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
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
Gah... I hope Vash is in character.
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A Glimpse of Eden
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Chapter - 9
~
Vash rested his forearms on the table and leaned forward, a cup of coffee held between his hands. "So, Knives hasn't harmed you?"
Meryl shook her head. "Nope. Aside from the occasional angry outburst," she cupped her chin in her hand and smiled, "he's been a complete gentleman."
They had been talking for over an hour, ever since they had returned from town. Knives had immediately stalked off with Locke upon arriving, so she and Vash had been able to sit at the kitchen table and talk over everything that had happened since they had last seen each other, almost a year ago.
Meryl looked across the table at Vash and studied him as he took a sip from his cup. His hair was still in the same gravity defying style she remembered and he was dressed in a light grey shirt, a faded pair of blue jeans, and his old boots. The mid-length black coat he had been wearing before was now slung over the back of the chair next to him and his gun and holster were carelessly laying on the table to his right. As he sat there, Meryl wondered if he had any idea just how cute he was.
"Meryl?" His voice interupted her thoughts and she blushed, painfully aware that she had just been caught staring.
"Er... huh?" Her blush deepened under his aqua colored gaze and she hoped Vash didn't notice.
"Nothing, it's just... you kinda seemed to zone out there for a minute." He grinned at her.
"Um, I was just thinking... that's all." She cleared her thoat and dropped her gaze to her coffee cup. "Er... Vash? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Meryl. What is it?"
"Where were you all this time? I mean, Milly and I waited for you..." she trailed off.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice quieter than before, "I didn't mean to worry you girls. There was just something I needed to figure out before I came back... you understand, don't you?" He looked at her hopefully.
Meryl smiled. "Of course, Vash." She frowned in thought. "How is Milly, by the way?"
Vash grinned again. "She's fine. She's waiting back in Spring." He took another sip of coffee. "Y'know, she threatened to hate me forever if I didn't find you and bring you back."
Meryl laughed. "To hate you, your children, and your children's children?"
"Something like that. She can be scary sometimes." He laughed, then became more serious. "She went looking for you, but when she didn't find you she thought she had better go back to Spring and wait for me."
"I had thought so." Good old dependable Milly.
"When I arrived back in Spring she was waiting for me. When she told me about your sudden disappearance I had a feeling Knives was somehow responsible. She had wanted to come with me, but I felt it would be safer if she stayed in Spring." He dropped his eyes and fidgeted with his coffee cup. "I was so relieved to see that you were okay, that Knives hadn't hurt you."
She smiled. "I'm fine, Vash. Knives needed me to care for Locke, he wouldn't have hurt me." Her eyes teared up and she lowered her head to hide them. "I've just... missed you and Milly so much."
Vash reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Please don't cry, Meryl. Everything's going to be alright now, I promise."
Her grip tightened in his and she smiled. "I know, Vash. I'm just glad you're here."
Vash had just opened his mouth to reply when the door slid open and Knives and Locke walked in... and caught them holding hands. Meryl and Vash immediately released their grip on each other and retreated back to their own side of the table, both blushing in embarassment. Knives walked over to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down and joining them at the table.
Leaning back in the chair, he crossed one leg over the other. "So... am I interupting anything?"
Vash coughed. "Er... no, of course not. Meryl and I were just talking, that's all."
Knives focused his attention on Meryl, his eyes cold. "Is that so? You must have plenty to catch up on."
"Um, yeah... I was just asking about Milly." Why was he looking at her like that?
Locke sat down next to Meryl and smiled up at her. "Who's Milly?"
Putting an arm around him she smiled back. "A very good friend of mine."
Knives turned his attention to Vash. "So Vash, what took you so long to come for the girl? Was there a kitten stuck up a tree that needed rescuing?" His tone was light but his eyes were dark with challenge.
Vash ignored it. "Geez, Knives... gimme a break. I didn't even know she was missing until a week ago." He grinned. "Besides, I knew you'd take good care of her for me."
"Please, Vash... spare me. The only reason she's alive and well is because she is of use to me." He paused to raise his cup to his lips. "And when she is no longer of any use she will be treated accordingly." Out of the corner of his eye, Vash noticed Locke tense and then go pale at Knives' words.
Knives continued, trying to get a rise out of Vash. "Did you think, that just because she serves me now, I would treat her any differently than the rest of the human trash? Or did you think I'd completely abandoned my plans for humanity, Vash? Is that what--"
The rest of Knives' sentence was cut short when Locke abruptly leapt to his feet, toppling over his chair. "Meryl's not trash and I won't let you hurt her!" He threw his arms protectively around her and glared at Knives. "I don't care what you do to anyone else, but you can't hurt Meryl!" His eyes filling with tears, Locke released Meryl and ran from the room.
Knives, who had started to rise from his chair at the sound of Locke's first angry words, slumped back in his seat in shock. In his desire to bait Vash into an argument, he had forgotten the boy's presence in the room. He sank deeper into his chair in despair. Locke was mad at him, and didn't he have reason to be? He would never have even mentioned the girl in the first place if he hadn't thought that it would have angered Vash into responding. Knives irritably ran his fingers through his hair. What was he supposed to do now?
Meryl quietly rose from her chair. "I'll go check on Locke." Pausing when she reached Knives, she gently laid a hand on his shoulder, as if to offer him comfort. Searching her eyes in surprise, he gave her a brief nod and she turned and left the room, the door sliding shut behind her.
Vash watched his brother stare at the door, a confused look upon his face. "Don't worry about it, Knives. She'll calm Locke down," Vash paused and glanced sideways at Knives before adding lightly, "she's good at stuff like that."
Knives turned to Vash, the confused look from a moment ago replaced by one of annoyance. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
Vash smiled and leaned back in his chair, studying Knives' reaction to his 'innocent' statement. "Oh, nothing... just that she has a great record of calming people down when they're being irrational." He grinned at Knives.
Knives frowned but remained silent. "Yep," Vash continued, "you could even call her a pro at dealing with situations like these. You know, dealing with irrational people." Vash chuckled silently to himself. When was the last time he had felt comfortable enough to talk to Knives like this?
"I guess..." Knives began slowly, "that she would also then be an expert on dealing with irritating, annoying, and idiotic people as well," he paused to level a glare at Vash, "considering she's been around you for the past four years!"
'Ouch...' "Aw, come on, Knives! Don't be like that, I was just playing with you. There's no need to get mad." Vash waved his arms in front of him as if trying to calm Knives down, but secretly he was pleased at his brother's response. Knives responding to Vash's blatant teasing with irritation rather than anger had to be a sign of improvement.
"Well, don't 'play' with me, Vash. I'm not in the mood." Knives rested his elbows on the table and held his cup between his hands, staring thoughtfully into his drink.
Vash watched his brother carefully for a few minutes. Knives was really upset over what had happened, but he was taking great pains to hide it. Vash tried to think of something to say to put his brother at ease. "Relax, Knives... Meryl will--"
"Enough!" Knives cut off Vash. "I'm tired of thinking about that woman, I refuse to talk about her as well." Vash raised a brow slightly at his brother's inadvertant admission, but said nothing. Knives glanced at him in irritation and ran his fingers through his hair again. "Don't just sit there staring at me, Vash... say something. Just not about that woman!"
Vash leaned an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his raised hand. "So... heard any good jokes lately?"
With an angry sneer, Knives abruptly rose from his chair and stalked toward the door, a grinning Vash following silently behind.
~
A quick search by Meryl had found Locke in the arboretum, laying on the grass under the oak tree and crying his heart out. When she had sat down next to him, he had wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her lap, sobbing that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, that he'd always protect her.
Meryl shifted her weight into a more comfortable position and gently stroked Locke's hair away from his face. Kissing the top of his head she murmured soothing words and rubbed his back to try and calm him down.
"It's not right, Meryl," he sobbed into her lap, "why'd Knives say those things?"
"Shh... it's alright, Locke. Calm down." She patted his back gently. "I'm sure Knives didn't mean to upset you with what he said."
Locke looked up at her, his eyes red from crying. "Then why'd he say it?"
'Because he's a hotheaded moron...' "He was just trying to irritate his brother. They have... opposing views on certain things."
Locke leaned back into her embrace. "He still shouldn't have said those things."
She hugged him close, her chin resting on the top of his head. "Maybe not, but you shouldn't have yelled at him like that either." She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Don't you think so?"
He studied her face a moment before slowly nodding in agreement. Sighing, he went back into her arms again. "I guess I'd better apologize to Knives, huh?"
Meryl laughed softly. "I dunno, do you want to?"
He nodded again. "Yeah, I'm not mad at Knives. I love him." His grip around her tightened. "And I love you too, Meryl."
Her heart warming, she returned his tight hug. "And I love you, Locke."
A minute passed, and then... "Meryl?"
"Hmmm?"
"What should I do if Knives says something like that again?" He peered up at her, his blue eyes suddenly anxious.
Meryl frowned in thought. "I guess... you should do what I do when he says something that annoys me."
Locke looked confused. "Call him an idiot when he's not around?"
Meryl blushed and made a mental note to watch what she said when Locke was in earshot from now on. "Er... no. I mean, you should just try to ignore him when he goes off into one of his rants."
The door to the arboretum sild open and Knives, followed closely by Vash, came in. His eyes quickly scanned the area until they fell upon Meryl and Locke. Hesitating briefly, he slowly walked toward them while trying to ignore Vash. He stopped a few feet away, carefully noting Locke's red eyes and frazzled appearance. A few uneasy moments passed before Locke released his grip on Meryl and flung his arms around Knives' waist.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Knives! I didn't mean to!"
Knives' eyes widened and he ackwardly put his arms around the boy. "It's... it's alright, Locke. Don't worry about it." He pulled out of the embrace and squatted so he was eye level with the boy. "I... I probably shouldn't have said those things." Glancing past Locke's head, he met Meryl's gaze and held it, and although he addressed Locke she had the feeling he was speaking to her as well. "Can you forgive me?"
Wrapping his arms around Knives' neck in a tight hug, Locke nodded. Meryl sighed and dropped her eyes to her lap, relieved to have everything back to normal again. Knives again pulled out of the boy's embrace and straightened, slightly embarassed by the open display of affection. Noticing at his brother's huge grin he quickly grew annoyed again. "What!?"
Vash held up his hands in mock surrender and then threw himself down on the grass next to Meryl. "Chill out, Bro. You're too high strung, you need to relax a little more." He grinned at Meryl. "Don't you agree?" She laughed, but upon catching Knives' dark look she decided not to comment.
Vash leaned back on his elbows and stared off into the distance. "It's so beautiful... so peaceful." He turned back to address his brother. "So what are you planning to do now, if I might ask?"
Knives opened his mouth to reply, but upon catching Meryl's warning glare he closed it again. He cleared his throat before speaking to her. "Maybe you should put Locke to bed, it's getting late."
She nodded and got to her feet, heading for the door. "Aww, Knives! I'm not tired!" Locke whined, but he obediently followed Meryl.
Knives waited until the door slid shut before turning his attention back to Vash. "What exactly do you mean?"
Vash sat up and rested his arms on his knees. "What are your plans for the boy?"
"Nothing at the moment, he's still a child." Knives studied his brother thoughtfully. "When he's older I'll educate him to the true nature of humans, of course. I'm sure he'll agree with my point of view."
Vash studied the toe of his boot, trying to sound casual. "And if he doesn't? You saw how he reacted before, what if he disagrees with you?"
Knives frowned. "He won't. He only acted like that before because of his attachment to that woman. Once she's gone I can concentrate on removing any and all foolish notions she may have put in his head about humans." Knives glanced away from his brother, his expression unreadable. "You're planning to take her back with you when you leave tomorrow, aren't you, Vash?"
Vash glanced up at his brother's quiet tone. He nodded slightly, "I guess so."
Knives mumbled something to himself and straightened. "Excuse me, Vash. But it's late and I have to get up early tomorrow. I assume you can find your way to your room by yourself?" At Vash's slightly perplexed nod he turned and headed for the door. "Then goodnight, Brother. I'll see you at breakfast."
As the door slid shut Vash let out a huge sigh and fell back on the grass. He had thought that taking Meryl back to Spring as soon as possible would be the best course of action, but now... he wasn't so sure. Vash put his hands behind his head and stared up at the virtual blue sky. He had the strong suspicion that Locke wasn't the only one who had developed a strong attachment to Meryl.
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End chapter 9
~
Yma: Heh, thanks! I'm glad you thought the Meryl/Vash reunion scene was in character. I figured she'd give him a smack once she recovered from the shock/joy of seeing him again. You do know that I write those 'next time' thingys just to get back at you for your 'next chapter' blurbs in your fic, right? They drive me crazy. *lol* That reminds me... please update soon!!! _
Arika*: Wow, thanks for all those reviews! Locke's hair color is closer in shade to Vash's, but not as 'bright'. Kinda like a soft 'honey blonde' color, I guess. I'm glad you're liking the fic. And good luck with your fic and update soon, okay? ^_^v
Grace: Another one who thought the Meryl/Vash reunion worked. Yeah, I don't like sappy/fluff that much. I prefer subtlety. I hope that the Vash/Meryl scene in this chapter worked, too. Thanks for the review!
Ana: Woot, heya! You wanna know something? I'm writing this thing and I'm not even 100% sure on who's gonna end up with who. I've rewritten the last chapter twice already because I keep changing my mind on how this should end. I think that's the best part of K/M/V stories, not knowing until the very end, and I'm going to do my best to keep everyone guessing. ^_^
Malster: Wow, I seem to have created an Original Character that people actually like. In most fics, it's usually the other way around. Glad you like Locke so much!
angelarms: Much thanks! Woot, I seemed to have hit my stride with that last chapter, everyone liked it. It's okay, sometimes I get those stupid error messages, too. I just hope you were going to give me a positive review for chapter 7? ^_^
WW: Thank you! I hope you liked the Vash/Meryl moment in this chapter. It was my first time writing anything resembling 'fluff' and I tried to keep it to a minimum. I just hope it was in character for the two.
Neptune Butterfly: *lol* Glad to know you liked that chapter so much! I hope the Vash/Meryl scene was 'fluffy' enough for you.
KiTtY_iN_lUv: Thank you so much!
~
Meryl once said, "All of life's journeys come with meetings, partings, and reunions." So far we've had a meeting and a reunion. Is it time for a parting?
Next time: Vash has come for Meryl. Has the time really come for her to say goodbye to Locke? And I wonder what Knives will have to say about this...
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
Gah... I hope Vash is in character.
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A Glimpse of Eden
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Chapter - 9
~
Vash rested his forearms on the table and leaned forward, a cup of coffee held between his hands. "So, Knives hasn't harmed you?"
Meryl shook her head. "Nope. Aside from the occasional angry outburst," she cupped her chin in her hand and smiled, "he's been a complete gentleman."
They had been talking for over an hour, ever since they had returned from town. Knives had immediately stalked off with Locke upon arriving, so she and Vash had been able to sit at the kitchen table and talk over everything that had happened since they had last seen each other, almost a year ago.
Meryl looked across the table at Vash and studied him as he took a sip from his cup. His hair was still in the same gravity defying style she remembered and he was dressed in a light grey shirt, a faded pair of blue jeans, and his old boots. The mid-length black coat he had been wearing before was now slung over the back of the chair next to him and his gun and holster were carelessly laying on the table to his right. As he sat there, Meryl wondered if he had any idea just how cute he was.
"Meryl?" His voice interupted her thoughts and she blushed, painfully aware that she had just been caught staring.
"Er... huh?" Her blush deepened under his aqua colored gaze and she hoped Vash didn't notice.
"Nothing, it's just... you kinda seemed to zone out there for a minute." He grinned at her.
"Um, I was just thinking... that's all." She cleared her thoat and dropped her gaze to her coffee cup. "Er... Vash? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Meryl. What is it?"
"Where were you all this time? I mean, Milly and I waited for you..." she trailed off.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice quieter than before, "I didn't mean to worry you girls. There was just something I needed to figure out before I came back... you understand, don't you?" He looked at her hopefully.
Meryl smiled. "Of course, Vash." She frowned in thought. "How is Milly, by the way?"
Vash grinned again. "She's fine. She's waiting back in Spring." He took another sip of coffee. "Y'know, she threatened to hate me forever if I didn't find you and bring you back."
Meryl laughed. "To hate you, your children, and your children's children?"
"Something like that. She can be scary sometimes." He laughed, then became more serious. "She went looking for you, but when she didn't find you she thought she had better go back to Spring and wait for me."
"I had thought so." Good old dependable Milly.
"When I arrived back in Spring she was waiting for me. When she told me about your sudden disappearance I had a feeling Knives was somehow responsible. She had wanted to come with me, but I felt it would be safer if she stayed in Spring." He dropped his eyes and fidgeted with his coffee cup. "I was so relieved to see that you were okay, that Knives hadn't hurt you."
She smiled. "I'm fine, Vash. Knives needed me to care for Locke, he wouldn't have hurt me." Her eyes teared up and she lowered her head to hide them. "I've just... missed you and Milly so much."
Vash reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Please don't cry, Meryl. Everything's going to be alright now, I promise."
Her grip tightened in his and she smiled. "I know, Vash. I'm just glad you're here."
Vash had just opened his mouth to reply when the door slid open and Knives and Locke walked in... and caught them holding hands. Meryl and Vash immediately released their grip on each other and retreated back to their own side of the table, both blushing in embarassment. Knives walked over to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down and joining them at the table.
Leaning back in the chair, he crossed one leg over the other. "So... am I interupting anything?"
Vash coughed. "Er... no, of course not. Meryl and I were just talking, that's all."
Knives focused his attention on Meryl, his eyes cold. "Is that so? You must have plenty to catch up on."
"Um, yeah... I was just asking about Milly." Why was he looking at her like that?
Locke sat down next to Meryl and smiled up at her. "Who's Milly?"
Putting an arm around him she smiled back. "A very good friend of mine."
Knives turned his attention to Vash. "So Vash, what took you so long to come for the girl? Was there a kitten stuck up a tree that needed rescuing?" His tone was light but his eyes were dark with challenge.
Vash ignored it. "Geez, Knives... gimme a break. I didn't even know she was missing until a week ago." He grinned. "Besides, I knew you'd take good care of her for me."
"Please, Vash... spare me. The only reason she's alive and well is because she is of use to me." He paused to raise his cup to his lips. "And when she is no longer of any use she will be treated accordingly." Out of the corner of his eye, Vash noticed Locke tense and then go pale at Knives' words.
Knives continued, trying to get a rise out of Vash. "Did you think, that just because she serves me now, I would treat her any differently than the rest of the human trash? Or did you think I'd completely abandoned my plans for humanity, Vash? Is that what--"
The rest of Knives' sentence was cut short when Locke abruptly leapt to his feet, toppling over his chair. "Meryl's not trash and I won't let you hurt her!" He threw his arms protectively around her and glared at Knives. "I don't care what you do to anyone else, but you can't hurt Meryl!" His eyes filling with tears, Locke released Meryl and ran from the room.
Knives, who had started to rise from his chair at the sound of Locke's first angry words, slumped back in his seat in shock. In his desire to bait Vash into an argument, he had forgotten the boy's presence in the room. He sank deeper into his chair in despair. Locke was mad at him, and didn't he have reason to be? He would never have even mentioned the girl in the first place if he hadn't thought that it would have angered Vash into responding. Knives irritably ran his fingers through his hair. What was he supposed to do now?
Meryl quietly rose from her chair. "I'll go check on Locke." Pausing when she reached Knives, she gently laid a hand on his shoulder, as if to offer him comfort. Searching her eyes in surprise, he gave her a brief nod and she turned and left the room, the door sliding shut behind her.
Vash watched his brother stare at the door, a confused look upon his face. "Don't worry about it, Knives. She'll calm Locke down," Vash paused and glanced sideways at Knives before adding lightly, "she's good at stuff like that."
Knives turned to Vash, the confused look from a moment ago replaced by one of annoyance. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
Vash smiled and leaned back in his chair, studying Knives' reaction to his 'innocent' statement. "Oh, nothing... just that she has a great record of calming people down when they're being irrational." He grinned at Knives.
Knives frowned but remained silent. "Yep," Vash continued, "you could even call her a pro at dealing with situations like these. You know, dealing with irrational people." Vash chuckled silently to himself. When was the last time he had felt comfortable enough to talk to Knives like this?
"I guess..." Knives began slowly, "that she would also then be an expert on dealing with irritating, annoying, and idiotic people as well," he paused to level a glare at Vash, "considering she's been around you for the past four years!"
'Ouch...' "Aw, come on, Knives! Don't be like that, I was just playing with you. There's no need to get mad." Vash waved his arms in front of him as if trying to calm Knives down, but secretly he was pleased at his brother's response. Knives responding to Vash's blatant teasing with irritation rather than anger had to be a sign of improvement.
"Well, don't 'play' with me, Vash. I'm not in the mood." Knives rested his elbows on the table and held his cup between his hands, staring thoughtfully into his drink.
Vash watched his brother carefully for a few minutes. Knives was really upset over what had happened, but he was taking great pains to hide it. Vash tried to think of something to say to put his brother at ease. "Relax, Knives... Meryl will--"
"Enough!" Knives cut off Vash. "I'm tired of thinking about that woman, I refuse to talk about her as well." Vash raised a brow slightly at his brother's inadvertant admission, but said nothing. Knives glanced at him in irritation and ran his fingers through his hair again. "Don't just sit there staring at me, Vash... say something. Just not about that woman!"
Vash leaned an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his raised hand. "So... heard any good jokes lately?"
With an angry sneer, Knives abruptly rose from his chair and stalked toward the door, a grinning Vash following silently behind.
~
A quick search by Meryl had found Locke in the arboretum, laying on the grass under the oak tree and crying his heart out. When she had sat down next to him, he had wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her lap, sobbing that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, that he'd always protect her.
Meryl shifted her weight into a more comfortable position and gently stroked Locke's hair away from his face. Kissing the top of his head she murmured soothing words and rubbed his back to try and calm him down.
"It's not right, Meryl," he sobbed into her lap, "why'd Knives say those things?"
"Shh... it's alright, Locke. Calm down." She patted his back gently. "I'm sure Knives didn't mean to upset you with what he said."
Locke looked up at her, his eyes red from crying. "Then why'd he say it?"
'Because he's a hotheaded moron...' "He was just trying to irritate his brother. They have... opposing views on certain things."
Locke leaned back into her embrace. "He still shouldn't have said those things."
She hugged him close, her chin resting on the top of his head. "Maybe not, but you shouldn't have yelled at him like that either." She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Don't you think so?"
He studied her face a moment before slowly nodding in agreement. Sighing, he went back into her arms again. "I guess I'd better apologize to Knives, huh?"
Meryl laughed softly. "I dunno, do you want to?"
He nodded again. "Yeah, I'm not mad at Knives. I love him." His grip around her tightened. "And I love you too, Meryl."
Her heart warming, she returned his tight hug. "And I love you, Locke."
A minute passed, and then... "Meryl?"
"Hmmm?"
"What should I do if Knives says something like that again?" He peered up at her, his blue eyes suddenly anxious.
Meryl frowned in thought. "I guess... you should do what I do when he says something that annoys me."
Locke looked confused. "Call him an idiot when he's not around?"
Meryl blushed and made a mental note to watch what she said when Locke was in earshot from now on. "Er... no. I mean, you should just try to ignore him when he goes off into one of his rants."
The door to the arboretum sild open and Knives, followed closely by Vash, came in. His eyes quickly scanned the area until they fell upon Meryl and Locke. Hesitating briefly, he slowly walked toward them while trying to ignore Vash. He stopped a few feet away, carefully noting Locke's red eyes and frazzled appearance. A few uneasy moments passed before Locke released his grip on Meryl and flung his arms around Knives' waist.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Knives! I didn't mean to!"
Knives' eyes widened and he ackwardly put his arms around the boy. "It's... it's alright, Locke. Don't worry about it." He pulled out of the embrace and squatted so he was eye level with the boy. "I... I probably shouldn't have said those things." Glancing past Locke's head, he met Meryl's gaze and held it, and although he addressed Locke she had the feeling he was speaking to her as well. "Can you forgive me?"
Wrapping his arms around Knives' neck in a tight hug, Locke nodded. Meryl sighed and dropped her eyes to her lap, relieved to have everything back to normal again. Knives again pulled out of the boy's embrace and straightened, slightly embarassed by the open display of affection. Noticing at his brother's huge grin he quickly grew annoyed again. "What!?"
Vash held up his hands in mock surrender and then threw himself down on the grass next to Meryl. "Chill out, Bro. You're too high strung, you need to relax a little more." He grinned at Meryl. "Don't you agree?" She laughed, but upon catching Knives' dark look she decided not to comment.
Vash leaned back on his elbows and stared off into the distance. "It's so beautiful... so peaceful." He turned back to address his brother. "So what are you planning to do now, if I might ask?"
Knives opened his mouth to reply, but upon catching Meryl's warning glare he closed it again. He cleared his throat before speaking to her. "Maybe you should put Locke to bed, it's getting late."
She nodded and got to her feet, heading for the door. "Aww, Knives! I'm not tired!" Locke whined, but he obediently followed Meryl.
Knives waited until the door slid shut before turning his attention back to Vash. "What exactly do you mean?"
Vash sat up and rested his arms on his knees. "What are your plans for the boy?"
"Nothing at the moment, he's still a child." Knives studied his brother thoughtfully. "When he's older I'll educate him to the true nature of humans, of course. I'm sure he'll agree with my point of view."
Vash studied the toe of his boot, trying to sound casual. "And if he doesn't? You saw how he reacted before, what if he disagrees with you?"
Knives frowned. "He won't. He only acted like that before because of his attachment to that woman. Once she's gone I can concentrate on removing any and all foolish notions she may have put in his head about humans." Knives glanced away from his brother, his expression unreadable. "You're planning to take her back with you when you leave tomorrow, aren't you, Vash?"
Vash glanced up at his brother's quiet tone. He nodded slightly, "I guess so."
Knives mumbled something to himself and straightened. "Excuse me, Vash. But it's late and I have to get up early tomorrow. I assume you can find your way to your room by yourself?" At Vash's slightly perplexed nod he turned and headed for the door. "Then goodnight, Brother. I'll see you at breakfast."
As the door slid shut Vash let out a huge sigh and fell back on the grass. He had thought that taking Meryl back to Spring as soon as possible would be the best course of action, but now... he wasn't so sure. Vash put his hands behind his head and stared up at the virtual blue sky. He had the strong suspicion that Locke wasn't the only one who had developed a strong attachment to Meryl.
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End chapter 9
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Yma: Heh, thanks! I'm glad you thought the Meryl/Vash reunion scene was in character. I figured she'd give him a smack once she recovered from the shock/joy of seeing him again. You do know that I write those 'next time' thingys just to get back at you for your 'next chapter' blurbs in your fic, right? They drive me crazy. *lol* That reminds me... please update soon!!! _
Arika*: Wow, thanks for all those reviews! Locke's hair color is closer in shade to Vash's, but not as 'bright'. Kinda like a soft 'honey blonde' color, I guess. I'm glad you're liking the fic. And good luck with your fic and update soon, okay? ^_^v
Grace: Another one who thought the Meryl/Vash reunion worked. Yeah, I don't like sappy/fluff that much. I prefer subtlety. I hope that the Vash/Meryl scene in this chapter worked, too. Thanks for the review!
Ana: Woot, heya! You wanna know something? I'm writing this thing and I'm not even 100% sure on who's gonna end up with who. I've rewritten the last chapter twice already because I keep changing my mind on how this should end. I think that's the best part of K/M/V stories, not knowing until the very end, and I'm going to do my best to keep everyone guessing. ^_^
Malster: Wow, I seem to have created an Original Character that people actually like. In most fics, it's usually the other way around. Glad you like Locke so much!
angelarms: Much thanks! Woot, I seemed to have hit my stride with that last chapter, everyone liked it. It's okay, sometimes I get those stupid error messages, too. I just hope you were going to give me a positive review for chapter 7? ^_^
WW: Thank you! I hope you liked the Vash/Meryl moment in this chapter. It was my first time writing anything resembling 'fluff' and I tried to keep it to a minimum. I just hope it was in character for the two.
Neptune Butterfly: *lol* Glad to know you liked that chapter so much! I hope the Vash/Meryl scene was 'fluffy' enough for you.
KiTtY_iN_lUv: Thank you so much!
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Meryl once said, "All of life's journeys come with meetings, partings, and reunions." So far we've had a meeting and a reunion. Is it time for a parting?
Next time: Vash has come for Meryl. Has the time really come for her to say goodbye to Locke? And I wonder what Knives will have to say about this...