Note: Yasuhiro Nightow created Trigun and some of the characters that you are about to see were created by him.

Summary: Meryl is now scared by Millie's death and Vash is in need of her help! Will Meryl be able to help Vash while fighting criminals and confronting a new batch of Gun Ho Guns?

Trigun: The Raven

Chapter 1: Cold

It's been six weeks since we, Millie and myself, have seen Vash. He had left us on the same day that he returned to town after his battle with Knives, he told us that it was too dangerous for us to follow him now that he had his brother with him. I wanted to tell him so much about my feelings for him but I guess I would never be able to tell him at all. Before he left, he told us to take care and to live a life that was fulfilling and happy to us. But how? How can I live a life in which I can be happy when the only thing…the only person who could make my life happy was about to leave us? How?…I don't know what to do anymore with my life…I guess I should just go on with life…I guess I should live a life in which Vash the Stampede never existed.

"Meryl? Meryl! Come on wake up sleepyhead!" said the gentle voice of Millie. Meryl slowly opened her eyes and raised her head to meet a tall woman with blue eyes and long brown hair carrying a stack of papers. "Uh…Meryl? I was wondering if you could help me sort out and file these papers. If you're too busy then that's okay I can take of this by myself."

"Well of course I can help you Millie," said Meryl and rose from her chair. Meryl and Millie were both back at the Bernardelli Headquarters in December City and life seemed to return to normal for the both of them after Vash left them. There had been no reports about Vash the Stampede sightings for at least five weeks and the rumors about him were already starting to disappear. It was like as though Vash was beginning to fade away like a dream…

"Thanks a lot Meryl I really appreciate it!" said Millie with a smile and started to walk to the filing room with Meryl following behind her. They spent the rest of the day sorting and filing the papers and by the time they were finished, it was almost night and the office was about to close.

"Better hurry up and get ready or we'll be locked in," said Meryl as she was getting her purse. Just then she remembered that she had to the store a get couple of things before she had to head home. "Oh, hey Millie?" asked Meryl, "Would you like to go to the store with me? I hate going to the store by myself at night and I was just wondering if you would.."

But before she could finish her sentence, Millie replied with a smile, "I would gladly come with you!"

When they arrived at the store, Meryl quickly got the items that she needed and headed toward the cashier. "This will only take a moment Millie, "said Meryl, "you can go on outside and wait for me." Millie nodded and went outside.

"That'll be $$33 ma'am," said the cashier.

"Here you go," said Meryl and handed the cashier the money.

"Thank you come again, "said the cashier giving Meryl her bag. When Meryl was about to open the door to go outside she heard a horrific scream and three gun shots after that. She dropped the bag and quickly opened the door. "That sounded like Millie's voice!" she thought, "Please…Please for the love of God…Don't let it be Millie's body that I see when I get there."

But it was too late, the body was only a couple of yarz away from the store and Meryl could already tell who it was, Millie. Meryl, at first, walked slowly towards the corpse but a few seconds later she made a mad dash to the body while screaming out, "MILLIE!"

The body was lying face down in a pool of blood, Millie's blood. Her blue and yellow coat was stained was in blood. Meryl knelt down and quickly turned the body on its back, there were three bullet holes: one in the stomach, one in the area where the ribs connected, and the last one in the head. Millie's eyes were still open but they had no life in them, not anymore.

"Millie! No, no, no, no….Not Millie! Why her," Meryl cried while cradling Millie's head in her arms. Tears began to flow from Meryl's gray eyes. "SOMEONE HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Someone…Anyone…Vash…Please help us."

Several hours later, Meryl sits on a bench at the Sheriff's office. Her navy blue skirt and white shirt still stained in blood. The sheriff came out of his office, sat down beside her, and looked down.

"We found the ones who killed your friend," said the Sheriff, "they were one of the street gangs in this city. They confessed and said that they just wanted to rob your friend but once things got a little bit complicated, one of the members drew out his gun and shot her…I'm very sorry miss."

"I killed her, "Meryl said quietly.

"What? What are you talking about miss?" asked the Sheriff, scratching his head.

"I killed her. I let her die," said Meryl. Her eyes looked lifeless like Millie's. "If I didn't ask her to go wait outside for me or maybe if I didn't ask her to come with me to the store then maybe…just maybe she would of…"

"Listen miss, there wasn't anything you could have to save her. These things happen. It's a crappy world out there and no one is really safe from danger," said the sheriff and placed his hand on Meryl's shoulder. "I'm truly sorry miss. I'll be sure to tell your friend's family about what had happened. Do you happen to know where her family lives?"

"Yes, most of them live in small town just southwest of here. It's called Hudson Town, I believe," Meryl said without looking at the sheriff.

The sheriff nodded and got up but before he went back to his office he said, "Why don't you go back home miss, there is nothing left here that you can do now."

Meryl slowly rose from the bench and left. The street was empty and quiet. The air around her was hot and stuffy. She slowly walked to the middle of the street and looked up to the starry night sky. The fifth moon had risen and it was looking at her with its dark eye, the hole that Vash had created. Tears once again flowed from her eyes and said, "I wish you were here with me…Vash." She then lowered her head and headed for home.

When she reached her apartment, she walked to her bedroom and looked through the window. "Everyone is either dying or leaving me…First Wolfwood, then Vash, and now…Millie," she thought, "so much has happened and I don't think… that I'll be able to handle it." She put her hands together which felt strangely cold all of a sudden. She looked at her hands and quickly rolled up one of her sleeves. She put her bare arm on her face to be sure that it was only her hands that were cold, but strangely enough, both her face and arm were also cold. She then looked back up to the window

"Strange…I feel so cold all of a sudden," whispered Meryl while looking at the fifth moon. And so, for the rest of her life, Meryl would always remain cold to the touch.

This is my very first fanfic so please bear with me! I'll start typing chapter 2 sometime around next week hopefully. Please review!--Gunslinger Angel