Ohayou, My Dear Chapter 0017, a trigun fanfic

Trigun Fanfic

The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.

--Ohayou, My Dear—

Trigun Fanfic Featuring Vash and Meryl. "Pervert!" "Wh-what are you doing in my bed?" "Put some clothes on for God's sake!"

By Chiruken

Chapter 17

**~**

    Knives leaned back in his chair and stared across the table at his companion who was currently demolishing a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. "Hungry?" He asked mildly as she nearly choked on the food she was rapidly shoveling into her mouth.

    Meryl paused long enough to glare at him and reach for her cup of coffee to wash down the dry toast that was trying to stick in her throat. "What do you think? I haven't eaten since early this morning."

    He shrugged and sipped at his glass of lukewarm water with a grimace of distaste. "I was in a hurry." He offered by way of explanation.

    After shoving the last forkful of her dinner into her mouth Meryl leaned back and studied the man across from her. "Okay, Knives. Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped me or do I have to keep guessing?" She scowled when he smirked and raised his glass again. "Look, I think you at least owe me an explanation. I'm trying to be open minded here, but you're making it difficult to do so."

    Rather than answering her question he asked one of his own. "What's between you and my brother?" He watched with amusement as her face reddened and she quickly averted her eyes. He waited but she remained silent. "Well?"

    "Um…" She fidgeted under his steady blue gaze. "There's nothing, really." She finally muttered.

    "Really?" He snorted and set his glass on the table to lean forward. "I could just as easily get the information by reading your thoughts, Meryl. I'm trying to be nice about this, so why not work with me on this?"

    "I told you. There's absolutely nothing going on between me and Vash. Okay?"

    He scowled and leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "And why not?" He asked sharply.

    "What?" She stared at him in surprise, face heating with embarrassment. **I can't believe I'm even having this conversation in the first place!** "I don't think that it's any of your business, Knives."

    "If it involves my brother, it is. Besides, you're making Millie miserable with whatever's been going on between the two of you and that isn't acceptable."

    "Millie?" She repeated slowly, eyes narrowing. "What about Millie? Don't tell me you kidnapped her, too!" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously when he remained silent. "I can't believe you! You ask me to trust you, yet you go and do things like this."

    He brought his hands down on the table sharply, careful to keep his strength in check and not smash the fragile piece of furniture. "I never **asked** you for anything, woman." He gritted through clenched teeth, blue eyes narrowing dangerously. "You wouldn't even be here if not for the fact that Millie is so damn worried about the two of you. If left up to me I'd just as soon stay out of it. So, are you going to talk or do we do this the hard way?"

    Meryl's eyes widened in surprise. "You…" She wheezed, feeling as if her breath had been cut off by the hammering of her heart in her throat. "Millie…" She blinked and leaned back in her chair to stare up at the ceiling with a dazed expression on her face. "Well…I'll be…"

    Knives glared at her and finally shook his head. "Now what? What's going on in that empty head of yours?"

    "Empty?!" She sat bolt upright and pinned him with a frosty glare. "Of all the—" She scowled and forced herself to hold in the rest of the angry words. Silently counting back from ten to one she drew in a deep, calming breath. "All right, Knives. You win. I'll tell you everything…" She paused and leaned forward with a smirk. "If you tell me what's going on between you and Millie."

    "Uh…" He leaned back and stared at her silently for several moments as he weighed his options. "I'd rather not." He finally said reluctantly.

    Meryl threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, this is rich. Here you want me to open up and tell you something that's extremely personal, but you don't want to return the favor." She immediately stopped laughing and looked at him again. "Forget it. I don't like you so why would I pour my heart out to you?"

    "Look, Meryl. I haven't seen Millie for nearly three years until a last night. Read whatever you want into it, but there's nothing there."

    "Really?" She frowned thoughtfully. "But…" She studied his implacable features for a moment. "But you want there to be, right?" When he didn't answer she grinned. "Oh yeah, I'm right!" She met his icy blue gaze steadily and finally sighed as she shook her head. "We're quite the pair, Knives. Neither of us wants to admit how we truly feel and we're just making those around us miserable in the process."

    "Speak for yourself, woman. I'm making no one miserable."

    "What about Millie, then?"

    "What about her?" He countered softly, blue eyes narrowed on her suspiciously.

    "How does she feel?"

    "How does Vash feel?"

    "Have you ever asked her?"

    "Have you ever asked him?"

    Meryl threw her hands up in exasperation. "Quit repeating me!"

    "Then answer the question." He retorted mildly, enjoying the way her face reddened even further with embarrassment and anger.

    "Why do you care? All you've ever done is go out of your way to make Vash miserable! Or are you trying to tell me that you're doing this out of some suddenly remembered brotherly affection that you've hidden for over a century?"

    He stood, pushing his chair over with a clatter, to tower over her. He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a growl, blue eyes narrowed to focus on her intently. "I have **never** stopped caring about my brother!" He growled furiously. "Everything I ever did was for him, you stupid human! You have no right to question my feelings towards Vash. You know **nothing**!" He reached down and grabbed her by her arms, lifting her to shake her roughly. "Vash was so pathetically blinded to the truth that he allowed everyone to hurt him!" He shook her again. "Have you looked at him? Have you seen what your kind has done to him? I tried to stop it, to make him understand, and what did I get? He **shot** me! Not once, not twice!" He dropped her back into the chair. "If you really care about him, woman, you'll tell him and put him out of his misery." He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "Do you know what it's like to be able to read other's thoughts? To feel what they feel? It's hell when it's your own brother and you know that there's nothing you can do to stop the suffering and pain." He moved around the table and slowly righted his chair to drop into it wearily. "My brother means everything to me and you have no right to question it."

    Meryl stared at him for several long minutes her head ringing from the shaking she'd just received. She'd forgotten for a moment that Knives had inhuman strength. She rubbed her aching arms slowly, wincing at the residual pain. She'd have bruises later but at least nothing was broken. "I'm sorry." She whispered softly. "I didn't know."

    "That's pathetically obvious." He muttered as he leaned forward to rest his head in his hands. Sighing, he slowly looked up to meet her gaze. "Did I hurt you?"

    "I'll live." She sighed and shook her head. "Look at us. Fighting over what? Yes, Knives, I care about Vash…a lot. But there's nothing I can do about it. He doesn't feel the same and I refuse to force him to be with me against his will."

    "And you're a fool." He shook his head slowly. "How do you know how he feels if you've never discussed it with him? He might just surprise you, you know."

    "And what about you and Millie?"

    A soft smile touched his stern features. "Millie is…special." He shrugged and slowly sat straighter. "Our situation is different than yours, Meryl."

    "How so?" She asked softly, fascinated by the way his entire demeanor changed when he spoke of her friend.

    "Until Vash stops gunning for me, I can't afford to stay still long enough to make anything of it. She understands this and that's all that matters."

    "Vash isn't…" She began only to stop herself. "Well, maybe he is…only not in the sense you're implying. He only wants to help you."

    "Don't you mean he wants to save the world from me and my maniacal plan to destroy the human race and create an Eden for Plants?" He smirked at the look on her face. "I know my brother, Meryl. He won't be satisfied until I start spouting his 'love and peace' crap and I just can't do that."

    "I understand." She sighed rested her head on her arms folded on the table top. "God I'm tired. I'm sure there's something that can be done. Maybe if you talked to him…told him how you feel…explained what you've been doing since you left us…maybe then he'd understand."

    "Somehow I doubt it." He stood slowly and looked down at her. "Come on. It's late. Let me show you to your room and you can get some sleep. We leave early."

    Meryl stood and covered her mouth as she yawned. "Another job, Knives?"

    "Something like that."

~*~