Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, I'm just borrowing it for awhile. Trigun is property of Yasuhiro Nightow, Mad House, Pioneer, and whoever else was smart enough to get a piece of the action. I just know I wasn't. T_T
Another short chapter... but the next one will be longer, I promise. The first three chapters were kinda rushed. _
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
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A Glimpse of Eden
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Chapter 2 -
~
Meryl shifted her weight and rolled over. She was cold and she wondered if her blanket had somehow fallen off during the night. Her left hand groped idly for it while her body clung to the last moments of peaceful sleep.
Ah, well... it was probably time to get up, anyway. She had to take inventory at the store today. Her hand fell back to her side and she felt... floor? Surprised, she sat up. Floor? Had she been so tired last night that she hadn't even made it into her bed? Her eyes took in her surroundings and then widened in shock. She wasn't in her room. In fact, she wasn't anywhere that she recognized. She slowly got to her feet, her body aching in protest. She was in a large room with no furnature, no door, no windows. How the heck had she gotten in there?
Her thoughts were interupted when a seam in the wall parted and in walked a tall blonde man. Surprised, she took a step back, the events of the previous night slowly coming back to her. Seemingly equally surprised at seeing her awake, the man paused briefly before fully stepping into the room.
'Knives!'
Meryl hadn't seen him since he had left their home over a year before. Vash had returned from his battle carrying a severely wounded Knives and had asked the girls to help him care for his brother until he recovered from his injuries. It had taken almost an entire year. A year of having to endure Knives' angry silences and cold stares. Of having to watch Vash tenderly change his bandages and clean his wounds, crying every time his brother winced in pain, feeling it as though it were his own. Of having to watch as Milly dutifully cooked meals for their patient, only to have it knocked to the floor in a fit of angry rage by the same man for who it had been so carefully prepared. Of having to work more hours at the store in order to pay for medicine for a man who would have eagerly killed her, Milly, and everyone in the small town were he given the chance. Then, one day Vash had shown up for dinner without his brother, saying only that Knives had decided to return to his ship and that he wouldn't trouble anyone anymore. And that had been it.
But now... here he was in front of her. Looking much the same as she last remembered him. He was tall, broad shouldered, with closely cropped light blonde hair... and the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen.
He took notice of her appearance as well. She was small, but he knew she was strong and capable. Her hair was slightly longer than he remembered, but she still had those strange violet-grey eyes. Eyes that now seemed to be studying him with a great deal of apprehension.
"What are you doing!?" she demanded, trying to appear more calm than she felt. "What is this place!?"
He ignored her questions and moved closer, his gaze traveling over her body. She automatically took a step back, trying to put some distance between them, but he quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist to halt her retreat and pulled her closer to him. He seemed to be studying her, evaluating her somehow. She tensed and he pushed her away from him and stepped back.
He nodded toward her. "Come with me." He turned and walked toward the door, stopping only when he noticed she wasn't following. "What? Are you deaf or something, girl?"
She frowned. Deaf? "I don't understand. What... do you mean to do with me?" She clutched the front of her white blouse, scared of what he wanted from her.
He saw her frightened look and for a brief moment, confusion crossed his handsome features before smoothing out into one of disgust. "Don't be ridiculous. I would... never... do what you're thinking with something like you."
Relief, and a little bit of anger at the insult, flooded her. At another barked, "Come", she quickly followed her captor from the room.
~
The place, whatever it was, was amazing. Long metalic corridors that branched off into more corridors and rooms amazed her. Strange lights and panels along the walls intrigued her. She was so intrigued by one flashing red light that she almost ran into the back of Knives when he abruptly stopped walking.
Casting an irritated glance back at her, he pressed a button on a panel and the wall slid open to reveal what looked to be a bedroom. Stepping inside and walking towards the bed he stopped to make sure she had followed him inside. When she hesitantly approached him he gestured toward the bed. There, laying amongst the covers, was a baby that appeared to be about a year old. Meryl looked questionally from the child to the man.
"Listen carefully, for I'll not repeat myself. From now until I decide otherwise, you are solely responsible for the welfare of that child. Your duty will be to feed and care for him as necessary, and when he gets older you are to teach and watch over him. If you fail to do so adequately or refuse to co-operate in any way..." he trailed off, waiting until he was sure he had her full attention before finishing, "I will kill you." It was said with such a quiet non-challance that it made Meryl shiver. Throughly satisfied with her reaction, he abruptly turned and left the room, the door sliding shut behind him.
Meryl's legs didn't seem to be able to support her any longer and she sat down on the bed in somewhat of a stupor. What in the hell had just happened? She cautiously glanced around the room, her mind cloudy from sleep and shock. She briefly remembered being in the pasture with Andrew, then feeling a sharp pain in her head... and then she had woken up here. Sighing, she flopped back onto the bed. 'I wonder what's happening back in town. Surely everyone must be looking for me by now. Andrew must have--'
She sat back up, suddenly struck by a thought. Was Andrew okay? Knives hadn't harmed him, she hoped.
The child made a slight noise, and Meryl glanced over to find it studying her with curious blue eyes. After a long moment, the child gave her a lopsided grin, and surprised, she smiled back. She hadn't known babies could smile like that. In fact, other than the knowledge that they smelt bad and slept alot, she really didn't know anything about babies. The smile quickly faded from her face. Where had the baby come from, and what was Knives of all people doing with it? And why had he kidnapped her and demanded she take care of it? It was all so confusing.
She rolled over on her stomach, trying to think. The baby, apparently upset at no longer being the subject of her undivided attention, made a small burbling noise and waved it's arms back and forth. Lost in thought, she ignored the baby until it began to cry. Loudly.
"Oh no! Please, please don't do that!" She picked the baby up and tried to calm it by patting it's back, but that only seemed to make the child cry harder. She placed the child on her lap and tried to comfort him, but he only screamed at her and tried to pull away.
Suddenly her mind cleared, and the events of the previous night and the enormity of the current situation finally sunk in. Quietly, she began to cry, hot tears falling down her cheeks and soaking into the front of her blouse. The child stopped it's own crying and looked up at her, intrigued by her tears. Reaching up a tiny hand, the child gently patted her cheek, almost as if to comfort her. Hugging the child close, Meryl stopped fighting the tears and gave into her grief.
~
Knived leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. Kidnapping the girl had been easy enough. The boy she had been with hadn't even noticed, at least not until he had already faded back into the darkness with the girl's unconscious form.
The idea of a human living on his ship still bothered him, but he supposed it was a necessary evil. He needed someone to care for the child until it was able to get along without constant supervision. He figured it would be a year at most. He frowned, his jaw clenching in irritation. How was he supposed to put up with a human for a whole year? It would take all his restraint he was sure.
He had needed someone to care for the child and he only knew two humans, his brother's 'insurance girls', Milly and Meryl. He had quickly decided to take the smaller girl over the tall one. The tall one had been extremely annoying when he had been forced to endure their company for a year. She hadn't seemed to be afraid of him and her constantly cheerful nature had annoyed him horribly. The smaller girl, whom he hadn't seen that often, was less annoying and more quiet. She would be easier to deal with.
He straightened up in his chair, the sudden urge to check on the child almost overwhelming.
After he had left the room he had stood outside the door, listening. When the boy had started to cry he had almost raced inside to check on him, but had suppressed the desire. He had needed to see how the girl handled it. When the child had stopped crying soon after he had been greatly relieved.
Maybe this would work out better than he had thought.
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End chapter 2
~
Thanks for all the positive reviews! I hope you guys will continue to support my fic.
Taedere-Belletrist: Of course I'll continue! How can I resist the puppy eye look?
Ana: Thanks for the support! And the chapters will continue to get longer, I promise.
Pyroaoi: Thanks, and I hope you'll enjoy this and the upcoming chapters as well.
angelarms: *blush* Well, I don't know about the 'one of the best' part, but I'm having alot of fun writing this and I'm glad people are actually enjoying it.
Calumongal: Working nights in a kitchen sucks, but it does give me plenty of time to think up Trigun fics. Knives is very logical and 'normal' right now, but once he begins having to interact with Meryl... well, let's just say I have some interesting stuff planned for this fic. ^_^v
Rainy-days13: No worries about Meryl. After she gets through with Knives, he might just wish he'd taken the 'tall one' instead. ^_^
Next chapter: I finally get to write dialogue!!! Oh, and Meryl and Knives have a chat about 'Eden' and Knives' plans for humanity. Stick around!
Psst! R&R please!!!
Another short chapter... but the next one will be longer, I promise. The first three chapters were kinda rushed. _
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
-----------------
A Glimpse of Eden
-----------------
Chapter 2 -
~
Meryl shifted her weight and rolled over. She was cold and she wondered if her blanket had somehow fallen off during the night. Her left hand groped idly for it while her body clung to the last moments of peaceful sleep.
Ah, well... it was probably time to get up, anyway. She had to take inventory at the store today. Her hand fell back to her side and she felt... floor? Surprised, she sat up. Floor? Had she been so tired last night that she hadn't even made it into her bed? Her eyes took in her surroundings and then widened in shock. She wasn't in her room. In fact, she wasn't anywhere that she recognized. She slowly got to her feet, her body aching in protest. She was in a large room with no furnature, no door, no windows. How the heck had she gotten in there?
Her thoughts were interupted when a seam in the wall parted and in walked a tall blonde man. Surprised, she took a step back, the events of the previous night slowly coming back to her. Seemingly equally surprised at seeing her awake, the man paused briefly before fully stepping into the room.
'Knives!'
Meryl hadn't seen him since he had left their home over a year before. Vash had returned from his battle carrying a severely wounded Knives and had asked the girls to help him care for his brother until he recovered from his injuries. It had taken almost an entire year. A year of having to endure Knives' angry silences and cold stares. Of having to watch Vash tenderly change his bandages and clean his wounds, crying every time his brother winced in pain, feeling it as though it were his own. Of having to watch as Milly dutifully cooked meals for their patient, only to have it knocked to the floor in a fit of angry rage by the same man for who it had been so carefully prepared. Of having to work more hours at the store in order to pay for medicine for a man who would have eagerly killed her, Milly, and everyone in the small town were he given the chance. Then, one day Vash had shown up for dinner without his brother, saying only that Knives had decided to return to his ship and that he wouldn't trouble anyone anymore. And that had been it.
But now... here he was in front of her. Looking much the same as she last remembered him. He was tall, broad shouldered, with closely cropped light blonde hair... and the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen.
He took notice of her appearance as well. She was small, but he knew she was strong and capable. Her hair was slightly longer than he remembered, but she still had those strange violet-grey eyes. Eyes that now seemed to be studying him with a great deal of apprehension.
"What are you doing!?" she demanded, trying to appear more calm than she felt. "What is this place!?"
He ignored her questions and moved closer, his gaze traveling over her body. She automatically took a step back, trying to put some distance between them, but he quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist to halt her retreat and pulled her closer to him. He seemed to be studying her, evaluating her somehow. She tensed and he pushed her away from him and stepped back.
He nodded toward her. "Come with me." He turned and walked toward the door, stopping only when he noticed she wasn't following. "What? Are you deaf or something, girl?"
She frowned. Deaf? "I don't understand. What... do you mean to do with me?" She clutched the front of her white blouse, scared of what he wanted from her.
He saw her frightened look and for a brief moment, confusion crossed his handsome features before smoothing out into one of disgust. "Don't be ridiculous. I would... never... do what you're thinking with something like you."
Relief, and a little bit of anger at the insult, flooded her. At another barked, "Come", she quickly followed her captor from the room.
~
The place, whatever it was, was amazing. Long metalic corridors that branched off into more corridors and rooms amazed her. Strange lights and panels along the walls intrigued her. She was so intrigued by one flashing red light that she almost ran into the back of Knives when he abruptly stopped walking.
Casting an irritated glance back at her, he pressed a button on a panel and the wall slid open to reveal what looked to be a bedroom. Stepping inside and walking towards the bed he stopped to make sure she had followed him inside. When she hesitantly approached him he gestured toward the bed. There, laying amongst the covers, was a baby that appeared to be about a year old. Meryl looked questionally from the child to the man.
"Listen carefully, for I'll not repeat myself. From now until I decide otherwise, you are solely responsible for the welfare of that child. Your duty will be to feed and care for him as necessary, and when he gets older you are to teach and watch over him. If you fail to do so adequately or refuse to co-operate in any way..." he trailed off, waiting until he was sure he had her full attention before finishing, "I will kill you." It was said with such a quiet non-challance that it made Meryl shiver. Throughly satisfied with her reaction, he abruptly turned and left the room, the door sliding shut behind him.
Meryl's legs didn't seem to be able to support her any longer and she sat down on the bed in somewhat of a stupor. What in the hell had just happened? She cautiously glanced around the room, her mind cloudy from sleep and shock. She briefly remembered being in the pasture with Andrew, then feeling a sharp pain in her head... and then she had woken up here. Sighing, she flopped back onto the bed. 'I wonder what's happening back in town. Surely everyone must be looking for me by now. Andrew must have--'
She sat back up, suddenly struck by a thought. Was Andrew okay? Knives hadn't harmed him, she hoped.
The child made a slight noise, and Meryl glanced over to find it studying her with curious blue eyes. After a long moment, the child gave her a lopsided grin, and surprised, she smiled back. She hadn't known babies could smile like that. In fact, other than the knowledge that they smelt bad and slept alot, she really didn't know anything about babies. The smile quickly faded from her face. Where had the baby come from, and what was Knives of all people doing with it? And why had he kidnapped her and demanded she take care of it? It was all so confusing.
She rolled over on her stomach, trying to think. The baby, apparently upset at no longer being the subject of her undivided attention, made a small burbling noise and waved it's arms back and forth. Lost in thought, she ignored the baby until it began to cry. Loudly.
"Oh no! Please, please don't do that!" She picked the baby up and tried to calm it by patting it's back, but that only seemed to make the child cry harder. She placed the child on her lap and tried to comfort him, but he only screamed at her and tried to pull away.
Suddenly her mind cleared, and the events of the previous night and the enormity of the current situation finally sunk in. Quietly, she began to cry, hot tears falling down her cheeks and soaking into the front of her blouse. The child stopped it's own crying and looked up at her, intrigued by her tears. Reaching up a tiny hand, the child gently patted her cheek, almost as if to comfort her. Hugging the child close, Meryl stopped fighting the tears and gave into her grief.
~
Knived leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. Kidnapping the girl had been easy enough. The boy she had been with hadn't even noticed, at least not until he had already faded back into the darkness with the girl's unconscious form.
The idea of a human living on his ship still bothered him, but he supposed it was a necessary evil. He needed someone to care for the child until it was able to get along without constant supervision. He figured it would be a year at most. He frowned, his jaw clenching in irritation. How was he supposed to put up with a human for a whole year? It would take all his restraint he was sure.
He had needed someone to care for the child and he only knew two humans, his brother's 'insurance girls', Milly and Meryl. He had quickly decided to take the smaller girl over the tall one. The tall one had been extremely annoying when he had been forced to endure their company for a year. She hadn't seemed to be afraid of him and her constantly cheerful nature had annoyed him horribly. The smaller girl, whom he hadn't seen that often, was less annoying and more quiet. She would be easier to deal with.
He straightened up in his chair, the sudden urge to check on the child almost overwhelming.
After he had left the room he had stood outside the door, listening. When the boy had started to cry he had almost raced inside to check on him, but had suppressed the desire. He had needed to see how the girl handled it. When the child had stopped crying soon after he had been greatly relieved.
Maybe this would work out better than he had thought.
-----------------
End chapter 2
~
Thanks for all the positive reviews! I hope you guys will continue to support my fic.
Taedere-Belletrist: Of course I'll continue! How can I resist the puppy eye look?
Ana: Thanks for the support! And the chapters will continue to get longer, I promise.
Pyroaoi: Thanks, and I hope you'll enjoy this and the upcoming chapters as well.
angelarms: *blush* Well, I don't know about the 'one of the best' part, but I'm having alot of fun writing this and I'm glad people are actually enjoying it.
Calumongal: Working nights in a kitchen sucks, but it does give me plenty of time to think up Trigun fics. Knives is very logical and 'normal' right now, but once he begins having to interact with Meryl... well, let's just say I have some interesting stuff planned for this fic. ^_^v
Rainy-days13: No worries about Meryl. After she gets through with Knives, he might just wish he'd taken the 'tall one' instead. ^_^
Next chapter: I finally get to write dialogue!!! Oh, and Meryl and Knives have a chat about 'Eden' and Knives' plans for humanity. Stick around!
Psst! R&R please!!!