Chapter Text
“Mr. Vash, I can't find Meryl anywhere!” A voice called from behind Vash, pulling him away from his thoughts as he stood there in the sand just outside of Inepril.
“Wasn’t she with you?” Vash questioned. “I could have sworn she was right with you before the two of you left the engineering room?”
Vash watched as Milly began to tear up, obvious worry resting on the poor girl’s face. She nodded in response. “She was, but I lost sight of her! I don’t even know how she was right next to me!”
Vash thought for a moment, a gloved hand coming to rest on his chin as he did. As much as he begrudgingly allowed the insurance girls to follow him, and acted like he hated it, Vash still very much cared about the two. That and who was he to not help a friend in need. Now the only real question now was where to start.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts he turned to Milly. “I’ll help you find her Milly.” His tone serious, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Now the big question, wanna stick together or split up?”
Vash watched as Milly rubbed her eyes with one of her sleeves, quickly sniffling before answering him. “Let’s stick together, I want to be there if you find her first.”
“Alright, come on big girl we got a Meryl to find.” Vash said softly, grabbing Milly’s sleeve and pulling her towards town.
“Right!”
~~~~
Meryl’s head was fuzzy, a slight buzz could be felt at the back of her skull as she laid there. Where was she? Why couldn’t she open her eyes? More importantly, why did she feel like she got run over by a sandsteamer? More questions filled her mind as she tried to get up, or at least move. But she soon found that she still couldn’t no matter how long she laid there.
As she continued to lay on the ground, an apologetic feeling rushed through her body, along with the feeling of being worn down to the point of exhaustion. It wasn’t her own emotions and feelings running through her, that she knew. Her mind continued to race as the emotions continued to grow, feeling as if some otherworldly presence was near and saddened by the state she currently found herself in. She couldn’t understand it, nor could she understand the tears that began to form and flow from her closed eyes.
The feeling soon vanished, so abrupt that it had caused Meryl to cry out. Her head beginning to feel as if someone had scrambled it. And soon all she could hear was the yelling of her name as she began to cry. One voice she didn’t recognize, the other though, she did. It sounded different from how she remembered, but she knew who it was none the less.
“Vash?” Her voice came out scratchy through her cries, like she hadn’t had anything to drink in forever. Certainly felt like it too.
“Hey there insurance girl,” Insurance? What? “Mind opening those pretty eyes for me?”
Meryl tried to, she really did, and had she been in her right mind she would have wondered when Vash had gotten so flirty. But it was almost as if her eyes were glued shut. And she was in pain. She tried to shake her head, only to feel the slightest movement. Progress at least.
“Can’t…” she mumbled. Meryl felt a soft hand come to rest on her forehead. The touch gentle, as she heard the sound of a woman gasping in shock.
“Vash!” The loudness of the shout caused Meryl to cringe slightly, another small sob came from her lips. “She’s burning up!”
Meryl groaned, now that the woman had mentioned it, she felt way too hot. Slowly becoming aware of the sweat that clung to her body.
A curse could be heard as she felt herself be gently picked up from the floor. “Sorry Meryl, but desprate times call for desprate measures.” She felt Vash’s chest rumble as he spoke.
“ -t’s fine…” She mumbled. She could feel her body slowly starting to shut down again as he picked her up from where she laid.
“M’tired Vash.” Her speech was slurred as she spoke, slowly falling deeper into what was soon to be a blissful sleep.
“We got you. Just rest for now Meryl.” It was the woman’s voice again. The girl she didn’t quite recgonize. Had she been more aware in the moment, Meryl would have questioned how she knew her name. But she could feel herself slipping further, and soon her consciousness was no more.
~~~~
A sudden gasp erupted from her body as she sat up. Her head swimming as consciousness slowly came back to her. Her head no longer hurt, and she couldn’t help but notice the pajama’s that she now wore. She definitely does not remember putting those on. Looking around, Meryl realized she had absolutely no idea where she was, nor how she had gotten there.
Slowly Meryl began to remember. She remembered the flow of sadness and shock that flew and darted its way through her body as she witnessed Vash fall to the floor. As soon as he fell she felt an overwhelming sense of panic. Only to then feel a sudden sense of wrong before she soon began to fall as well. She couldn’t help but wonder if everyone was alright. Or at least better than she was fairing now.
Making her way out of the bed she found herself in, she made her way to the bathroom attached to the room. Gently closing the door, she took note of herself in front of the mirror. She looked ill, her skin paler than normal. Her hair a small rat’s nest of tangles. She quickly scrounged around for a hair brush, finding one in a small drawer by the sink. She soon found herself taking care of the snarls that had worked their way into her hair, not even noticing the slight difference in length and texture. When Meryl finished, she finally settled and took in more of herself.
She looked older, which was impossible. She was slightly taller too. Starting to get nervous she pulled herself from the mirror and made her way back into the main room. While it was pretty dark, she could still see a little bit thanks to the dim lamp that rested on the table.
Observing the room she noticed that it was on the smaller side, still it looked like there was enough room for a small cot to be tucked along the wall opposite of the bed. A few bags rested in one of the corners, none of which she recgonized from their small group. She couldn’t help but tense. She still didn’t feel well, and the sudden realization that someone may have kidnapped her didn’t help either.
The turning of the room's door handle pulled her from her frantic thoughts, quickly she scrambled her way under the bed, a little surprised she even could fit in the small space. Slowly but surely she heard the door open, quiet voices filtering in.
“Do you think she’s still sleeping Mr. Vash?”
Well at least Meryl knew that name, even if she didn’t quite recgonize the voice it came from.
“I’d be surprised, especially with all the ruckus.” Vash’s voice was deeper, more sharp than she was used to. “But if she is, I’ll help you get her settled on the bus Milly.”
“Thank you.” The woman’s voice responded.
The mention of Milly’s name brought a rush of small memories into Meryl’s head. Brief flashes of her and a brown haired girl traveling for work flashed through her thoughts. They weren’t her’s, or at least not fully. Slightly weirded out by the flashes of memory, she held her breath. The two had gotten quiet, probably noticing that she wasn’t in the bed anymore.
“Where’d she go?” She heard Milly whisper.
“I don’t know,” she watched as Vash’s boots moved further into the room. Her breath caught slightly as she realized how close they were to her hiding spot. “There’s no signs of a struggle, so I doubt that she somehow got tangled up with the BadLads.”
The BadLads? Well that definitely didn’t make sense. Something was off, Meryl was more than sure of it now. As if it wasn’t weird enough that she was with people who knew her, but she herself didn’t fully recgonize. Vash also seemed to be remarkably different then how she was used to him acting. His voice sounded different for one, more upbeat and alluring. It was like his voice was trying to pull her in. The thought made her cheeks flush slightly. Her conclusion…
He sounded like a flirt.
Plus, how could she be out cold for what had to have been only a few days and still be on the same sandsteamer, AND be once again attacked by the same gang. Something didn’t add up, and she had no idea how to even attempt to approach it. For just a moment, she tuned out the other occupants of the room out, trying to get her thoughts in check.
She couldn’t help the slow shuffle back, trying to hide and get as close as she could to the wall under the bed. Hoping that the darkness would somehow hide her form. The room was quiet now as Meryl realized something. Vash for sure knew where she was. He wasn’t stupid, no matter how often his actions seemed otherwise. And if this was infact some different version of Vash, he had to have been the same, or at the very least similar.
“Milly?” His voice soft, as Meryl watched his boots shuffle just a bit closer to her.
“Yeah?”
Vash was quiet for a moment, causing Meryl to at least hope, only for that hope to die as she felt him sit down on the bed.
“Why don’t you go take a peak around the ship, I’ll stick around here in case she makes her way back?”
Meryl heard Milly make a sound of disapproval. “Are you sure? It was pretty crazy up there, I doubt she would have left the room…”
“Just in case, come on Milly, trust me?” His voice got sad, like he couldn’t believe the other girl in the room didn’t trust him. Not that Meryl could really blame the other girl. Despite this being some form of Vash, he was sketchy as hell.
Silence followed for a few short seconds before the other girl gave in. “Oh alright, but you will find me right away if she comes back got it!” Meryl watched as her shoes made their way towards the door to leave.
A very enthusiastic, “Yes m’am!”, could be heard from Vash. Leaving Meryl to feel nothing but a little dread. He knew, there was no way he didn’t, and Meryl couldn’t help but feel royaly fucked.
The movement of the bed is what pulled her from her thoughts, soon realizing that she could no longer see Vash’s boots. Only to screech at the face that soon found its way in front of hers.
“WHOA!!” Meryl watched as he hit his head on the ground, a loud thud sounding as he slipped off the bed due to losing his balance. “Aw man, that really hurt!” Vash whined as he laid on the floor, rubbing the top of his head in discomfort.
Meryl couldn’t help the small hysterical giggle that escaped her, causing the man to lock eyes with her once again. “I knew you were down there…”
The sudden attention caused Meryl to try and shrink back further, even if there wasn’t any more room to even do so.
“Awww come on, why are you trying to hide from me, I thought we were friends?”
“You’re not Vash.” Meryl couldn’t help but say.
“Oh man, not this again!” A sudden THUMP echoed through the room, due to Vash smacking his head against the floor. “Come on, I thought we went through this already!”
“What?” A very intelligent response sounded from her lips. Causing Vash to look at her, his eyes narrowed and calculating.
“You mean you don’t remember very loudly denying that I am in fact Vash the Stampede?”
Meryl felt her face twist into one of confusion. “No? What are you even talking about?”
Huh, her voice was different too, that was interesting.
His demenor seemed to have softened, his eyes shifting from a look of concentration to one of soft concern. “Meryl,” his voice was soft, causing Meryl’s guard to drop slightly, “what’s the last thing you remember?”
The question took her off guard, she wasn’t expecting it. And honestly how was she going to answer that question without sounding crazy. “I’m honestly not sure if I am being honest…”
She watched as Vash shuffled, wincing a little as he laid on his stomach. “Well,” He began his hand moving in front of her, an offering of sorts. “Why don’t we talk out here, it can’t be comfortable being so squished down under there.”
Meryl swallowed, she wanted answers, truely she did. However she was slightly afraid to admit the truth. Here she was stuck in a room with a Vash she didn’t know, and in a world that she didn’t truely belong to. She didn’t want to give herself away just yet. More so out of apprehension than anything, if she was being honest with herself. However, that wasn’t the only reason. Meryl had her plan for now, journalist lesson number one. Play dumb and observe.
She nodded, noticing Vash sighed out of what appeared to be relief. Meryl reached out her hand into his, slightly surprised at the gentleness of the touch. It was only once she was fully out from under the bed that she took in his features.
His whole outfit was different for one. And if Meryl was being honest, he looked even more goofy than the Vash she had come to know. His glasses were different too. Smaller than the big round ones she was used too. And his hair… Meryl let out a chuckle that soon turned into a full laugh. It was so spikey!
A huff of amusement could be heard from in front of her. “You know it isn’t nice to laugh at people.”
This in turn only made Meryl laugh even harder. She took a moment to collect herself. “Sorry sorry, it’s just…” Her laughter slowed. “Your hair is very spikey.”
She heard Vash give a small chuckle as well, “Guess so.” He cleared his throat. “Now let’s work this out together shall we.”
He began to lead her to sit on the bed, not wanting to really over complicate the situation even more Meryl decided to let him do so. After all, he hasn’t really done anything to warrant her not to. She decided she would put her trust in him for now, maybe it will help her out in the long run. After all, while this may not be the same man she had come to know the past few weeks, he was still Vash. And if Meryl was being honest with herself, there was absolutely no way any version of Vash could be heartless and cruel.
She couldn’t help but think, while she didn’t want to give away her current situation fully, she could give away a few details without fully exposing herself. “I don’t really remember much of anything…”
Meryl shrunk into herself, worried for just a moment that Vash wouldn’t believe her. “Nothing at all? Not even me and Milly, or why you’re even traveling with us?” Vash responded.
“I mean, I’m not fully sure of everything, but her name does ring some sort of bell for me,” she paused and quickly stole a look at Vash trying to decipher what he was thinking based on his facial expression. It wasn’t working too well…
“Shes.. She’s my coworker right?” Meryl asked, feeling her face twist.
“She is.” Vash responded softly.
Meryl took a moment to turn away from him, her gaze meeting the floor. Forcing herself to think, she racked her brain hoping for some sort of information it might give her. It took a moment, but she could feel her memory grasp onto something, quickly thinking back to the memories that had flashed through her mind earlier.
“We’re insurance agents right?” She turned her gaze back to Vash, “We’re like, trying to keep you out of trouble or something?”
She watched as a small smile made its way onto Vash’s face. “Yeah something like that, you guys are like my own personal babysitters.”
A chuckle escaped him as he side bumped her. “Especially you.”
Meryl couldn’t help the squawk that had escaped her as her face began to flush in embarrassment. If this man was anything like the Vash she had come to know. “Knowing you, you probably need that! With all that Humanoid Typhoon business, people don’t gain titles like that for nothing!”
She watched as Vash laughed, finally noticing the slight wince of pain that rested on his features as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Yeah I guess so!”
“Are- are you alright?” She couldn’t help but blurt. “You look like you’re in pain…”
She watched as Vash stiffened before he let out a nervous chuckle, “I mean I am, but I’ll be right as rain in no time!”
Meryl has never heard such a blatant lie in her life, and she was more than willing to call him out on it. “Please don’t lie.”
Vash, looking very obviously caught, let out a sigh as he turned to her. “Nothing gets past you huh?”
“Of course not.”
She watched as Vash let out another wince as he laughed. “I’ll be fine promise, just got a little banged up while doing a bit of bodyguarding.”
Deciding that she would take that answer for now, she flopped her back on the bed, the energy she once had finally escaped her. “Fine, you win this round Vash the Stampede.” She joked.
A huff escaped Vash as she closed her eyes. “Now it’s my turn to ask if you’re alright.”
Meryl chuckled. “Yeah, I’m just a little tired.”
She heard Vash hum, then felt his weight leave from where he sat on the bed. “You look more than tired Meryl, you look exhausted.”
A soft laugh escaped her as she gave an affirmative hum. She was exhausted, she hadn’t realized it at first but now that Vash had mentioned it, she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore.
“Come on.” She felt Vash move her legs onto the bed. “Let’s get you tucked back into bed yeah?”
Meryl couldn’t help the pout that made its way onto her face. “I’m not a baby, I can take care of myself.”
Her eyes cracked as she heard Vash chuckle again. “Yeah well I guess I just want to help.”
Meryl closed her eyes as she felt a blanket be laid ontop of her, the warmth seemed to take the rest of the energy she had as she mumbled, “Thank you Vash.”
“You’re welcome Meryl.” Vash responded as the click sound of the lamp being turned off echoed through the room. “We can talk more later, just get some rest for now, okay?”
“Okay.”