Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun. Life is that cruel.
A/N: Thanks for the words of empathy and sympathy it's really appreciated! Not only did I read them but I read all the reviews I've ever received for this story and it did remind me that everyone who has ever read it, did in fact, like it! Please enjoy chapter 6, Every Heart.
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Vash gave his brother a look of surprise. 'Knives couldn't have just said that Meryl was his. He couldn't have.' He thought to himself still staring hard at his brother who was staring right back.
Meryl, having not heard any of these mental thoughts, looked from Knives to Vash, and back again and sighed. "Look, I realize I probably hit a sore spot, mentioning Rem but we do need to get a move on. So would you two stop the staring contest? Vash you need to get packing and so do I, and Knives..." She looked over at the immobile man. Just try not to aggravate anyone."
Grabbing Vash, Meryl walked out of Knives room, leaving his door open. Finally turning his eyes away from his brother Knives concentrated on his white ceiling. 'Why the hell did I just say that?' He thought to himself. 'Now that blonde haired buffoon will never leave me alone.'
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Vash let himself be dragged away, and dropped off in his room by Meryl, as his mind raced. Raced to find answers that would satisfy him on what Knives could have possibly meant by claiming Meryl as his. Though he couldn't find a reasonable enough answer, so he did the only thing he could think of, he asked his brother. 'Knives?' He thought, aiming the question directly towards Knives mind.
'What is it Vash?' Knives responded sounding a little tired. Not fazed at all by the tiredness in his twin's voice he continued his search for answers.
'About what you said about Meryl....' Knives cut him off.
'You don't think I meant that she was mine in a passionate way did you?' He didn't let him answer. 'You did, didn't you?' He thought with disgust. 'Honestly Vash I thought you of all people knew me, even if it's only a little. Of course she is mine. The way Legato was mine. All I have to do is call and she'll come running. She makes the perfect slave don't you think? Even if she is a low life human.'
Vash tried not to let is show how much relief he felt but he could hardly contain it. 'Of course that's what you meant! Although I will not let you use Meryl in that way Knives!'
'Too bad it's not your choice. Now let me rest!' Knives instantly cut off his thoughts from Vash.
Vash, fully reenergized at the prospect that Knives wasn't interested in Meryl, happily packed his things and took them out to the living room where Meryl and Millie were busy packing up some food.
"Need any help?" he asked cheerfully.
"You seem to be feeling better." Meryl stated dryly.
"Yup! I just won't let Knives get to me."
"Get to you about what precisely?" Meryl asked curiously.
"Oh, this and that. So what can I do to help?"
"Actually, Mr. Vash, do you think you could go into the town and see if there are any forms of transportation out there? If there's not I don't know what we'll do to haul all these supplies plus Mr. Knives around." Millie said, looking at all the things they needed.
"Sure thing Millie. I'll be right back then." Humming, he left the house in search of transportation while the girls eyed him with slight suspicion.
"That's awfully strange. Even for Vash. I could have sworn he was having some thought battle with Knives earlier....but from the looks of it I was wrong." Meryl said while closing the lid of her suitcase.
"Well maybe he was, but he got over it already. Mr. Vash does have the tendency to not sweat the small stuff don't you think?" Millie asked.
"Yeah, you're right. Well, anyhow I guess the only thing left to pack is what Knives will need."
"Do you want me to do it Meryl?" Millie asked.
Meryl sighed. "Thanks for the offer, but I can do it. You just finish up here."
Meryl walked slowly towards Knives room. Wondering what kind of mood he'd be in when she entered. Upon approaching it she noticed the door was closed. "How in the heck did he close this door? I thought he was too weak." She murmured to herself.
She knocked on the door and entered in time to see Knives fully awake, and to her displeasure and shock, standing.
"Knives! You can stand?!" She exclaimed, walking in towards him.
He turned to face her, his face twisted in pain. She gasped and jumped towards him to help him back on the bed in a sitting position.
"Are you out of your mind?! You are in no condition to stand up! You're not helping the healing process Knives!" She yelled at him.
He snarled and pushed her away only to crumble down in his bed from the pain. "Get lost!" He yelled back.
Surprised at his strength to push her away, Meryl stood up to look at him, arms folded, ignoring his command. "You were walking weren't you?! That's how you closed the door, isn't it?"
"No actually I did that with my mind, you pest." Knives said into his pillow as he had put his head into it so Meryl wouldn't see just how much pain he was feeling.
"Pest?" Her eyes narrowed, but she took a deep breath and let her arms drop to her sides. Against her better judgment she rolled Knives around, ignoring his groans of protest.
He started to stare as Meryl silently, checked his leg wounds. While one of them was fine, the one on his upper thigh had spilt open. He looked as Meryl grimaced at the once nearly healed hole in his leg that was now a bloody gash. While she immediately tended to it and re-bandaged the hole she never once looked at his face.
'What is she doing?' He wondered to himself. 'Why is she so quiet?'
Once she was done she locked gazes with Knives. "Don't you ever walk on these legs again until I tell you, you can." She put a hand up to his forehead in which he didn't dare move.
Without any thing further Meryl packed up the things she thought Knives would need, and left without a word, leaving a very bewildered man.
-
'He called me a pest. I thought we had gotten past that stupid stage.' Meryl thought to herself as she made her way down the hallway. 'Will he never see me as an equal?' She wondered, though she didn't get much time to wonder as Vash bustled back into the house a little out of breath.
"That was quick Mr. Vash." Millie said looking up.
"Yeah, well I only found two Thomas's but I nearly ran into some people."
"People?" Both Millie and Meryl surprised.
"I thought the entire town had disappeared?" Meryl asked, shoving away her thoughts of Knives.
"It had, these people are coming from the west. I'm pretty sure they didn't see me either."
"So there not actually in the town yet?" Meryl asked, and Vash shook his head. "Still..." Meryl pondered. "We need to get this packing in high gear, let's start loading the Thomas's and get out of here."
Nodding, they all set to work going back and forth loading the birds. Taking an overview of the entire house Meryl turned to Vash. "Get your brother, but be gentle. He ripped open a wound trying to walk."
"He can walk!" Both Millie and Vash nearly shouted.
"Not really. Hurry now Vash we haven't got time to dawdle."
While Vash ran inside to retrieve his brother Millie and Meryl both hopped on a bird. Meryl being in the front holding onto the reins.
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Vash entered his brother's room and slowly walked up to him quietly.
"What?" Knives suddenly said, startling Vash enough for him to knock over a chair. Knives focused his attention on his brother. "What's wrong with you? Walk much?"
"More than you currently." Vash responded back, standing the chair back up. Grinning at his own feeble joke he looked over at his brother who looked more then less amused. "I'm just kidding Knives. I'm here to get you. We're leaving now."
Vash picked Knives up as carefully as he could and walked him out of the house and to the front where the girls were waiting. They watched as Vash placed Knives on top of the bird, and then climbed on himself behind him.
"Is he okay?" Millie asked, eyeing Knives.
"He'll be okay I think." Vash responded.
They suddenly heard some very distant voices.
"Oh no." They all, with the exception of Knives, said at the same.
Without needed any other reason to leave, they took off at a slight gallop heading in the opposite direction of the voices they barely heard. They rode for hours before allowing the birds to slow to a trot, then a walk before they finally decided to stop for the night at some rock formations in the desert sands.
Vash helped his brother down and set him against one of the rocks while he started a fire.
"Is anyone particularly hungry?" Meryl asked the small group.
Millie yawned and shook her head. "I'm too tired to eat. I just want to sleep." So she rested herself on the ground and fell asleep. Meryl looked over at Knives who had been asleep for hours and still was.
"How about you Vash?" She asked.
"I can wait till the morning. You must be tired too?" He asked, sitting himself near the fire that had just started up and leaned against a boulder.
"Not really." She said as she sat next to Vash. "There's just too much on my mind."
"Like what?" Vash wondered a loud.
Meryl sighed and stared into the fire. "Well, like the fact that I left my type writer in that town, so now I have no idea how I'll let the boss know what's going on. Plus the mysterious disappearance of that entire town, with the exception of us and those two Thomas's. Not to mention Knives health and his attitude."
"Oh." Vash said. "Did you want to talk about any of it?" She shook her head.
"Okay. So where are we going anyway?" He asked her.
"February." She responded simply.
"I've never heard of that town."
"It's relatively new. There are only about 15 families or so. When you left many new towns started to pop up as water became less and less scarce. This just happens to be one of them."
"That's good. This is exactly what Rem wanted. For the human race to make a come back and you are. She'd be so happy." Vash said with a slight smile. "You know Meryl, you and Rem are a lot alike."
"Hmm." Meryl responded nonchalantly. "She was like a mother to you and Knives wasn't she?"
"Yes, she was."
"Does that make me like a mother to you also? I'll bet Knives looks at me that way. Whether or not he wants one."
Vash shook his head. "I don't see you at all like a mother. I doubt Knives does either."
"You're right. He sees me as a thorn in his side." She said as she brushed away some invisible specks of sand off her knee.
"I think he sees everyone as a thorn in his side. Especially me. You just can't let it get to you."
"I know Vash, but the fact is that it does. I don't want to be the human he hates. I'd give a lot to see him accept me, not just as a human but as a living being. I'd give more to see that face of his smile."
Vash abruptly turned his head towards Meryl, but she continued to look into the now blazing fire. 'Meryl, I hate to see you this way. Troubled over my brother. I'd give anything to see you smile and laugh again. To be carefree. To love you. I need to tell you. I need to tell you I love. Right now.'
As if sensing his thoughts Meryl turned to look over at Vash. "Meryl I...."
Knives made a sudden shift and Meryl's eyes averted towards him. "Just a second Vash." She stood and walked over towards him. Bending down she could see he was sweating in his sleep and he looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Oh Knives." She said softly. "What's wrong with you?" At the slight mention of his name he opened his eyes. His normally vibrant commanding blue eyes were dull and sick like. His eyes made no apparent movement, but she knew he was awake.
"Knives you should have been healed ages ago. Why won't your body get better? I imagined you'd be running about by now and yet your only getting worse it seems."
He grunted as a response but no words would form as he fell back in a surreal sleep. Meryl reached a hand towards his forehead. At the feel of it she gasped. "You're hotter than you were before. I just don't understand."
Vash approached her. "How's he doing?" He asked.
"Not well, not well at all. He's got a higher fever, and he's probably in more pain, and it doesn't make any sense. Something is delaying his healing process and I've been racking my brain to figure out what it is. What could we have possibly done wrong that he would be so-" She stopped in mid-sentence and looked up at Vash.
"Hey Vash?"
"Yeah Meryl?"
"After you shot Knives all that time ago, what exactly did you do with him?"
Vash took a moment to think before he spoke. "Well, I slung him over my shoulder and walked all day till I cam across a cave. I settled him there and then bandaged up his wounds."
"More details Vash, how'd you take care of his wounds?"
"I did have some water with me so I just washed off the blood and dirt before bandaging him. Why?"
"Vash please tell me you did take out the bullets."
As Vash opened his mouth to respond, he promptly shut it.
"Vash! Tell me you did not leave bullets in your brother's body?!"
"I guess that slipped my mind."
"Vash! No wonder he's always in and out of fevers! He must have a deep infection! How could we have missed the bullets though?" She thought for a second. "I guess that's not important. Could you get me some water?"
"Yeah of course." He walked off to get some water from one of their canteens and quickly handed it to Meryl. She set it down beside herself and gently stirred Knives awake.
"What?!" He said groggily.
"Knives you're burning up, so could you drink some water?" She asked gently
"No, I'm not thirsty. Now leave me alone."
"Knives! Drink the water!" She commanded.
To her and Vash's surprise he actually took the water after a slight huff of annoyance and downed it. After drinking it he tossed it to the side. "Happy?" He asked.
"Very."
"Good now let me sleep I'm still seeing multiple amounts of you."
"Actually Knives there is something you should know." She said while looking at Vash.
"Meryl, he's already asleep." Vash pointed out.
Meryl gave him shake and he re-opened his eyes. "You need to hear this Knives; we know why you're so sick."
"Enlighten me." He said closing his eyes, but Meryl would not let him as she shook him again.
"Stay awake for a little while."
"Talk faster." He responded.
"Okay here's the thing. Vash accidentally left the bullets in your body from after your fight and that's causing the fever. The reason we probably never noticed them is because in the time it took Vash to return with you, your body most likely started to heal the wounds and ended up covering the bullets. Did you register any of that because your eyes are fluttering."
"It registered. I'll kick his ass later, now I sleep."
This time Meryl let Knives drift off to sleep. She turned to Vash.
"Do you plan to take them out Meryl?" He asked quietly.
"I would but I don't really know how to do something like that. I mean I have a general idea but I don't want to try."
"Then we wait until we get to February?" He asked.
"Yes, and pray there's a doctor or someone who will know how to remove the bullets from Knives." Meryl said.
Giving the sleeping Knives a last look she walked back over to where Millie was and readied herself to fall asleep when she remembered something.
"Oh Vash, what was it that you were going to tell me before I attended to Knives?"
Vash sighed. "It was nothing."
"Are you sure? It sounded important."
"Yes. I'm sure."
"Well okay. Goodnight then."
"Goodnight Meryl."
As Meryl settled down and fell asleep Vash stayed up a bit longer looking over her, Millie and Knives. 'One day soon Meryl...I'll tell you how much I love you.'
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A/N: Hooray! Finished! So how did everyone like this chapter? I haven't started on chapter 7, but I have many ideas. Some of them thanks to some of you! Don't forget to read and review!
Knives: ::rubs shin from where Faery last kicked it:: Should I even make a comment?
Author: Its probably best not to. I'm still venting from losing this chapter three separate times.
Knives: Didn't think so.
Yours truly,
F.G.
Chiruken- I'm so happy you like the way I'm writing the characters! All this time I've been paranoid, wondering if they're going to OOC or something but no one seems to think so. And I am HAPPY you're sympathizing with Knives. Next to Vash he was my favorite character and I want everyone to love him!
Arika.D- Ahh yes... the missing towns people...well I kinda, sorta don't know either. Imagine that. It just kind of popped out in my writing. Not my original plan for this story but I think it'll make a good side story. And I AM sorry about the delay but is this not an update?
Raniy-days13- Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it! But no puppy eyes! I will update for a long while. At least that's my plan.
Ana- You think K/M is a weird pairing? I guess it is actually, seeing how Knives is supposed to be evil and everything.
Tempest Strife- A classic western fight between Vash and Knives over Meryl? Possibly. That idea has some potential. I do promise you that Vash WILL tell Meryl how he feels but like I once said I'm not keen on pouncing love.
Annoyed- I'm sorry!!!!! Here's chapter 6! Be happy and less annoyed with me!
Tinkerbell#63-Knive was right I suppose. I shouldn't keep people waiting and no, it's not too melodramatic.
Doomsdaybringer- I laughed so hard with your comment! Once again I am truly sorry for taking so long to update! But I'm pleased that not updating can aggravate you so much! It means you really love my story which makes me super happy!
Attaintity- Thanks. and I will continue.
Saki3- Sorry, but there is absolutely no way I can guarantee at this time who Meryl will be with. I really love Vash, but I honestly love Knives just as much. I'm completely torn! And I will work on the comma issue, thanks for pointing that out.
Dreamfairy06- It was quite frustrating, but thanks to a lot of reviews and comments like yours I want to continue this story. And honestly, there's no way I could leave you all hanging like that! I would never in a million years be able to forgive myself. Besides, I'm just as curious to what I can come up with for an ending.
Ladienaime- Of course I will continue! Thanks for the compliment!
Neptune Butterfly- LOL. I swear that you are the type of fan I live for. I was whooping with laughter after reading your comment. I too always imagined that Knives could be a good guy. Maybe not Vash good but not a killer maniac either. Tell Kuroneko- sama he's forgiven, this ONE time. But that it's never to happen again! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Bishinjouodess- YAY!! I love that you love, love triangles too! My stories always are! You say you hate cliffies, but secretly you love them, you know you do. Besides I need them to keep you people coming back for more!