Knives sat silently as his right shoulder was being bandaged. I, of
course, stood in the shadows of the doorway and watched. Meryl seemed to
hate the task, as she usually did, and, from time to time, she would look
up at me; confusion lingered in her shimmering eyes. I felt a smile as it
came to my face, so I averted my stare to look at my brother's gun instead.
It was tainted; I hated it. So I set it on a nearby table.
"Why won't you say anything?" Meryl finally demanded, throwing her arms out to the sides in frustrated confusion. Her hand collided with Knives' face, and he jumped quickly to his feet. I put my hand to my holster without thinking when I remembered his wounds. Knives feel back against the wall, his face contorted with pain; I almost felt pity for him.
"Nothing to say," I replied.
"Well, you could explain yourself."
"What's to explain?" There was a long pause, and Meryl began to pace. She was cute when she paced like that, though I dared not tell her. I probably would have been slapped, or worse.
"Well, for starters, who is he?"
"My brother."
"Where is your coat?"
"I don't need it."
"Where is it?"
"Somewhere."
"Can't you say more than four words in a sentence?" Meryl yelled, stopping in front of me. I smiled, and she blushed.
"I think so." Her shoulders slumped.
"You do it to annoy me, don't you?" I looked past Meryl to Knives. It almost hurt to gaze into his cold blue eyes. The reunion with him, however, was almost comforting. He smiled, and my face burned with fear for Meryl.
"Hello?" I turned my head to look at her, but, instead, I found myself looking at a hand. Meryl reminded me a lot of Rem. It hurt to look at her sometimes, but, sometimes, I loved it. I loved Meryl, but I didn't know why. She was nice; she wasn't my type. I didn't want anything to happen to her. Something always happens to the people I love. The crew, Nicholas, Knives, Rem – I couldn't bear to have anything happen to her, too, or Milly. I looked down at my watch: 1:34 AM.
"You should go to sleep now. It's late." Meryl looked at me suspiciously.
"Why?" I shrugged, putting on my most innocent face.
"You look tired!" She yawned.
"Okay, okay. Where can I sleep?" Meryl had brought up a most important point; I looked around to see only my bed. I gestured toward it in a friendly manner.
"You can use mine."
"Really?" she asked, her eyes gleaming. I laughed again.
"Yeah!"
"Thank you!" she yelled, throwing her arms around me in a tight embrace. Needless to say, I was surprised. Meryl let go and ran into my room. She slammed the door. I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Disturbing.." Knives said suddenly from across the room, stopping me halfway across my head.
"What?" I asked sincerely. He motioned toward the closed door.
"The girl."
"Oh.."
"Do you enjoy her company?"
"I don't know," I said quickly with a laugh, "I guess I do." Knives smiled menacingly; it made my blood run cold.
"She's pretty."
"I guess."
"You think so, too?" I stared at him, and he stared at me. "Do you care about her, Vash?" I turned my head to the side.
"That's none of your business."
"She looks like Rem." I looked back.
"So you noticed it, too."
"I'll even be willing to bet that she thinks like Rem."
"If she does, I haven't noticed it."
"I think you're lying. I saw the way you looked at her when she hugged you."
"She's my friend."
"I recognized the look."
"I think she likes me."
"It was the same look you gave Rem when she stopped us from fighting."
"I didn't give her any special look."
"And when she saved us from getting shot."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"And when she left us to save the pathetic humans." I opened my mouth to retort, but I stopped myself when I realize that I had given Rem a surprised look before crying. I hung my head.
"They aren't pathetic," I finally managed to whisper. "They just need guidance." I looked up again; Knives was smiling in what seemed to be a sincere way.
"Go to her."
"What?" I asked a bit more loudly than I had intended. Knives nodded.
"Go to her," he said. Then, lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, "You both want it. I can tell."
"But—?"
"Go on." I looked over to the closed door and sighed. I walked over and pulled it open; Meryl fell at my feet. She looked up at me, grinning nervously as she scrambled to her feet.
"H—Hi there, Vash!" she said, her eyebrow twitching with embarrassment. I smiled at her, and she blushed.
I lay there, breathing quietly, as Meryl ran her fingers over one of the many scars on my chest as she slept. I looked down at her raven hair, and I closed my eyes; Rem's face came to my mind, and she was smiling. I smiled too. My hand slowly brought itself to Meryl's head, and my fingers parted through her hair.
I sat up slowly, as not to disturb her sleep, and pulled on my shirt. I couldn't take advantage of her, not when I knew how much she cared for me. As I turned around, I noticed Knives standing in the doorway.
"So, did you?" he asked sweetly. I shook my head.
"How could I?"
"Thought for sure you would."
"I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because I—."
"Because you what?" I brushed past him and into main room, and I flung myself onto the couch to think.
It was tainted; I hated it. So I set it on a nearby table.
"Why won't you say anything?" Meryl finally demanded, throwing her arms out to the sides in frustrated confusion. Her hand collided with Knives' face, and he jumped quickly to his feet. I put my hand to my holster without thinking when I remembered his wounds. Knives feel back against the wall, his face contorted with pain; I almost felt pity for him.
"Nothing to say," I replied.
"Well, you could explain yourself."
"What's to explain?" There was a long pause, and Meryl began to pace. She was cute when she paced like that, though I dared not tell her. I probably would have been slapped, or worse.
"Well, for starters, who is he?"
"My brother."
"Where is your coat?"
"I don't need it."
"Where is it?"
"Somewhere."
"Can't you say more than four words in a sentence?" Meryl yelled, stopping in front of me. I smiled, and she blushed.
"I think so." Her shoulders slumped.
"You do it to annoy me, don't you?" I looked past Meryl to Knives. It almost hurt to gaze into his cold blue eyes. The reunion with him, however, was almost comforting. He smiled, and my face burned with fear for Meryl.
"Hello?" I turned my head to look at her, but, instead, I found myself looking at a hand. Meryl reminded me a lot of Rem. It hurt to look at her sometimes, but, sometimes, I loved it. I loved Meryl, but I didn't know why. She was nice; she wasn't my type. I didn't want anything to happen to her. Something always happens to the people I love. The crew, Nicholas, Knives, Rem – I couldn't bear to have anything happen to her, too, or Milly. I looked down at my watch: 1:34 AM.
"You should go to sleep now. It's late." Meryl looked at me suspiciously.
"Why?" I shrugged, putting on my most innocent face.
"You look tired!" She yawned.
"Okay, okay. Where can I sleep?" Meryl had brought up a most important point; I looked around to see only my bed. I gestured toward it in a friendly manner.
"You can use mine."
"Really?" she asked, her eyes gleaming. I laughed again.
"Yeah!"
"Thank you!" she yelled, throwing her arms around me in a tight embrace. Needless to say, I was surprised. Meryl let go and ran into my room. She slammed the door. I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Disturbing.." Knives said suddenly from across the room, stopping me halfway across my head.
"What?" I asked sincerely. He motioned toward the closed door.
"The girl."
"Oh.."
"Do you enjoy her company?"
"I don't know," I said quickly with a laugh, "I guess I do." Knives smiled menacingly; it made my blood run cold.
"She's pretty."
"I guess."
"You think so, too?" I stared at him, and he stared at me. "Do you care about her, Vash?" I turned my head to the side.
"That's none of your business."
"She looks like Rem." I looked back.
"So you noticed it, too."
"I'll even be willing to bet that she thinks like Rem."
"If she does, I haven't noticed it."
"I think you're lying. I saw the way you looked at her when she hugged you."
"She's my friend."
"I recognized the look."
"I think she likes me."
"It was the same look you gave Rem when she stopped us from fighting."
"I didn't give her any special look."
"And when she saved us from getting shot."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"And when she left us to save the pathetic humans." I opened my mouth to retort, but I stopped myself when I realize that I had given Rem a surprised look before crying. I hung my head.
"They aren't pathetic," I finally managed to whisper. "They just need guidance." I looked up again; Knives was smiling in what seemed to be a sincere way.
"Go to her."
"What?" I asked a bit more loudly than I had intended. Knives nodded.
"Go to her," he said. Then, lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, "You both want it. I can tell."
"But—?"
"Go on." I looked over to the closed door and sighed. I walked over and pulled it open; Meryl fell at my feet. She looked up at me, grinning nervously as she scrambled to her feet.
"H—Hi there, Vash!" she said, her eyebrow twitching with embarrassment. I smiled at her, and she blushed.
I lay there, breathing quietly, as Meryl ran her fingers over one of the many scars on my chest as she slept. I looked down at her raven hair, and I closed my eyes; Rem's face came to my mind, and she was smiling. I smiled too. My hand slowly brought itself to Meryl's head, and my fingers parted through her hair.
I sat up slowly, as not to disturb her sleep, and pulled on my shirt. I couldn't take advantage of her, not when I knew how much she cared for me. As I turned around, I noticed Knives standing in the doorway.
"So, did you?" he asked sweetly. I shook my head.
"How could I?"
"Thought for sure you would."
"I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because I—."
"Because you what?" I brushed past him and into main room, and I flung myself onto the couch to think.
