To Canaan Land
Author: foxmagic
Rating: PG-13/ Teen
Universe: Anime (Post-series).
Italics: Thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap I decide doesn't belong in regular text.
Disclaimer: I do not…I do…not. Geez, it's hard for me, okay? I do not own Trigun.
(A/N) Hello hello! Lookie here, I actually wrote something that was neither Bleach nor Samurai Deeper Kyo. Amazing. But I must say that I was inspired. Yes, that's right. Inspired dammit! The first Trigun fic I ever read was a KMV (a pairing I am currently in love with). After that I went looking for more KMV or KM stories, finding some really good ones but noting that there were very few. With that said, I have to give credit to Faery Goddyss for pulling me over to the KM side!
Anyhow, this will be a Knives/Meryl/Vash fic. Why? Because I said so. And also because of the lack of KMV fanfics out there. Please do enjoy!
;-Chapter One: The Means to an End-;
I want them to perish.
I want this world to be reborn…
A new Eden –a place for my own kind…
No matter what, it will happen.
It's only a matter of time.
And time…
Is definitely on my side.
;-
Meryl pressed her face against the cool glass of the window. It was night, and everything outside was peaceful. From what she could see, the lanterns in town were still lit. There were some people wandering the streets, and others in the bar. Life went on…it would always go on. Even in this small town, life grew.
She decided that she liked it in this place. People surviving on their own –living with their own two hands. It meant there was hope for the barren land of Gunsmoke.
An Eden…
Meryl could no longer see outside. The window pane was foggy from her breath, and the lanterns were one by one being snuffed out.
A foreshadowing…
In the next room, Milly would be asleep. She would often dream of past days, of their journey, and of that one man who died before she even had a chance to say goodbye.
A weakness…
It was strange, Meryl decided, as her body fell back onto the bed. It was strange how everything had changed. It was strange how things had stayed the same. Finding Vash, trailing him, meeting Wolfwood, traveling together…
And now she and Milly waited. It was no longer duty or obligation that held them. It was all about having faith…it was about what they had gone through together. It was about their beliefs and their promises.
"Damn it all." Meryl's voice sounded distant and cold in that dark room. "Damn it all to hell…"
;-
Early morning sunshine broke out over the dusty hills. The wind had picked up over night, causing a sand storm to begin. Tiny grains pelted the houses and buildings relentlessly. It was to this cheery sound that Meryl awoke. Sitting up, she noticed that her clothes from yesterday were still on. Not that she had much of a selection to begin with.
"Headache…" She muttered while stumbling around. Shower first, then breakfast. Soon though, the appeasing scent of food wafted in, tickling her throat.
Switch that around. Breakfast first, then a shower.
Milly smiled when the dark-haired woman came into the kitchen. "Hello, Meryl! Breakfast is ready!" Always the pleasant one in the mornings.
"Thank you."
The food was eaten without much conversation, except for Milly's occasional bursts of nonsense. Afterwards, Meryl went to take that shower she was dreaming of.
It all seemed so normal, so ordinary. It was easy to take for granted the ability to live, and breathe, and to wake up to the sunshine in the blue sky every day. But they did –everyone did. And that's the way things went. Everyone was comfortable with their lives…but what if things ever changed? It was certainly harder to cope to something new than to simply live a life you've had for so long. Maybe that's why Meryl and Milly found their new lives so refreshing. No more boring office work for them. A struggle for life is what they were faced with. Or…had been faced with. Sure, they weren't exactly doing office work now, but the situation had greatly calmed down since Vash left. It was unnerving, and neither knew what to make of it.
Meryl decided that she must be extremely bored for her brain to do so much thinking on the matter. It's not like she missed that idiot or anything…
"Moron." Yeah, that was a safe answer.
On the way out of the shower, she stopped to give her clothes a good washing. Then walking outside, she hung them up on the porch to dry. Hopefully the wind would die down and she wouldn't have to re-wash them. Such was her luck, anyhow.
A tune played itself upon her lips. Familiar…something she had hummed before.
For some reason, Meryl remained on the porch just a little while longer. Her eyes searched the desert beyond their little village. But there was only sand. An endless sea of it.
"Eh?" She squinted. There was something else out there. But it was hard to make out with all the wind and bustling dust storms. What was it? She couldn't tell.
Her legs ached. They wanted to run to meet that strange illusion that stood like a mirage out in the distance. But she could not budge. She could only wait while it moved closer.
Always waiting…
Suddenly her eyes widened. It was a person. Familiar…someone she had known, someone she knew.
No longer able to hold back, Meryl took off into the desert. She ran as fast as she could, to meet that person. Because she had been waiting…and could wait no more.
"Meryl?" Milly's questioning voice sounded in the background. But the shorter girl was too far out.
In only a few minutes, she had covered the distance intended. With a bit of a slide, her feet halted on the sand. And now she stood there, dumbfounded, while staring into the greenest eyes she had ever known someone to have. The stupid pin-haired, broom-headed, needle-noggin…was back.
He was back. Just like he said.
"Heya, Meryl!" His voice laughed heartily, as if nothing had changed.
That made her angry. How could he just come waltzing in as if nothing had happened? She took a good look at him. His red coat was gone and he appeared a bit worse-for-wear, but the guy still had his stupid smile. Some things, she guessed, would never change.
Without warning, Meryl was pulled into a hug by said person. She thought about smacking him over the head, but decided against it.
"You're an idiot." Her words were muffled against his shirt.
"Yeah, but I'm so darn lovable!"
That's when she hit him. "I…I was worried about you, you dolt!"
His smile returned. It felt nice to hear those words. Except for the dolt part, of course.
"Mr. Vash! Mr. Vash!" Milly was just now arriving on the scene. She burst into tears, throwing her arms around him. "You're back!" The tall girl lifted him off the ground, enveloping him in a big bear hug.
"Y-Yeah…nice to see you…too." Vash was having trouble breathing.
Meryl watched the two with an eased feeling in her chest, having no intention of aiding Vash in his escape from Milly's death grip. It was all too good to be true. They both thought they might not ever see the gunman again. He had been gone for so long…but he was here. He was here now, and she had missed him.
"Meeeeryl! I'm hungry."
Her face took a look of mock annoyance. "You're always hungry."
"Come on, Mr. Vash! There are some leftovers on the stove!"
Milly quickly began to pull the pair back to the house and out of the hot sun.
;-
"Let me get this straight…you've been out there for months, and you say you were doing nothing?"
The three of them were sitting around the kitchen table, catching up. Meryl, of course, didn't buy his story for a second. He was such a bad liar. She couldn't believe he had been doing nothing for such a long time.
"Well…I did stop by this doughnut shop. The manager was really mean, but he-"
"Enough with the damned doughnuts, Vash!" She felt that headache coming back. "You had a reason for going out there. What about…him?"
His tone lowered a bit. "I took care of it. It's over…at least for now."
In his eyes, pain was still evident. He said the situation had been resolved…but for how long? What had happened out there while she had stayed behind? Meryl wanted to know, but she wouldn't push it. Things would become clearer with time.
And so their boring life took a small new turn. It was a lot more interesting having Vash there with his whining, and his love for all-things-edible. At least for now, the insurance girls were to stay by the side of 'Vash the Stampede'. Meryl supposed it was strange that they hadn't been re-assigned yet. Nothing major had occurred in nearly a year. No rumors of Vash's movements, or his destructive powers manifesting. It was all too quiet. And as she had taken note before, all too good to be true. But beggars could most certainly not be choosers, as the saying went. It was enough to live in this temporary peace. Things would soon change, after all. And until then, they would damn well make the most of it.
;-
Later that night, Meryl's eyes slowly opened to the sight of her room. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her face. It was probably sometime around mid-night.
"Great…I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap." The petite woman got up and shuffled out into the hallway.
A noise came from the kitchen, giving evidence that someone had gotten there before her. She could already guess who it might be. Sure enough, peeking around the corner revealed a very clumsy Vash. He wasn't having much luck maneuvering in the darkness, knocking first a chair over and then bumping his head on a pot hanging from the oven.
Just what is he up to? Sneaking food, no doubt. She thought.
To her surprise, Vash headed towards the front door. He hesitated only briefly before taking hold of the knob and disappearing outside.
What? Meryl walked to the door after it was closed. Where is he going this late?
She grasped the handle and turned it quietly, opening the door. Gazing off into the dark, she suddenly realized just how quiet things could get at night. And there was no sign of Vash, either. How could he have disappeared so quickly? Meryl took several more steps outside, looking around while doing so. It was quiet…almost like something would jump out at any moment…
"Meryl?"
"UWAAHHH!" She nearly fell backwards, her arms flailing wildly.
"Meryl, it's just me! Calm down!"
Her eyes focused on the shady figure in front of her. "…Vash?"
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. What are you doing out here so late?"
"What am I doing out here? I'd like to ask the same question! I came out for a drink and saw you sneaking around."
"Heh heh." He scratched his head. "I needed some fresh air…"
"Uhuh. I'm sure."
There was a along pause before either of them spoke. But eventually, it was Vash who broke first.
"It's alright, go back to sleep. I'm just thinking, that's all."
"Vash…"
He smiled down at her, but his smile didn't look the same as it always did. His faced seemed to hold a trace of sadness. "It'll be okay."
Not quite sure of what he was talking about, she chose to simply leave it be. Sleep was coming quickly, anyway. The questions could wait till morning.
"…if you say so." Yawned Meryl. "I'm going to bed. Good night."
"Goodnight!"
After submersing herself back into the pitch-blackness of the house, Meryl paused to lean against the wall. Something didn't feel right. She could faintly sense a strange tug at her chest, as her heart beat wildly. What in the world…?
Vash cast a sidelong glance at the place where Meryl previously stood. He had heard her up, and waited for the woman's curiosity to get the best of her. But he couldn't tell her…he couldn't involve her any more than he had to. Both she and Milly had gone through so much already. No, this was his burden. It was his responsibility. And that was how it was.
Facing the sand-filled wind, he headed out. Passed the bar, under the lanterns lit far later than usual, through the town so dead with early morning, and out into the desert. He was going to fulfill a promise, to keep his word to the very end.
Rem…
A small house rose from the dusty hills up ahead. Vash stifled a yawn and trudged on. Almost there. Maybe he could even take a nap. Once he reached the old building, the tired gunman immediately went inside to get out of the weather. He took off his coat and gloves, stretching as he walked along the creaky floor. Down the hall was a single door. Reaching out a hand, he pushed it open.
Vash stood still while the rotted door moaned, obviously opposed to opening quietly. Locking eyes with the man inside, he plastered on a smile.
The person looked up at the sudden intrusion and spoke, his voiced laced in sarcasm. "Well well. Finally back, brother? I was getting worried."
" Hello Knives…" His grin only grew wider.
;-CONTINUED-;
(A/N) Well, you might have guessed it already. This is my first Trigun fic, and therefore I might be a little rusty on the series. I have seen all of the anime, but only read part of the manga. So this story will be based on the anime (I plan on making a separate one for the manga-verse). I apologize in advance if I get any of the story facts mixed up. Heh heh…
Thanks and please review!
foxmagic