A New Round Robin?

[TigerQueen]

[set after the last episode of TRIGUN]

I've finally realized that I seriously can't write romance. So...anyone want to continue this or turn it into a round robin? WE NEED MORE TRIGUN-Y GOODNESS!!

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[untitled for now -- any ideas?]
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I?ve always been the ?mature? one...and it sucks. Royally.

I was the tallest person in my fourth grade class. Not the tallest girl, nor the tallest student: the tallest PERSON. Our teacher was an emaciated crone ? probably 45 years old ? who barely reached 4?11.? She had me take roll because I was tall, dammit.

So what if I haven?t grown since those glory days? I?m still good, reliable, leader-girl Meryl. I?m still in charge...of a group of fourth graders. No one seems to care that I couldn?t identify the real Vash the Stampede when he was tied up on the ground in front of me. No one seems to care that I lost track of the man I had sworn to follow, or that he put a hole through the moon under my watch. No one seems to care that I couldn?t see the killer inside that little boy, or that I couldn?t ease Milly?s pain, or that my own stupid desire to follow him caused Vash to take the life of another man. I?m still Meryl the Short-Tempered, Meryl the Strong, Meryl the One Person in this Group with a Shred of Common Sense.

Meryl the...Miserable.

And here I am, watching these poor saps celebrating the water in the well, wishing for a moment that Meryl the Monotone could forget her stupid job and get drunk. Maybe, if I were drunk, I?d be able to tell someone that I give up, that I don?t want to be in charge any more. Maybe Vash would...would...scoop me up in his arms or something and tell me that...what? What would Vash tell me? He must have wisdom in their somewhere, probably hidden between weirdness and women. He?s about six times as old as I am, right? Maybe he can tell me how to avoid responsibility.

He?d probably do a shoddy job of it right now, though. He?s puking on the sidewalk.

?Hey there, insurance gi-aaugh...?

I?ve earned a new name. Yee-haw. Maybe I can put that on my desk back at the office: ?Meryl Stryfe: Insurance Gi-aaugh. Vomit not required.? Drop it, Meryl, drop it. ?Goodnight, Mr. Vash.?

?Aww...you can?t be leaving already! You haven?t danced yet!? At least, I think that?s what he?s saying.

?I don?t dance. Besides, I have an important report to send in tomorrow.?

?You know what they...? how disgusting ?...say,? please, God, make him clean off his chin...good boy. ?All work and no play make an insurance girl die young.?

?Only when work entails following you.? The perfect comeback: biting, swift, and guaranteed to secure my lonely night. Now, to make a hasty retreat to my hotel room...

?It shouldn?t be so hard from now on, you know...?

?Why? Why shouldn?t it be hard, Mr. Vash? Do you honestly think that it will be easy now, that Knives? capture will mean the end of your enemies, that Knives himself will suddenly, magically turn into some angelic Humanoid Typhoon, preaching Love and Peace and crying for spiders?? That warm feeling in my eyes is the result of stress and fatigue. I never cry.

I?m not crying, Vash is not holding me, and Vash?s shirt is certainly not coarse enough for me to feel the fibers rubbing my cheek raw.

?Is that what?s been bothering you?? No, what?s bothering me is the fact that most drunk people stay drunk for at least half an hour.

?What do you expect me to do?? falls out of my mouth unexpectedly. I?m too tired to try to take it back; I just sag against him and listen to the strange regularity of his heartbeat. I wonder how much his internal physiology differs from that of ordinary humans.

?Just be yourself.? Huh? ?You want me to yell at him??

It?s very different feeling a person laugh rather than just hearing them. His chest vibrates slightly, like a kitten purring.

?I want you to do for him what you did for me. Make him remember what it means to be cared for. Make him learn how truly forgiving and gentle humans can be.?

?I can?t.? I don?t want to. I don?t want to be the strong one, the angel. I want to go to sleep right here, right now, in your arms, and never wake up. I?m so tired.

?Of course you can.?

?No, I can?t. He hates humans, Vash.? Mr. Vash. I?ve always wondered when I?d slip...

?I don?t think anyone could hate you.?

Oh. Well. That?s nice.

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Hrm...any takers? Just go for it. -- TQ

[Katy-did Bug]

'Tell that to my fourth grade class'
I let a yawn slip from my lips.
'Can I keep nothing in?'
Vash lifts my chin up so he can look me in the eye.
Then with the most concern he has ever shown me he says "Geez you look awful"
'Talk about romantic'
"I haven't slept for days its seems, and we have a heart to heart moment and you tell me I look awful? Geez no wonder you've never had a relationship!" I scream.
Everyone is looking at me, I know it. I can feel it. Somewhere deep in my mind I feel like falling down onto my knees and cry, not out of frustration, but because I'm sad. I know I just hurt Vash's feelings. I just blew my chance of a nice night in a mans arms, but I couldn't. His comment didn't make me mad. Well not the whole awful one, but the one about people not hating me. Call it a defensive block. But I just instictively had to push him away.
I make it to my room, shut all doors on my way there, and collapse onto my bed for the night, and cry. And I convince myself that the people won't remember what happened.
'They were drunk, they won't remember a thing' I tell myself over and over 'Vash won't remember, I hope'

[fireblazie]

When I wake up in the mornings, I'm used to seeing the same old sight: A crumbling, faded ceiling, dusty windows, and sunlight streaming through those said windows.

Today, I saw something different.

A set of warm, aquamarine eyes.

What the hell?!

"You're awake!" he says, very cheerfully, with the pride and air of a three-year-old seeing his mother. I don't know if I should slap him or kick him out. Both, perhaps.

"What are you doing here?" It came out a little harsher than I expected. Besides, it wasn't like I didn't want him here. It's just -- oh, God, Meryl, stop it, right now.

"Well..." He's avoiding my eyes. He's blinking, a little dazily. I suddenly remembered that Vash -- Mr. Vash never could hold his liquor. Great. So now I have the drunk "humanoid typhoon" sitting next to me, on my bed.

On my..

Bed?

"You're on my bed!" just flew out of my mouth. My face was red, I didn't have to go look in the mirror, I just knew it was. I don't understand -- I never have, and I probably never will, how this total moron can stir such feelings in me. I turned away.

"Hey, now... whoa..." He clapped a hand to his forehead and groaned, loudly. I rolled my eyes. "Don't be so...loud..."

Okay, I've seen a lot of strange things in my life. A lot. But nothing is stranger than having the drunk humanoid typhoon turn green and promptly fall over on top of me in a very suggestive position.

Oh, God.

This can't be happening.

"Vash?" My voice sounds hoarse. And darn it, I forgot the "mr" part again.

Oh. He's looking at me.

And he's coming closer.

He's about to kiss me!

This is not happening to me. Not here. Not now.

Let's freeze for a moment, shall we? Just a small, quick moment. Normally, during scenes like this, flowers pop up and the background turns all pink and bubbly, and the floaty, fluttery music plays, right? Okay, so imagine that. Yeah. Bubbly, pink background. Cheesy music.

And then it all comes to an end as our humanoid typhoon completely misses my mouth, falls face-first on my pillow, and falls asleep.

I've had enough.

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Heehee, that was fun! ^_^ Can't wait to see what comes up next!