Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Mine ❯ A Shy Short-girl ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Hmmm... I own my kids (Because I made them) I own my husband, (Because the Marriage License says so) and I own a REALLY big mortgage. (Because I'm stupid and signed on the dotted line.) However I don't own Trigun. (Because if I did, I wouldn't have said mortgage.)

“blah blah” : talking

`blah blah' : thinking

“blah blah” : telepathic talking

blah blah : other misc. stuff.

 

*~*~*

 

Forever Mine

 

Chapter 3: A Shy Short-girl

 

 

 

 

`Sorry?' Vash thought. `Why is she sorry? Did something happen… my brother?' He continued to silently ponder as confusion set in, making his brow furrow. He thought of how to reply, but after a moment, he realized that only a one-word question was needed…

 

“Why?”

 

Meryl's eyes closed in anticipation as she waited for Vash to say something. Then he responded with one word; `why.' She wasn't even exactly sure why she had apologized. Except for the fact that she was caught in such an intimate situation with him, and he, at first, wasn't aware of it. Plus, she basically was invading his personal space, but of course, she couldn't tell him that. So, she decided to `shorten' the reason as to why she was sorry.

 

Meryl exhaled slowly to calm her frazzled nerves before answering. “I'm sorry that I woke you,” she mumbled, while she opened her eyes to quickly look up to see his reaction. Then just as quickly, the petite beauty returned her gaze back to her lap.

 

Vash immediately relaxed as he heard her reply. “You don't have to be sorry. Besides, I'm sure that I've been asleep for quite awhile,” he said as his eyes took in the way the filtered light from window shimmered around her downcast head, like a halo.

 

“How long have I been out?” the blonde man asked while using his thumb to lightly caress the hand within his own.

 

“Since about eleven yesterday morning,” Meryl quietly muttered, remembering how he stayed up long enough to make sure that his brother was taken care of, eat a dozen doughnuts, and take a shower before finally letting her dress his shoulder wound. Then he said that he wanted to take a nap. Of course, she offered her bed to him, because one, his brother was currently unconscious on the bed that Vash previously occupied and two, because he was simply too tall to sleep on the tiny couch in the living room.

 

“Well… What time is it now?”

 

“About 1:30pm.”

 

“Wow, I slept that long, huh?” Vash laughed goofily while trying to get Meryl out of her funk. Unfortunately, she didn't reply, nor did she look up from her lap. `What's wrong with her?' Vash thought before he continued to ask another question. “Hey, where did you sleep, short-girl?” he asked next while his thoughts screamed, `please say with me!'

 

“On the couch,” she whispered, though she wished that she had cuddled up next to him last night, instead of sleeping on the worn and very uncomfortable couch.

 

`Damn Meryl… you have never been like this. I acted like a goof and even called you short-girl just to get a rise out of you and nothing. Please tell me what's wrong?' the concerned outlaw thought as the room became unnervingly quiet. `Hmmm… let's try this…' he then thought before asking, “How's my brother?”

 

“The doctor came to look at him this morning and said that all five gunshots are healing nicely and that he should make a full recovery and…”

 

“And?” Vash prompted.

 

“And he woke up briefly this morning.”

 

“He did?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“And?” he prompted again.

 

“He looked at me, asked who I was before saying something about unworthy pet spiders. Then he fell back to sleep,” Meryl simply replied, again using the unusual quiet tone.

 

`Okay, I've had enough of this!' the blonde thought as he came up with an idea to snap the normally lively woman out of it. “Meryl, what's wrong?” he asked, with apparent concern, as he cupped her chin with his real hand and proceeded to lift her face up to meet his. Unfortunately, he only raised her head so far before the pain from his injured shoulder set in. `Ooowwwie… shoulder… shot… hurts to move… can't stop though…'

 

Meryl heard him ask her what was wrong. Actually, she knew it was coming, but she didn't expect to feel the soft caress of his hand under her chin right before he delicately raised her face to meet his. She was afraid to see what his stunning aqua orbs would reflect as her now heather-colored ones met them. She assumed it would be concern, but what she saw was extreme pain…

 

`Pain… what the…' she thought. Then it dawned on her, he was using his right hand and arm to move her head upward, which was attached to his right shoulder, the same shoulder that his twin happened to put a bullet through a few days earlier. Upon seeing his pained expression, concern took over and Meryl, in a very Meryl-like fashion, immediately stood, placed one hand on her hip and, with the other, gently set Vash's right arm back in its original position. She then began to scold the sensitive man before of her…

 

“Vash, you idiot! What in the hell do you think you are doing? You shouldn't move your arm for at least two more days!”

 

As she continued her tirade about opening up the wound and that he should have more sense, Vash thought that he had never seen anything more amazing. Meryl's eyes flashed molten silver, while her supple form bent over slightly to wag a finger in his face. `Damn… she's hot!' the awestruck outlaw thought as a smile formed on his handsome face, making his eyes twinkle.

 

“And just what are you grinning about?”

 

“You! Did you know that you are absolutely exquisite, especially when you're mad?!” Vash replied as his grin grew even wider.

 

“Ugh… you are impossible!” she groused in exasperation as she flung her arms in the air, signaling her defeat.

 

“Yeah I know, but what would you do without me?”

 

“Do you really want me to reply to that?”

 

“Not really,” the smiling man muttered before continuing cheekily, “But, at least I got you acting normal again!”

 

“Hey, I don't always act like this! You just have this knack to make my blood boil!”

 

“Oh really…” he suggestively retorted, while raising his left eyebrow up and inwardly wondering what it would really be like to make her blood boil.

 

“You're such a pervert,” she mumbled before quickly changing the subject by saying, “I suppose I should check your shoulder and I bet your getting pretty hungry.”

 

“Yeah, I could eat. I would like to shower again, too. I think I still have sand in places where it should never be found!”

 

“Too much info there…” she retorted before adding, “Anyway, I'll check your shoulder when you're done and I'll bring you up something to eat.” Meryl then started to leave the bedroom, but before walking through the doorway, she turned to face the blonde, while advising, “Oh, I bought you fresh doughnuts this morning.”

 

“Doughnuts…” Vash said excitedly, before thinking, `Man… she's simply amazing!'

 

 

 

 

*~*~*

 

 

 

Meryl quickly made her to way to the kitchen and began to prepare some lunch for the tall, blonde, goof of a man. As she started to pull the necessary ingredients to make a few sandwiches, she heard the sound of running water coming from the upstairs bathroom and figured that she had about twenty-five minutes to get his food prepared. And that she may even have time to check the maniacal twin's wounds. With that thought, the raven-haired woman glanced over her shoulder to the cot behind her and saw the man who, quite literally, made his very own brother's life a living hell. She gazed intently at the platinum blonde duplicate behind her until she heard the distinct yell of the other sibling coming from the bathroom above…

 

“Owwie… Owwie… Hot… Hot...”

 

“What an idiot…” she chuckled herself as she returned to the task at hand.

 

As the small woman started to meticulously assemble the sandwiches, her thoughts remained on the showering man at the top of the stairs. She wondered why he was being, well, not so Vash-like. Normally, he would try to avoid being alone with her at all costs and if that wasn't possible, then he would act almost absurdly foolish, which made her either irately mad or want to immediately remove herself from his presence.

 

However, not ten minutes ago, it seemed as if he really wanted her around and was even flirting with her a little. A blush stained her cheeks as she thought about how strangely he acted prior to her coming down the stairs. Not to mention, her own inability to use the moment to her advantage. She should have told him of her own feelings, while he was being so amicable.

 

`What was all that about, anyway! He held my hand and even kissed it!' Meryl thought, still in shock as she wondered about Vash's unusual actions. Of course, she also realized that she just sat there like a complete moron and when she finally snapped out of it, she instantly started to yell at him.

 

“Ugh… maybe I'm the complete idiot!” she groaned out loud as she placed the now finished sandwiches on a tray to take upstairs. First, she headed over to check injuries of the man laying on the cot a few feel away. After thoroughly checking and cleaning the wounds, she noticed that the bleeding had stopped and they really were healing quite nicely.

“He is Vash's twin after all,” Meryl murmured as she finished tying off the last bandage. Satisfied with her work, she collected a tube of ointment, some bandages for Vash's shoulder, meds for pain, a glass of water, and the box of doughnuts before neatly adding them to the tray. Suddenly, her thoughts began to stray back to man that she gathered the supplies for, as she intently stared at the full tray before her.

 

`As a matter of fact, the only other time that it seemed like he didn't mind being alone with me was when we were sitting on the cliff together before he left to face his brother. Though, he was probably too far gone in his own sorrows to care if whether I was there or not,' Meryl added sadly as she recalled how despondent the outlaw was after the tragic death of the priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Then his depression increased ten-fold after he was forced to go against his own principles to take another's life, just to save Milly's and hers. And, in sense, it was their fault, because they didn't listen to him and followed anyway. Tears began to fall unchecked down her cheeks as she whispered, “I'm so sorry, Vash…”

 

Suddenly, she noticed that the water from above had turned off. Reaffirming her resolve, the normally strong woman decided that it was time to not only cheer up, but to tell the man of her dreams what exactly he meant to her. “Well… maybe,” she whispered nervously, while wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. Then without another negative thought, she picked up the tray and smiled all of the way up the stairs and to her room.