Blue:nervous laughter: Hello there:notices the angry visages of the readers: Please don't hurt me:looks to Ivey for help:

Ivey:also glaring: You electrocuted me! You're on your own bitch!

Blue: It was an accident:sigh: I am soooooo sorry that this took so long to update, but I have an excuse! A good excuse too! I moved and I got a job! With all the packing and unpacking and then working 8 hours a day four days a week I've been too busy to write.

Ivey: LIES! You had plenty of time to write in the last month! You've been reading other peoples fics, watching anime and playing video games!

Blue:tremble of fear: I'M SORRY!

Ivey: YOU THINK SORRY MAKES IT OK:hits her over the head with Harry Potter Year 5:

Blue:unconscious:

Ivey:smirk: Ok review time… AnimeFreaks13- Shut up! Faery Goddyss- Roy Mustang (from Fullmetal Alchemist) all the way:sexy growl: He can set me on fire any time! No Gram in this chapter. Deal with it. Not that it matters I'm gonna make nerd girl crank out another chapter by the end of the week. Hope-is4ever- :evil smirk: If you hate cliffhangers this chapter is going to drive you nuts. Aine of Knockaine- Meryl's brother is pretty awesome. I wish my brother was like that. Evan is just an ass. Inkydoo- Awkward moment numero uno was added to this chapter by Blue for your enjoyment. Jessica- If you knock the author unconscious the chapter won't get done any sooner :really should take her own advice: Yoh's girl- … :afraid of the wolf and not even gonna say anything: Al- We never guessed that there were so many fan's of Knives/Millie. Go figure… Keep reading if you want to know the answer. Jagaimo-Writer- I wanna write a lemon, but Blue won't let me. I'm all for writing the nasty even if we can't post it here. If Blue lets me write it then all the perverted fans of MAWBS :blinks and looks at the acronym for Might As Well Be Strangers. Shrugs: can e-mail us and we'll send it. Bloodstained Hands- The reason the beginning sucks is cause Blue didn't have me when she started it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm the genius. The chapters are short for one reason and one reason alone… we're really lazy. SpikesGirl04- The next chapter will be posted sooner. Trust me. :cracks a whip: Nidaba- Yeah we're updating. We just decided to slack off for a while after we finished WLU. It had a bigger following than MAWBS :looks at the acronym again: Ok does that look weird to anyone else:shakes head: Forget it… but we're getting more and more reviews so our updates will be more frequent… probably. Ok disclaimer time! Blue doesn't own Trigun, but she does own a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that's very useful in bludgeoning.

Might As Well Be Strangers

By Blue

Chapter Eight: Stupid Drunk vs. Enraged Nii-san

Vash trudged down the dusty sidewalk of Main Street with his shoulders slumped and his bag scraping along the concrete behind him. He had spent the entire afternoon the day before and the entire morning scouring the city for Meryl and hadn't had any luck and to make matters worse he'd forgotten his donuts. He was hungry, tired and fairly sure that the superstition about a black cat crossing your path being bad luck was true. He wasn't sure if it was the same one or not, but it seemed wherever he went there was some cat looking at him or attacking him or just sitting around looking ominous. Currently a black kitten with large sun colored eyes was trailing after him and making a game of batting at one of the many buckles that adorned his bag.

"Why is it always a cat?" Vash mumbled and then looked at said feline. "Always causing trouble can't you do something useful like help me find Meryl or a least some food?" The cat paused and stared blankly at Vash for a moment. With a meow and a flick of the tail the cat dashed across the street and into a building. Vash was slightly amused when he read the sign above the door: Neely's Saloon. "Hey, I bet they have food! Maybe black cats are lucky!"

Throwing his bag over his shoulder he sprinted across the street and through the swinging doors of the saloon. With his eyes squinted as they adjusted to the dim lighting he took in the slightly shabby interior of the saloon. The afternoon was still early and only a few patrons occupied the wobbly ladder backed chairs that surrounded the dozen or so tables arranged sporadically through out. Behind the bar the sole waitress chatted idly at the bartender who was pretending to listen to her while cleaning a glass with a slightly less than clean rag. The tall blonde haired outlaw walked up to the counter and placing his bag on the floor sat in one of the sturdier looking bar stools.

"Hello there! Can I have a burger and fries please?" Vash said cheerfully to the waitress who sighed as if she had something better to do then her job. Without looking up the bartender scolded her.

"Karin, if you like getting paid then I suggest you smile, say yes sir and go place the gentleman's order."

"Fine! Coming right up, sir," she said with exasperation and went into the kitchen.

"What can I get you to drink?" the man said as he set the mostly spotless glass on the counter and pushed his glasses into place with his middle finger. An ice-cold mug of beer sounded really good considering the sweltering heat that couldn't be escaped even in a building when the suns were at their peak. Vash ordered his drink and while the bartender fetched a mug from beneath the bar he wiped his sweaty forehead with he back of his sleeve. The black kitten that had lead Vash to the establishment hopped onto the bar and sat in front of him with a triumphant look on it's face. Scratching the cat affectionately behind the ears Vash gave it a sad smile.

"If only you could find Meryl for me too." The bartender set his drink before him and he quickly gulped it to relieve his parched throat. Placing his empty mug on the counter Vash asked for another.

In her bedroom Millie sat on her bed with her sewing kit spread out around her on the quilt. She was searching through the many spools to find a thread that would match the jacket she was mending. Knives' jacket. When she'd come home the day before and was hanging her own jacket on the coat rack she'd noticed several tears in Knives' coat and thought it would be nice to fix it for him. Besides, he did help out now and then even though she didn't ask him too. She wasn't much of a seamstress but she could stitch a button on and fix a small rip or two. It was the least she could do to say thank you for everything he'd done for her.

On the front porch Knives was once again occupying his time gazing out into the horizon. Never before had he been so wistful and he was quickly becoming tired of it. His thoughts had always had an order to them, a distinct logic, but now they wandered aimlessly. Growing tired of his own psyche he flitted into that of his female companion. He was surprised to find that she was mending the numerous tears in his cerulean colored coat as a thank you for taking "such good care" of her. The freeborn planet was struck by the realization that by delving into Millie's mind he had just ruined the surprise she was so diligently working on. 'Perhaps Rem was correct when she said just because you can do something, doesn't you mean you should…'

After three mugs of beer Vash was left feeling lightheaded and tingly in his fingers and toes. Refreshed and comfortably full, he decided it was time to resume the search. As he stood from his seat and picked up his bag the door to the saloon swung open and a raven-haired figure of slight stature walked in. Vash's heart swelled with happiness at the sight of the person framed in the doorway with the sun streaming in. Dropping his bag at his feet Vash dove forward to envelop the figure in a tight embrace. Unfortunately, for both of them, Vash's depth perception was a bit off thanks to the alcohol he had so recently imbibed.

"Mr. Whiskers did find you!" The black cat, dubbed "Mr. Whiskers", meowed proudly from his perch on the bar as Vash squeezed the person tightly and rubbed his cheek against their own. The thought 'Why does this feel so different from the last time I hugged Meryl?' passed through his intoxicated mind before he was roughly shoved away by the smaller figure.

"What the hell!" a distinctly non-feminine voice exclaimed. Blinking in surprise Vash sat up to see the person before him. Considering how similar Meryl and the male stranger looked, the glare from the sun, and Vash's mildly inebriated state it was an easy mistake to make, albeit an awkward one.

"You're not Meryl," the blonde gunman stated dumbly.

"No shit!" the man said with irritation as he stood and dusted off his jeans. "Damn it Henry! I told you to cut off the customers before they start acting like stupid drunks!"

"Heh, sorry about that I thought you were someone else," Vash said rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Obviously," he said dryly as he went behind the bar and relievedHenry from his shift. "What do you want with my sister?"

"Mr. Knives?" Millie said cheerfully stepping out onto the front porch. Leaning against the porch railing with his back towards her he tilted his head to indicate that he was listening. In truth Knives preferred to look at people directly when speaking even though he could easily discover a persons intentions by simply prodding at their mind. However, for the first time, he was unsure of himself and feared that if he looked Millie in the eye she would see that for herself.

Over the last hour while she was mending his jacket he had contemplated every possible response he could give and what her reaction, in turn, would be. He could take the jacket without a word, but she might think he thought poorly of her workmanship. He could completely ignore the gesture, but that would have a similar negative effect. Knives hadn't asked her to fix the garment for him; she'd done it without thought for personal gain. She'd only wanted to do something nice for him. Although he shuddered at the thought, the most logical thing he could think of to do was to thank her. If he were to show disregard she might fall back into a dismal state and he didn't look forward to dragging her out of it once again.

"Lunch is ready," she informed him and then headed back inside. Knives was mildly surprised that she hadn't immediately presented the repaired clothing to him. Most humans were adamant about showing off their own accomplishments no matter how small. Opening the squeaky screen door he entered the house to find his jacket hanging where he'd left it the night before. Aside from the coat being in slightly better condition than before Millie had left no sign that it had been moved. Just as he didn't ask her to mend the jacket she didn't ask him for his thanks.

"Sister? What do you mean sister?" Vash asked in complete confusion. He hadn't any idea that Meryl had any siblings, in fact, he didn't know anything at all about her family.

"I'm Merry's brother, Jonathan Stryfe," he said as he pulled an apron over his head and tied the strings behind his back.

"You mean you're Johnny!" Vash exclaimed with hope in his voice. When Jonathan nodded Vash practically melted into a puddle of relief. 'Johnny isn't her old boyfriend! Johnny's her brother!' "This is great! Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, but why should I tell you?" he asked as shooed a very indignant Mr. Whiskers off the counter. "For all I know you could be some wanted criminal stalking my sister and doing creepy things like reading her diary and stealing her panties." Vash's face turned bright red and he went ridged.

"I didn't steal her panties!" he protested. The other patrons looked over at the blonde man's declaration and Johnny paused and looked up from where he was wiping down the counter.

"Wait… you mean you did do the other stuff?" he asked with his expression a mixture of horror and hostility. After all no one messed with his baby sister and got away with it.

"Uh…" Vash was reluctant to answer see as how he was a wanted criminal, he was looking for Meryl and he did read her journal. At the strange blonde's somewhat guilty look Johnny vaulted over the bar and brought his fist back to pummel the man despite the height difference of about a foot. "Ahh! Wait!" Vash pleaded, throwing his arms up to shield his face. "Don't hit me! Jeez! Is violence a genetic thing in your family!"

"You've got about two seconds to explain before I beat the hell out of…" Johnny trailed off suddenly and lowered his fist. "Wait a second. Tall… blonde hair… green eyes… annoying. I know who you are! You're Vash, aren't you?" Vash lowered his arms and grinned.

"Meryl told you about me?"

"Yeah, she did," he replied before bringing back his fist again and punching the taller man in the jaw.

Ivey:standing over Blue with Harry Potter Year Five: Review or the author gets it… again!