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
Woah, sorry about the late update! This week was too crazy for me! I got called into work on my off day, so I couldn't type that day, then I cut my hand and couldn't hold a pencil to write anything (I usually write chapter drafts when I'm at work), and then the forums I mod for finally switched servers so I was busy with that. Crazy, crazy, crazy. _
Even though I haven't finished that extra chapter I'm working on yet, I decided to update my fic anyway. Hope you like!
Short chapter alert! But this is the last short chapter left in my fic.
-----------------
A Glimpse of Eden
-----------------
Chapter - 12
~
Knives expertly loaded ammo into his revolver and fired, six rapid-fire shots striking the target's center. Allowing himself a small smile of satisfaction, he released the spent shells from the gun and bent to retrieve fresh ones.
Casting another impatiant glance toward the door, he loaded the new shells into his gun without looking and then snapped the chamber shut, the sound briefly echoing across the large room. Another six shots, another six bullets hitting the target's center. He emptied the gun's chamber again, his anger slowly increasing. Where was that woman? He had specifically told her to bring Locke to the training room early this morning, before breakfast. What was taking her so long? He had been waiting for almost an hour already. He had even completed his daily morning exercises earlier than usual in order to make time for the boy's training. Who was she to keep him waiting so long?
The boy had put up quite a fuss when Knives had informed him of the training session and Meryl hadn't looked too pleased either, but he had made his decision and she, true to her word, had backed him completely. Now he wondered if her absence meant she had changed her mind.
He irritably kicked at the shells near his feet, sending them scattering in all directions. If she didn't come soon he might have to do something drastic. When he gave orders he expected them to be followed.
The door opened and Meryl, followed closely by a yawning Locke, entered the room. Knives' breath caught at the sight of her, his anger at her lateness being momentarily forgotten. She was wearing a different outfit than the white uniform-ish one she almost always wore. The skirt and blouse was cut to flatter and draw attention to her figure, and the deep blue-grey color bought out the violet in her eyes even more than usual. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes sparkled with laughter, a warm smile touching her delicate mouth. She was lovely.
As she drew closer, Knives forced his expression into a scowl, remembering his irritation with her tardiness. "Do you know how long I've been waiting!? I told you to bring him early this morning!"
A slight frown crossed her face and she returned his irritated look. "It is early. And do you know how hard it is to get a child up in the morning? It took me almost half an hour to get him awake enough to get him dressed and he still hasn't eaten anything yet."
Pointedly ignoring her excuse, he turned his attention down to Locke, who yawned again and blinked up at him sleepily. Signaling him over, Knives squatted down in front of him to begin the first lesson. "I'm sorry you had to get up so early Locke, but it's time you learned how to handle a gun properly."
The boy bit his lip, looking hesitantly at the weapon Knives held out to him. "Why?"
Knives sighed and drew the gun back slightly, realizing that he'd have to take this slower. "So you'll be able to defend yourself when the situation calls for it."
Locke glanced up and met his eyes, looking nervous. "Can't you and Meryl protect me?"
"Well, of course... whenever it's possible," he sighed, adding more softly, "but we might not always be around Locke. You're going to have to learn to depend on yourself."
The boy clasped his hands tightly behind him and ducked his head, considering his words. Finally, he met Knives' eyes again and nodded. "Okay."
Relieved, Knives searched for some unspent shells but then remembered he had already used the entire box. "Meryl, there's some ammunition boxes over on that shelf," he pointed toward a far wall, "go and grab one of them." Her only action was to cross her arms and raise an expectant eyebrow. Through a clenched jaw he added, "Please."
With a contented smile, she turned and went to do as he asked. Now that her attention was diverted elsewhere, Knives allowed his gaze to drift down Meryl's slim figure, enjoying the way her new clothes hugged her femine curves. Catching Locke's grin out of the corner of his eye, he dropped his attention back to the boy, blushing lightly.
"Meryl looks nice today, doesn't she Knives?" Locke asked, his grin widening.
Knives sniffed disdainfully, but his blush deepened. "I wouldn't know. I never notice how she looks."
Locke smiled, but said nothing more. He had been noticing the way Knives stared at Meryl when she wasn't looking and he held onto the hope that when the time came for her to leave Knives would change his mind and decide to keep her. Knives was extremely possessive and if he ever took it into his head to keep her...
Meryl came back with the box of ammo, taking notice of the way the younger boy was grinning at her and the way the older one was looking anywhere but in her direction. "Um... I got the ammo you wanted, Knives."
Without looking, he reached up and, almost rudely, snatched it out of her hand. Holding back an angry tirade, Meryl forced herself to remain calm, and listened to Knives' smooth and eloquent voice as he carefully explained to Locke about different ammunition types and how to properly load a gun.
Surpressing a grin at the look on Locke's face as he desperately tried to comprehend all the information being thrown at him, Meryl focused her attention on Knives, marveling at the way his mask slipped whenever he was around the boy, the gentleness that was revealed. She smiled, her face softening with warmth. Vash had been right, Knives was changing.
Half-way through a detailed explaination about gun safety locks, Knives happened to glance toward Meryl and caught the glowing smile she was giving him. Flustered, and confused as to why she would be looking at him so... intently, he cut off his speech to Locke and gave her a puzzled look, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What are you smiling at?"
Her smile wavered slightly and she blushed, realizing that she had been caught staring... again! "Um... it's just that, well..." she trailed off, not sure how to respond. What was she supposed to say? That she had been smiling at how cute he and Locke were together?
"It's just what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question and looking at her as if she had gone crazy.
'What the hell...' "I was smiling because I thought you and Locke looked so cute discussing gun safety," she replied truthfully, and almost laughed at the stunned look that appeared on Knives' face.
"Cute?" he repeated blankly, blinking at her in confusion. He had been called alot of things in his lifetime, but 'cute' most certainly was not one of them.
"Yes, cute." she repeated, a teasing smile working it's way onto her features. "Is there something wrong with that?"
He frowned at her, trying his best to look intimidating, but her smile only widened. When had she stopped being afraid of him? "Knock it off. That smile is annoying." Getting to his feet, he went to stand behind Locke and handed the gun down to the boy. "See that target?" he asked, indicating the target nearest to them, and when the boy nodded he continued, "Try to hit it as close to the center as possible."
Locke glanced down at the weapon in his hands, taking the time to study it closely. He lightly ran his finger along the gun's barrel, then slowly spun the chamber with his thumb, listening to the clicking noises it made. It seemed to Meryl as if he was trying to get a feel for the weapon before he fired it. Or maybe, he was just trying to stall the inevitable for as long as he could.
The boy finally raised the gun, nervously looking down the sight at the target in the distance. Meryl shifted her weight slightly and Locke's eyes automatically flickered to her. Knives reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her over to stand next to him. He didn't need her accidently distracting the boy's attention. After what seemed like an eternity of holding her breath, Locke finally pulled the trigger, causing her to jump slightly at the sudden noise.
With a small sigh, the boy lowered the weapon and frowned. The bullet had struck the outer-edge of the target; just not the target he had been aiming for. "Well," he muttered quietly, "at least I hit one of them."
Knives crossed his arms and gave a quick, humorless laugh. "Barely."
"Nevermind him, Locke." she said, smiling encouragingly into the boy's dejected face, "It was pretty good for a first try."
"You jerked the trigger, Locke." Knives chastised, coming forward and retrieving the gun from Locke's hands. "You're supposed to squeeze the trigger gently. When you jerk the trigger like that you shift the gun and it throws off your aim. Watch how I do it." He raised the end of the gun toward the target but didn't fire. Instead, a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth and he glanced sideways at Meryl. "Can you see alright from here, Meryl?" he asked innocently, his eyes lighting with amusement, "You can move closer to the target if you like."
She blinked, surprised by his comment, but when his smile deepened into a grin and he softly chuckled at the stunned look on her face, she understood what had just happened. He was teasing her! A smile replaced her stunned look and she joined in his laugher, more amused by him than by his joke. He watched her laugh, a pleased smile on his face and she couldn't help teasing him back. "Thank you very much for your concern Mr. Knives," she smiled, wrinkling her nose at him, "but I happen to be very comfortable where I am."
They laughed again, and Locke couldn't keep the hopeful light from springing to his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, he could manage to keep his family together after all.
-----------------
End chapter 12
~
Arika*: Woot! I barely managed to get this posted before the week was up, so here ya go! What was Knives gonna say to Meryl? Well... um, it was probably something along the lines of 'thank you', but he just couldn't get the words out. He still has a long ways to go. ^_^
EvilChibiRuler: Hai! *salutes*
Magnet-Rose: Thank you very much!
Beckira: I was planning on updating sooner, because my writing was going pretty fast at first, but then I had to fill in for someone at work, and then I cut my hand... it was just a bad week for my writing. _
Yma: Yes, Yma-Sama! I've been typing as much as I can, but that dang chapter just keeps going! I can't seem to get to the end. *lol* I'm having way too much fun writing that chapter. I didn't specifically name the book (kinda left it up to the reader's imaginations), but I was thinking of perhaps 'Kilmeny of the Orchard' by L.M Montgomery. Her father collects books as a hobby, but certain books on that planet are rare and *extremely* expensive, so it's probably hard for him to find a copy.
Malster: I hope you're right! Alot of Trigun authors talk about how hard Milly can be to write, and I'm kinda worried. *lol*
trapt-tears: Heh... Knives the 'anti-human activist'. *lol* Thanks for the review, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy this fic. ^_^
WW: *covers up computer screen* What are you, reading over my shoulder? Digging through my chapter outlines? *lol* I actually have, in my notebook, a scrap of paper where I jotted down an outline for another new chapter where Locke decides to do something special for Meryl, but I haven't had time to write a basic draft for it yet. *see Beckira's response for reason*
Shygurl: Thanks for the review!
Jru: Glad to hear it. ^_^
SanoGirl: Wow, another K/M fan. Woot, thanks!
Ana: I will, and thanks for continuing to review my fic! It just doesn't seem complete until you put your stamp of approval on it. ^_^
~
Next time: Meryl's busy, so it's up to Knives to keep Locke entertained... just how will he handle it? And later, Knives takes an interest in knowing more about Meryl. Has he finally made his decision about her?
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
Woah, sorry about the late update! This week was too crazy for me! I got called into work on my off day, so I couldn't type that day, then I cut my hand and couldn't hold a pencil to write anything (I usually write chapter drafts when I'm at work), and then the forums I mod for finally switched servers so I was busy with that. Crazy, crazy, crazy. _
Even though I haven't finished that extra chapter I'm working on yet, I decided to update my fic anyway. Hope you like!
Short chapter alert! But this is the last short chapter left in my fic.
-----------------
A Glimpse of Eden
-----------------
Chapter - 12
~
Knives expertly loaded ammo into his revolver and fired, six rapid-fire shots striking the target's center. Allowing himself a small smile of satisfaction, he released the spent shells from the gun and bent to retrieve fresh ones.
Casting another impatiant glance toward the door, he loaded the new shells into his gun without looking and then snapped the chamber shut, the sound briefly echoing across the large room. Another six shots, another six bullets hitting the target's center. He emptied the gun's chamber again, his anger slowly increasing. Where was that woman? He had specifically told her to bring Locke to the training room early this morning, before breakfast. What was taking her so long? He had been waiting for almost an hour already. He had even completed his daily morning exercises earlier than usual in order to make time for the boy's training. Who was she to keep him waiting so long?
The boy had put up quite a fuss when Knives had informed him of the training session and Meryl hadn't looked too pleased either, but he had made his decision and she, true to her word, had backed him completely. Now he wondered if her absence meant she had changed her mind.
He irritably kicked at the shells near his feet, sending them scattering in all directions. If she didn't come soon he might have to do something drastic. When he gave orders he expected them to be followed.
The door opened and Meryl, followed closely by a yawning Locke, entered the room. Knives' breath caught at the sight of her, his anger at her lateness being momentarily forgotten. She was wearing a different outfit than the white uniform-ish one she almost always wore. The skirt and blouse was cut to flatter and draw attention to her figure, and the deep blue-grey color bought out the violet in her eyes even more than usual. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes sparkled with laughter, a warm smile touching her delicate mouth. She was lovely.
As she drew closer, Knives forced his expression into a scowl, remembering his irritation with her tardiness. "Do you know how long I've been waiting!? I told you to bring him early this morning!"
A slight frown crossed her face and she returned his irritated look. "It is early. And do you know how hard it is to get a child up in the morning? It took me almost half an hour to get him awake enough to get him dressed and he still hasn't eaten anything yet."
Pointedly ignoring her excuse, he turned his attention down to Locke, who yawned again and blinked up at him sleepily. Signaling him over, Knives squatted down in front of him to begin the first lesson. "I'm sorry you had to get up so early Locke, but it's time you learned how to handle a gun properly."
The boy bit his lip, looking hesitantly at the weapon Knives held out to him. "Why?"
Knives sighed and drew the gun back slightly, realizing that he'd have to take this slower. "So you'll be able to defend yourself when the situation calls for it."
Locke glanced up and met his eyes, looking nervous. "Can't you and Meryl protect me?"
"Well, of course... whenever it's possible," he sighed, adding more softly, "but we might not always be around Locke. You're going to have to learn to depend on yourself."
The boy clasped his hands tightly behind him and ducked his head, considering his words. Finally, he met Knives' eyes again and nodded. "Okay."
Relieved, Knives searched for some unspent shells but then remembered he had already used the entire box. "Meryl, there's some ammunition boxes over on that shelf," he pointed toward a far wall, "go and grab one of them." Her only action was to cross her arms and raise an expectant eyebrow. Through a clenched jaw he added, "Please."
With a contented smile, she turned and went to do as he asked. Now that her attention was diverted elsewhere, Knives allowed his gaze to drift down Meryl's slim figure, enjoying the way her new clothes hugged her femine curves. Catching Locke's grin out of the corner of his eye, he dropped his attention back to the boy, blushing lightly.
"Meryl looks nice today, doesn't she Knives?" Locke asked, his grin widening.
Knives sniffed disdainfully, but his blush deepened. "I wouldn't know. I never notice how she looks."
Locke smiled, but said nothing more. He had been noticing the way Knives stared at Meryl when she wasn't looking and he held onto the hope that when the time came for her to leave Knives would change his mind and decide to keep her. Knives was extremely possessive and if he ever took it into his head to keep her...
Meryl came back with the box of ammo, taking notice of the way the younger boy was grinning at her and the way the older one was looking anywhere but in her direction. "Um... I got the ammo you wanted, Knives."
Without looking, he reached up and, almost rudely, snatched it out of her hand. Holding back an angry tirade, Meryl forced herself to remain calm, and listened to Knives' smooth and eloquent voice as he carefully explained to Locke about different ammunition types and how to properly load a gun.
Surpressing a grin at the look on Locke's face as he desperately tried to comprehend all the information being thrown at him, Meryl focused her attention on Knives, marveling at the way his mask slipped whenever he was around the boy, the gentleness that was revealed. She smiled, her face softening with warmth. Vash had been right, Knives was changing.
Half-way through a detailed explaination about gun safety locks, Knives happened to glance toward Meryl and caught the glowing smile she was giving him. Flustered, and confused as to why she would be looking at him so... intently, he cut off his speech to Locke and gave her a puzzled look, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What are you smiling at?"
Her smile wavered slightly and she blushed, realizing that she had been caught staring... again! "Um... it's just that, well..." she trailed off, not sure how to respond. What was she supposed to say? That she had been smiling at how cute he and Locke were together?
"It's just what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question and looking at her as if she had gone crazy.
'What the hell...' "I was smiling because I thought you and Locke looked so cute discussing gun safety," she replied truthfully, and almost laughed at the stunned look that appeared on Knives' face.
"Cute?" he repeated blankly, blinking at her in confusion. He had been called alot of things in his lifetime, but 'cute' most certainly was not one of them.
"Yes, cute." she repeated, a teasing smile working it's way onto her features. "Is there something wrong with that?"
He frowned at her, trying his best to look intimidating, but her smile only widened. When had she stopped being afraid of him? "Knock it off. That smile is annoying." Getting to his feet, he went to stand behind Locke and handed the gun down to the boy. "See that target?" he asked, indicating the target nearest to them, and when the boy nodded he continued, "Try to hit it as close to the center as possible."
Locke glanced down at the weapon in his hands, taking the time to study it closely. He lightly ran his finger along the gun's barrel, then slowly spun the chamber with his thumb, listening to the clicking noises it made. It seemed to Meryl as if he was trying to get a feel for the weapon before he fired it. Or maybe, he was just trying to stall the inevitable for as long as he could.
The boy finally raised the gun, nervously looking down the sight at the target in the distance. Meryl shifted her weight slightly and Locke's eyes automatically flickered to her. Knives reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her over to stand next to him. He didn't need her accidently distracting the boy's attention. After what seemed like an eternity of holding her breath, Locke finally pulled the trigger, causing her to jump slightly at the sudden noise.
With a small sigh, the boy lowered the weapon and frowned. The bullet had struck the outer-edge of the target; just not the target he had been aiming for. "Well," he muttered quietly, "at least I hit one of them."
Knives crossed his arms and gave a quick, humorless laugh. "Barely."
"Nevermind him, Locke." she said, smiling encouragingly into the boy's dejected face, "It was pretty good for a first try."
"You jerked the trigger, Locke." Knives chastised, coming forward and retrieving the gun from Locke's hands. "You're supposed to squeeze the trigger gently. When you jerk the trigger like that you shift the gun and it throws off your aim. Watch how I do it." He raised the end of the gun toward the target but didn't fire. Instead, a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth and he glanced sideways at Meryl. "Can you see alright from here, Meryl?" he asked innocently, his eyes lighting with amusement, "You can move closer to the target if you like."
She blinked, surprised by his comment, but when his smile deepened into a grin and he softly chuckled at the stunned look on her face, she understood what had just happened. He was teasing her! A smile replaced her stunned look and she joined in his laugher, more amused by him than by his joke. He watched her laugh, a pleased smile on his face and she couldn't help teasing him back. "Thank you very much for your concern Mr. Knives," she smiled, wrinkling her nose at him, "but I happen to be very comfortable where I am."
They laughed again, and Locke couldn't keep the hopeful light from springing to his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, he could manage to keep his family together after all.
-----------------
End chapter 12
~
Arika*: Woot! I barely managed to get this posted before the week was up, so here ya go! What was Knives gonna say to Meryl? Well... um, it was probably something along the lines of 'thank you', but he just couldn't get the words out. He still has a long ways to go. ^_^
EvilChibiRuler: Hai! *salutes*
Magnet-Rose: Thank you very much!
Beckira: I was planning on updating sooner, because my writing was going pretty fast at first, but then I had to fill in for someone at work, and then I cut my hand... it was just a bad week for my writing. _
Yma: Yes, Yma-Sama! I've been typing as much as I can, but that dang chapter just keeps going! I can't seem to get to the end. *lol* I'm having way too much fun writing that chapter. I didn't specifically name the book (kinda left it up to the reader's imaginations), but I was thinking of perhaps 'Kilmeny of the Orchard' by L.M Montgomery. Her father collects books as a hobby, but certain books on that planet are rare and *extremely* expensive, so it's probably hard for him to find a copy.
Malster: I hope you're right! Alot of Trigun authors talk about how hard Milly can be to write, and I'm kinda worried. *lol*
trapt-tears: Heh... Knives the 'anti-human activist'. *lol* Thanks for the review, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy this fic. ^_^
WW: *covers up computer screen* What are you, reading over my shoulder? Digging through my chapter outlines? *lol* I actually have, in my notebook, a scrap of paper where I jotted down an outline for another new chapter where Locke decides to do something special for Meryl, but I haven't had time to write a basic draft for it yet. *see Beckira's response for reason*
Shygurl: Thanks for the review!
Jru: Glad to hear it. ^_^
SanoGirl: Wow, another K/M fan. Woot, thanks!
Ana: I will, and thanks for continuing to review my fic! It just doesn't seem complete until you put your stamp of approval on it. ^_^
~
Next time: Meryl's busy, so it's up to Knives to keep Locke entertained... just how will he handle it? And later, Knives takes an interest in knowing more about Meryl. Has he finally made his decision about her?