Fate of Awakening Love
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun. Life is that cruel.
A/N: Last chapter! Can you believe it took me over a bloody year to write this?! Jeez, props to all you fans that stayed with me from the beginning.
Remember! Knives WILL be slightly OOC, but I pride myself in thinking he's not too bad, and that if he were ever to feel this way it could go something like I've described him. Read on!
Affections Across Time, Part I
Later that night in a an inn that wasn't far from the saloon where Knives and Meryl had been talking, she lay with her arm covering her eyes on the couch. Millie and Vash were sitting in separate chairs directly across from the couch. None of them said a word and the only thing breaking the silence of the room was the ticking of the grandfather clock that stood near the entry way.
"Maybe he doesn't know where to find us," Millie spoke quietly.
Vash opened his mouth to respond but Meryl beat him to it. "It's Knives, Millie, if he wanted to find us he could. Nothing is stopping him."
After Knives' disappearance from the saloon Meryl hadn't bothered to look for the missing plant. She knew in his mood there would be no point, and besides their talk had tired her out. She was left in bewilderment and a little heart broken that she hadn't had the nerve to tell Knives how she truly felt.
It was now seven hours past that talk, and they still heard nothing from Vash's twin. The first couple hours of his absence had been spent talking together like old times, not even worrying. But a few hours turned into double that and the worry had started to trickle in.
Not that any of them were worried that he was in trouble, but worried that he had taken off again, and this time if he decided to do just that they had no clues on where he would be heading. Meryl had already relayed to her friends what had been spoken between the two of them. Leaving out the part of her being attacked.
Meryl was the first to stand. "Well there's no point in waiting like this. I'm going to take a shower, I could use the hot water."
Both nodded but remained seated and watched as Meryl disappeared into the tiny bathroom. They didn't speak until they heard the unmistakable sounds of falling water.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Millie asked.
Vash nodded and stood, stretching his limbs as he did. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Both of them are stubborn. They'd rather see the end of life before confronting each other after that last talk."
"So its agreed then? You'll find Mr. Knives and talk to him, and I'll talk to Meryl?"
"Right."
"How are you going to find him, do you know where he is?"
"No, but there are ways for me to easily get in touch with my brother. I better get going before Meryl steps out and tries to stop me." Vash began heading towards the door. Just about to open it Millie's soft voice penetrated him for a moment.
"I know it hurts Mr. Vash not being the one Meryl chose, but its very noble of you to go after your brother for her, and Meryl will love you all the more for it."
Vash didn't say anything, but nodded slightly before closing the door behind him. Ignoring the wind that picked up the desert sand, brushing his face, Vash walked through the silent town towards the outskirts. The only viewable light and noise came from the saloon. Going against his better judgement he re-traced his steps and quickly spilled down a liter of the rancid liquor before headed back out.
He knew, that if he was to talk to his brother without any repercussions he would need the slight influence of alcohol. Walking father into the desert outside the town Vash stopped a moment and looked around.
'This looks a good a place as any.' Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Vash tried his best to clear his mind of all images, sounds, and smells. He gently ordered his brain to ignore the trivial motions of nature and to focus all cells on locating Knives. Vash concentrated, "feeling" around for his brothers thoughts, movements, anything that would reveal his whereabouts.
Vash caught a glimpse of something black. A black gun, before his own thoughts turned the same shade. He felt himself fall, his body preparing for the inevitable and unstoppable, but he realized he had fallen into a warmth. Glancing up he saw a fuzzy reflection of himself before blacking out completely.
-
Millie paced back and forth in the main area of the small inn they were staying at. The place only had this one room with a connected bedroom, bathroom and tiny kitchen. They got it pretty cheap considering few people passed through this town. Millie felt it had something to do with the inn keeper recognizing Vash's spiked blonde hair.
The days of him being an outlaw were over, but there would always be that lingering fear from people, that maybe, just maybe he wasn't as harmless as he appeared and acted.
Millie jumped when Meryl walked in, a bit flush from the hot water. She gave her tall friend a queer look.
"What is it?" Meryl asked, but then not allowing Millie to answer she continued. "Where did Vash go?"
"Oh, to find Mr. Knives."
Meryl's shoulders slumped as she gazed at her friend. "Why? How can he anyway? If Knives doesn't want to found he wont be found."
"Mr. Vash said that he had his ways. Meryl can I talk to you for a second?"
Realizing what Millie was getting at, Meryl proceeded into the small kitchen and began taking out various pots and pans, ignoring Millie's request.
She heard her sigh. "Meryl, what if he never came back?"
Meryl stopped momentarily, but proceeded with what she was doing by talking out food from the equally tiny fridge. "Who, Vash? That man will always come back."
Millie, barely fitting into the kitchen with Meryl already inside, placed a gentle hand on her friends hand. Stopping her from trying to distract herself. "You know who I mean." Meryl was facing the wall above the stove, her head lifted slightly as if she was trying to hold tears in, but Millie knew her friend wasn't crying. It was her exasperation at work.
"Well what am I supposed to do Millie? He's not here, and even if he was he wouldn't be talking to me."
"You don't know that."
Meryl suddenly turned to face her friend, one hand clenched to her side, the other clutching a ladle, her face accusing. "You didn't see his face Millie. Oh yes, I did my best to explain and describe what happened, to you and Vash but it cant make up for the true emotion that plagued his face. He wants nothing to do with me. He's eyes made that perfectly clear."
"I don't believe that for a second Meryl. Mr. Knives loves you."
Meryl turned back to busying herself. "I wish you and Vash would stop saying that. He loves nothing. That man, that plant-" Millie noticed her friend spitted out her words in fury. "Loves nothing and no one. Except his idea of Eden. Eden! One which doesn't include me... that complete bastard..."
Meryl continued to speak harshly of Knives while Millie sighed and returned to the living quarters. It would be best to let Meryl get all this out before she tried to talk to her friend any more.
'I hope you're doing better Mr. Vash.' Millie thought.
-
"Mmm..," Vash stirred awake rubbing his eyes slightly, groaning softly from the pain that was left in his head.
"Don't ever try to do that again," came Knives' crystal clear, commanding voice.
Vash sat up, realizing he had been laying in the sand beside his brother, who was seated to his right.
"What happened?" He murmured.
"You tried to reach me through some twisted form of telepathic communication. Only you've never done it before and since I was so far away it resulted in your own pain. Now then, since when have you been interested in that? I thought you had rejected such forms of communications."
Vash who was getting slightly dizzy, didn't answer his brother as he tried to shake it off the spinning.
"Psh. A human method. Stop shaking your head, it'll only make it worse. Take your eyes and focus on something directly ahead of us."
"Are you sure?" Vash's words slurred a bit, from his intake of liquor that hadn't completely left his body and from the dizzying sights.
"I've had this ability for a long time, of course I'm sure!" Knives barked out.
Vash did as was suggested, or rather, told of him, and picked a faraway object that appeared to be a boulder half covered in sand. Within moments the dizziness passed.
Vash murmured his approval and turned to face his twin who was staring absent mindedly at the night sky. "Why didn't you come back to the inn? We all know you could have found us. Meryl is worried about you."
Vash heard his brother grunt something to himself, something regarding suffocation but he continued. "I think we should head back."
"Go on then, but I am not going back with you."
Vash looked at Knives carefully. He looked as if he had been thinking this over. "Don't be ridiculous you have to come back."
"And why is that?"
"Because... you have Meryl to consider now."
"I what?" Knives asked dully, finally meeting this brothers eyes.
Vash and his Knives studied each other a moment before they both turned back to the wasteland a head of them.
"Don't do this Knives. She chose you and she loves you. Go be with her."
"Loves me," Knives released a fake laugh. "That human had her chance. She can rot for all I-" Knives was cut off by Vash's fist.
Stunned for only a moment Knives, thinking how similar Vash and Meryl were, he whipped his head back over to his other half's. "What, was that for?!"
Knives was surprised to see his brother was holding a sad smile on his lips. "For being stupid. Is it so hard Knives, to admit that you love her back? Don't you realize I'd give anything to be in the same place as you? To have her love me?"
"Then take her."
"Do you want me to hit you again?" Vash asked, his good nature returning.
Knives eyed his brother. "Supposing I did love her, do you see such a thing working? I, Millions Knives with a human. The idea is disgusting to my own ears. I can hardly tolerate the thought of it." Vash watched Knives shake his head to himself, lost in thought. "What would become of such a relationship anyway? In case you have forgotten dear brother I want her race dead. Consumed by ashes if I need attempt such a thing."
"Everyone has an exception to their personal rules."
"I could care less, besides her death date is far closer than mine."
Vash couldn't hide the surprise in his face. "Is this why you're being so stubborn? You don't want to go to her, or admit what you feel because she'll die before you?"
Knives said nothing in response.
"You really do love Meryl," Vash breathed out softly.
"Stop saying that," Knives responded quietly.
The two brothers sat in silence for awhile, watching a few thin clouds roll along. "You'd still have plenty of time to be with her."
"No, Vash."
"... then at least say goodbye properly. Dont think you can just walk away from her."
"And who's to stop me? You?" Knives scoffed.
"Why not, I stopped you before, what's to stop me from doing it again?"
The brothers turned to meet gazes again. One carrying a slight smile of superiority over his twin, and the other with a deep frown. Vash stood.
"Let's go then Knives. Meryl is waiting."
Against his will Knives stood and together the two walked through the desert and back to the little town where the girls were finishing their own conversation.
-
Once Millie had retreated to the main room, Meryl stopped her pointless scurrying to get a meal cooked, in order to go over what Millie had been telling her.
'Mr. Knives loves you.'
She made a scornful face. 'He doesn't Millie, if he did why would he take off like this, without telling me where he was going? He's too selfish to love anyone but himself. And after all I did for him too! Taking immediate care of him, looking out for him, putting up with his disrespectful manner! All those names he called me!'
Meryl calmed herself when she noticed she had bent the metal stirring stick in her hand. Tossing it in to the garbage she grabbed another and began furiously stirring the stew that was brewing in a large pot.
'He said he wants me and does things like this! I'd be better off with Vash.' Meryl stopped stirring to contemplate such an idea. 'It's just too bad I love that mean spirited plant.' She sighed to herself but began to clench the stick in her hand. She suddenly slapped her hand down on the perpendicular counter. "You have better come back Knives!" She yelled out loud.
Millie suddenly hurried back into the room, obviously hearing the outburst. She smiled triumphantly. "So you do still care! Don't worry Meryl, I'm sure Mr. Vash wont return empty handed."
Meryl sighed and recovered herself from her outburst. "I'm sure he wont either Mill-" Meryl stopped in mid-sentence when she looked out the side window. Two figures could be seen walking in the dark towards them. A single set of twin brothers. Millie noticed what Meryl was looking at.
"I'll take over from here Meryl, you go on outside alright?"
Meryl nodded numbly, suddenly getting nervous. Her earlier confident bashing thoughts of him leaving her mind. Walking slowly towards the door, she took a deep breath before opening the door. Vash had been laughing cheerfully, and Knives was scowling.
'Everything seems normal.' She thought, smiling to herself, not being able to take her eyes off of Knives' face. He was looking at Vash like he was a complete nut case. Then as if feeling her gaze his head drifted from Vash's laughing face and fell on her own. His face instantly became a blank.
Vash, seeming to realize the tension, looked over and caught his own gaze at Meryl standing in the doorway. He looked back and forth at the two, his face becoming grim. He quickly picked up his pace, passing that of his brothers and walked past Meryl. "I'll see you two inside later," he murmured to her before stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
-
Millie looked up from her cooking and glanced at who had entered the door. "Are they outside?"
"Yeah." Vash leaned against the closed door, his face solemn.
"Do you want to help with dinner?" Millie asked with a small smile on her face.
Vash looked at the pot Millie was stirring in. "Okay."
-
A/N: Oops, so the chapter ends here. ::dodges the tomatoes being thrown::, hey come on now! I didn't know the concluding chapter would be this long! So the next chapter will be Affections Across Time Part II. Please read and review!
Author: Ah, Knives. ::latches on to him sobbing:: One last chapter and then you wont be mine anymore!
Knives: If it means getting rid of you, I'm all for it.
Author: That's just mean! :(
Yours truly,
Faery Goddyss