Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ High Speed Romance ❯ Other People's Houses and The Last Resort ( Chapter 2 )

High Speed Romance

By Bekka Mouri

(Trigun isn't mine and I am not making any money from this so please don't sue me. Wolfwood and Milly's romance continues. Anyone that read 'Deep Space Atomic Stoner Action' might recognize this part… I just polished it up a bit.)

Part Three: Other Peoples' Houses

The foursome of travelers had found a tiny city about three hundred iles from the Southern Cornelia border and decided to stock up on anything they would need for the northern half of the region had been mysteriously deserted. They stopped in a saloon for a bit of breakfast before gathering the supplies they needed. Milly moved her food around on her plate as she tried not to stare at Wolfwood too much. She couldn't even think for a minute before she'd recall the feel of his lips on hers and her body.

She shivered recalling his touches and Meryl looked at her, " Are you okay, Milly? "

Milly nodded, " I'm fine. I absolutely fine. "

Meryl scanned the room and looked over at the bar, " I wish those two would come over here and sit with us. I don't like the looks of the people in here. "

" But they have to find out where to get the stuff we need for as little money as possible, Meryl. We haven't got much so we can't afford to waste it, " Milly said.

Meryl rolled her eyes, " I KNOW that! "

Milly blinked, " Who's that talking to Mr. Vash and Mr. Priest? "

Meryl looked back at the bar and narrowed her eyes. A rather rough looking fellow with long blonde hair wearing a cowboy hat was talking to Vash and Wolfwood. He was making motions with his hands like he was explaining something to them and made the very easily recognizable gesture for money. Vash jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the girls' table and the blonde glanced at them before nodding his head.

The three men shook hands on the deal they had obviously made and walked towards the table. Vash was smiling as he said, " Hey! I got us a little job for a couple of days. "

Meryl's eye twitched as she tried to stay calm, " What kind of job? "

Vash put his hands up, " It's a real easy one… we just have to house sit for two days. "

The blonde in the cowboy hat stepped forward, smiling at Meryl and tipping his hat. " It'll be okay, little lady. I have some rather rare land and I don't want to leave it alone. I have to make a delivery to a town that is a day away and I don't want to leave my land alone for the time it will take to get there and back. "

" What's so important about it? " Meryl asked, trying to hide her annoyance at being called 'little lady'.

The man looked at Vash and Vash leaned down to Meryl. He put his lips close to her ear and whispered, " It's a geo-plant like the one you help protect before. "

Meryl blinked and looked at the blonde man, " I see. I guess he told you that we aren't new to this. "

" Yes, " The man nodded. He put his hand out to Meryl, " My name is Jack Osborne and I am willing to pay the four of you quite handsomely for your services. "

Meryl looked at Milly warily and shook Jack's hand. " I'm Meryl Stryfe of The Bernardelli Insurance Society and this is my associate, Milly Thompson. "

Jack shook Milly's hand, smiling at her and winking. Wolfwood noticed this and frowned. " Nice to meet you, Mr. Osborne, " Milly chirped.

" Now, if you all don't mind I need to get going but allow me to buy the supplies you need and I will pay you the fee I promised when I come back, " Jack let go of Milly's hand slowly. Wolfwood ground his lips around the end of his cigarette but kept quiet.

Meryl and Milly stood up, " Are you really going to do that, sir? " Meryl asked.

" Yes. I overheard your companions talking about their situation at the bar. I hate to tell you this but there is no such thing as cheap supplies in this town, " He leaned in between Meryl and Milly. " They'll rob you blind if you give them half a chance to do so. "

" Oh. You must have some kind of influence then? " Meryl said.

Jack smiled, " You could say that. Now, come along. I haven't got all day. "

**

He dug through his bag, searching feverishly for his tobacco so he could roll some cigarettes. He had to go the cheaper route when they were running low on money. That's why they were in the middle of bum fuck nowhere babysitting a geo-plant… for money. He had heard the insurance girls had done the same for an old couple before Vash blasted the hole in the fifth moon but they hadn't got paid for it.

This seemed to be a much better deal though. They would have a roof over their heads for two days and they now had all the supplies they needed for when they got into Southern Cornelia. All that didn't matter to Wolfwood now… he just wanted a damn cigarette and he wanted it bad.

Everything in his bag sat in a pile on the floor but the tobacco he bought in town was still M.I.A. Had it fallen out in Jack's truck on the way to the geo-plant? He couldn't worry about that because there was really no telling and he didn't feel like trudging around in the dark to go back to town…it was too fucking cold outside for that shit. Not only that, there was no telling when the next set of Gung-Ho Guns would strike.

Jack said he didn't expect too much trouble but he didn't want to leave the place alone either. He seemed to be pretty rich and had some influence in the town. That much was obvious when he got to supplies, Vash and Wolfwood going with him to carry the stuff. Everyone wanted to give him the best deal possible on things that other customers paid at least twice as much for.

Wolfwood rose to his feet and went to the door. He had already checked out the guy's stash of alcohol (which they could help themselves to if they wanted, so said Jack) and he figured that if the guy drank there was a good chance the guy smoked too. He hadn't seen the guy light up once the whole time they were out but then again, he had been pretty busy trying to charm Milly. Under normal circumstances, Wolfwood would have beaten the guy up but he wasn't about to look a gift Thomas in the mouth.

" Total smokeage… Total smokeage… I will make you bleed… " Wolfwood sang under his breath as he opened the door. " La dee da dee de, if you get between a cigarette and me… "

~That was brilliant, ~ He thought to himself as he neared the living room.

**

Milly pouted as she looked in the refrigerator; she knew she should have asked for pudding before leaving town but Mr. Jack had seemed to be in a hurry and she didn't want to bother him. She shut the door and turned just in time to catch Wolfwood walking into the kitchen. He cocked his head to one side, " What's with the long face, big girl? "

" There's no pudding here, Mr. Priest, " Milly whimpered. She felt her pulse get a little quicker even though he was still across the room from her. She couldn't look at him without recalling the way he had looked the night before.

Wolfwood smirked as a plan came together in his mind. Vash and Meryl were sitting in the living room but were otherwise occupied. Vash listened to his portable music player as he read a book and Meryl was furiously typing out a report for work, obviously annoyed at Vash for something. Neither one of them would notice if he slipped back to his room with a few bottles of alcohol and Milly.

Milly would have to be exceptionally quiet but he wasn't too sure if she could be a quiet drunk. ~Oh well, what the hell. Maybe we won't get interrupted tonight, ~ He thought to himself as he looked Milly over.

" Mr. Priest? Why are you looking at me like that? " Milly had seen the glint he had in his eyes before… the night before when he pulled away from the second kiss.

" There may not be any pudding, " Wolfwood said, walking to the cabinet with the liquor. He put a finger to his lips to tell Milly to be quiet and opened the doors. He was pleased with her muffled cry of excitement as he revealed about two dozen bottles of fine alcohol, not the cheap crap everyone was use to drinking. He smiled over his shoulder, " Care to join me for a drink? "

Milly nodded vigorously. " I'll help you carry it, " She whispered. " Where are we going to drink though? "

" In my room. We'll have to be really quiet though, " Wolfwood started to grab bottles and set them on the counter. He furrowed his brow as a metal box became visible after he moved a few of the bottles. Milly was standing next to him and stared at the box too.

" What's that? " Milly asked.

Wolfwood grabbed the box, " I don't know. Let's look. "

Milly held her breath as Wolfwood opened the box and smiled like a madman. She took a peek and realized he had found a boxful of cigarettes. " Cigarettes? "

Wolfwood nodded, " I lost my tobacco somewhere between town and here. Now I don't have to waste my papers. "

" What luck! " Milly chirped as she picked up four of the six bottles Wolfwood had taken from the cabinet. " Hopefully we can get by Meryl and Mr. Vash! I can't wait to drink! "

Wolfwood smiled again, " Neither can I. "

Both of them tippy-toed past the living room and succeeded in not attracting Vash and Meryl's attention. When they got to Wolfwood's room, he shut the door and let out the breath he had been holding. He felt like he had the first time he had ever stolen a bottle of liquor when he was ten and Milly acted like she had stolen some great treasure. " This is going to be so much fun! " She exclaimed quietly.

" Oh yeah, " Wolfwood nodded as he set his bottles down on the bedside table. Milly sat her down too and watched as Wolfwood opened the box. He pulled out a cigarette and looked for his matches. He found them and prepared to strike it when he looked over at Milly, " Mind if I smoke? "

" No I don't really, " Milly picked up a bottle and opened it. " Mind if I drink? "

" Nope. Let me get a few good drags in and I'll join you, " Wolfwood muttered as he struck the match and lit the cigarette. He took a puff off of it and noticed it tasted a little odd but he reasoned that it was because the cigarette was probably old. He took another puff and started to feel a little strange, like his body was becoming lighter.

Milly watched as Wolfwood took a few more puffs from the cigarette and started to smile like an idiot. She was starting to feel a little light-headed; she figured it was because she was standing so close to him and getting the majority of his second hand smoke. She felt her mouth curve into a stupid grin and started to giggle. " Mr. Priest! "

Wolfwood looked at Milly, " What's so funny, big girl? "

" I don't know! " Milly snorted and Wolfwood cracked up, laughing as he took another puff from the cigarette.

He caught his breath and shook his head, " I don't think this tobacco… but I don't care! "

" Me neither! " Milly giggled and held the bottle out to Wolfwood. " Drink some of this! "

Wolfwood grabbed the bottle, " I think I will! "

**

Meryl didn't know how long she had been typing but she was sure it had been a while. She looked over at Vash and rolled her eyes. The fool had fell asleep but at least his headset had stopped blaring. The book he had been reading rested on his chest and a little stream of drool trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He wore his pajamas and didn't quite look like the man with 60 billion double dollars on his head.

She shook her head and looked down at her typewriter as she prepared to finish her report but stopped when she heard the sound of giggling drifting through the hall that led to the bedrooms. " Milly? " She called. The last she had seen of the young woman was when she had gone to the kitchen to get some pudding.

There was no answer and Meryl mentally kicked herself for not noticing Milly was missing. More giggling reached her ears but this time it was definitely male and she could feel her blood pressure rise. Milly and Wolfwood were together and they sounded like they were up to mischief. He had enjoyed himself just a little too much in May City when Milly stripped.

Wolfwood may have been a man of the cloth but he wasn't like any priest Meryl had ever seen. How many priests carried around a cross that was actually a gun and a rocket launcher? She was certain the number was very low. She got to her feet and walked towards the bedrooms.

" What's going on? " Vash muttered, his aqua eyes still blurry from sleeping. " What's so funny? Who's laughing? "

" Milly is with Wolfwood, " Meryl said over her shoulder. " I think they found some alcohol. "

Vash yawned, " Yeah. Jack said we could help ourselves. He has dallons of the good stuff in the kitchen… " Vash suddenly smiled, " Oh boy! Strip show!!! "

" What? " Meryl screeched. She started down the hall at top speed. She was having unhappy visions of Milly doing her drunken strip tease and going much further than Meryl had let her go in May City.

Vash scrambled over the back of the couch fearing Meryl might do something rash, even more afraid that he would miss something he could make fun of Wolfwood for later and really scared he'd miss the best part of the show. " Wait! I want to see! I want to see! " He called as he ran after Meryl.

**

" Whoo-hoo! You GO, big girl! " Wolfwood hooted as Milly fumbled with the hooks on her bra. He was sitting on the bed with his back propped against the wall as he smoked yet another cigarette.

" I'm trying, Mr. Priest! " Milly said between giggles. Her fingers weren't cooperating though but then again, nobody's fingers would be after what she had drank… and she was lucky to still be vertical. " I should have put on the one that hooked in the front! "

" Keep trying! You can do it! " Wolfwood shouted.

The door slammed open and the laughing stopped cold. Wolfwood and Milly looked to see who was interrupting their little party, dissolving into laughter when they saw Meryl and Vash's horrified faces. Meryl growled and doubled up her fist as she strode into the room, " What the hell is going on in here? "

" We were just having a little fun, " Wolfwood said, exhaling some smoke. " Lighten up, Meryl! "

Vash stepped into the room, waving his arm, " Damn! Can't you crack a window? You'd think there was a fire in here… I'm surprised you haven't suffocated… "

Meryl looked at Vash. He had stopped in his tracks and mid-sentence as the stupidest grin she had ever seen started to curve the corners of his lips. He took a deep breath and the grin became totally idiotic. Strangely, she had felt her anger start to curb and was fighting the urge to grin in the same manner.

Vash started to laugh and looked at Meryl. " What's so funny? " She asked, trying to be stern although the laughter seemed infectious.

" I don't know! " Vash gasped.

Meryl could no longer fight the euphoria that was taking over and started to giggle even though she tried to stop…

**

" This sucks, " Vash whined Wolfwood drove away from the geo-plant. He was nursing a black eye he had gotten from Meryl. They had woken up together in the floor of Wolfwood's room with Wolfwood and Milly staring at them, deciding who was going to wake them up. Vash had a rather large drool puddle on the arm of his pajamas and what had gotten him the black eye was the drool stain on Meryl's shirt… right between her breasts.

It was obvious nothing had happened between any of them because they were all still dressed to some degree but Meryl still got pissed and delivered a left hook into Vash's eye. They kept clear of one another the entire next day with Milly going between the two of them to deliver apologies to Meryl from Vash and barbed comments from Meryl to Vash. Wolfwood stayed out of it, opting to stay in his room and smoke what was left of the cigarettes. When he wasn't smoking, he was sleeping and when he wasn't sleeping, he was in the kitchen digging in the refrigerator.

" At least it isn't your fault this time, " Meryl sighed. She noticed Wolfwood was gripping the steering wheel just a little too tight because his knuckles were white.

" But you have to admit, " Milly piped up from her seat next to Wolfwood, " It was fun and at least Jack let us have this car as well as a third of the money! "

" We could have used all of the money though, " Meryl shook her head. Somehow, the two days they were at the geo-plant slipped by rather quickly and Jack came back to find almost all of his liquor gone. That hadn't been the worst of the problem though. It turned out the cigarettes Wolfwood was smoking were rather expensive and Jack decided not to pay them the whole amount he had originally promised, claiming the money he kept would replace both the alcohol and the cigarettes.

" He could have been really pissed and not let us have the car, " Vash smiled.

Meryl shook her head, " At least he did… is anyone else hungry? "

High Speed Romance

By Bekka Mouri

(Trigun doesn't belong to me and I am only writing this for fun as well as funny looks from my friends so please don't sue me. The only thing I noticed missing from Trigun was something of a tradition in anime… A hot springs episode!)

Part Four: The Last Resort (Not like that…)

Wolfwood sighed as he looked at the map while everyone else stretched. They weren't sure how many hours they had been in the car but they would be in some real trouble if they didn't find a fuel stop. Vash walked up behind him and leaned down, " So where are we? "

" About 150 iles from the border of Southern Cornelia, " Wolfwood muttered and noticed a rather rank odor. " Is THAT stink coming off of YOU? "

Vash backed up pinching his nose, " You don't smell any better! "

" None of us smell good, " Meryl grumbled. " Jack didn't give us a chance to shower before he kicked us out. "

Wolfwood looked at the map, " There is one more town before we get into the deserted part of Southern Cornelia. We're stopping and we're going to find somewhere where we can get a bath. "

Vash looked at the map without getting too close to Wolfwood, " Oh yeah! I know which town that is! They call it Warm Springs because there's two water veins that run through there. No one knows why but one vein is cold water and the other is hot. "

" Yeah, I heard about that place once, " Wolfwood said. " They charge people to bathe in the hot water because it has some sort of therapeutic quality to it. "

" But isn't a waste of water? " Meryl looked at Vash and Wolfwood. " Why don't they just cool the hot water so they have more water for drinking? "

" The hot water is undrinkable, " Vash said. " It smells like rotten eggs but the smell doesn't stick to you. "

" Oh. Then why don't they purify it? " Meryl asked.

Vash shook his head, " They tried once. There's so much sulfur in the water, it destroys all of the current purification machines so they gave up. Besides, the town's main business is from that spring and they would be foolish to do anything to it. It's how they pay for the plant energy they get wired in from this city, " Vash pointed to another city that was northwest of Warm Springs.

" Then it is settled, " Wolfwood said. " We're going to Warm Springs! "

**

Wolfwood pulled into the first fuel station he saw and shut the car off. As far as anyone could see, the town was empty. Wolfwood turned around in his seat and looked at Vash. " Is there something you forgot to mention, needle noggin? "

Vash thought for a moment and shook his head. " This place was still up and running the last time I came through this region. "

" Do you think the disappearances have spread into this region Mr. Vash? " Milly asked quietly, her voice quiet and sounding a little worried.

Wolfwood narrowed his eyes at Vash, " When exactly was the last time you were here? "

Vash scratched the side of his head and thought. " Hmmm. I guess it was the last time I went to see Max. "

" Which was when, needle noggin? " Wolfwood waved his hand in an 'out-with-it' type motion.

Vash bowed his head, " Ten deer in the snow… " He muttered under his breath after he bowed his head.

Wolfwood exchanged glances with the girls and looked at Vash, " Come again? "

" Ten gears run slow, " Vash muttered something even more incoherent.

Wolfwood was starting to get frustrated so he reached into his jacket. Vash glanced up as the black haired priest grabbed something from inside and Vash feared the worst. " Okay! It's been ten years or so! " He blurted out as Wolfwood extracted a cigarette.

Wolfwood held the cigarette between his fingers so tight; the tobacco was falling out of one end. He growled and crumpled what was left in his hand. " Now I know where I heard the name of the town before. I didn't want to say anything before because I was afraid of being wrong. "

" Where have you heard the name before? " Meryl asked. A vein in her forehead was starting to throb in the same manner it always did when she was about to hit Vash.

" This town shut down about seven years ago. People stopped coming out here so the town dried up and everyone left. Now, what are we going to do? " Wolfwood said, reaching into his jacket for another cigarette.

Meryl growled, " I don't know but I'm certain if we don't find a place to bathe, we're going to kill ourselves with the stink. "

" Amen to that, " Wolfwood muttered as he lit the cigarette.

Vash looked at the pump, " Do you think there might be some fuel left? "

Wolfwood took a long drag off of the cigarette. He exhaled the smoke away from the others and shook his head. " If there is any left, it's probably turned into something that is useless to us. "

" Maybe the spring is still here, " Vash offered.

Wolfwood started the car and got back on the main road, " It's worth a shot… " He sighed. He had drove for about five minutes when a rather large building came into view. The sign was faded but still readable. It said 'Warm Spring's Famous Bath'.

Vash smelled the air and frowned. " I don't smell any sulfur. "

" That isn't a good sign, " Wolfwood muttered as he stopped the car in front of the building. " Let's check the place out anyway. It's going to be getting dark soon and we can use it for our camp. "

" That's a very good idea, " Meryl said as Wolfwood got out of the car and pushed his seat forward so Meryl could get out. Milly got out on her side but Vash had already jumped out of the back and was looking up at the building.

" Has it really been seven years? " He asked out loud.

Wolfwood nodded, " Yeah. I think so. "

Vash looked over his shoulder at the girls, " You two stay out here while Wolfwood and I check the place out. I want to make sure it is safe before we go inside. "

" Okay, " Meryl said. " But if you aren't back out here in a reasonable amount of time, we're coming in after you. "

" Sounds fair. Here, " Vash got his watch from his coat and threw it at Meryl. She caught it before it hit her in the face and glared at him. " Give us about thirty minutes. "

" Will that be enough time? " Wolfwood arched an eyebrow.

" Yeah, " Vash waved his hand. " It will be more than enough time. "

Meryl opened the watch and nodded, " Okay. I'll start counting the second you go through the door. "

Vash nodded and went to the door, pushing it open. Wolfwood followed and Meryl started watching the time.

**

The place looked untouched, a thick layer of dust covered everything and Vash sneezed. " Wow. I guess it has been a while. "

Wolfwood looked around the hollow entryway of the former resort, " I keep telling you it has been. It looks like the place was stripped of everything when the townspeople moved out. "

Vash nodded, " I came here once. There used to be couches along all of the walls and a quartz chandelier right over there, " He pointed towards a staircase that went up and split in two directions. " It was really beautiful. "

" So you know your way around here? " Wolfwood asked.

Vash nodded, " Yeah. That's why I said thirty minutes would be more than enough time. We just need to make sure the place is empty and no one is waiting to ambush us. "

" There are some days I wonder just how many times you were dropped on your head as kid, " Wolfwood muttered.

" Hey! " Vash whined sounding a little wounded.

" Let's just check the place out, okay? " Wolfwood walked to the stairs. " I'll go left and you go right. "

Vash walked to the stairs, " Sounds good to me. We'll meet right back here after we've checked the rooms. "

" Do you remember how many there are? " Wolfwood asked as they started to walk up the stairs.

Vash thought for a moment, " If I remember correctly the left side had fifty rooms because it was added on when this place was really popular and the right side only has twenty five because it was built first. "

Wolfwood stopped as Vash continued to walk, " What the hell did you just say? "

" I didn't stutter, " Vash smiled over his shoulder at Wolfwood. " Besides, you're the one who chose the left. Now, what was that about being dropped on one's head as a kid? "

" You're going down, needle noggin! " Wolfwood growled and ran up the stairs after Vash. He almost caught him but tripped on a step. He caught himself on the handrails but Vash got too much of lead on him so he gave up and went to the side he had chosen.

" Rotten needle noggin, " He muttered as he got a cigarette out of his jacket.

**

Meryl looked at the watch and tapped her foot. " How much longer, Meryl? " Milly asked. The younger agent was sitting on the back bumper of the car with her elbows on her knees and was getting antsy. She wanted a bath and something to eat.

" Three minutes, " Meryl clicked the watch closed, " But I'm getting uneasy so I'm going in. "

She had just stepped away from the car when Vash and Wolfwood appeared in the doorway. Wolfwood looked a little exhausted and like he was going to strangle Vash. " The place is empty, " Vash said with a smile.

" Did you check to see if the spring is still active? " Meryl asked, an edge of hope to her voice.

Vash nodded, " It looks like they didn't bother to plug it up when they shut the place down. "

" So it's been running for the last seven years? " Milly asked, standing up. She shuddered at the thought of all the wasted water. Even if it was undrinkable, it was still a crime to waste it.

Vash nodded again, " But the water cycles back down into the spring from the baths. "

Meryl's lip twitched and she took a step back, " Gross! There's no telling what could be in it now! "

Vash put a hand up, " It's clean. "

" I thought you said it broke the machines! " Meryl said, her voice getting louder.

" Yes but you never asked about the natural filtering it goes through when it returns to the spring. There are several layers of rock the water had to go through before it gets back to the spring and those rocks clean the water as it goes through, " Vash explained.

Meryl blinked, " Oh. Then that's different. "

" It's probably the cleanest it's ever been. When I came here the last time, the whole town stank like rotten eggs but now just the bathing chambers that smell, " Vash smiled.

" I suggest that we go in and get settled before the suns go down, " Wolfwood said firmly. " Since the place doesn't get any power, we better get everything taken care of as soon as possible. "

Vash waved his hand, " That won't be a problem. Didn't you see all the candles? We can just light those and the last one who goes to bed can put them out. "

" Yeah, that's about the only thing left in there. The place is bare; " Wolfwood jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

Meryl held Vash's watch out to him, " Can we just go inside or are we going to stand out here all night? "

Wolfwood and Vash stepped aside and let the ladies in. Wolfwood patted Milly's rear as she walked by but no one noticed except for her. She gasped and Meryl looked at her. " Are you okay? "

Milly faked a sneeze that sounded like the gasp she had made, " There's so much dust! " She said and faked another sneeze, her hand going to her nose.

Meryl really sneezed and she rubbed her nose, " We'll just have to deal with it. This will beat sleeping in a cave. "