--Blahblahblahtalkandstuff--: means people are thinking to themselves. Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun. No Vash, no Knives...you get the picture, right?
Chapter 10.
"They're still alive!" A delighted Milly proclaimed.
It seemed to snap Meryl out of her stupor and she went to assist her partner. When they entered the hospital it was like a ghost town. "Dang it all! Where are they? They're all cowards for leaving like this."
"At least they left the supplies." Milly observed. That cooled Meryl's temper a bit and they set to work straightway.
"Come on, V, get up." Meryl pleaded. Amazingly, no one had entered back into the hospital. It had been three days since the terrible fight, yet there weren't any signs of either 2 waking up.
It was midnight and Milly had already fallen fast asleep. Meryl stole a look at the big girl. –How does she do it? I have yet to find out how she can smile when her loved ones are taken from her. Me? I just bury myself in work day and night. I haven't lost anyone, though. —
A black cat stalked into the room and sat at Meryl's feet. "Oh, my, where did you come from?" Its big bright yellow-green eyes stared at her as if to ask her for food. She smiled sympathetically. "If I feed you, I'll have to feed every single stray cat that comes in and I can't do that. You understand, right?"
--I must be losing it to talk with a cat! – The black creature let out a unique meow and left the room. Meryl stared off into space for a moment, and then drifted off to sleep.
"Good morning, Meryl! Isn't it a great day?" Milly's vibrant behavior went unwelcome by the older woman.
"I barely slept at all last night." She explained.
"Oh, that's too bad. Were you worried about Vash and Knives?"
Meryl simply nodded her head, sure Milly would understand. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
Milly shook her head. "No, I wanted to wait until you got up. I found the cafeteria and you'll never guess what they serve all the time: pudding!" She cried gleefully. "I'm going to fix something real quick. Maybe they'll wake up before I'm done."
"Don't get your hopes up, Milly." Meryl warned.
"Yes, ma'am,"
Two weeks rolled by and Knives sat up in bed. –Where the heck am I...? Oh, no, did I die with my brother next to me? I was hoping I'd live this one out, or at least be separated from him. – Knives couldn't move one of his legs no matter how hard he tried. Now he was sure he hadn't died.
He glared at Vash just daring him with his eyes to move. –Perfect, I can strangle him in his sleep! – Knives' side protested as he reached across the gap between he and Vash.
"He looks dead already. I must know for certain." He tried to hear his brother's thoughts, if there were any. Nothing came to him. Knives frowned. What was he supposed to do now that he was stuck in bed? He couldn't just sit still.
He threw back his sheets and drew in a breath. The two wounds he received were one in his right leg and another near his stomach. This was not surprising, but to find that he was bandaged and these humans even bothered to help him—that got his attention!
--Why is this? – Did they not know that he was after their very lives? He chuckled. –They are so stupid! They couldn't possibly comprehend how powerful and dangerous I am. –
"Mr. Knives," a quiet voice spoke from the doorway. He looked up and spotted Milly with a tray of food. "What a relief! I knew you'd be okay. I..." she paused and thought for a second. "You must be starving! It's been over two weeks since you've eaten, so you can have this. I'll go fix something else for me."
She left the room after setting the tray in his reach. "Right, the retarded one." Knives grabbed hold of the tray and hurled it at Vash. He still didn't wake up. Knives' eye twitched. "Are you being as stubborn as before? I doubt you'd be here if you were dead."
Meryl entered the room when she heard a loud thump. She saw a fully awake Knives and Vash with some food on his face. "You won't even let up when he's like this?" Her face grew red as if she were going to explode. She let out an entire list of phrases inappropriate for anyone to say.
Knives rolled his eyes and lay back down. He interrupted her dirty speech. "Is he asleep or what?"
Meryl stopped. "I th..." she cleared her throat as tears threatened to spill from her exhausted eyes. "I think so, but he's most likely unconscious."
Knives smiled to himself. –Good, we'll be up in no time flat. –
"Knives, can I ask you a question?"
His eye popped open and he glowered at her. "Speak, if you must."
--He thinks he's such a big shot. He may have won if it weren't for that enormous head of his! – Meryl's words came out in a whisper and Knives could barely hear a word she said.
"If you're going to say something, then say it! Otherwise—"
"What would you do if Vash died right now?" She shouted louder than she meant.
The question was unexpected and Knives found he didn't have the answer. He was dumbstruck! He stared at her and she eventually looked away. What was she thinking to ask him something like that? Was she afraid Vash was going to die? Did this mean she cared? --NO, humans aren't capable of that! –
"Meryl, I need your assistance! I think I burnt something..." Milly's voice broke the silence. Meryl sighed and left without an answer.
--What would I do if Vash died? That's ridiculous: he can't die unless I kill him. – He drummed his fingers on the bed nervously as a new thought occurred to him. –What if he's injured so badly he's dying? I shot him 4 times. 3 if I consider the scratch on his left shoulder. –
A watery substance filled his eyes. –No, I am NOT SAD! He got what he rightly deserved. – His body shook and he turned his head towards his still brother. Vash looked helpless and pathetic just lying there in bed. Knives recalled how he got upset when he saw how vulnerable Vash had become. He remembered how he just wanted Vash to wake up back in the desert.
--Reality check, Knives, you'd never be able to live with yourself if your one and only living family died. – Vash was the only one besides that human, Rem, who truly cared for him.
"I-I can too live without him! I'll prove it." He searched the room for something to use against Vash. It ended in vain and left him tired once more. "I'll prove it." He declared it again as he fell asleep.
Midnight came and Knives awoke with a start. He just had a nightmare, he thought. He shot up in a cold sweat. He felt drenched in perspiration. He had to get out of his shirt before he had a heatstroke! Something in his dream scared him, but he couldn't remember what!
"Mr. Knives, are you awake?"
"AHH!" The voice scared him terribly. –How dare I be afraid of a human! –
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I wanted to check on you because you woke me up moaning in your sleep."
"Get out of here." He growled threateningly.
"Are you certain you're okay?"
"That's none of your concern—turn that light off!"
Meryl flipped the switch on. "Excuse me, Knives, but you aren't the only one who sleeps in here, you know."
Knives' eye twitched: that was just too much for him. He felt as if he would explode. Fortunately Milly distracted him. "You look terrible!"
"Come on, Milly, what else is new? He always looks like that."
"No, I mean he looks ill. Meryl, will you come with me?" Meryl sighed and followed her out.
Moments later, they returned to the now exhausted Knives. Milly draped a wet cloth over his head and Meryl helped change his bandages even through the obnoxious protests.
She wiped an oncoming tear from her eye. Vash would want her to do this, right? Do unto others, as you would want them to do to you. His saying was love and peace. The world itself wasn't made of that, but people did hold love in their hearts.
Compassion and concern, that would make the world turn. "I just hope Vash doesn't catch a fever or anything in his current condition. I wish those doctors would come back so they could help...."
------------- -------------- -------------- ---------
Ssjj: thank you, Saraki, for your review! Vash: Aw, thanks for your concern!
Ssjj: er, Vash, you're unconscious, remember? Vash: Oh, right! X.X
Ssjj: O.o ahem, don't forget: we love reviews!
Chapter 10.
"They're still alive!" A delighted Milly proclaimed.
It seemed to snap Meryl out of her stupor and she went to assist her partner. When they entered the hospital it was like a ghost town. "Dang it all! Where are they? They're all cowards for leaving like this."
"At least they left the supplies." Milly observed. That cooled Meryl's temper a bit and they set to work straightway.
"Come on, V, get up." Meryl pleaded. Amazingly, no one had entered back into the hospital. It had been three days since the terrible fight, yet there weren't any signs of either 2 waking up.
It was midnight and Milly had already fallen fast asleep. Meryl stole a look at the big girl. –How does she do it? I have yet to find out how she can smile when her loved ones are taken from her. Me? I just bury myself in work day and night. I haven't lost anyone, though. —
A black cat stalked into the room and sat at Meryl's feet. "Oh, my, where did you come from?" Its big bright yellow-green eyes stared at her as if to ask her for food. She smiled sympathetically. "If I feed you, I'll have to feed every single stray cat that comes in and I can't do that. You understand, right?"
--I must be losing it to talk with a cat! – The black creature let out a unique meow and left the room. Meryl stared off into space for a moment, and then drifted off to sleep.
"Good morning, Meryl! Isn't it a great day?" Milly's vibrant behavior went unwelcome by the older woman.
"I barely slept at all last night." She explained.
"Oh, that's too bad. Were you worried about Vash and Knives?"
Meryl simply nodded her head, sure Milly would understand. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
Milly shook her head. "No, I wanted to wait until you got up. I found the cafeteria and you'll never guess what they serve all the time: pudding!" She cried gleefully. "I'm going to fix something real quick. Maybe they'll wake up before I'm done."
"Don't get your hopes up, Milly." Meryl warned.
"Yes, ma'am,"
Two weeks rolled by and Knives sat up in bed. –Where the heck am I...? Oh, no, did I die with my brother next to me? I was hoping I'd live this one out, or at least be separated from him. – Knives couldn't move one of his legs no matter how hard he tried. Now he was sure he hadn't died.
He glared at Vash just daring him with his eyes to move. –Perfect, I can strangle him in his sleep! – Knives' side protested as he reached across the gap between he and Vash.
"He looks dead already. I must know for certain." He tried to hear his brother's thoughts, if there were any. Nothing came to him. Knives frowned. What was he supposed to do now that he was stuck in bed? He couldn't just sit still.
He threw back his sheets and drew in a breath. The two wounds he received were one in his right leg and another near his stomach. This was not surprising, but to find that he was bandaged and these humans even bothered to help him—that got his attention!
--Why is this? – Did they not know that he was after their very lives? He chuckled. –They are so stupid! They couldn't possibly comprehend how powerful and dangerous I am. –
"Mr. Knives," a quiet voice spoke from the doorway. He looked up and spotted Milly with a tray of food. "What a relief! I knew you'd be okay. I..." she paused and thought for a second. "You must be starving! It's been over two weeks since you've eaten, so you can have this. I'll go fix something else for me."
She left the room after setting the tray in his reach. "Right, the retarded one." Knives grabbed hold of the tray and hurled it at Vash. He still didn't wake up. Knives' eye twitched. "Are you being as stubborn as before? I doubt you'd be here if you were dead."
Meryl entered the room when she heard a loud thump. She saw a fully awake Knives and Vash with some food on his face. "You won't even let up when he's like this?" Her face grew red as if she were going to explode. She let out an entire list of phrases inappropriate for anyone to say.
Knives rolled his eyes and lay back down. He interrupted her dirty speech. "Is he asleep or what?"
Meryl stopped. "I th..." she cleared her throat as tears threatened to spill from her exhausted eyes. "I think so, but he's most likely unconscious."
Knives smiled to himself. –Good, we'll be up in no time flat. –
"Knives, can I ask you a question?"
His eye popped open and he glowered at her. "Speak, if you must."
--He thinks he's such a big shot. He may have won if it weren't for that enormous head of his! – Meryl's words came out in a whisper and Knives could barely hear a word she said.
"If you're going to say something, then say it! Otherwise—"
"What would you do if Vash died right now?" She shouted louder than she meant.
The question was unexpected and Knives found he didn't have the answer. He was dumbstruck! He stared at her and she eventually looked away. What was she thinking to ask him something like that? Was she afraid Vash was going to die? Did this mean she cared? --NO, humans aren't capable of that! –
"Meryl, I need your assistance! I think I burnt something..." Milly's voice broke the silence. Meryl sighed and left without an answer.
--What would I do if Vash died? That's ridiculous: he can't die unless I kill him. – He drummed his fingers on the bed nervously as a new thought occurred to him. –What if he's injured so badly he's dying? I shot him 4 times. 3 if I consider the scratch on his left shoulder. –
A watery substance filled his eyes. –No, I am NOT SAD! He got what he rightly deserved. – His body shook and he turned his head towards his still brother. Vash looked helpless and pathetic just lying there in bed. Knives recalled how he got upset when he saw how vulnerable Vash had become. He remembered how he just wanted Vash to wake up back in the desert.
--Reality check, Knives, you'd never be able to live with yourself if your one and only living family died. – Vash was the only one besides that human, Rem, who truly cared for him.
"I-I can too live without him! I'll prove it." He searched the room for something to use against Vash. It ended in vain and left him tired once more. "I'll prove it." He declared it again as he fell asleep.
Midnight came and Knives awoke with a start. He just had a nightmare, he thought. He shot up in a cold sweat. He felt drenched in perspiration. He had to get out of his shirt before he had a heatstroke! Something in his dream scared him, but he couldn't remember what!
"Mr. Knives, are you awake?"
"AHH!" The voice scared him terribly. –How dare I be afraid of a human! –
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I wanted to check on you because you woke me up moaning in your sleep."
"Get out of here." He growled threateningly.
"Are you certain you're okay?"
"That's none of your concern—turn that light off!"
Meryl flipped the switch on. "Excuse me, Knives, but you aren't the only one who sleeps in here, you know."
Knives' eye twitched: that was just too much for him. He felt as if he would explode. Fortunately Milly distracted him. "You look terrible!"
"Come on, Milly, what else is new? He always looks like that."
"No, I mean he looks ill. Meryl, will you come with me?" Meryl sighed and followed her out.
Moments later, they returned to the now exhausted Knives. Milly draped a wet cloth over his head and Meryl helped change his bandages even through the obnoxious protests.
She wiped an oncoming tear from her eye. Vash would want her to do this, right? Do unto others, as you would want them to do to you. His saying was love and peace. The world itself wasn't made of that, but people did hold love in their hearts.
Compassion and concern, that would make the world turn. "I just hope Vash doesn't catch a fever or anything in his current condition. I wish those doctors would come back so they could help...."
------------- -------------- -------------- ---------
Ssjj: thank you, Saraki, for your review! Vash: Aw, thanks for your concern!
Ssjj: er, Vash, you're unconscious, remember? Vash: Oh, right! X.X
Ssjj: O.o ahem, don't forget: we love reviews!