Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Trigun: Welcome to Eden ❯ Part V: New Lives ( Chapter 5 )

Part V: New Lives

Vash, Meryl and Millie settled down quickly in their new home. Millie immediately started helping Father Jim run the orphanage and church, looking after the kids and taking care of the orphanage. The kids immediately took to her and thought it was amazing when they found out Millie had a baby inside of her. The children were eager to see it come out. They asked her everyday, "Miss Millie?"

"Yes?"

"When's the baby gonna come out?"

Millie would smile. "Soon, sweetie. Very soon." Millie always had the same answer for them and the kids would be satisfied with just that.

Meryl engrossed herself in writing. For the first couple of weeks no one saw much of her. She spent almost all of her time in her room, typing away like a maniac. She would let no one see what she was working on or how it was coming along. All she would ever divulge was, "I'm almost finished. When I'm finished, you can read it with along with everyone else. Till then, no dice."

Vash began to work with the strange geo-plant off shoot. No one was certain whether it was an off-shoot or not, but Vash decided to look into it. He took care of the green land, tended to it, and showed the people in Eden how to take care of it. Vash also taught them about Plants; how to work with them and understand them. After some time he discovered where the off-shoot had originated.

A bit further west there had been a town with a Plant, but it malfunctioned and the town became a ghost town. Whatever had caused the Plant to malfunction ended up creating this tiny paradise. The Plant had spread itself into the coarse ground and had given it the chance to be fertile. But only this little bit of land had managed to grow though. Vash could feel the soul of the Plant within the grass, flowers and trees. The people in town would always come to Vash while he tended to it, asking him questions about it and about the Plants. He answered and helped anyway he could.

Knives always went with Vash to the lush little paradise. Vash hoped that it would calm him, maybe ease his tortured spirit. And when the people of the town willing came up to him wanting to learn how to take care of the trees and flowers and wanting to learn more about the Plants as well, Knives witnessed it. Knives saw Vash teach the people who were eager to learn and saw the people put into practice Vash's words. Many of the women (with Vash's permission of course) took some of the fertile soil to their own homes and began to grow flowers, designing their own small gardens.

Vash hoped that with time, this entire town could be covered in grass, trees and flowers. Then it truly would be Eden.

* * *

A few weeks after…

"Ah!" Meryl said, stretching. "Done at last!"

"So now can I read it?"

Meryl almost jumped out of her skin. She whirled around and punched Vash clear across the jaw. She was heaving as he sprawled to the floor. He eventually got up and looked up at her, a hand to his face. His eyes were watery.

"Why did ya do that for?!"

Meryl took in a deep breath. "Don't scare me like that! I swear! My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest!"

Vash sat up, looking suddenly serious. Meryl blinked in surprise. "Vash?"

"Vash the Stampede: The Truth Behind the Humanoid Typhoon. Maybe it's too long of a title, Meryl."

Meryl felt heat rush to her face. "You saw it, huh? Well, I guess that means the secret is out. Yeah, I guess it's kind of long, but I like it. I went through so many other titles that just didn't work."

"Meryl, why are you writing a biography about me?" Vash asked, standing up.

Meryl turned around. She could not meet his eyes. "Well… I was sick and tired of the rumors about you. During our entire experience together, I learned so much. And I used to hate it whenever people blamed you or said that you were a killer or a monster. I even snapped at two guys when they were making that kind of comment once." Meryl shook her head and shut her eyes tightly. "I just felt that someone had to tell the truth about you. Someone had to prove that you really are the sweetest person alive, that everyone and everything means so much to you." Meryl felt a drip on her back of her hands. When she opened her eyes, her sight was blurry. Her hands were clenching her skirt and tears she had not realized she was shedding were falling onto her hands. Meryl half smiled. "I decided that someone was going to be me. I wanted to tell your story. Tell your story from my warped point of view. Of how I was like everyone else, believing in your reputation, your guilt, and how all of that changed as I watched you. I wanted to be the one to write it. I had to be."

Meryl felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. She found herself drowning into his sea-green eyes and losing herself. Vash smiled down at her and then knelt beside her. He slowly drew her into his arms and Meryl, wide-eyed, could only let him do it.

"Thank you, Meryl. Thank you," Vash whispered.

Meryl bit her lip and felt the hot tears forming behind her eyes. She wouldn't let herself cry… Meryl pulled back and pushed him away. She gave him the best smile she could muster. "You're welcome, Vash, but there really is no need to thank me. I'm doing it because I want to do it. No other reason." Meryl turned back to the typewriter. "But I want you to go over it with me, make sure there's stuff I'm not missing or something that's different from what I remember. That day you told me about your past… The day Wolfwood died…there was a lot of information. I just want to make sure I got it all."

"Sure, Meryl. Anything to help."

Warmth spread throughout her entire body. Meryl could only smile. "Thanks, Vash."

Vash turned the page, his heart aching. He looked up from his reading and turned to the sleeping Meryl. She was snuggled on her bed, red marks on her arms and face from the red pen fight they had in the middle of editing. Vash felt this warm feeling seep through his body. That Meryl should do this… for him…

He shook his head and turned back to the page. After she had fallen asleep, Vash had decided to read the book himself. He found that he couldn't put it down. Meryl wrote with such passion, such vivacity that it took his breath away. He found himself rooting for her, her partner and for… uh… himself.

The part he was reading now was after he had killed Legato and was recouping in that small village. Vash could almost hear his own screams again…but this time he also felt the pain Meryl had been going through.

"I remember. I remember all of it." When he said those words my heart constricted. Everything froze for a moment. In the next second, my mind had taken over my mouth without my consent and I found myself uttering nonsense.

"Oh, hey! I almost forgot! I need to be somewhere! I'd better hurry! I'll be back later, kay? See ya!" I headed out the door and said to him, "Make sure you drink all your soup, okay?"

I quickly shut the door behind me, afraid to even be there when it fully hit him. When he realized… what had happened. After I closed the door I leaned against it, my heart racing with the fear. He had done something he had sworn never to do. At the time he had no choice. But I knew him. He always said there had to have been another way. There was always another way, without people having to die. "Oh, Vash…" I whispered aloud to myself.

It was then that he began to scream. My heart wrenched in my chest and hot tears burned my eyes. I covered my ears, but I could still hear his tortured screams echoing in the room behind. The tears began to slide down my cheeks as I heard his anguish, felt it in every cell in my body. I, too, wanted to wail with the pain reverberated within me. It was unbearable. But one thought silenced my voice.

His agony was a hundredfold to mine.

Vash looked up from the page and felt it again. The same feeling of horror and torment that had tortured him then returned, for a brief moment he was living it again. He looked at Meryl on the bed and suddenly the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come. At that time it had also been Meryl who had saved him. Saved him from accepting his own death for the crimes he had committed.

Vash got up and put down the papers. He reorganized them and smiled when he saw the title page. There was a red line through the original title and scribbles everywhere for ideas.

"Not a textbook, a biography," one scribble said with his handwriting.

"Vash the Stampede: The Man and the Myth?" A possible title scratched through. "Textbook" was written above it and that too was scratched out. "Documentary" was written above "Textbook".

"Vash the Stampede: His Life Story?" Crossed out.

"Ticket to the Future: The Story of Vash the Stampede???" Many question marks followed.

"Love & Peace: A Biography of Vash the Stampede?" Underlined with a question mark.

"Vash the Stampede: A Biography?" Crossed out with "dull" written on top.

"The Warrior of Love & Peace: Vash the Stampede!" Scratched out with "stupid" written above the title idea.

"The $$60,000,000,000 Man: The True Story of Vash the Stampede." A line was through this title. Above it was "too long".

"The One Who Lives Outside of Time: Vash the Stampede???" Question marks followed it and written beside it was, "maybe too confusing for people to understand".

"Humanoid Typhoon: More Human than Typhoon?" It had question marks all around it and a "huh?" floating above it.

Vash smiled. Even though they had gone through this whole battle of title designing they had still remained undecided. It will probably be "Love & Peace" or "Ticket to the Future"… or maybe they would come up with something better. Vash turned away and headed toward the bed. Meryl murmured something in her sleep and Vash sat down beside her trying to listen.

"Mm… Vash…" she whispered.

Vash leaned over and kissed her softly. This bitchy, short-tempered, violent, little witch had really done so much for him. And underneath that entire tough, prickly exterior was this soft mushy person that was all fluff. Who'd a thought? He kissed her lips lightly, so as not to wake her, but whatever dream Meryl was having allowed her to return it.

Vash did not notice right away. But as they kissed, Meryl's arms wrapped around him and began to pull him down against her. Vash forgot that he had intended to give Meryl a small kiss and then go back to his room. His arms were braced on either side of her and he was slowly drawing closer. His arms moved closer around her, until his chest touched hers and his arms were wrapped around her, holding her tightly. Meryl's arms were around him holding him to her. Vash should have noticed. But right now, all he cared about was kissing her and holding her. Meryl tasted so…

It was Meryl's small moan that snapped Vash out of it. He slowly pulled away from the kiss and almost leapt off of her. He was holding her tightly all right, his shirt was mostly open and her breasts were pressed tightly against his chest. Her arms were around him and one of her hands in his hair. He was completely on top of her…and both his legs were between hers. Her hips cradled his.

WHOA, VASH!!! You almost got carried away! Time to get off before Meryl realizes and sends you flying out the window. Vash began to move away, but Meryl's arms only held him in place. Vash blinked. How am I gonna get out of this if I can't break free without waking her? Damn. Why did these things always happen to him…?

"Why did you stop?"

Vash froze. He turned back to Meryl and saw her violet eyes gazing up at him in confusion. "Why are you trying to leave?" she whispered.

Vash blinked. Wait a minute… "You're not trying to kill me for finding me like this… on top of you…"

Meryl sighed and abruptly let him go, dropping her arms to her sides. "I guess it really is just a dream. It'll never happen in real life."

Vash got up, but he did not leave the bed. He sat back and looked at Meryl. She seemed …almost sad. "What's the deal, Meryl? If I ever tried anything like this you would punch me clear across the room. Now, you're acting…"

"As if I wanted you to try something? Well, I don't have the courage myself. I can try to incite you to do something, but I can't make you. Besides, what I want can only be a dream anyway. You…live forever. You live outside of time. I don't want to you to watch me grow old and wrinkled and fade away. So all I can do is dream."

Vash watched her face. Her brilliant violet eyes seemed far away. "What do you dream, Meryl?"

Meryl turned a bright shade of red. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah."

She turned a darker shade of red and grabbed a pillow. She put it on her face. After a moment Meryl tossed it off and then sighed. "I don't got the guts to say it out loud."

"All right." Vash got up and lay down beside her. He gave her his ear. "Whisper it too me. Like you're sharing a secret. Will that make you feel better?"

Meryl narrowed her eyes. "It's kind of stupid to tell a secret to the person the secret's about."

"Your dream is about me?" Meryl clamped her hands over her mouth. Vash grinned. "Oh no. The cat's out of the bag Meryl," a "NYAO" was suddenly heard from the window, but Vash ignored it. "You might as well tell me all of it. If it's a dream about me, I definitely want to know what it is. After all, you're the one writing a book about me and all."

Meryl's cheeks were a brilliant red and she nodded. "Fine. Just as long as you don't crack any stupid jokes, needle noggin'."

"I promise, I promise."

Meryl's face did not ease up in color as she began to whisper. Vash had to strain his ears to hear her.

"I dream that I…I'm together with you. And maybe…just maybe we're married. We have fun, laugh, talk, uh…make, uh…love…" the last word was only a breath, "and sometimes there's kids in my dream and both you and I grow old and watch our kids grow up. And we have grandkids and Millie and Wolfwood are there too with their kids. The kids play in the trees all the time. We live in a place where there are lots of trees and flowers and just when you walk a bit there's a great big ocean and a beach. We've got swings on two trees by the beach and we swing there. We splash in the crystal blue water with our kids and with each other. Millie and Wolfwood are there with their kids… And then us four sit on the swings and we're old and we watch our kids play with their kids in the water. And then…" Meryl paused for a moment. She closed her eyes and suddenly buried her face against Vash's chest. He blinked down at her. "And then I wake up. And I wish I never had to wake up."

Vash smiled and wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes and envisioned the scene she described. Beautiful. If only it weren't a dream… "Meryl?"

"Mm?" she mumbled against his chest.

"That's a wonderful dream. Sounds like the real Eden. Maybe…maybe someday it will come true."

Meryl pulled away from him and sat up. "Don't give me fruitless hopes, Vash. Both you and I know that dream will never, ever come true. I used to entertain myself, giving myself some minor hope, by saying that maybe some part of it may come true. But I now know that even that won't happen. Wolfwood is dead, there are no oceans on this stupid planet, and I'll never have kids or grandkids."

"You never know, Meryl. You might," Vash said.

"NO, I WON'T, YOU IDIOT!" Meryl yelled at him. Vash started. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Meryl rubbed her arm against her eyes and shook his head. "No. I will never have kids or grandkids. Because there's only one person I want them with and I can never, ever have that person. And even if I could have that person I could only have him for a little while and I want him forever." She turned back to Vash with a whirl. "So you see, Vash? It's a stupid dream…"

It finally hit Vash. He always suspected. From his own feelings and Meryl's slow change. Somewhere along their long journey together, their relationship had turned from "weirdo" and "real bitchy" into something much more. Into something…beyond friendship. Vash smiled ruefully. He had tried to hide the truth from himself for the same reason; Meryl was denying it even now. It was impossible. No matter how much they tried to make it work or try to hope for a miracle; it was just impossible. But at least…

"Meryl?"

"What!" she snapped. Vash saw her pink cheeks and her glowing eyes in the light of the moon shining through the window. When had he started seeing her in this light? When he had seen Rem in her? Or even before that?

"Even if it's impossible… If you dread the future, you can't live. You can't live for tomorrow or for yesterday. What will be or what could have been. You live for now. Just a day at a time. And if you take it, at least a day at a time… Maybe a part of your dream can be real."

Meryl sniffed as she looked at him. Vash lost himself in her violet eyes and jumped into the rabbit hole. One day at a time. And when the future comes, we'll deal with it then.

"Which part?" Meryl said suspiciously. "What are you plotting, Vash?"

Vash only grinned. He didn't answer her question out loud. He just pulled her into his arms and kissed her. That was all the answer he could give.

* * *

"Vash, what have you done?"

Vash woke up groggily. The sun was beaming through the window. What time was it? Afternoon already? The room was completely lit up and the brightness was slowly drawing Vash into total wake up. He felt Meryl to his side, her arm draped over his chest, her leg over his legs, her body snuggled close to him. Vash could feel her breasts against his side and a drunken smile twisted on his lips. Last night had been fantastic…

"Vash!"

Vash blinked, his eyes shooting open. Wait a minute, that voice… He turned his head to the left and saw Knives beside the bed. A scowl decorated his brother's face. Oh, crap!

"Uh… Good mornin', Knives. Or is it afternoon already? Must have slept in longer than I thought, heh heh." Knives cocked up an eyebrow and Vash shook his head. He moved gently away from Meryl, making sure she was covered up by the sheet, and ran a hand through his hair. He turned back to his brother. "What can I help you with big brother?"

"What have you done, you fool? You had sex with her."

"I prefer the term, 'made love'."

"I don't give a damn what you call it, Vash. The point is you did it. How could do such a thing? With a human woman of all things."

Vash lifted an eyebrow. "You should try it, Knives. Might relieve some stress. Did wonders for me!"

"You IDIOT!" Knives yelled. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Our kind can't mingle with their kind. It's disgusting. And even if you don't care about that, you should at least care about the consequences. This stupid human is in love with you. She's going to grow old and die. Their life span is miniscule compared to ours. You, who so hate to hurt them, she will be destroyed as she becomes older, seeing you still in your youth as hers fades away. We will never blend in with their kind."

Vash was silent as he stared at his brother for a moment. "Knives," Vash said softly. "Are you actually worried about my relationship with Meryl?"

Knives was taken aback. Vash couldn't help but grin. He suddenly felt a movement behind him and turned. Meryl sat up, holding the sheet to her chest and smiled at Knives.

"You don't have to worry, Knives. We know what the consequences will be." Vash gazed into Meryl's eyes as she turned to him. "But we're going to live one day at a time. And live as happily as possible for today. And when tomorrow comes, we'll deal with it then."

Knives cursed. "You misinterpret me. I do not want Vash soiling himself anymore than necessary. He already reeks of human taint."

Meryl rolled her eyes and Vash shook his head. "Nice recovery, Knives, but I think your true meaning was already expressed. But as for this 'soiling' and 'human taint'. Well, the Plants seem to enjoy the attention." Vash turned to Meryl and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "And I sure as hell do!" he finished with a grin. Meryl bonked him across the head.

"You idiot."

"MERYL, MR. VASH!"

Millie burst in through the door at that moment, startling everyone there. Her belly seemed bigger than usual and there was a look of panic on her face.

"Millie, what is it?" Meryl asked quickly.

Millie took a deep breath and whispered the next three words.

"My water broke."

"OH CRAP!"