Hey everyone. I know I promised a chapter on Saturday, but……. I lied. Sorry guys, but I was really busy this entire weekend! Begs and grovels at the readers' feet But a day off from school means a little writing time!!! A couple people asked for it, so I decided to write a little Milly and Wolfwood honeymoon fluffiness. Don't blame me if you get cavities!!! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Liquid Sunlight
Chapter 9 - Heartstrings
Wolfwood sighed. Today marked the beginning of the rest of his life, one he would spend by Milly's side, no matter what. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders as they watched the suns set from the car. She smiled and snuggled into him. He slowed down, allowing them to enjoy the last moments of their first day as husband and wife.
"I know," she began tentatively, "I know this honeymoon isn't going to be… umm… the kind of fun… it would normally be for you or anything because of…" She gave her tummy a rub and giggled nervously. Wolfwood slowed the car and finally brought it to a halt. Milly watched the horizon, the twin suns losing their glaring yellow light in favor of a soft red glow.
"Milly, honey, that doesn't matter to me at all." He drew her closer. "I mean, it's not like we haven't been together before anyways…" She gave him a quick punch to the arm. "Ow!"
"Serves you right darling," she cooed with a grin. Wolfwood drew her into a breathtaking kiss. Milly smiled into his lips and delved deeper, feeling like their souls were merging within the kiss. When they drew apart, breathing heavily, Wolfwood placed his forehead against hers, staring deep into Milly's eyes, seeing her love for him there.
"Nicholas, I can't wait until our child is born…"
"Me either honey. Me either."
(A/N - Don't worry W/M lovers, they'll be back in this chapter, I just couldn't think of anything else…. )
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"Guess we should stop and eat lunch," Vash called to Meryl after glancing up at the sky.
"It's too hot for the Tomases anyway," Meryl agreed. "They could use a rest." She gave her mount a pat on the head before turning to follow Vash towards the under-hanging of a cliff. When they got under the blissfully cool shade, Vash threw himself to the ground and sighed.
"Here." Meryl tossed him a water bottle. He gave her a grateful smile before taking a drink. After giving the Tomases their water, Meryl sat down with her back against the cliff wall.
"The town's probably only a couple of iles away from here," Vash said. He handed her the bottle.
"Yeah." Meryl hesitated before taking a drink.
"So…." Vash scratched his head, trying to restart the conversation.
"So?" Meryl gave him a skeptical glance.
"So… ummm… Milly's baby!" He snapped his fingers. "Boy or girl?"
"I dunno. I think it's a girl."
"How come?"
Meryl grinned evilly. "I can't reveal my sources."
"AAWWW! Come on Meryl!!!"
"If I told you-" she took out a derringer "-I'd have to kill you. Then what would all the bounty hunters have to do? Although it'd certainly be a weight lifted from my shoulders." She laughed.
"Do- do you really mean that?" Meryl looked over at Vash. He had an unusual frown on his face. "I mean yeah, I cause a lot of trouble and you'd probably be better off without me to look over, but still-"
"I was joking Vash!" Meryl snapped. "You don't have to be so touchy!" She grabbed the reins of her Tomas and gave a pull. The animal wouldn't budge. Meryl gave a mighty yank; the reins broke and she tumbled out into the sunlight.
Vash was at her side in a moment. "Are you okay?" He reached down to help her up.
"Yeah, yeah," Meryl muttered reaching up. But at that moment…
"Ha ha HA!" Vash doubled over with laughter, much to Meryl's disgust. "Oh god, the look on your face!!!" Vash crowed out, tears running down his face.
WHAP!
After dispatching the notorious gunman, Vash the Stampede, Meryl returned to the shade and unpacked the picnic lunch Milly's mom had insisted on making for them. She threw Vash a death glare and tossed the donuts over her shoulder.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Meryl, you're so cruel!!!"
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"Darling, are we almost there yet?"
"Almost honey."
"That's good. The first thing I'm gonna do is get some pudding. Mint pistachio pudding!!!"
"Sounds… good."
"Ooh! I can see the town from here! Wow, that's a deep valley."
"Yeah. I bet the plant here works double-hard."
"Do you think they'll have min- STOP!!!!"
With screeching brakes, the car slid to a stop not a foot away from Knives.
"Whatcha doin' out here Mr. Knives?" Milly called over the windshield. "I bet Mr. Vash and Meryl are real worried about you. Unless they're here…."
'Oh god…' Wolfwood thought. 'I thought I made it perfectly clear to that idiot that we were going to have alone time or else…'
--FLASHBACK--
"So where you guys headed for the big honeymoon?" Vash asked as Wolfwood examined the motor of the car.
"I'll tell you on one condition." Wolfwood blew out a stream of smoke.
"What's that?"
"You and the Small Girl stay far far away."
"What?" Vash tried to look hurt. "That offends me, it really does!" He grabbed hold of Wolfwood's jacket. "I thought you were my brother, my fellow advocate of LOVE AND PEACE!!!!!" Wolfwood calmly smacked Vash in the back of the head with a wrench.
"Ow, he's gonna feel that one in the morning," commented one of Milly's numerous cousins.
"What the hell was that for?" Vash whined.
"That's just a taster of the consequences. I want time alone with Milly. If you show up there, I swear I'll -"
"Okay, okay, okay!!!"
"And it won't just by physical damage either. Do you really want everyone here to know you're crushing on the girl who's supposed to have you on 24-hour surveillance?"
"What?!?! That's not true at all!!"
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'M SUNBURNED!!!"
"Whatever… Just remember…." Wolfwood walked off, leaving the extremely embarrassed Vash in his wake.
--END FLASHBACK--
'If they're here I'm gonna kick his ass so hard he'll-'
"Nicholas!"
Wolfwood looked up. "Yeah?"
"Don't you think we should give Mr. Knives a ride back to Sand?"
"WHAT?!?! But honey, we can't go back now, we just got here! And-"
"Don't bother." Knives' cold voice even sent shivers down Milly's spine. "I'm not going back to Sand anyways." He turned and walked away.
"Well…" Milly watched him walk off. "I guess he still hasn't warmed up to us yet, huh darling?" Wolfwood fell to the ground.
An hour later, the two newlyweds arrived at the inn. Wolfwood carried Milly (with much difficulty) over the threshold. After depositing her on the bed he took a step back to catch his breath. Milly seemed to glow with happiness in the violet twilight.
"Who knew… married life could… be so… physically demanding?" Wolfwood panted with a grin. "That baby will definitely be a big, healthy boy."
"Nuh-uh. It's a girl. I can tell."
"How?"
"I'm not really sure. I just know, somehow."
Wolfwood smiled. "Well, either way, we're gonna be parents." He took off his shoes and gently lay down beside her. "Ya know, I never thought I'd live to do this. Any of this." He lifted Milly's left hand and twirled the golden band on her finger.
"I'm lucky to have found you," Milly said earnestly. "I can't imagine a more caring father than you'll be." Wolfwood put a hand behind her head and drew her into a soft kiss. Her hands ran along his back, and he tangled his fingers in her silky hair.
"I love you so much," she whispered.
"I love you too. God how I love you." He smiled. "Let's get some sleep. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."
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"WHAT?!?! What kind of inn is this?!?!" Meryl demanded.
"Sorry miss. We only have 5 rooms, and it's the tourist season."
"Tourist season?!?!? All that's out here is sand!!! Honestly, do you expect me to believe that bull -" Vash put a hand over her mouth.
"We'll take it," he said, handing over the money and taking the key from the man.
"Good luck son, you're gonna need it to handle that one." Vash gave him a solemn salute before pausing.
"What?" Meryl took that instant to bite into his hand.
"GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The bartender half stood up as Meryl stomped on Vash's foot and pulled the key from his hand.
"You'll handle me, huh?"
"I didn't say that!!"
"Well you were agreeing with what the old man said, weren't you?"
"Hey now young lady, I may be a little older than you but I'm certainly not an-"
"Shut up!!!"
The door banged open. "Is there a Miss Stryfe here?" a young boy panted out.
"Yes, that's me…" Meryl approached the boy. He held out an official-looking envelope and ran out as soon as Meryl took it.
"What in the world could this be? It's from the insurance society!!!" Vash moved behind her to read over her shoulder, the fight forgotten.
"Disaster in Elian… damages great… need help with disaster documentation… expertise needed, report immediately?!?!?!?"
"I wonder what happened…" Vash murmured. 'Wait, could Knives have had anything to do with this?'
"Only a few casualties…" Meryl turned to face Vash. "The plant exploded and the 6 engineers inside…" She shook her head. "I have to go down there first thing in the morning. You-"
"I'm coming with you Meryl."
She blanched. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted to look for your brother not get bored to death with my tedious paperwork."
"But he just might be…" Vash looked around the room. Everyone from the barman to the drunk guy beside the door to the black cat in the window was watching the two talk and listening with their ears strained to catch every word. Vash laughed nervously. "Hey, Insurance Girl, why don't we finish this conversation upstairs.
"For once, a good idea." The two tramped to their room in the very back of the inn. Meryl closed and carefully locked the door.
"That was…"
"Awkward, yeah," Vash finished. "I was gonna say, but what if Knives is in Elian. Or was. Maybe he had something to do with the plant explosion!"
"Well, if he was responsible, and I really hope he wasn't, it could mean he's gotten his memory back…" Vash stiffened in his chair "… or it could mean he just still hates humans."
"It may not have been him," Vash said as he took off his boots. "He hates humans, but I don't think he'd sacrifice a fellow plant to get rid of a handful of them." Meryl just shrugged, not caring for the conversation.
"Either way, as a member of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, I've been given the unfortunate task of getting to the bottom of this."
Vash sighed. "You sound like the old you, before Milly learned to balance you out."
Meryl snorted. "The only reason I mellowed out any was because Wolfwood had died, you'd left us, assumably for good, and Milly was pregnant, facing raising a child alone! How the hell could I not lose focus on my job for a while? I had to calm down and not focus on business so much!"
"I-I guess it was hard then huh?" Vash's serious voice startled Meryl. She glanced into his sad aquamarine eyes and felt her heart melt.
"It wasn't that bad, it's just, she missed Wolfwood so much. She loved - loves - that man so much. I had to help her get along without him. I just wish you'd been there to help me."
Vash placed his hand on Meryl's. "Does that mean you missed me?" He gave her one of his rare serious smiles.
"Umm, maybe a little… sometimes… okay, yeah, I did!" Flustered, Meryl pulled her hand away and gave Vash and indignant stare. "I got used to having you around. I know you had, uh, family problems-"
"Gee, that's putting it lightly."
"-but we still missed you." Vash smiled down at the strong, beautiful little woman in front of him.
"I'm sorry Meryl. If I could have stayed I would have. But thanks anyways." He bent down and hugged an astounded Meryl.
"Um, Vash?"
"Yeah?"
"You're REALLY scaring me."
"Oh. Ahaha…" Vash turned the hug into a death grip, swinging Meryl around like a rag doll. When he released her she swayed dizzily before landing on the bed.
THE bed.
Meryl removed her cloak and boots and glanced over at Vash as he ripped off his red coat, revealing the soft khaki pants and white shirt he usually wore. Before she could stop him, Vash took a dive for the bed, bouncing Meryl off into the floor.
"I get outside!!!" he called sounding like a little kid.
"I DON'T think so!"
"Aw, c'mon Small Gi- Meryl! Please? It's a big bed, I won't touch you! Honest!"
"I-I guess so. I can't make you sleep on the floor, it's too cold even for you."
"That's true!"
"But remember-" Meryl slid in between Vash and the wall "-you're taking your life into your own hands. We leave early in the morning." She pulled the blankets over her body. Vash inhaled deeply and sighed.
'How can heaven and hell be held within the same person at the exact same time?' Vash wondered, wishing he could put his arms around Meryl and apologize for leaving her and Milly alone for so long, but barely stopping himself from fear of losing his life.
'Why… why does my body feel so tight? Is it because of that idiot inching closer and closer to me? Can't be. Oh, that man will pay in the morning.' Meryl smiled.
Ta-da! A little bit longer than usual, not much so. Man, one helluva storm just went by. Geez, I thought the house was gonna blow in around me! Now, I want to thank my reviewers (especially those who stuck with me during my 2-month absence):
PsychoChelsey: Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! Simply ask, and you shall receive!
Tsunaharu-Haru: Oh, wow, you so just made my day! It's wonderful to hear that people like your story when you firmly believe you're committing literary suicide! A fellow fluff-lover!!!
Orion Kohaishu: Hey, it's great to hear you're still reading! It means at least one person cares! gives Orion a cookie There's more where that came from, IF you know what I mean. hint hint, nudge nudge, cough cough
WW: Muchas gracias! The idea for that seen hit me as I was looking at this scar I have on my hand, and thinking about how I hate to wear rings because of it. I dunno, seemed kinda cute! If you've got any suggestions, give me a holler!
Neptune Butterfly: Glad you like my fluffy. looks over at Sesshy, whom I have stolen Not you… Anyways, I promise I won't leave this thing hanging for so long next time. Thanks for coming back to see me!!!
Dodo: Thank ya much!
White Ninja Spy: AWWW! You're beyond sweet. You have no idea how happy that makes me. I will continue!!! .
itzjustme: Another fluffaholic. We should have weekly meetings. But I'm glad you read and so happy you reviewed. And thanks for the info. Where I live, anime and manga aren't really the culturally accepted art form, but we're gonna have an anime convention and my friend is taking me, cause she knows, like, EVERYTHING (except where to find it, other than pirating it off the Internet). Thanks again!
Warior: SWEET! Hooray! I'm happy you reviewed. Thank you for the compliment!
AnimeMichelle: Terse, but I'm loving it anyways! Oh geez, now I sound like a McDonald's commercial… Anyways, thanks bunches for reading!
Okay, next chapter will be actual plot, I swear, not just filler fluff. You can expect it by the weekend, cause Friday is my last day of school. Oh yeah! That makes me happy. I love all of my reviewers so much and I hope you come back for the next chapter!!! .