Trigun Fanfic
Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc.
The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.
--Ohayou, My Dear—
Trigun Fanfic Featuring Vash and Meryl. "Pervert!" "Wh-what are you doing in my bed?" "Put some clothes on for God's sake!"
By Chiruken
Chapter 25
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Millie shook her head as she stepped down from the last step. "She won't come out. She refuses to see anyone…even me." She sighed and sat on the edge of the chair placed beside her newly acquired husband. "She's really upset." She frowned at him in disapproval. "You shouldn't have said that, Knives. I don't really know what happened, but whatever it is it really upset Meryl."
Knives shrugged and leaned back in his chair to stare up at the ceiling. "I didn't expect her to react like that."
"Well how should she have reacted?" Vash glared at his brother. "You're just damn lucky she didn't have her derringers with her. Of course, that might have knocked some sense into you. What were you thinking?!"
Knives sat up straighter. "I was **thinking** of you, brother." He returned the glare with one of his own. "I thought you'd appreciate a little help."
"Help? Is that what you call it?" Vash growled and stood to tower over his brother's seated form. "Do you have any idea what kind of hell we've gone through since that little episode?" He reached down and grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt. "It's because of that stupid prank you pulled that Meryl's leaving me!" He shouted, his pain and anger clear in his eyes. He shook Knives once before letting him drop back into his chair. "For future reference, **brother**, do not ever help me again!" He turned on his heel and strode away towards the stairs.
"Mr. Vash…" Millie rose to follow, hand outstretched to her brother-in-law, blue eyes filled with sympathy. Her progress was halted when she felt a tug on her other hand. She looked down with a frown. "Knives?" She asked softly.
"Leave him be, Millie. Let them work it out now."
She sighed and slowly nodded as she moved closer to him. "You know, that **was** a pretty dirty trick you pulled." She whispered softly as she shook her head, her disapproval clear.
"I didn't expect them to react the way they did." He answered by way of defense. "If they weren't both so stubborn none of this would have happened."
"True…but a more delicate approach would've been better."
***
Vash stopped outside the closed door to Meryl's room. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead against the rough wood. He could clearly hear that she was still crying. "Meryl?" He called softly, placing his hands on the door. "Meryl…can I come in?" He heard her sniffle loudly but that was the only response to his request. "Please?" He pleaded gently.
"Go away!" He winced at her tear-filled response.
"Please, Meryl…" He sighed when he heard her soft hiccoughing cries resume. His hands closed into fists against the door. "Meryl, open the damn door!" He shouted.
"Buzz off!" She shouted, her angry response ruined by the way her voice cracked.
He slammed his fist into the door with enough force the wood cracked. "I will **not**!" He drew in a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. "Either you open the door or I do it for you!"
"Oh fine!" He heard the springs of the bed creak a moment before the door was roughly thrown open. "What do you want?"
He winced and repressed a shudder. Meryl's delicate features were tear-streaked and flushed, her bruised eyes swollen and puffy from her recent bout of crying. He had to admit that she'd looked better, but he couldn't very well tell **her** that…not if he wanted to survive passed the next few minutes. Now that he was face to face with her he found that he really didn't know what to say after all.
"What?" She sniffed and glared up at him. "I opened the door, Vash, so what do you want?"
"I…" He found the words sticking in his throat. "I…I don't know." He finally finished lamely. Sighing deeply he raised a hand quickly when she moved to slam the door shut. "Please don't do that again!" He stepped forward and closed the door gently behind him and leaned on it as he stared at the floor.
Meryl scowled and turned her back on him. "I don't know what you want, Vash, but I'd really like to be alone right now." She swiped her arm across her face as she felt fresh tears starting.
"Meryl…I…" He shook his head sharply and slowly slid down the door to sit on the floor. "Please don't leave, Meryl." He whispered softly as he looked up at her with a silent plea in his green eyes. "I don't want you to resign…" He clarified when she stiffened and half turned to face him with questioning look.
"Well…" She began softly reaching up to brush the tears from her cheeks. "I don't think I can stay any more."
"But why?" He jumped to his feet and crossed to her in two long strides to grasp her by her shoulders. "Is it because of what Knives did?"
"That's part of it…" She looked down, unable to meet his steady gaze any longer. Her lips trembled as she fought to hold in the tears that didn't seem to want to quit. "I…I just can't stay with you anymore, Vash. Please…just accept it, okay?"
"I don't want you to go!" Throwing caution to the winds in his desperation he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I don't want you to ever leave me, Meryl, because I…I…" He struggled to find the right words to explain how he felt. "You're my friend…" He frowned and shook his head. "No…more than that…you're my **best** friend…" He shook his head again. "No, no…that isn't right…"
Meryl blinked and struggled to draw in a breath but found that with his arms nearly crushing her it was almost impossible. "V-Vash…c-can't…can't…breathe…"
Squeezing his eyes shut tight he fought against the fear that held the words locked away where she couldn't hear them. "I-I…" He stuttered and tightened his hold on her. "I l-l-love…" He choked on the words that seemed to continuously stick in his throat. "I love you, Meryl!" The only response was a strange wheeze issuing from within his arms against his chest. He blinked and looked down. "Meryl? Oh crap!" He immediately loosened his death grip on the small woman.
Drawing in great gulps of air Meryl bent forward and rested her cheek against his chest as he maneuvered her towards the bed. "A-almost…d-died…" She gasped as she sat shakily on the edge of the mattress. She shook her head and looked up at him hesitantly. "I could've sworn you just told me that…" She let the rest of her words trail off into nothingness.
He looked away quickly. "Uh…" He shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped back. "M-maybe…maybe I should leave…" This definitely wasn't what he'd hoped her reaction to his confession of the depth of his feeling for her would be. He felt like the biggest fool on the entire planet. "Sorry for bothering you." He muttered as he turned towards the door hoping to make a quick exit before he made an even bigger fool of himself.
"Vash!" Meryl jumped to her feet. "Don't you dare walk out that door, Vash the Stampede!" Her earlier brush with suffocation forgotten she grabbed his arm and forced him to face her again. "I love you, too, you big doofus!"
"Doofus?" He muttered, one eyebrow going up to meet his hairline. "Is that some new form of endearment, Meryl?" He asked quietly as he smiled one of his rare 'true' smiles.
"It is now." She retorted as she returned the smile with one of her own. When he opened his mouth to comment she shook her head. "Just shut up and kiss me, doofus."
"With pleasure…" He murmured as he bent to comply.
~*~
***End***