Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Outlaw and The Insurance Lady ❯ The Plan ( Chapter 5 )

It was past dark when a long, ominous shadow engulfed the elderly innkeeper. She looked up and immediately gave a wide, nervous smile.

"Oh, h-hello Mr. Vash," she greeted. Vash stood there, eyes searching the room. Finally his gazed stopped on her and asked, "Did a short, black-haired woman dressed in white come in here and rent a room?"

"Um, uhh, I'm not all that sure. My memory isn't what it used to be," she replied, avoiding his sharp gaze. He snorted and walked past the desk.

"Whatever," he mumbled and disappeared down the hall.

He knew he wouldn't be seeing the last of Meryl Stryfe. Something about her determination and foolish courage gave him the strong belief that she didn't give up easily.

He swayed slightly in front of his door when a sudden headache banged at his temples. He turned and leaned his back heavily on the wall and pressed the heel of his palm hard over his eye.

"I knew I shouldn't have had that many shots . . . ugh," he moaned and shook his head when the headache eased up somewhat. He shoved open his door and closed it behind him then walked over to his bed, never noticing the other presence.

When he went to take off his shoes, he suddenly tensed. Behind him he heard soft breathing and he warily looked over his shoulder.

Vash almost choked on his own spittle when he found the small fiery woman sprawled out on her back, taking up the middle of his bed.

What the hell?!

His shocked expression turned sour and angry as he just stared at the woman. The nerve she had, he thought angrily, to come into his room and take over his bed! His eye twitched when she rolled away onto her side, her back facing him.

He quickly slid his hand into his pocket and grasped the butt of his revolver, yanking it out and aiming it at point-blink-range to her head. His finger began to tighten on the trigger; his green eyes alight with fury. But then he stopped.

"No," he said to himself as he slowly pulled his arm away. He slid it back into his coat, his gaze never leaving the petite feminine form. Though his eyes were narrowed and dangerous looking, a mischievous smirk slid along his lips as another thought came to him.

He stood his knapsack up between his legs and opened the top, then slid a hand down inside it and rummaged around until he grasped what he was looking for.

He pulled his arm out along with long, thick pieces of rope originally used to tie up a Thomas he might have rented or used for means of escape if his plans backfired on him.

He closed his bag and turned around, kneeling on the bed and looming over Meryl, one piece of rope pulled taunt and straight in his hands. His eyes roamed her body once before he put his evil thoughts into motion.

Meryl yawned and blinked open her blurry eyes. She waited a few moments until her vision cleared. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she stared up at the shadowed ceiling and gasped softly.

Damn it! I fell asleep!

She went to sit up, but fell back down when she couldn't move her legs or arms. Her eyes shot up to her hands and they widened. They were tied tightly together at the headboard by a thick piece of rope skillfully knotted. Though she couldn't see it, Meryl knew it was probably the same way with her ankles.

"What the--?!" she started in outrage. Amused chuckles came from her left and she turned her head to find none other than Vash the Stampede stretched out beside her on his side, his head propped up with his hand.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, smirking.

"What's the meaning of this?! Untie me!" she screeched, jerking around, but stopped abruptly when ungodly like pain shot up her arms. She let out a long, feral hiss and glared evilly at the spiky blonde lying so carefree next to her.

"What's the matter? Did I tie the ropes a bit too tight?" His face suddenly came within centimeters of hers and he said in a dark, chilling voice, "Well, too bad." She shrunk back as much as she could as those icy eyes pierced her own.

He pulled away slowly, saying equally as cold as his eyes, "You brought it on yourself."

"What?!" Her eyes became hot and feral as a cat's. He snorted.

"I didn't tell you to come into my room, you know. It's your own damn fault. Either your one big moron or you came in here for a reason. If it's for a nice roll in the bed, then sorry to disappoint. I don't sleep with anyone, innocents or whores, unless I'm so drunk that I can't remember my own name."

Meryl was speechless. She just stared at him, her mouth open in utter disbelief. He thought she wanted to sleep with him?! She would never do such a thing with a man as pig-headed and arrogant as him! NEVER!

"Don't flatter yourself," she hissed darkly, her fingers twitching and clenching into tiny fists, just wanting to crack him a good one across the jaw. Vash rolled off from the bed and stood up.

He walked over to a chair and grabbed it then walked over to the bed and slammed it down next to her. She winced slightly, noticing just how angry he was.

"Tell me again why you're doing this?" he asked as he took a seat. He leaned over and grabbed his knapsack. He pulled out a bottle of whisky and took a long swig from it then sighed. Meryl watched him in silence; her eyes drinking in her own fill of masculinity.

She found out when he had gotten up from the bed that he was naked to the waist. He was tall and lean, that's all she could really describe him as.

He wasn't bulging with thick, corded muscles like she had seen many times before. But he wasn't a toothpick either. He was bordering on lanky with his slightly muscular arms, chest, and hard belly.

He had a narrow waist and long, strong legs clothed in strange pants, his hostler and gun strapped to his right thigh. She quickly looked back up to his face, her evil thoughts of what was between those legs making her blush slightly.

His face was long and angular with a strong chin, a firm mouth, a long straight nose, and light green eyes that burned with unknown hatred, anger and many more emotions.

His spiky blonde hair drooped slightly and a few strands hung in his face. She hadn't really noticed before, but he had a silver loop in his left ear that gleamed when he turned his head slightly so that it basked in what light was emitted from the hallway to the door

Meryl found the earring sinfully well on him. She had to admit that Vash the Stampede was a very good-looking guy with an attractive body.

Her gaze was caught by his and she quickly turned her head away, her cheeks heating up even as she tried to stop them from doing so.

"Are you going to answer me or what?" Meryl blinked and mentally slapped herself. She had been too busy ogling the man that she forgot her tongue.

"I already told you, so it's up to you to remember," she said coldly. The snort she heard made her turn her head to glare at the outlaw sitting close to her only half clothed.

"Why do you do it?" Her eyes squinted as she looked up at him in confusion.

"Do what?"

"Act brave when deep down you're really scared of me or what I'll do to you?" Meryl's cheeks puffed out angrily.

"I'm not afraid of you!" A taunting, all-knowing smirk appeared on his flawless features.

"Oh, but you are," he insisted.

"I am no-!" She was silenced when he reached out and pressed his index finger against her lips.

He leaned over and said in a hushed tone, "You are."

When he removed his finger, she continued, "Yeah well, it's not exactly comforting to know that I'm tied up at hands and feet to a bed with the most fear outlaw on the planet."

"Probably not, but it's not like I'm ravishing at this very moment," he countered.

"Doesn't mean you won't," she shot right back. His golden eyebrows rose at her quick comebacks and attitude. She was by far the most intriguing creature he had ever come across in his long existence of living.

"Don't you care more about your life than your job?" he asked, a little curious as to why she was really doing this.

"My life is devoted to my work and the people who need us. In other words, if it means saving just one innocent life from an ass like you, then no."

"You're a fool," he said bluntly. A smirk flitted across Meryl's mouth.

"That's okay, people said I was a very foolish girl growing up. Seemed I made all the wrong choices and went down sorry paths."

Vash sat there with no reply. Instead he just leaned back in the chair and studied her. The way his sea-green eyes slowly roamed her body from head to toe and back, the utter intensity in them, made her feel naked and uncomfortable.

"Why do you do it?" she asked suddenly, startling him from his deep thoughts.

"What?"

"Kill people for no reason? Why?" Vash's eyes darkened, his mouth turning into a sneer. She obviously struck something tender.

"Believe me, I have reasons. Half of them aren't as big as the other's, but they still count."

"What are your reasons?"

"None of your business," he growled coldly. Meryl winced at the bite in his tone and turned her head away.

"Fine, but the lest you can do is untie me," she said. Vash chuckled and dropped the bottle back into his bag. He stood up and leaned over her, making her nervous and twitchy.

"Why? So you can dog my heels anyway? I think I won't."

"What?! You're just going to leave me tied up?!" He tapped his chin with a finger, as if in deep thought

"Well, that I was my plan a few seconds ago. I have another . . . and it does include you and it does include corporation."

+++

Sucky, yeah, I made Vash kinda corny in my opinion. I know, "Why can't you leave her tied up?! It's obvious now they're going to fall for each other! Make her track him down some more!" >>

I know that, but do ya have any idea how BORING it's gunna be to write that out? How utterly BORING it will be for you to read? Yeah I thought so. ^^

I do this for a reason 'cause it makes the plot easier for me and in some cases longer. I mean there are some out there that can actually do this stuff, like Gloria Stone and she's good at it. ^^