GetBackers Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Drawn to Danger ❯ Reunions ( Chapter 3 )

Title: Drawn to Danger [3/?]

Author: Rubious

Series: Trigun & Get Backers

Rating: R

Warnings: angst, violence, humor, gunplay, AU-OOC.

Disclaimer: Trigun © Nightow. Get Backers © Aoki and Ayamine. All original characters including but not limited to Blaine, Lamassi, etc, are © Rubious and are not to be used without permission. This story is a work of fanfiction and is for entertainment purposes only.

Spoilers: Contains minor spoilers for both series.

Archive: fanfiction.net under "Rubious", mediaminer.org under "Rubious2", and my home page, Odango and Donuts, URL in bio info.

Notes: While on assignment with Ban and Ginji of the Get Backers, Meryl and Milly are drawn into danger as they meet old friends as well as foes in May City.

//thoughts//

*****

Having reached their destination, Meryl and Milly rendezvoused with the Get Backers outside of the Angst Theater in May City. Their new associates recounted their near miss with a speeding semi.

"I'm so glad you guys arrived safely," Milly commented cheerfully.

"Those truckers are too reckless," remarked Meryl. "At least, there wasn't an accident." Privately, Meryl expressed relief that she didn't have to file another accident claim form.

"You're right," Ban readily agreed. "Drivers here are just as crazy as they are in Tokyo."

Looking longingly at a movie poster advertising a historical romance, Milly suggested happily, "Now that we're all here safe and sound, why don't we go see a movie to celebrate the start of our job?" Turning to Meryl, she asked, "Do we have time?"

A serious expression formed on the diminutive investigator's face. "We just got here and we have a job to do, Milly. First, we have to find the place where the chief suggested we make arrangements for a place for us to stay," Meryl responded brusquely. Noticing that her partner's smile had become a frown, her tone softened and she quickly added, "Maybe we could all see a movie tonight if the guys would like to join us?"

The Get Backers grinned. "Sounds like a good idea. It's been a while since we've seen a flick. Right, Ginji?" Ban remarked.

Looking upwards at the theater's marquee, Ginji pondered which of the two movies that were showing, "Price of Denial" or "Bittersweet Memory", would be more appealing, but he also wanted his colleague's input. "Ban-chan, which one do you want to see?" he asked thoughtfully.

The spiky-haired teen walked over by the theater's ticket office and read the poster for the action-filled drama, reciting excerpts from critics' reviews that endorsed the film "An emotional tapestry that is sure to please… Loads of electrifying action and nerve-wracking plot twists,"

Several feet away, Milly whispered into Meryl's ear. "I know why he prefers this movie. The guy on the poster looks like Ginji."

Distracted by Ginji saying something to Ban, the petite woman replied, "I'm sorry. What'd you say?"

"Never mind. It was nothing," the brunette said.

After the women stowed their luggage in the Subaru, the group made their way to the travel agency Mr. Lamassi had referred them to. The town's streets and sidewalks had become more crowded as residents and tourists alike gathered at various locales for the tournament and its associated activities. Meandering through a mass of people, the quartet ended up in front of a small business located next to a resale clothing shop. Double-checking the card with the address numbers located above the entrance, Meryl glanced at the sign and said wearily, "Reasonable Rentals. Yeah, this is the place."

They entered the dingy, cluttered office to find a tired-looking woman with scraggly hair seated behind a scratched-up desk. She was in the midst of a phone call when she looked up to see the potential customers. Hanging up the phone, she greeted them in a drained voice, "Welcome to Reasonable Rentals. Can I help you?"

Before the travelers could respond, the woman's cell phone rang. "Can I call you back? I have some clients here." Her voice grew irritated. "What do you mean my check bounced? There's enough money in the account. Oh, great. Do you have any idea of how embarrassing this is?" She clicked off the phone and set it down on the desk.

"I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again. I turned the phone off," the travel agent said apologetically.

Milly smiled and said in an understanding voice, "It's okay."

Meryl stepped forward to ask if any reservations had been made for them, in case of a remote possibility that the home office had made lodging arrangements. "It might be under Bernardelli. We're in town for the tournament."

The travel agent sighed. "The name doesn't sound familiar, but I'll take a look." After looking through her Rolodex, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not finding any reservations made under that name. Tourists coming for the Quick Draw Tournament have snapped up almost of the rooms in town." She also looked under "Get Backers" and each person's name, but to their dismay, no reservations had been made for them.

Milly looked at her coworker for guidance. "Gee, Meryl, what are we gonna do?"

With her brows knit together in deep thought, she replied, "I'm thinking. I'm thinking."

Ban emphasized to the travel agent, "We've had a long drive and really need to find a place to crash."

The agent didn't want to turn any customers away and lose their business. "I'm not sure what your budget is, but the City Hotel does have two suites available."

Ban and Ginji's faces brightened at the news and they nodded vigorously.

Meryl mulled over their options. She silently cursed the Bernardelli bean counters that were too cheap to make any reservations. //Instead of a boardinghouse, we either sleep in the streets or at a top-rate hotel. But we'll have to pay outrageously to get those rooms at this late hour. It's going to break the budget.// Sighing she turned towards the agent and stated, "We'll take the suites."

"Hurray, Meryl!" Milly remarked upon hearing the decision.

"Cool!" the Get Backers chorused as they high-fived each other.

The woman called over to the City Hotel and reserved the rooms for the group. She also gave them directions there. The grateful travelers thanked her for her efforts.

On their way out to the hotel, Milly commented, "This place will be a lot better than the Shady Rest where that creepy old man spent all day sitting in a rocking chair, chewing tobacco, and telling dirty jokes."

*****

A short time later, the travel-weary group checked into their accommodations at the four-star hotel. Entering their suite, Ban and Ginji surveyed the spacious set-up and marveled at the luxury. "Wow! This is so much nicer than the hotel where we celebrated that successful mission," Ban commented.

"Yes, that was a special night, Ban-chan," the slender blond said dreamily, recalling a blissful memory.

Besides the two king-size beds and immaculate bathroom, there was a separate room with a comfortable sofa, an entertainment center with a wide-screen television, DVD player, and a theater-quality sound system. The room even had a minibar stocked with an extensive assortment of liquors.

The bespectacled teen walked over to open the drapes. As he pulled the curtain chain, the afternoon sunshine streamed into the room. Ban stared at his partner, who seemed to have an almost electric aura about him.

Eyeing the large beds, Ginji took a running leap onto the nearest bed. "Ban-chan, this feels great!" he exclaimed with childlike exuberance as he bounced up and down on the mattress as if it were a trampoline.

Grinning at him, Ban remarked, "Stop being silly," and playfully tossed a down-filled pillow at Ginji. Ginji threw back the pillow a little more forcefully. Soon the pillow fight escalated as the room was awash with feathers from the pillows.

The dark-haired teen collapsed on the bed, exhausted from the trip and the impromptu fun. "Ah, this is heavenly," he proclaimed before falling into a restful sleep. Taking an afghan from the sofa, Ginji covered him with it.

Watching his friend slumber, he said softly, "Oh, Ban-chan…"

*****

After unpacking, the insurance girls decided to check out the festivities in May City. One side of the town square had become an open-air bazaar where vendors sold their wares and food stands had been set up to feed the attendees. The hottest selling souvenir was a t-shirt that proclaimed "Shot through the heart in May City." While browsing at a booth, Milly picked up a pudgy-faced bald plushie and showed it to Meryl. "This sorta looks like Mr. Lamassi, doesn't it?"

Giggling at the doll's comparison with their boss, Meryl answered, "Yeah, it sure does. Why don't we get it for him as a souvenir?"

Milly agreed, "He'll love it," knowing that the chief possessed a good sense of humor.

As Milly paid for the purchase, Meryl's attention was diverted by a foursome walking past the food stalls. She swore that she heard a low rumbling noise coming from that direction. Meryl smirked at the scene of a boisterous boy hounding an older blond man dressed in white religious robes with a cigarette dangling from his lips, who was obviously annoyed with the pestering youth. //Wouldn't it be funny if the noise I heard were his stomach growling?//

"I'm hungry," the lad wailed.

"Quiet, saru. Shut up or I'm gonna hit you," the man warned.

"But I'm hungry," the boy persisted. THWAP! The monk hit the youngster with a paper fan that he carried in his voluminous sleeve.

Scowling, the lad rubbed his head where he had been struck. "You didn't have to do that."

A lanky redhead walking behind them doubled over in laughter. "Baka! Won't you ever learn?"

Turning around, the blond glared at him. "Shut up or I'll shoot you," he said snidely.

The fourth member of the group, a scholarly man dressed in a green shirt and khaki pants interceded as peacemaker. "Come on, everyone, let's go have some lunch." A white dragon perched on his shoulder "kyu"ed happily in agreement.

"I want meat buns!" the hungry teen exclaimed as the quartet went off to sate the boy's ravenous appetite. [1]

Seeing them walk off, Meryl pondered that it had been a while since she and Milly had last eaten, so she went off to find her associate who was busy haggling with a merchant over items that she was buying as gifts for her family.

*****

Having cleaned himself up after disposing of the remains of a misguided person with a new acquaintance earlier that day, Nicholas Wolfwood stood under a storefront awning, enjoying the shade from the blazing heat and leisurely smoking a cigarette. Observing the two women who had been his traveling companions months before browsing in the bazaar, he wondered why they might be in May City. //Last year, the girls couldn't enjoy the tournament, being busy with keeping Vash in check. So maybe they decided to take a vacation to come to this year's tourney?//

Exhaling, the preacher watched the smoky tendrils waft away. He mused that it would be a pleasure to get reacquainted with the two women, but their initial happiness would yield to disappointment when they learned of his news. "Well, I better let 'em know," he said.

The two insurance investigators had finished most of their shopping and were unaware of Wolfwood's approach. Moving behind them, he said casually, "Hello, ladies. Could I buy you a lemonade?"

Preoccupied with thoughts of their assignment, Meryl was startled by the sound of the familiar voice and her mind filed rapidly with questions. Before she could utter any words to their old friend, the woman wasn't surprised at all to see that Milly had embraced Wolfwood in a tight bear hug.

"Oh, Mr. Priest!" she squealed happily.

"Milly, let go. He can't breathe," Meryl remarked, noting that her roommate's enthusiastic greeting wasn't atypical behavior.

The brunette released her grip on the preacher, who then took a deep breath. "Thanks, Meryl. It's good to see you two again. It's been a long time."

The first words out of Meryl's mouth were "Did you find Vash?" She spoke in a hopeful tone.

Wolfwood wasn't surprised by her outburst; her anxious expression belied the true feelings Meryl had for the missing gunman. Standing before her, he stared straight into her eyes and replied in a consoling voice, "Vash is still missing. I spent days combing the ruins of Augusta for him, but there was no trace of him. Don't give up hope because I'm still searching for Vash. You'll be the first ones to know if I find him."

"Thanks, Wolfwood. We'd appreciate that," Meryl said softly, the disappointment evident in her voice. A reunion with the man she secretly carried a torch for wouldn't be forthcoming soon.

"I'm sorry about the disappointing news, but how have you two been?" The black-haired man asked, smiling warmly

Though Meryl was still silent after hearing the news about Vash, Milly chimed in cheerfully. "We're fine. Still working for the insurance company." She then added, "Are you here for the tournament?"

Grinning cockily, Wolfwood explained, "I'm here to win the top prize in the shooting contest, which I'll donate to the orphanage, and of course, I'll collect some additional donations while I'm in town."

"I hope you win," Milly said confidently.

"Are you ladies here for business or pleasure?" Wolfwood inquired.

Meryl was still stewing about Vash and didn't offer a response. Her partner replied, "We're here on company business."

The preacher commented, "Without Vash around, it'll seem a lot different this year." Observing that Meryl's emotions had gone from disappointment to sadness, he added, "I'm sorry he's not here. I miss him too."

"Thanks for caring, Wolfwood," she replied. The mentioning of Vash in the past tense made her feel uncomfortable around the preacher. Making a decision to avoid the haunting memories that seemed to ghost around her lately, she hastily excused herself "Um, pardon me, but I have to go now. I just remembered I have to do something."

The other two looked at her with puzzled expressions. "Meryl?" Milly called out, but the petite investigator walked off, leaving the preacher and the brunette behind at the bazaar.

*****

Meryl's emotions were swirling like a cyclone dancing across the desert. //Damn you, Vash! Why can't I forget you? // With thoughts of the Humanoid Typhoon preoccupying her thoughts, the normally no-nonsense investigator was having a difficult time maintaining a focus on the present assignment. Wolfwood's presence was another reminder of enjoyable memories that were becoming more painful day by day.

Before she could continue the self-deprecation, Meryl noticed a ruggedly handsome man who seemed vaguely familiar to her standing across the town square in front of the bank. Her curiosity piqued, she moved closer to get a better view.

The stranger seemed to be in his mid-40s with a leathery complexion from spending many days working outdoors. He had brown eyes with the beginning of crow's feet around the edges of his eyes, wavy black hair with a trace of gray at his temples. At about six feet tall, the man's lean yet muscular build accentuated the fashionable three-piece suit he was wearing.

"Could it be?" Meryl mused aloud, trying to connect a name with the man's face. Then, the moment of recognition came to the fore. "Deke Blaine! It is him!" she exclaimed. "God, it's been a few years since we last saw each other." A sense of wonder filled her voice as she recalled pleasant memories of time spent with him.

Donald Charles "Deke" Blaine had been a friend of the Stryfe family since Meryl was a small child. Because he had been an exceptional marksman during his career in the armed forces, Meryl's father had asked him to train Meryl in how to handle firearms when she announced her intentions to leave home and seek a career after graduating high school. [2]

During her firearms training, Meryl had developed a crush on the instructor, who was over twice her age, but the affection was not mutual and he gently rebuffed her. In the subsequent years, Blaine had gone on to become a successful entrepreneur and had lost contact with the Stryfe family.

*****

Exiting the bank after a conference with his financial consultants, Donald "Deke" Blaine glanced at his watch to see how long it was until his next business meeting. He looked around because he thought he heard someone calling his name. Blaine noticed that a young woman wearing a white cloak, who appeared to be in her early twenties, was approaching him.

"Deke! Deke! It is you!" the woman exclaimed.

"Do I know you?" he replied, unsure of her identity and her intentions.

"Actually, you do. I'm Meryl Stryfe. You've known my family for years," she said excitedly.

The name triggered recognition as Blaine recalled instructing her in shooting firearms several years before. In the brief instance, the marksman noticed Meryl had become more self-confident than the awestruck student she had been and was now more attractive as well.

"You've changed quite a bit since I last saw you. You're very attractive," he remarked smoothly.

"Um, thank you," Meryl replied shyly, blushing. "How've you been?"

"Busy. And yourself?"

"Alright." Wanting to find out more about him, she inquired, "Are you here for the tournament?"

"In fact, I'm here on business. My company is one of the tournament sponsors. Are you one of the competitors?"

"No, I'm not. I'm here on business too. As a representative for the Bernardelli Insurance Society, I'm here to handle any claim that might arise in the course of the tournament."

Raising an eyebrow, Blaine remarked curiously, "Oh?" and then changed the subject by suggesting they have a cup of coffee at a nearby café to catch up on things. "I have just enough time before I have to leave for an important conference call."

After chatting at the café, the entrepreneur said politely, "Give my regards to your parents," as he bade farewell to his former student.

On his way back to his hotel, Blaine chuckled to himself about crossing paths with someone from his past and that things could get interesting very soon.

* * * * *

To be continued...

Author's Notes

[1] After taking a detour on their westward journey, the Sanzo-ikkou stopped in May City for lunch.

[2] Deke Blaine is an original character that was inspired by comments Meryl makes in the fourth volume of the Trigun Maximum manga about the unnamed instructor who taught her to shoot firearms.

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