A/N: This is my first fanfic ever, so sorry if it sucks. Also I am known for my bad spelling I am sorry for that too. Other than that I hope you enjoy.


Can't Bury the Past.
Meryl sat in the dark of her hotel room. Below her, in the saloon, Milly and the man Milly believed to be Vash the Stampede were celebrating the not so serious injury of Mr. Bowstock and the fall of Stan the Sheriff. She had briefly thought of joining then and the town's people before but decided against it. So here she sat, alone in her dark room reloading each of her 50 derringers. She stroked one of the derringers absentmindedly as she reflected on the events of the day. It was today that she had seen the worth of a human life to the mysterious gunman.

It was strange, looking back now, she realised that she hadn't wanted him to kill anybody.

Meryl suppressed a laugh. When did her kind care for life? She had changed she knew it. She could look, now, at the photos of the time long ago. She didn't recognise the girl in them anymore, she wasn't Meryl any longer that Meryl was a stranger. She closed her eyes, shifting on her bed so that she lent against the wall. She smiled slightly at the moment of peace, before her eyes snapped open, her mind filling with unwanted memories. The Derringer she was fiddling with now tightly culched in her hand, she drew it to her chest slowly, as if it was some form of salvation. "Go away, go away." She whispered to herself.

"MERYL!" A loud call broke her out of her muttering. Then there was a louder thump, followed by some quiet sounds of rustling fabric and someone getting up, Then a series of thunderous hammers on the bedroom door. "MERYL," Milly's voice sounded again. "YOU REally haVE to COME to the PARTY." Milly finally had managed to get the doorknob to work and fell face first into the dark room. She quickly got up once more and grabbed Meryl's unsuspecting hand dragging her from the safety of her room and down into the harsh bright lights of the over crowded saloon.

"Hey Insurance Girls!" A drunken Vash yelled as Milly dragged her cargo over to him. "I would like to introduct, introduce you to my good friend, friend, umm hey brother what's your name again? Ah it doesn't matter. Would you girls like a drink?"

"YES!" Milly cried waving both her arms in the air.

"No, thank you." Meryl said shifting from one foot to the other. She had never done well in crowds. She only ever worked well in small groups or solo, and she preferred it that way. Meryl Strife was a lone creature by nature.

Meryl watched as people around her slowly drunk themselves into a stupor. She rolled her eyes in disgust and the dignity of the patrons disintegrated into nothingness. She snarled at the pathetic memories of her own drunken states, the time when she would have done anything to drown out the visions that played over and over in her mind. She shook her head and lowered herself into seat next to Milly and smiled as she listened to Milly and Vash's drunken ramblings and jokes that didn't make sense.

It didn't take long for the thick tobacco smoke that nestled upon the roof of the saloon to burn Meryl's throat. She wondered how Vash or Milly could stand it for as long as they had. "I'm just going to get a breath of fresh air." Meryl said softly but was drowned out my Milly's singing.

The chilled night's air was a godsend to Meryl. She took in a deep breath as she started to walk up the hard compact dirt road. She stretched her arms out as she travelled unafraid in the deep night. She had no idea where she was going, she only knew that her reports were finished for the day and that for but a moment there was no work to be done.

"Well hello there my dear." A sly thick male voice met her ears.

'Damn it.' Meryl uttered to herself realising all her derringers where still on her bed in the hotel.

"What would an innocent little thing like you be doing all by yourself in a place like this?" Meryl turned to see the man that was talking to her. He was young, maybe 20, 21 at the most, a string of friends behind him smirking at her. His ratty red hair fell over his eyes adding to his shady persona. Meryl took him for the rag tag group's appointed representative. "Now would you like us to… escort you back, it can be mighty dangerous alone."

"No thanks." Meryl said turning away from them hoping that they would just let her go. Instead the leader grasped her upper arm tightly a dark gleam in her eyes. "Do you know who you are messing with? I'm Derringer Meryl." Meryl sneered venomously hoping that the threat with her tone would stop her from having to resort to extremes.

"Well, now, where are you derringers Miss Meryl?" He asked, laughter playing in his voice. His grip tightened even more as he forced her closer to him.

"Would you believe I left them back at the hotel." Meryl said with a nervous laugh.

"Ain't that too bad, Miss Meryl?" He whispered in her ear, his cronies snickering behind him. The red head pulled a butterfly knife from his pants as Meryl removed herself from his smothering grip. "Now be nice Miss Meryl, we're all friends here."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that you shouldn't play with knives?" Meryl said. 'Great now what do I do. I can't, I won't do that, but what choice do I have? Without my derringers what else can I do?' Meryl thought to herself paying little attention to the group in front of her. "There has got to be another way. I won't go back to that, I will forget, I will forget all of that right now." She whispered allowed, but before she could do anything the red head lunged at her and she went from rational thought to animalistic instinct.

Meryl's breathing slowed. She looked around her, at what she had done. It was like an out of body experience. She didn't think she had done it, even now as the world slowly fell back into place she had no control over her actions. She walked to the nameless red head. He gasped for air like a fish out of water. She grasped his face kneeling down so that she could draw his face close to hers and whispered in his ear softly. "Next time, child, do not underestimate your opponent. You just might find that they are not what they seem."