched his chin, "Well, Uru be riding in the desert, and here Uru stop to give his Thomas' a rest. And what does Uru, see. Well Uru, sees a piece of red cloth sticking out of the ground. So Uru thinks that someone was buried under the sand. And Uru wants to help. So, Uru digs, and digs but does not find nobody. Instead Uru find these wrapped in a red leather coat. Uru has no use for guns so Uru would like to sell them."

The old man, Uru, placed a box on the counter and opened it.

I peered inside and sure enough there were two guns, laid on top of a red leather...coat?

Wait.

That coat. Those guns.

I gasped, "Vash's gun and coat." The other gun looked exactly like Vash's except it was black.

Yoshi saw my look and tilted his head in curiosity, "You seen these guns before, Miss Stryfe?"

"Y-yes, they belong to a friend on mine."

"Really," Yoshi scratched the back of his head, "Judging by your look I'm guessing you're not lying." He looked back to Uru, "How much do you want for them?"

Uru, shrugged and gave his toothless grin again, "Uru does not care, Uru will take anything you has to offer."

Yoshi nodded, "How about $$25 for each. $$50 for the both of them?"

Uru smiled, "Uru is pleased, Uru will take the $$50."

Yoshi reaching into his cash register and pulled out the cash, he handed Uru the bills, and Uru handed Yoshi the box.

Uru bowed and smiled once again, "Uru is pleased to do business with you."

"As am I." Said Yoshi.

Uru left stuffing the cash into his pockets.

I reached for my wallet, "Can I buy them from you?"

Yoshi smiled, "No."

"What? I'll pay double--" Yoshi held up his hand, "I seem to remember a young lass, just out of the University, who just by chance happened to knock me out of the path of a speeding buggy. Thus saving my life."

I blinked, "B-but that was me."

Yoshi grinned, "That's why I am giving them to you."

I inhaled, "Really?"

Yoshi nodded, "Yes Meryl, I owe you a lot, so this is nothing, besides the guns probably would have gone into the hands of some outlaw. I can see already that they are really powerful guns. You're friend must be missing them."

I nodded, but said nothing about Vash intentionally burying them, as he finished with my Derringers.

Box in hand, and my Derringers back in their holsters, I walked back to the hotel. I don't know why I wanted the guns, but something told me that they would be important later on.

I opened the box and traced the edge of Vash's gun, as long as I'd known him, I'd always seen him with this. Nowadays he looked almost vulnerable without it, something was missing from his everyday person. Not just physically, but psychologically.

Slipping the top back onto the box I knocked on Vash's door at the hotel. A few seconds later he opened it, his glasses were gone, and his hair was out of its ponytail.

He rubbed his eyes, "Oh, Meryl, what's up?"

I held the box out to him, and he opened it, this sight itself speaking many words.

"Where-where did you get these?" he breathed.

"A man sold them to the gunsmith, said he found them out in the desert."

Vash nodded, stepped back and motioned for me to enter, "I was just taking a nap, but I have a question I want to ask you."

"Oh, OK." I stepped in, and tool a seat at the small table there.

Vash to the other seat and set the box in front of him, "Man these things just keep haunting me. No matter what I do..."

He looked up at me, "I was wondering if I ... you see, well. Ah, damn. How am I going to say this?" He breathed in, an dropped his chin to rest it on his chest.

He then brought his head up slowly and stared me in the eye so intensely that I wanted to look away... but couldn't, "Meryl, do you... want to go out to dinner with me?"

My mouth dropped open in shock, then a searing blush hit my face, and I looked away, but smiled all the same, "I'd... love to."

"Really?" his voice sounded so happy. Did that mean he...?

I looked up at him and gave him a smile of my own, "Really."

But then my smile fell as I thought about something else, Vash saw this and sat up straighter, "What is it?"

"What about Knives." I whispered.

Vash looked over at his brother, frowned, and then smiled again. "I don't think he's going to wake just yet, I can see if Milly can watch him."

Vash

The place was called Damien's Cafe, it was perfect. Small and practical, just like Milly said it should be. It was nearly at the center of town, but not to far that we couldn't walk there.

Meryl was watching me the whole time we walked, with the oddest expression on her face. There seemed to be some sort of conflict behind those gray eyes.

I opened the door for her and smiled, "After you."

"Thank you."

We sat at a table not far from the door, after ordering two of the specials, Meryl and I sat there, not saying anything to each other, neither of us knowing exactly how to start.

Dammit Needle-noggin, you dragged her out here. You start! Wolfwood's voice. I was beginning to wonder if I was going crazy, his voice was always giving my advice at the most inopportune times. None of which he ever said to me while he was alive.

Ah, Meryl, what would I say to her? What if she didn't feel that same way?

Then I guess I'll have to deal with whatever she say's and get over it.

You don't actually believe that she's hung with you this long because of her job, do you?

Dammit, Priest, leave me alone! I said to the unwanted voice.

His voice didn't answer back.

"Meryl. I brought you out here so I could... tell you something."

Meryl's face seemed to go a shade paler.

Now I'm not one to invade other people's minds, but at that very moment I wanted nothing more than to find out what Meryl was thinking. Quickly brushing away those thoughts, I clasped my hands on top of the table, "Meryl, ever since I met you. I've always held a lot of respect for you."

Meryl turned her head down, "You want to continue on alone, don't you?"

What? She thought that was what this was about?

"No. No, of course not. Meryl, I'd never want that. You and Milly are a great help. And I'm really going to need it with Knives."

I reached my hands across the table, palms up. Meryl hesitated for a moment then placed her hands in mine, I squeezed them lightly.

"Meryl, I don't know if you feel that same way, but I couldn't hold back any longer. Meryl... I love you."

A look of shock, crossed her face. I felt panic rising in my chest.

Then her face softened, and the panic stilled, "Oh, Vash, I love you too."

As always the first thanks to Almighty Foo.

Ok I have uploaded a new pic of Vash on my Yahoo!Groups thingy of his new appearance.

He does kinda look like Miroku. Hehe

Rosebud: You know, I just love reading your reviews, they're like my pinnacle of hope that keeps me going. And I've found that I can get myself writing a lot better after you review. So I just want to say thanks.

To all you other readers who have an uncanny knack for not reviewing.

Not to sound condescending here or anything, as much as I enjoy Rosebud's review's I would like to know what other people think.

So do me a little favor huh? Review. Please?

Thanks.