I love the anime Trigun so much! I usually write Inuyasha so; this is my first time with a Trigun fic, so constructive criticism is welcomed. I'm sorry if I make the characters OOC. I'm going to keep Wolfwood alive because he lived in the Magna series.

I don't own Trigun

Chasing the Darkness

Chapter 1: Gift or Curse

"Talking"

'Thoughts or Mind Talk'

Dreams or Flashbacks

Stressed Words

It was another hot day that passed by with nothing but boredom. A girl with short black hair wiped her forehead off as she wiped the counter off of any dirt or germs. She let out an annoyed huff as she threw away any of the remaining beer bottles. She smiled to herself when she let thoughts of a nice cold shower enter her head. She closed her eyes and listened the gentle breeze that would occasionally blow by and cool her body. She opened her gray-purple eyes when she felt someone watching her. She began to wipe the tables when she spotted someone in the corner.

She continued to wipe down the tables while trying to catch a glimpse of the person in the shadows. She continued to move closer until she threw the rag in the back and walked over to the table. She could tell the figure had his eyes closed, but not asleep. She then gasped when she saw aqua eyes stare at her before grinning.

"What do you want Vash?" She asked with an annoyed tone.

"What can you offer ...insurance girl?" Vash asked with a glint in his eyes.

"Anything on the menu, broom head," She answered.

"What if I want something that's not on the menu?" Vash suggestively asked.

"Then your at the wrong bar," Meryl dryly said.

"You know I need this!" He whined as he tapped his fingers against the table.

"If you want doughnuts go to the bakery! We don't have 'em here!" Meryl angrily growled as she got up and walked behind the bar.

"But it's across the street and I don't want to walk that far," he said with a pleading look in his eyes.

"I'm at work and I can't afford to lose this job!" She harshly whispered.

"But..."

"No, buts! I have to earn money to buy those doughnuts," She interrupted. Meryl sighed as she went back to cleaning the bar with the ignored dishrag. She could feel Vash's pouting gaze on her as she cleaned. She refused to acknowledge his childish antics at her job.

'Stupid womanizing, skirting chasing, broom headed, sensitive, cry baby,' Meryl growled in her head as she thought of every insult.

"Is there a Meryl Stryfe here?" A silky voice asked as the door creaked. She looked up at the man that asked and instantly melted under his gaze. All thoughts of Vash left her mind now that this man was paying attention to her. His dark green eyes captured her gray-violet, and his long brown hair glittered in the dim light.

"That's me," Meryl answered while appearing uninterested.

"Hi, my name is Jesse Melton and I've been searching for you," Jesse said causing Vash to spit out his beer in mid drink. Meryl looked over at him and gave him a confused look before she smiled at Jesse.

"Am I in trouble Mr. Melton?" Meryl asked as she went over to Vash so she could wipe the table down again.

"No, it's just that I admire your courage for the line of work you do, and I would like to have the chance to date a fine prize as such as yourself," Mr. Melton explained. By now Vash had dropped his bottle and it shattered against the now clean, now dirty again table. Vash put on his sunglasses in an attempt to hide the emotions his eyes expressed.

"I am not some object to be owned or won. I still have work with Vash the Stampede to complete also," Meryl said.

'This idiot's going to get the beating of his life,' Vash cockily thought to himself.

"Please call me Jesse, and I respect your dealings with that vicious outlaw, but please allow me the chance to give you some escape with a date," Jesse sincerely said. Meryl could feel the smirk radiating off of Vash and decided to shock him.

"I accept your date Jesse," Meryl thankfully said. That's when Vash fell out of his chair and hit the floor.

"Can I see you after work?" He asked trying to tempt fate.

"Sure, I live at the house at the end of this street, pick me up at seven," Meryl said as she gave a dazzling smile. Jesse walked up to her and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before he smiled and walked away. Meryl smiled and touched her cheek as she watched him walk away. She sighed and turned around only to run into a solid chest. She looked up to see Vash with no smile on his face and his sunglasses covering his eyes. She stepped back and went to walk around him only to have him block her way.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vash asked as he picked her up and placed her on the bar.

"While, I was trying to walk," She sarcastically said.

"Don't play dumb with me Meryl," He managed to growl.

"Don't play jealous boyfriend with me," She growled back shocked that he used her name.

"How can you go on a date with a guy that say's he's searching for you?" Vash unbelievingly asked.

"Easy. Guy asks me out, I say yes," Meryl explained.

"He's a stranger!" He yelled. Meryl rolled her eyes and reached out to take off his glasses. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from removing his only protection from her eyes.

"Why?" She angrily asked.

"Why what?" He asked trying to play dumb.

"Why do you try and chase off every guy that comes for me?" Meryl whispered as she let tears fill her eyes. His grip loosened and she tore off his glasses and threw them to the floor.

"..."

"Fine, if you don't talk then I walk," Meryl said as she pushed him away from her. As she started to jump off the counter he grabbed her and crushed her body to him. She couldn't stop the tears that now ran freely down her cheeks as tried to pull away.

"I do it because I care," Vash whispered to her.

"Sometimes caring is not enough," She emotionlessly said as hugged him back.

"It could be," He pleaded.

"No, it's not and I need more. I can't wait forever," Meryl said as she was released from the embrace and walked behind the bar.

"Fine, I won't allow you to go," He stated as he looked over at her with a smug look.

"I will always ...care for you, but I want to be loved," Meryl said.

"Fine," Vash plainly said.

"Fine," Meryl said back as she closed the lights.

"Fine," Vash shot back.

"Whatever," Meryl said with a sigh. She then pushed him out the doors and locked everything up.

Vash growled as they walked down the street and towards the house they lived in. It was a two-bedroom house with one bathroom and a small kitchen. It had a decent dining room and a small front room with two love seats and wooden chair. Silence just made the tension around them get worse by the second. When they made it home Meryl opened the door and Vash slammed it shut. Meryl jumped and screamed when it fell off its hinges. Vash just ran up the stairs for his life and jumped into his room and locked the door. Milly walked into the kitchen and smiled at Meryl who was throwing away an ashtray.

"Hello Meryl," Milly happily greeted.

"Hello Milly, where's Wolfwood?" Meryl asked.

"He went to get me more pudding," Milly said with stars in her eyes.

"I have a date so ..."

"I'm so happy! So, where is Mr. Vash taking you?" Milly excitedly asked. Meryl blushed and sighed and heard something drop upstairs.

"I'm going out with someone name Jesse Melton," Meryl explained.

"What about Mr. Vash?" Milly sadly asked.

"Milly, I will always love him, but I ... I can't wait forever," Meryl sadly said with a sorrowful smile.

"Oh. Just be home before ten," Milly said. Meryl smiled before she walked upstairs and went to her room to change.

Meryl took off her beige bar uniform and frowned when she saw that her tattoo of the cat's paw on her shoulder still was on her left shoulder. She shuddered when she touched it and remembered that it wasn't a tattoo, but a mark that was always with her. She walked over to her closet and grabbed a pair of tights and a red sweater. She quickly put on the black tights and put on the red sweater. The sweater came down to her thighs covering her butt. She walked downstairs and grabbed a few double dollars out of her purse and stuck it into the pocket of her tights before she opened the door and stepped outside.

"So, you're really going?" Vash asked as he gazed at the stars.

"Vash, I'm just going to go to the bakery," Meryl said with an annoyed sigh.

"Meryl!" Jesse yelled as he ran up to her.

"Hey, Jesse," Meryl greeted. Jesse looked over at Vash and wondered whom he was.

"Who's this man?" Jesse asked gesturing towards Vash.

"This is Vash," Meryl said.

"The outlaw?" Jesse asked.

"Yep," Meryl answered.

"Does he live with you?"

"Yep."

"Why didn't you kill him for the bounty?"

"Vash happens to be the best man I know!" Meryl yelled. "Besides, none should kill for a pathetic thing such as money!"

"Sorry," Jesse said. Vash rolled his eyes and watched Meryl leave with this guy he didn't like.

Meryl and Jesse now sat underneath the black blanket of the sky with only the moonlight and stars to watch them. They had picked up a few doughnuts and chose to eat them outside since there was no wind blowing at the moment. Meryl had a box of a dozen doughnuts for Vash. She got them because she knew Vash would be upset for some unknown reason. She and Jesse sat on a bench and looked up at the sky with the doughnuts watching them. They just looked up at the stars in a silence that was comfortable.

"What type of work do you do?" Meryl asked, bored with the idea of sitting in the dark.

"I'm a hunter, so I wander Gunsmoke," Jesse answered.

"What type of hunter?" Meryl warily asked. Jesse sighed and ran a hand throw his hair.

"Meryl," Jesse seriously said as he turned to gaze at her.

"Yes?" She asked not knowing why the relaxing mood turned serious.

"I've been watching you and I know that you love Vash," Jesse stated as he turned to face her. Meryl's face turned pure red in embarrassment and she realized what her date had just said.

"I ... what I mean is ... shit," she stuttered.

"I know that Vash is a plant and you are only human."

"How do you know?" Meryl suspiciously asked.

"I lived at the SEEDS ship crash site with the rest of the humans that chose to stay," he answered. "We all know about the plants and what they truly are."

"So, what does this have to do with me?" Meryl asked.

"What if I could make you immortal?" Jesse asked.

"Why me? What have I done to deserve any gift like that?" She asked with this skeptical look on her face.

"I didn't say that it was a gift, and like everything it comes with a price," he continued.

"So what is it? A curse? Some unknown disease?" Meryl asked.

"Some people call it disease, and others are sure it is a curse," he cryptically answered.

"What do you call it?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"I would say it's my curse, but for you it could be used for love."

Meryl sighed and looked at the stars before she looked out into the distance. She thought about what this would mean if it were a curse. The thought of being immortal tempted her more then anything else on this planet. She would be able to live a life with Vash, even if it would be at the expense of a price.

"What do you want for this curse?" Meryl asked. Jesse smirked knowing that he had gotten the attention of this woman.

"I would tell you three rules and ask for three things," Jesse said as he smiled at her.

"What?" She anxiously asked.

"I will only tell you the information if you agree," he stated.

'This is a big risk. I'll do this for you Vash,' she thought as she shook the man's hand in agreement.

"The first thing I ask of you is that you let me see your left shoulder." Meryl rolled her eyes and showed him the scar or birthmark that had been with her all her life.

"The second thing I ask of you is that you never taste human blood, or else you will be eternally damned."

"Why..."

"The third thing I ask of you is that you do what I am doing now before you do."

"What are the three rules?" She asked as she had now had been intrigued.

"The first rule of the clan is that you never kill without reason, the second rule is that you remain loyal to your mate until death do you part, and the third rule is that you don't make an unworthy one of us," Jesse explained.

"What do you mean, one of us?" She asked as she scooted closer.

"That mark on your left shoulder signifies that you have the spirit of the Marozi in you," Jesse simply explained.

"What do you mean Marozi?" Meryl asked more confused then ever.

"I mean that with this gift you will be a skin changer," he explained.

"What do I do to awaken myself?" Meryl asked with a look of determination.

"I am going to be killed, your blood is already tainted. All you have to do is awaken it tonight underneath the full moon skyclad," Jesse explained. Meryl nodded her understanding before she stood with the doughnuts.

"It will hurt at first, but don't fear because you will still be you. You will learn many things my daughter," Jesse said before he disappeared into the night. Meryl watched as what looked like a giant cat ran into the desert.

'Great, if Milly, Wolfwood, or Vash see me naked in the middle of the desert moon bathing they'll think I'm nuts. It'll be my luck that Knives would choose to wake up this time,' Meryl thought as she continued home.

Meryl stared at the house wondering why all the lights were off. She walked up to the door and knew that Milly was probably sleeping with Wolfwood across from her. She knew knives was still comatose and figured that Vash was up there with him. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. She set the box of doughnuts on the table and walked over to the fridge where she grabbed the magnetic sticky pad and pen. She placed it on the table and dropped the pen. She heard it clink and got on her hand and knees as she searched for the missing pen.

"Found you!" She excitedly whispered in triumph. She stood up and set the pen on the table and glared at it as if that would make it stop rolling. She gasped and whipped around when she saw a hand cover the pen. She had a derringer already in the face of the man that was behind her. She smiled and relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Hi," Vash greeted with a nervous smile.

"Damn it Vash, don't sneak up like that," Meryl scolded as she put her gun on the table.

"It's eleven! Milly told you to be home at ten," Vash said ignoring the scold.

"I'm an adult, I can be home at anytime I please," Meryl said as put the notepad back.

"Where's your date? Did he leave you out there alone?" Vash worriedly asked.

"My date left, and yes we parted early because I needed to be alone," Meryl explained.

"That's a rude date," he mumbled. Meryl frowned at his constant nagging and figured that she could tell him her feelings once this curse was put into effect.

"I'm going to go to upstairs," Meryl said as she began to walk up the stairs.

"Are you going to come back down?" He asked.

"No, I'm going to go take a bath and read," Meryl said as she left. She left Vash downstairs and ran into the bathroom.

She smiled when she saw her nightshirt still hanging up behind the door. She took off her clothes and sat at the edge of the tub. She just ran enough water for Vash to believe that she was going to have girly time alone. She lit a few candles and closed the lights and made sure she locked the doors. She wrapped a small robe around her figure before she opened the window. She quickly glanced around and saw that Vash was not star gazing tonight. Meryl grabbed a gutter and began to carefully slide down, hoping not to alert Vash.

She started to lose her grip and fell the rest of the way. A cloud of sand surrounded her and she started to cough and heard a creak. She quickly got up and started to run towards the outskirts of town. She ran and could feel the moonlight on her skin and so without even thinking she began to shed her robe.

Meryl's P.O.V

I could feel my body begin to boil and the cool air caused my mind to run free once it caressed my hot skin. My blood began to boil and I fell to the ground in pain as I felt the bones in body rearrange with each snap and pop. I groaned in pain as my knees pop backwards and my feet grow longer. I clenched the ground in my hands and was shocked to see long, deep gashes in the sand. My fingers became longer and my nails were missing from my sight. My screams turned to growls as my mouth became longer and took on the shape of a lioness'. I felt my tailbone rip from my back and come to the point it wrapped around my leg once. That's when I felt it. My ears rang in pain when they began to move up towards my head. They became rounder and took on more of a golden color. I watched as the golden fur sprouted and covered my body. I admired the dark brown hollow spots that covered my back and stomach.

I tried to stand but fell to the ground again when I felt my muscles twitch. I couldn't help but stare in a disgusted horror as my muscles started to reshape and become toned. My thighs became harder and more defined as did my muscles on my arms. I feel back in what I believed was exhaustion; it turned out I wasn't tired at all. I looked down and saw that my breasts were covered in a thick layer of white fur and were firmer. I studied feet and saw that they were a little thicker and the nails were a nice thick ivory that stuck out about a half inch.

I held my hand out in front of my face and grinned as much as I could. My nails were now concealed inside my fingers like a cat's. I leaned forward and stood on feet and paws and sniffed the air. I could smell Vash from this far away. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds, I could hear ants underneath and hidden water running freely. I opened my eyes and the darkness turned to a green. I smirked when I thought about it.

'I have night vision.'

I reached behind me and grabbed my tail, which seemed to have a mind of its own. It was soft yet firm. It had a darker color fur on the ends of it. I looked up at the moon and released the first of many roars.

I was no longer Meryl 'Derringer' Stryfe.

I am a skinwalker.

That was until I looked at my shadow and only word entered my head.

Monster.

Please Review, I want to know what everyone thought. Even if you have one word please leave it