Meetings, Partings and Reunions
All of life's journeys come with meetings, partings, and reunions.- Meryl Stryfe
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, though my plans for world domination are quite impressive. Really. You should see. Anyway, in this chapter, we get to see a bit more of those lovable Insurance Girls!
"You're staring out the window again, Sempai. You know, a very very old phrase says, 'a watched pot never boils.'"
"Wha—?" Meryl snapped up, the muscles in her back stiffening, but she did not bring her eyes away from the sandy horizon. Why was she doing this to herself? It wasn't like that idiot was just going to come back out of the blue. Meryl drew a deep breath. It wasn't like she wanted him to.
No...she didn't, not really. She just...just...it was so quiet here now! She woke when the sun rose and slept when it set, and was never awakened by gunshots. The legend of Vash the Stampede had faded to nothingness in this town. Even the gossip had died. It had been almost a month since he'd left.
"Sempai? Are you okay?"
Meryl dragged her eyes away from the window, her serious expression melting to feigned lightheartedness. "Yes, of course, why wouldn't I be? I'm better than okay now that the donut-eating wonder of nature is gone! And my wallet is a lot fatter, too. Besides, less stress is doing wonders for my complexion. This is just what I've always enjoyed. Silence, peace..."
Millie listened to Meryl's rambling until she trailed off. "I do hope he comes back soon, though, don't you?"
"Yeah," Meryl whispered, her eyes flicking out to the horizon. The first sun had already left the sky, and the second was only a razor edge of fire over the sand. The sand itself was reflecting the light, and shimmered as if it was a molten lake. Meryl realized what she had just said. "I—I mean no! Millie...he may never come back. Let's eat, okay?"
Millie grinned. "Okay. I bought some pudding with my wages today. I hope you don't mind. I made dinner, too!"
An hour after dinner, Meryl could not remember what she'd eaten. She wasn't sure if it mattered anymore. In the main room of the tiny house, she and Millie sat on both chairs. The threadbare curtains were closed over the windows.
"He'll come back one of these days, Sempai. I know he will. You just have to be patient. He had a lot to take care of."
"Oh," Meryl said. She moved her book up over her face. "That's nice."
Meryl was aware of Millie's piercing, questioning gaze even behind the pages of her shield, the book she was reading. Her eyes tried to focus on the words, but the book was so close that they crossed. A headache began to form behind her eyes, the kind of heavy ache that made her brain feel like pastry. "I think I'm going to head off to bed," she said, setting down the novel and standing, careful to brush the wrinkles out of her cape and from her demeanor. "I'm really tired, and I have to get up for work early. Good night, Millie."
Millie nodded and watched as Meryl left the room.
She was almost to her bedroom when Millie's soft voice stopped her right outside of the door. "It hurts you, and other people too, when you keep things that need to come out inside. It's best...to say those things before you can't."
Meryl closed her eyes for a moment and continued to walk. "Good night, Millie," she said again.
She stumbled into the bedroom, her breath coming in rapid, deep gasps. "What?" she asked aloud, to no one but herself. "What am I supposed to say?" What if he really never does come back? What if he's dead, even now? And why do I care?
She tried not to, because she knew that it would hurt even more if he never came back.
Meryl took off her cloak and the pants until all that was left was a white short-sleeved shirt. Without pulling back the covers, she fell onto her bed. The dirt on the ceiling was especially noticeable tonight. She should probably clean it. Meryl thought about that. No, she wouldn't. The dirt gave her something to think about when she didn't want to think about anything else. Tonight it helped. She sighed and let her eyes drift closed, but her sleep was broken and frantic, and every time she awoke, she felt an emptiness in herself and in the world around her that nothing seemed to fill. She went back to sleep.
Knives swore.
He'd been traveling in this wretched, prehistoric contraption for several days already. They had not come across towns of any substance, something Knives was thankful for, because every time he walked among those crowds, he felt like he was being drowned in writhing, poisonous insects. He was afraid that he would not be able to contain himself and would compromise Vash's condition further.
Knives realized that he was letting go of his emotions when his hands started aching. His nails had dug into the foam of the steering wheel, reflexively tearing it away with each pointed thought. His grip was so tight that it hurt to loosen it. His fingers tingled as blood pumped through them again, and he sighed. "What is wrong with you, brother? You should be healed already! I can't understand you." Maybe...maybe I never did.
The car's engine gave a hacking gag and spluttered, jerking over the road before going silent and stopping completely. In the back seat, Vash looked worse than ever, his already pale skin almost bloodless, shining with sweat despite the cool night air. Knives tried the ignition. With sounds like gasps, the engine tried to start itself, but it was futile. This car wasn't going anywhere.
He got out and lifted the hood, jumping back as steam and smoke billowed out.
"Well, this is great," he said, lips turning down in a scowl. The car still cast a beacon of smoke to the sky, and he sighed. He looked back behind him, imagining a point only miles away, the place he should be right now. He'd been denying it all this time, but it was the only way that Vash had a chance of improving even slightly.
Knives slammed the hood of the car with more force than was necessary. The crash and groan of abused metal calmed him a bit. He hated feeling like there was nothing he could do, and he hated losing the calm that he so carefully maintained. But most of all, he hated this unfamiliar feeling that gnawed at the corners of his mind.
Inadequacy.
He was the only one who couldn't help his brother right now. Once again, he lifted him from the car, and once again he began walking.
"Sempai! Sempai, wake up! Get up!"
Meryl lurched upright while she was still asleep, frantically grabbing at her sides for the Derringers that were not there. She opened her eyes, blinking several times before comprehending Millie's calls. She pulled on her pants, jumping on one foot while fitting the other inside the pant legs, not bothering with anything else. She met Millie outside of the door. Too tired to stop, she just ran straight into her friend. Millie didn't seem to mind at all. She just righted Meryl while staring blankly at her.
"Hmm? Wha—" A yawn drowned out Meryl's words. "What's wrong? What time is it, and why did you wake me up?"
"Come on!" Millie grabbed Meryl's hand and dragged her through the hall and to the living room, where the curtains she always looked out of stood open. A soft breeze rustled the off-white cloth.
"The window's open, Millie," Meryl observed, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep again.
"Yes, but look out of it, Meryl!"
She rubbed her bleary eyes and fell to her knees. Kneeling slowly would have been far too much effort. She looked out onto the sand, where the first sun was not yet up, only casting a light blue glow on the otherwise dark world. When her eyesight adjusted, she saw something. Far away, a man was framed on the horizon. Adrenaline and irrational hope surged through Meryl at the same time, leaving her feeling as if she had been swung upside down by her feet. She looked closer at the man. "Millie, that's not..."
"I know. Look...the man is carrying something, though."
A pain so sharp it made tears come to Meryl's eyes sliced through her chest. No. Vash was not the one walking. He was the one being carried, the limp form in the other man's arms. The closer the man got to the little town, the surer Meryl became of his identity. Suddenly the wind was too much. Her whole body seemed to have frozen.
"Sempai, is something wrong?" Millie touched Meryl's shoulder, jolting her away from the window.
Meryl tried to keep a shudder away,and gave a feeble attempt at a nod. Then she turned away. "Knives..." she whispered, soft enough that only she could hear.
Author's Notes: So, what did you think? I live on reviews. They are my bread and my water and my whole entire pathetic existence. Please leave me your thoughts and I'll love you forever and ever. Thanks for reading! (whispering) Now review...please?