(A.N. Here's another chapter of this. the next one will probably be the
last chapter though I have plans for a sequel--a sequel rather than more
chapters because I want to change from Milly's P.O.V. Hope you enjoy this
chapter.)
It had become late while we were wandering and we needed to stop for the night. I drove far away from the deserted town and stopped the car. I got out some food for Knives and myself. He was quiet while he ate, but kept looking over at me as if he wanted to say something.
Finally he asked, "Do you resent what I did to you today?"
I shook my head. "I don't mind being someone for you to talk to." Without thinking, I covered his hand with mine.
For a moment he held on to my hand and looked into my eyes. "Thank you," he said, with no trace of sarcasm.
The next day Knives finally agreed to meet Vash and Meryl in March. He seemed subdued and spent, and I wanted to see him get some real rest. I began driving down the winding road to the main highway.
Halfway down, I encountered a wooden roadblock. Two men with bandanas on their faces jumped from behind it with guns and demanded that we surrender the jeep.
I really hadn't been expecting any trouble. I picked up my stun gun but there was no way to use it in time.
Suddenly Knives moved. He was standing up in his seat, pointing at one of the men. The man fell, clutching at his abdomen, but I could see that he was still moving and alive. The other man began to back up, then suddenly shot at Knives. I saw a flash of blood on Knives's shoulder and he fell back.
Suddenly the second man got up. By now I had my stun gun ready, but they ran off before I could take a shot at them.
I took a moment to look at Knives. He had clapped a hand over his wound and I could see blood between his fingers, but he didn't seem to be bleeding seriously. He was staring in horror at his shoulder and breathing in harsh pants. I had a first aid kit with bandages in the jeep. The problem would be calming Knives down enough to use it.
I spoke as gently as I could. "Knives, I'm going to go move the barrier and drive off this road just in case those men are thinking of coming back. I want you to just stay calm and I'll deal with your wound as soon as I can."
Knives didn't reply. Finally I began driving as fast as I safely could, looking over at him after every bump. Eventually we reached a main road where I felt safer. But there were still no towns nearby, so I pulled the car over behind the shelter of some rocks and got out the first aid kit.
"Knives, you need to take your shirt off so I can look at that," I said. He looked up at me, but he didn't seem to have heard me. I remembered helping him with his wounds occasionally while Vash had taken care of him after the shooting, but he had been unconscious then, and I hadn't realized how afraid he was of pain.
Finally I started unbuttoning the shirt myself. I had to take his hand off his shoulder to remove it. Eventually he started breathing more calmly and looking into my eyes, but he still did not speak.
When I finally removed the shirt I almost gasped. Where his original wounds had been there was massive scarring.
Knives followed my eyes and spoke through ragged breaths. "Vash wouldn't let me regenerate inside a plant. So now I have those."
As I had suspected, the bullet was not in his shoulder. He had merely been grazed. But it did need bandaging and I began unrolling the gauze.
As I wound the bandages around his shoulder he spoke again.
"I didn't kill them."
I was afraid to reply to this statement.
"Vash would be proud," I eventually said, but it sounded a little silly even to me.
"If I had killed them, I wouldn't have been shot. They could even have shot you. Would you rather I had killed them? Or are you proud too?"
"You didn't do it for me," I replied.
"Maybe I did," said Knives.
I finished the bandaging.
"It still hurts," Knives complained. "I need to lie down."
To my surprise he curled up right where he was, in the passenger seat, and put his head in my lap. My hand automatically went out to stroke his hair. I wanted to say something comforting, like that it was going to be all right, but I didn't know if it was.
"Rest," I said, and he closed his eyes.
It had become late while we were wandering and we needed to stop for the night. I drove far away from the deserted town and stopped the car. I got out some food for Knives and myself. He was quiet while he ate, but kept looking over at me as if he wanted to say something.
Finally he asked, "Do you resent what I did to you today?"
I shook my head. "I don't mind being someone for you to talk to." Without thinking, I covered his hand with mine.
For a moment he held on to my hand and looked into my eyes. "Thank you," he said, with no trace of sarcasm.
The next day Knives finally agreed to meet Vash and Meryl in March. He seemed subdued and spent, and I wanted to see him get some real rest. I began driving down the winding road to the main highway.
Halfway down, I encountered a wooden roadblock. Two men with bandanas on their faces jumped from behind it with guns and demanded that we surrender the jeep.
I really hadn't been expecting any trouble. I picked up my stun gun but there was no way to use it in time.
Suddenly Knives moved. He was standing up in his seat, pointing at one of the men. The man fell, clutching at his abdomen, but I could see that he was still moving and alive. The other man began to back up, then suddenly shot at Knives. I saw a flash of blood on Knives's shoulder and he fell back.
Suddenly the second man got up. By now I had my stun gun ready, but they ran off before I could take a shot at them.
I took a moment to look at Knives. He had clapped a hand over his wound and I could see blood between his fingers, but he didn't seem to be bleeding seriously. He was staring in horror at his shoulder and breathing in harsh pants. I had a first aid kit with bandages in the jeep. The problem would be calming Knives down enough to use it.
I spoke as gently as I could. "Knives, I'm going to go move the barrier and drive off this road just in case those men are thinking of coming back. I want you to just stay calm and I'll deal with your wound as soon as I can."
Knives didn't reply. Finally I began driving as fast as I safely could, looking over at him after every bump. Eventually we reached a main road where I felt safer. But there were still no towns nearby, so I pulled the car over behind the shelter of some rocks and got out the first aid kit.
"Knives, you need to take your shirt off so I can look at that," I said. He looked up at me, but he didn't seem to have heard me. I remembered helping him with his wounds occasionally while Vash had taken care of him after the shooting, but he had been unconscious then, and I hadn't realized how afraid he was of pain.
Finally I started unbuttoning the shirt myself. I had to take his hand off his shoulder to remove it. Eventually he started breathing more calmly and looking into my eyes, but he still did not speak.
When I finally removed the shirt I almost gasped. Where his original wounds had been there was massive scarring.
Knives followed my eyes and spoke through ragged breaths. "Vash wouldn't let me regenerate inside a plant. So now I have those."
As I had suspected, the bullet was not in his shoulder. He had merely been grazed. But it did need bandaging and I began unrolling the gauze.
As I wound the bandages around his shoulder he spoke again.
"I didn't kill them."
I was afraid to reply to this statement.
"Vash would be proud," I eventually said, but it sounded a little silly even to me.
"If I had killed them, I wouldn't have been shot. They could even have shot you. Would you rather I had killed them? Or are you proud too?"
"You didn't do it for me," I replied.
"Maybe I did," said Knives.
I finished the bandaging.
"It still hurts," Knives complained. "I need to lie down."
To my surprise he curled up right where he was, in the passenger seat, and put his head in my lap. My hand automatically went out to stroke his hair. I wanted to say something comforting, like that it was going to be all right, but I didn't know if it was.
"Rest," I said, and he closed his eyes.