Disclaimer: Trigun is sadly enough not mine, or there would have been way more episodes!

Chapter 34: Milly's POV
After everyone had packed up and were ready to leave she had noticed that he had still not moved from the spot beside the bulb. Smiling to herself she joins him, settling into the sand next to him. When he does not say anything she tilts her head and glances at him, still smiling. She is surprised to see that he seems to have drifted off to sleep.

"Mr. Knives?" she softly murmurs, "if your awake we need to get going, Meryl says we're just about out of fresh water and food."

His electric blue eyes snap open as he unfolds from his seated position, standing in one fluid motion. He says nothing, as he is prone to doing, instead he watches, eyes narrow as she gets to her feet.

Over the last week she had noticed that her body had finally started to visibly change, the flatness of her stomach had been replaced with a slight curve to it. When she had first found out she was pregnant she had counted the weeks to see how far in she was and had determined at that time she was seven weeks pregnant. That meant that she was now eleven weeks pregnant and yet her body seemed to be changing a little more than expected. The shifting she had felt deep within was explained by the fact her body was slow changing into the half-plant that Lady Kikyo had explained about. However she was highly aware of the fluttery feeling in her stomach even though she couldn't understand it.

It was too early to feel the baby according to the doctor. So why did she feel as if there was movement going on? Placing her hand on her stomach she gently pushes on it, curious and is surprised when there is a small push back. A small gasp escapes her as she realizes she is feeling the baby. Oh brother, she should have asked Lady Kikyo about plant pregnancies, she frets to herself.

When Meryl touches her shoulder it pulls her out of her thoughts and she smiles at her smaller friend.

"Milly, are you alright?" she inquires, concern written all over her face.

Nodding, she replies, "Of course, Meryl, I was just wondering why I could feel the baby so early. The doctor said as a first time mother I wouldn't be able to feel it until sixteen weeks or so."

"Well if it is growing anything like them," she waves her hand towards the two brothers who were standing there watching her with similar looks of curiosity on their face, "then you will have a shorter pregnancy than most people. When Lila was pregnant she could feel Emma in her fourteenth week even though the doctors said it would be later than that." Shrugging, she comments, "some people just notice more."

She smiles, nodding, before replying, "Well then, are we ready to go?"

She had forgotten that Meryl had stayed with her cousin through her entire pregnancy so she would probably remember details about it. That's a good thing, it meant that she could ask her questions about it. Though that might cause painful memories for her, so is it a good idea to ask? Hmmm, she thinks, I will have to consider this a bit more.

Meryl's POV
Well I guess that time I spent learning about pregnancy to make sure Lila stayed healthy is going to be put to use, she thinks to herself as she mounts up. Though Milly might not ask if she thinks it is going to make me sad. It cannot be helped, particularly with the understanding of their growing patterns in my head. Well I will keep track of her as best as I can, if I did my math right, her first trimester is going to be eleven or so weeks, the second twelve or so, and the third twelve or so. So she will give birth somewhere in her thirty-fifth week, rather than towards forty. Good thing I took the time back then to learn all of this.

As Vash swings on behind her, she smiles again. Wondering if she should be a bit more cautious, she gives a shake of her head. What happens will happen.

A few minutes later the four of them are riding off, a thoughtful look on Knives face as he leads the way to his lair. She is surprised when they come to a large ship that looks more like it was set down than crashed just before Fall.

"We're here," he announces, dismounting and leading the Thomas creature to the side of the ship.

After the rest of them dismount they follow, and she surprised to see a small padlock with a lean-to attached to it. Even more surprising is when a small mouse like creature emerges and takes his without uttering a word. Startled she watches as it takes care of it before coming for the other three of them.

Not looking at anyone in particular Knives' comments, "You might be unsettled by the creatures who live here, ignore them, they are good at getting their work done."

She nods, watching it for a minute. It is roughly built like a human standing on two back legs with arms. After that it is more mouse like, an elongated face with long whiskers on the tip of the nose, large round grey eyes, and semi-circular ears. A short fur seems to cover its body where the tunic does not. While its hands are more human like, the feet are long with widely spread toes like a mouse's. How odd she thinks, watching it scurry to take care of the Thomas creatures.

Giving a shake of her head, she follows him as he goes back around to the front of the ship, when they get to the door of the ship, it slides open before he even does anything to revel another non-human creature, this one taller than the last, looking more humanoid but still completely different since it was covered in scales with a long tail.

"Wel-come home," it hissed out, handing him a flat something much like a clipboard. "Epherything hassss been running ssssmoothly, howepher the ssssecond bulb hassss been repaired twicce for crackssss. Do you need anything ssssir?"

He flickers a glance at it, as he reads over the papers, and Meryl gets the impression that he is speaking as he does so though nothing is said aloud. A moment later the thing which reminds her of a lizard from one of the earth books, turns to face her and Milly, commenting, "Ifff you would fphallow me pleassse?"

She glances at Vash to see his reaction and is startled by the look on his face. It's rather dark, almost a cold fury like the look he had after that man had killed people trying to get to him. Reaching over, she lays a hand on his arm, willing him to glance her way instead of the death stare he is giving his twin. His glance eventually flickers to her and she raises an eyebrow questioningly, murmuring, "Are you alright?"

He nods once, features softening just a little, "Go with the lizard, he's supposed to show you to the garden area and get refreshments."

She nods, stretching to kiss the underside of his jaw. "Alright," she tells him before turning towards the lizard and commenting to Milly, "come on, let's get something to drink."

With that the two girls follow the lizard person through the halls, as they walk she is startled by all of the metal and surprising amount of doors that there are between the entrance and wherever it is they are going. The walls are plain, but the doors themselves are not, they are covered in writing. Above them, the ceiling glows softly, lighting the way. As they walk, the lizard creature tells them what the different rooms are for when they get to the end of the third hall they had been on, it passes its hand over the small scanner next to the door.

Sliding open, she is startled when the two of them step into a small domed in area with more plants then she had ever seen. Startled, she looks around at all the plants, taking it in.

"It's beautiful," Milly gasps softly, her voice full of shock.

"Thhank you," the lizard person hisses, "Masssster Knivessss hasss left usss in cccharge of itsss ccccare. Would you cccare for ssssome juice?"

We both nod, before finding a spot at a small table left sitting near a brook. For a while the two of us just sit there and absorb the surroundings, she does not know if Milly notices the other lizard like people, but she is surprised to see the tending to the plants. Towards the edge of the dome she spots the top of a bulb and eventually stands to go investigate it.