Meet Me in the Moonlight

By: Haruka-chan

 

The escape of pain, of suffering and off all that was once lost. Something new gained. Is life just a simple game, or a part of a puzzle that must be put together? A journey through a maze of confusion, and compassion. So many word would express what a person felt inside, if only put in to words...

 

Chapter 1: A Physical Escape

 

"It's has been a year since I have lost everything that would seem like life, yet I am just breathing, I am still living...how was it all possible? The memories, and the horror I live each day haunts me in my sleep, when I am awake. Even in my mind there is no peace, so escape from the pain that is with in me, the pain which I live each day and night...I would have thought my tears would have stopped by now, I thought I would be all out of that salty liquid, after all that I have cried. It's funny how one night could change everything..."

 

"Meryl are you awake?" asked a small timid voice.

 

"Yea, Milly" said Meryl as she sat by the window and looked out at the three moons.

 

"I have been wondering...do you think we'll ever be free?" asked Milly.

 

"I don't know, I dream one day we will be" said Meryl.

 

"I hope so...Meryl" said Milly.

 

"Hmm?" she asked looking towards the girl at the corner of the room.

 

"I'm glad your here...with me I mean" she said.

 

Meryl let lose a small smile. "I know so am I" she said. Yes she was happy all right, what more could a girl want? Meryl chuckled as silent tears trailed down her face. ‘One day we will be free’ she thought as she cried herself to sleep.

 

"It's strange, what you call life. I never really lived my life to the fullest when I was free; my past life was something of more filled with duties, and responsibilities, not what you would expect that all to be 'living life to the fullest' but I liked it. It suited me well, but now I have nothing left, not even duties that will give me solitude. I am truly alone and broken...All I can do is pray that one day I will be able look upon my duties and cry tears of joy just to be able to do it. Cry out of happiness and not pain. To cry for something I have gained not for what I have lost..."

 

"Vash what the hell do you think you were doing back there?" asked Wolfwood as he followed his partner.

 

"What? I thought she dropped her bag,” he said as she walked inside in to the saloon.

 

"So you went under her skirt to pick it up?" asked Wolfwood. Vash flashed him one of his SD smiles. "I hope one day the lord finds you a woman that will 'actually' fall in love with you" said Wolfwood as he poured himself a glass of brandy.

 

"I'll drink to that,” said Vash. Suddenly the saloon got quite as a group odd men walked inside with two girls following behind them.

 

"What do you suppose is going on?" asked Wolfwood.

 

"I don't know,” said Vash.

 

"Hey check out the big girl,” said Wolfwood.

 

Vash looked towards the tall girl, with auburn hair, and blue eyes, but the one that got his attention was the smaller one who was very well curved, she had violet hair, and gray eyes, she was beautiful but her eyes were filled with something, Vash knew very well of...pain.

 

"Come on,” said on of the guys pulling the big girl on to his lap. Wolfwood looked towards them with disgust.

 

"Hey small girl how about a little dance?" he asked. Vash watched, as the small stood still doing nothing that was order to her. "Bitch I told you to dance!" he yelled once more slapping her.

 

Wolfwood stood up. "How could you treat such beautiful women like that?" he asked.

 

"You better shut up and mind your own business if you wanna live" said the one with the big girl on his lap.

 

"And what if he doesn't?" asked Vash not moving his gaze from where the small one stood.

 

"Then we'll kill yeah,” the guy said pulling out a gun and pointing at Vash.

 

"What you say?" asked Wolfwood looking towards Vash.

 

"I say rescue the young ladies,” he said grabbing the small girl by the waist and running out.

 

"That bastard! Come on Big girl!" yelled Wolfwood as he took his gun in one hand and took the big girls hand in the other and run out.

 

"Go after those bloody bastards" yelled the chief.

 

Wolfwood soon caught up with Vash. "Why the hell did you run out on me like that?" asked Wolfwood.

 

"Sorry" he said. The small girl looked from the big girl and nodded, as she hit Vash in the guts, and pulled out his gun to point at him, as her friend did the same. "This is a turn of events,” said Vash.

 

"Hell it is" said Wolfwood. "What do you think your doing? We just saved you,” said Wolfwood.

 

"Why?" asked the small girl.

 

"Huh?" asked Vash.

 

"What do you want with us?" asked the big girl.

 

"We want nothing we just thought we'd save you from those guys, as a good deed" said Wolfwood.

 

"Do you think we could trust them?" asked the big girl, not taking her eyes of Wolfwood.

 

The small one sighed and dropped the gun. "Let's go, thanks for your help,” said the small girl.

 

"Right" said the big girl as she followed.

 

"I think we should come with you seeing how the guys we'll probably be looking for you,” said Vash.

 

"Don't. You shouldn't get any more involved then you are,” said the small girl.

 

"Thanks a lot for your help,” said the big one breaking in to a smile.

 

"Hey wait big girl you should stay with us,” said Wolfwood grabbing her by the wrist.

 

"Huh?" she asked.

 

"At least for now, you can leave a little later" he said.

 

"I don't know,” she said looking towards where her friend was walking away.

 

"It amazed me that there was still good people alive in this waste land, and those two men where very good. I didn't want to find out there bad side, for that fear I wanted to get away, I didn't want my hopes to be crushed. I couldn't explain it to them, then. But the truth was I was surprised and embarrassed that I had to be saved, seems in this world of slaves, there is nothing but torture for women. Men were cruel; they used us like we were a piece of shit! I didn't know when but as time went on I started to hate men, I hated their false love, and I hated everything about them. How could they make the same women who brought them in to this damn world suffer?"

 

"Hey come on were not going to hurt you,” said Vash calling out to the small girl.

 

"She's hurt,” said the big girl.

 

"Huh? Hurt?" asked Vash.

 

"When that big jerk slapped her, he cut her face,” she said.

 

"Hey small girl stop" yelled Vash. But she kept going. ‘What was her problem?’ thought Vash.

 

"I have to go, I can't let her go on like that,” said the big girl as she tied to release herself from Wolfwood grip.

 

"We'll, follow her,” said Vash.

 

"You will?" she asked.

 

"If she's hurt then we should somehow help her,” said Vash. Wolfwood noticed the change in her eyes when Vash said that, hey eyes seem to be smiling with the one appearing on her lips. "Come on we better hurry before she is out of sight" said Vash staring to run.

 

"Stop following me" she said when Vash was just behind her.

 

"And what if your in danger again?" asked Vash.

 

"I won't be,” she said confidently.

 

"How can you be so sure?" asked Vash. She stopped and finally turned towards him.

 

"Because I am you broom head. Leave me alone" she said.

 

"Broom head? Is that anyway to thank me for saving you?" he asked.

 

"I already thanked you, now your just annoying me,” she said.

 

"Annoying you?" he asked.

 

"Yes!" she said.

 

Vash saw the determination in her eyes, but they still show so much sorrow. "Why don't you let us make sure that your all right?" he asked.

 

"Huh? What?" she asked.

 

"What I mean is that why don't we take you to the next town and then from there you can do what ever you want" said Vash.

 

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

 

"Because I want to make sure you’re all right,” he said.

 

"You don't have to" she said as she started to walk once more.

 

Vash grabbed her hand. "Think about it, if we are there those men can't take you,” said Vash.

 

"It doesn't matter if your there or not they will find us,” she said.

 

"How?" asked Vash.

 

"They are part of the family, they will search for us" she said.

 

"They are your family?" asked Vash.

 

"I know, but you don't always love your family now do you?" she asked.

 

Vash smiled "No I guess not" he said.

 

"They are my owners, or so they say" she said.

 

"How could a person be owned?" asked Vash.

 

"Where have you been living all this time?" she asked.

 

"Huh?" asked Vash.

 

"People are a sick jokes! They use their own kind for their dirty work! Especially women who gave birth to them!" she yelled.

 

"But not all people are like that" he said.

 

"When you lose everything you love, you don't have room in your heart to think of those few who are good" she whispered. Vash watched as she looked away to hide her tears. "Life doesn't give you damn choice on those things, it doesn't give you solitude that you seek without blood" she said.

 

"That's not true" said Vash.

 

"Well, it may not be for you, but it is for me. Everyone lives in a different world. I live in a world there is no air left for me to breath, and you live in a world where you do" she said.

 

"So come in to my world" he said.

 

Her eyes widen, and she looked away. "I can't escape my world" she whispered.

 

"Why don't you let someone help you then?" he asked.

 

"Because then, they will become dear to me and when I lose them I'll die another time!" she yelled with now tears flowing freely.

 

Vash wiped the tears away with his thumb. "And what if in taking that chance you gain something, rather then losing something?" he asked. She looked up at his face. He had tears trailing down his face, and he had on a small smile.

 

"I stared at the man before me, I have never met anyone like him, a man who isn't afraid to cry, isn't ashamed to help someone who just fell on their knees and can't get up. And that moment all I could think of was how beautiful his tears looked, shining with the suns. I wanted to gasp when I felt one small droplet fall on my hand. Yes it was small droplet, yet it was like the ripple effect when it touched me. It started to grow, something with in awakened. Something that I locked away for that year I was living a life of a salve..."

 

"Meryl!" said the big girl as she came close to the two standing there staring at each other. "Meryl!" she said.

 

The small girl looked toward her friend and a small smile escaped her once more. "Milly..." she said. Vash watched her smile, she was beautiful when she smiled a small like that he wondered what she would look if she was happy and smiling.

 

"Meryl, were finally going to be free!" she said as she hugged her friend.

 

"Yeah Milly...we are" she whispered. ‘But the question now was will I be able to bring myself out?’ thought Meryl as more tears came.

 

"Come on girls we better get moving before those guys find us out" said Wolfwood. They nodded and followed quietly behind the two. "Such a sad life" said Wolfwood.

 

"Yeah, to be filled with that kind of a pain" said Vash.

 

"It's not only a pain it's a scar that is left with in them" said Wolfwood.

 

"But we all have scars that caused us pain, but the important thing is that we move on" said Vash.

 

Wolfwood chuckled "If only everyone could think like you" he said.

 

"Your the second one today to tell me that" he said glancing back at the small girl, who had her eyes on the ground, as the big girl next to her talked on with a smile. ‘Life is so cruel sometimes it's pain to want to live’ he thought.