Hey hey minna! I'm back with (drumroll) Chapter 4! On my quest to capture the guys, I've enlisted some, uh, help…
Meryl: Exactly why the hell are they here again?!
Sakura: They're experts at Vash-hunting so I figured what the hey, they might as well make themselves useful.
Knives-sama: Me, help you? Please you silly mortal.
Legato-sama: I'm dead, dumbass. How in the world can I do anything?
Sakura: Oh suck it up boys. There is a small condition to my offer…
Knives-sama: Why does that scare me?
Sakura: You must become my slaves forever! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Chains Knives-sama and Legato-sama to the wall)
Knives-sama: You will pay human woman. As soon as I get down you will all die!
Sakura: Whatever. Now it's time to unveil my new gadget: the Plotilizer 6000!
Milly: What does that do?
Sakura: Simple really! Since I seem incapable of creating an actual plot for this BS story, this little doodad will do it for me! (Presses button) What the hell?! Nothing happened! Dammit, no batteries!
Milly: I've got some! (Digs in pocket and throws out several items, including her gun, which lands on Meryl's foot)
Meryl: Owwwwww!
Sakura: Um, this could take a while, so read the answers to the reviews, and once I've had my say, continue on to my pointless, plotless story!
Thanks to all reviewers! I also found out that I had the "do not accept anonymous reviews" thing turned on, so sorry to all of you who tried to review and couldn't! (Punches self in head) Stupid me…
Orion Hime: Gracias chica! I totally agree! Get ready for major V/M fluff in the next chapter. Go ahead and make a dentist appointment!
Magicsprite: I know it, I'm absolutely revolting in my evilness, no? Yes I did cheat, and it's okay, as long as you r & r eventually, it's cool! I'm still really happy that you like it, and hopefully a plot will become evident soon. You've reviewed four times now! I'm so happy!
Zsilver: Joy! Rapture! A new reviewer bent on hurting me! You were really joking right? I update as soon as I can, but my life is very hectic, but when school comes in, I'll have more time, when I'm supposed to be doing my homework! You put ME on your favorites? (Big hug)
blood-lust6: I'm glad I made your day better! Keep on reading and you'll have even better days. Yes, I didn't live up to my reputation for cliffhangers, but oh well. About kissing me, that depends if you're a guy.
AnonymousTrigunOtaku: Thanks for reviewing again! I'll keep it coming, but let me ask you, is anyone out of character? Wolfwood seems a little out of character, but I dunno… Review again or e-mail me, I think it's displayed in my profile.
Keep a look out for a one-shot I wrote while I should have been finishing this chapter. Who knows what lame title I'll come up with from the empty space in my brain? On with the story after my useless talk!
Liquid Sunlight
Chapter 4- Fear and Forgetfulness
"So let me get this straight," said Wolfwood as he trudged up a sand dune a little behind Vash. He was breathing hard and had abandoned his cigarette a few yarz back. "You defeated your brother, then drug him around unconscious for 3 and a half months just to bring the psychopath bent on destroying humanity here?"
Vash turned around and scratched the back of his head. "Geez, do you really have to put it that way Wolfwood?" They had reached the small shack and were preparing to go in. Wolfwood lit another cigarette to calm himself.
"Sometimes I don't know how the hell you think Tongari."
"See, there you go with that stupid nickname again and…I…" Vash trailed off and stood in the middle of the doorway.
"What's wrong with you?!" Wolfwood pushed past him and stared, mouth agape, at the empty bed. "Oh shit," he said, "where the hell is he?"
Vash ran to the window and looked out at the dark and empty desert. "He couldn't have gone too far! He was injured!"
"Well let's go look for him, baka!" Wolfwood cried, turning around and nearly crashing into a tall someone. He looked up into a cold, emotionless face. Wolfwood shrank back, intimidated and a little frightened, although he would never admit it. At that exact moment, he realized he was completely unarmed and gulped.
"Knives!" called Vash happily. "You had me worried! Where were you?" Knives simply stared at him with a strange look on his face. "Knives? Are you alright?"
"Is that my name? Knives?" he asked and Vash realized what the expression on his face was- confusion.
"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Wolfwood, slapping himself on the forehead with both and hands. He threw himself to the ground and muttered, "Holy hell."
"I'll ask again, what kind of priest are you?" Vash said.
"Do I know you guys?" Knives asked in his expressionless voice.
"Yeah! I'm your brother!" said Vash in anguished tones. "Don't you remember?"
Knives shook his head. "No, I don't remember but we do look at lot alike."
"Because we're twins!"
"I have a twin brother, huh?"
"God, give me strength," muttered Wolfwood.
"Do you remember my name?" Vash asked.
"I don't remember my own name, how the hell am I supposed to remember yours?" snapped Knives.
Vash sighed. "I'm Vash. They call me Vash the Stampede. Ring a bell?"
Knives shrugged and said, "No not really." He looked at Wolfwood. "He doesn't look familiar either. What's your name Preacher Man?"
"Nicholas D. Wolfwood, now can we please get out of here Vash? It's freezin'!" Wolfwood cried. Night had crept up on them as they talked in the shack. "And," Wolfwood added, "it's past time to pick up Meryl as well."
"Right," said Vash. "Let's go." He motioned for Knives to follow, and he obliged, taking almost four steps before falling to his knees, teeth gritted in pain.
"Can one of you idiots help me?" he snarled. Vash sighed and helped him up, putting Knives arms around his shoulders. Wolf wood walked ahead of the two brothers, muttering to himself.
"Damn!" He threw his cigarette down and pulled out a new one. "Can't believe this… go up there expecting a crazy murderer, come down with Mr. No-Emotions-Or-Memory… Geez…" He took a deep drag on the cigarette and walked on. Vash watched his retreating back with amusement.
"So," said Knives while taking careful steps and leaning heavily on Vash, "who's Meryl?"
"Well, it's kinda a long story," Vash said with a sheepish smile.
"I've got time," Knives said. He motioned with his free left hand towards the distant town.
"Point taken. She and her partner Milly were assigned by their insurance company to watch me 24 hours a day and 'prevent me' from causing disasters. But that was more than three years ago, when I first met them." Vash glanced up at the fifth moon, the ugly hole standing out among smaller craters. "They still follow me around, but not because it's their job; the insurance girls worry about me a lot, and really do care for me." Wolfwood grunted from in front of him.
"And how does he fit in the picture?" asked Knives.
"Oh, um…" Vash struggled to find an answer without reminding him of the Gung Ho Guns or his goals to eventually destroy what he called the lesser race. He didn't want him to remember these things- at least not yet. "We just came upon him along the way, and he joined up with us."
"What about you?" Knives asked.
"What about me?" Vash repeated.
"I mean what were you doing wandering around the desert? And how long have I been unconscious? How long was I in that sweltering hellhole?"
"Slow down, slow down!" Vash exclaimed. "One question at a time! I was 'wandering around the desert' to spread peace and chase the mayfly known as love!" Vash held up his right hand, making his "love and peace" sign.
Knives looked at him strangely. "That sounds ridiculous. I'd imagine I thought you were quite the idiot." Wolfwood roared with laughter as Vash blushed and pouted.
"He's got a point Tongari," said Wolfwood with a smirk at Vash.
"I'm hurt you guys," sobbed Vash. Knives squinted in the direction of the town and pointed.
"Some woman is running at us," he said and his two companions turned to look.
"Oh, it's the Big Girl," Vash said. Milly was waving as she ran towards them, and Vash waved back as Knives protested the sharp movements. When she reached them, she skidded to a stop in front of Wolfwood.
"Hello Vash-san! Who's your friend?"
Vash cleared his throat and said, "This is my brother, Knives. He's gonna stay with us for a while."
"That's good!" cried Milly with a smile, pumping her fist into the air. "Family is very important! Nice to meet you Knives-san!" She extended her hand to him.
"Who are you?" Knives asked, looking down at her hand is disdain.
"Oh, sorry! I'm Milly Thompson of the Bernardelli Insurance Society!" She gave him a friendly grin, then grabbed his hand and shook it. Knives was shocked for a few seconds before yanking his hand away and wiping it on his shirt. Wolfwood growled and grabbed Milly's hand.
"Oookay," said Vash. "Why did you run all the way out here?"
"Oh!" She snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "The doctor brought Meryl home in an ambulance just now because you guys were so late! Senpai was awake for a bit, but now she's sleeping."
"You left her alone?" Wolfwood cried in dismay.
"Yes, but she'll be fine!" She looked at Vash. "She really missed you a lot Vash-san, and she was really down for a long time. She'll be happy to see you!"
'What?' thought Wolfwood. 'I didn't think she realized how bad Meryl felt! She's more perceptive than she looks.'
Milly's expression turned thoughtful and she added, "Of course, she'll probably be mad that you were gone for so long…" Vash smiled nervously.
"Yeah, I know she will," he said as they continued their walk into town.
"And the strangest thing was, when they brought Senpai in, she was holding a flower in her hand, a rose!" said Milly. Vash felt the blood rush to his face and looked down at the ground. Oh, the teasing he'd endure if Wolfwood saw him blush!
"We're almost there!" sang Milly. "We have a cot that Knives-san can sleep on, but I dunno where to put you Vash-san…"
Vash gave her a strange look and asked, "Why can't I have my old room back? I mean if Wolfwood's in there, I'm sure he won't mind shar-"
"But that's Senpai's room now!" exclaimed Milly.
"So where's Wolfwood sleeping?" Vash asked, confused.
"With… me, silly!" Milly said, pulling her key out of her pocket. Vash dropped Knives on the front porch, stunned. Knives cursed and let out a gasp of pain as he hit the hard boards.
"W-W-W-WHAT?!?!?!" Vash screamed, and several lights in other houses popped on.
"Ssshh! Calm down Tongari!" hissed Wolfwood. Milly got the door open and Vash absently helped Knives into the house. Milly quickly made up the cot, and Knives sank into it, asleep before his head hit the pillow.
"So you two are-?" asked Vash, waving his hands around, trying to make himself understood.
"Yes," said Wolfwood gruffly. Milly just smiled, her cheeks tinged a little pink.
"And you're-?"
"Yeah."
"You-?"
"Yeah."
"And her-?"
"YES!" Vash lunged at Milly and grabbed her left hand, gasping at the sight of her ring. He picked her up in a hug and spun her around the room, Milly giggling madly. Wolfwood couldn't help but smile as the big goofball released his fiancé and grinned at both of them.
"I'm so happy for you guys!" cried Vash, beaming at the two. "I never expected it at all!" Tears flowed freely down his face as he shouted, "Such a prime example of LO-OVE! It's so beautiful!"
"Shut up!" cried Wolfwood. He tackled Vash to the ground and pinned him there, the priest's face blood red.
"Aww, did I embarrass little Nicholas?" Vash asked in a mock baby voice.
"No, baka," Wolfwood said, driving his fist into the top of Vash's head, making his chin hit the ground. "You'll wake up Small Girl or your psychotic brother with your mindless babble!"
"Oh yeah!" said Vash. He slipped out of Wolfwood's grip and crawled away. "I gotta go check on the Insurance Girl!" Straightening up, he ran down the hallway.
Milly turned towards Wolfwood and said, "I'm so glad Vash-san's back!"
"I guess it is kinda nice to have that idiot around," Wolfwood admitted. "I forgot that he was my main source of entertainment!"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In the other room, Vash sat on the edge of the bed, just watching Meryl sleep. He was overjoyed that she was okay. He couldn't see her face because she lay on her side with her back to him, but he could imagine the contented look.
When he heard the door to Milly and Wolfwood's room close, he rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. Midnight. Vash let out a huge yawn and stretched, sleepiness ready to overcome him. He looked down at the tantalizing open space in the bed beside Meryl.
'It couldn't hurt, right? (SO tired.) I mean, she's asleep, and I am totally beat. (Eyelids… heavy…) She'll never know,' he thought to himself. Those reassurances in mind, Vash removed his shoes and lifted the covers. After a slight hesitation, he slid in beside her, trying hard not to jar the bed. Meryl made no protests and didn't even move. Vash sighed.
Because her back was to him, he breathed in the soft violet scent of Meryl's hair. It was wonderful. Running his scarred fingers through it, he realized it was quite a bit longer than before; it nearly reached her shoulders. He scooted closer to her to bury his face in the silky softness, instinctively wrapping himself around her petite body, careful of her wounds.
'This must be what heaven feels like,' he thought, lost in the moment until…
"Vash…?" He flinched at her voice, even though it was soft and weak, containing no trace of her usual vigor. 'Oh crap!' Vash thought. 'I am so dead!'
"I-I'm really sorry but this was the only place to sleep and I was so tired and I had to so, so, so, so, … please don't hurt me!" he pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. Meryl struggled to sit up, and managed to push herself up far enough so she could face him.
"I'm glad you're back, but you're acting really strange," she said in the same weak voice. "And if I had enough strength to make it hurt, I'd hit you so hard your brother would feel it." Vash sighed, relieved he had escaped her wrath. He started to get up when Meryl grabbed his wrist, her tiny hand unable to totally encircle it.
"Don't go," she said softly. "You're really warm." She lay back down in the same position and Vash pulled his leg back in, curling himself around her once more.
"But in the morning, you are so dead," Meryl murmured, sleep claiming her again. Vash gulped and closed his eyes, trying to sleep next to the person he feared most. 'Sleeping with the enemy,' he thought with a small noise of panic.
Oh hell, still no plot. GRRR… If anyone has anything they wanna say or add, e-mail me, I think it's displayed. Anywho, click the little gray button that says, "GO". Yeah, that one! Do it now or face my wrath! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sakura