Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Reply ❯ Heated Reunion ( Chapter 1 )

I don't own too much of anything, so there's no way I own Trigun, Vash, or any other characters that are copyrighted. However, I wrote this story, and my imagination is always gonna be mine. No stealing.

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It had been almost a week since Vash had left. A week since he'd gone to face his brother in what was sure to be the battle to end all battles. A week since she had last seen that red coat, those dashing green eyes, his golden locks.

 

Meryl stared absentmindedly out the window, her dark eyes completely unfocused as she laid her cheek on her arm. She had tried, she really had, but… Meryl couldn't concentrate, not when she didn't know where he was, or even if he was still alive. He haunted her thoughts when she was awake, her dreams while she slept. So often, she thought she heard his voice on the wind, his screeching laughter in her ear, but when she turned to look, he was never there. Her eyes glistened slightly as she tried to fight back tears.

 

As Meryl felt one trickle down her cheek, she snapped out of her daze. She brought up one hand to wipe it away, mentally shaking herself for letting her mind drift like that. She should be working, or cleaning, or one of a million other things. Meryl turned from her window side perch, staring at the room in front of her. She took a few steps into the middle, staring at the typewriter. As she stared, her mind began to drift again, drift to thoughts of Vash, to his lean stature, his curious expressions, that maddening scent of his. Gunpowder, sweat, tears… But with that faint sweetness, like donuts, or a delicate flower… Nothing could compare to him, nothing.

 

Meryl slunk into the chair in front of the typewriter, drawing circles around the 'J' key as she mused on Vash. She finally placed both hands on the keys, closing her eyes as she tried to think of what to write. But there was nothing to say… Not really. Vash wasn't here. There was no way of knowing if he was even alive or not…

 

"Oh, Vash…"

 

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise from outside that tore her from her thoughts. Her head jerked up as she knocked her chair over in a desperate rush to see what was happening. Meryl glanced out the window, but decided it would be better to just go outside and see for herself. She tore out her bedroom door, her mind desperately begging for it to be him, to be the man that plagued her mind, to be Vash. As she reached the front door of their little house, she swung the door open quickly and dashed outside, looking around.

 

"Vash! Va- Ahh!" Suddenly, Meryl realized what the sound was. 'Water… They finally found water!'

 

Meryl stared at the gushing fountain, smiling as she did. This was a truly glorious site, to see the water like that on such a dry planet. She heard the loud cheers from the villagers, including a few distinct shouts from her partner. Meryl watched as children ran towards the fountain, with their mothers chasing closely after them. Yet, even as a smile mused across her face, another few tears trickled down her face. It wasn't him… Of course it wasn't him. Water… just water.

 

Meryl tried to stifle a few sobs, tried to stop herself from lowering her head, from bringing her hands up to wipe away the tears. But she couldn't. She couldn't stop her tears for that man, the man she had been following for the past few years, the man… dare she even think it? The man… she loved. As Meryl finally realized this, her tears only came faster, trickling down her face before she could wipe them away. She was about to sink to her knees when she felt a hand on her shoulder, breath near her ear. And then… that all too familiar voice…

 

"Whatcha cryin' for, short girl?"

 

Meryl turned faster than she had ever done before, fully expecting to just be imagining this again. She was sure she was going crazy, so sure. Yet there he was… His coat was gone, and he had… a body slung across his back, but he was there. Meryl blinked a few times, shaking her head and wiping away the last few tears from her wide eyes. And he was still there. No matter how many times she blinked, she could still see his goofy smile, his fallen locks, his eyes. She could still see Vash.

 

"V… Vash! Vash, you're really here, it's really you, you're… V..Vash!" Meryl reached out a hand, to touch him, to make sure he was really there. She felt a few new tears trickled from her eyes, but this time, she didn't care. He was real. This was really Vash. She wasn't dreaming, it was really him! As she touched him, she realized that his shirt was covered in blood, as was the man on his back.

 

"Ah… Ah! Vash, you're… blood! It's everywhere! Inside, now! And that… Is that… Is he…?" She stared at the body on his back, her mouth slightly agape. Her tears had stopped flowing, and her dark eyes shimmered instead with concern.

 

"Hey, come on now, missy! I just got back, aren't you gonna give me a kiss before you start bossing me around?" Vash chuckled as he shifted the weight on his back a little.

 

Meryl flushed a bright shade of red before retorting. "W… What!? You must think I'm crazy or something. Why would I want to kiss you?! Now get inside!"

 

"Ah, alright, alright, whatever you say. I could use a few donuts, and Knives needs a place to lie down." Vash walked slowly towards the door, his smile lingering on his face as he did.

Meryl stared after him for just a few seconds, thinking to herself. 'So… So that is him. That's the one who was after him all this time… And of course, Vash just comes waltzing back in here, toting that man with him, as if nothing had happened… That's just like him… Ah, oh! He needs help with his wounds, I'd better hurry!' She dashed in after him, hurrying to open the door to his bedroom.

 

"Here, you can lay him in your old bed… Ah… I think we have some donuts on the counter, but before you dig in, I'm going to have to clean you up, alright?" Meryl wagged a finger in front of her, warning him not to cross her.

 

"But… I'm hungry now! Can't I eat first, and then-" Vash started as he walked towards his room to release this burden.

 

"Not one more word mister, you aren't doing anything until I've looked at you and gotten you some clean clothes! Hurry and drop him off, I'll go grab the first aid kit. And don't you dare go after those donuts!" Meryl glared at Vash for a few seconds longer before turning to the bathroom for a first aid kit, some towels, and some clean water.

 

Vash smiled as he watched her disappear, glad that she was acting normal again. It wasn't until Knives started slipping off his back that he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He continued to trek into his room, feeling greatly relieved to drop his brother into the bed, rubbing his shoulder a little afterwards.

 

"Hey bro, I hope you're comfy. You certainly pulled a number on my arm, shooting it, then making me carry you all that way. That's not even playing fair, you know." Vash chuckled a bit when he thought about it. "Well, at least now I get to play doctor with the cute little insurance girl. For that, I'm gonna have to thank you…"

 

He turned and walked out of his room, glancing back at Knives to make sure the plant was sleeping, just as he should be. Once he was satisfied with his brother's activities, he stepped outside and walked to the bathroom. Meryl was bent over, grabbing a bucket to fill with water. Vash couldn't help but stare at her bottom, which was stuck quite high in the air at the moment. He raised his eyebrows as he stared, his eyes glimmering with interest. At that moment, Meryl stood up and turned slightly, noticing that Vash was already there.

 

"Oh, hey there Vash, I'll be ready in just a- why are you looking at me like that?" Meryl suddenly blushed as she realized that he had been staring at her butt, her eyes glowering angrily as she reached out and slapped him right across the face. "You… Little… Pervert! How dare you!"

 

"Hey, come on now, insurance girl, I couldn't help it! It's not my fault you have such a cute little bottom! And you were waving it right in front of me, what was I supposed to do?" Vash smiled, knowing he was just digging himself in deeper. But he liked seeing Meryl mad, she was cute like that.

 

"WHAT! You're worse than I thought! Dammit, Vash, don't you even care about a girl's feelings! You're horrible!" Meryl reached out to slap him again, but felt another hand wrap around hers. As she reached up her other arm, he caught that one as well. In almost an instant, Vash had pulled the small girl closed to him, so their bodies were just slightly touching. A deep blush covered Meryl's face as she stared up into Vash's deep green eyes, her mouth slightly agape as he held her there.

 

"Hey, come on now… I was just teasing. You really do have a cute bum, but your face is much, much cuter." Vash smiled down at her leaning just a bit closer so he could smell her. There were tears, of course, but the soft scent of honey, just a touch of gunpowder, but mainly just the sweet, sweet smell of roses. Her scent matched her quite well, sort of fruity, but also a bit salty… It was intoxicating. Vash felt his mind empty as he stared down at her.

 

Meanwhile, Meryl was fighting her own battle. She was shocked, upset, and almost… scared. Being this close to him was driving her wild. Her body shook slightly, but she wasn't sure why. She began to breath a little heavier, and tried to fight the feeling that was overwhelming her body. She felt hot and cold at the same time, like a fire was burning inside of her that sucked all the warmth from the air around her. It was driving her mad, being so close to him. And, oh god, his smell… His smell was all around him, almost making her dizzy. Her blush deepened as her breathing became more shallow, almost as if she was panting.

 

"V… Vassssshhh…." Meryl couldn't keep herself from drawing out his name, it was like honey to her lips. She closed her eyes to the feelings that surrounded her, wishing that Vash would stop tormenting her like this. Luckily, Vash let go of her hands and stepped back, leaving Meryl a chance to catch her breath. She quickly turned and kneeling over her bucket. She splashed her face with cold water, trying to get a grip on herself. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but it was strangely pleasant and unnerving at the same time.

 

Vash simply stood back, musing over what had just happened. He had only meant to tease her a little, but apparently it had done more than that. He had felt her tremor, noticed the bright hue her body took, and that look in her eyes… That dull shine… Was it… lust? It certainly looked it, but… his short girl, lusting? Not only lusting, but lusting for him? Vash wondered if maybe he was fooling himself into thinking this way. After all, he had been thinking about her all the way back to this little village. It wouldn't surprise him if he had only imagined that look in her eyes, as he had already done many times on the road back. Vash mentally shook himself, wondering what had come over him recently. After over 150 years of living, he would have thought he would know better by now…

 

"Vash… err… uhmm… Vash, I'm ready… to ehhmm… to clean you up now." Meryl had rolled up the sleeves of the blouse she was wearing, and stood in front of Vash with a moistened towel.

 

"Oh, ehh… of course! I'll just sit here, then." Vash took a seat in the chair Meryl had placed near the sink, with his back to the short beauty. He thought for a moment, then began unclasping his shirt. He tried to do it quickly, so he wouldn't be able to think about his bare skin being so close to her… He looked down at the ground as soon as he finished removing his shirt. Even though Meryl had already told him that his body was fine, he was still shy about it. He sometimes felt like he was just half a man, with all the scars and metal on his body…

 

Meryl could only stare as he removed his shirt. She fought off the heat that threatened to rise to her cheeks, convincing herself that this was no time to get flustered. She looked at his shoulder, shaking her head at the mess. So much of it was dried blood that she couldn't see the extent of the damage. She gently rubbed at the skin, trying to loosen up as much as possible without tearing the skin beneath it. Finally, Meryl couldn't stand the silence anymore, and tried to pick up a conversation.

 

"Uhmm… I haven't cleaned it all up yet, but it looks like you're healing alright... You're lucky that your wound didn't open up again while you were carrying him back." Meryl spoke softly as she continued to scrub his shoulder. She glanced sheepishly at Vash as he began speaking.

 

"Actually, I think it might have when I first picked him up, but it's good to know it's still healing…" Vash was still looking away, avoiding eye contact.

 

"What! And you didn't patch yourself up. You idiot!" Meryl slapped his shoulder softly, causing Vash to yell out in pain.

 

"Hey now, that's not a very nice thing to do to an injured man! Besides, I had to hurry home to my cute little insurance girl!" Vash turned his head and stared straight into Meryl's dark eyes.

 

"Well, you deserve it! And don't go sucking up to me, that won't work, mister! I should make you sleep outside tonight!" Meryl placed one hand on her hip and used the other hand to wag under his nose. "As it is, you'll be taking my bed."

 

"What! But where are you planning on sleeping, lil' lady?" Vash glanced down at her finger and found himself getting dizzy, so he decided focusing on her eyes was a better idea. They were much prettier anyways.

 

"Wha- Oh, I was just going to sleep on the couch." Meryl stopped wagging her finger and placed that and on her hip as well as she stared up at the ceiling. She just wasn't expecting Vash's next suggestion.

 

"Why don't you share a bed with me, then?"