Bloodline

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Flashbacks

Stressed

"She was terribly upset that day," Alex sighed as he helped his father around the lab.

"Of course…they killed Eve and took her mother," Matt replied as he marked down the stats of Eve's child.

"She always seems so distantly sad," Alex mused as he ran a hand through his longer blonde hair. It was still spiked and a few bangs stuck out.

"It's been nine years since Kagome's disappearance, it's an anniversary today," Matt responded as he scratched his head.

"I'm worried about her and the baby. I hope the stress won't harm her or the baby," Alex confessed with sad smile.

"Rem's a strong woman. She wouldn't let stress harm your offspring," Matt assured.

"You make our baby sound like an experiment," Alex grumbled. Matt chuckled at this despite his son's frown.

"My son and Kagome's child…it is like an experiment," Matt teased as he tapped the bulb.

"What's its name?" Alex asked as he motioned to the plant.

"She is Yumi," Matt replied with a sigh.

"Why'd you name her after a bow?" Alex asked with a scoff.

"Kagome used to love archery…Rem named her," Matt softly responded.

Yumi floated up to the glass and Matt watched the plant angel. Her wings were a bit shorter then Eve's, but her eyes still held happiness. Alex sighed and held his chin in his hand. He wondered if Yumi knew her mother was dead, that they had killed her.

"When is the child due?" Matt questioned.

"In a week," Alex responded with smile.

"You know that Dr. Motoki is…very…edgy," Matt carefully said.

"Rem mentioned that he left subtle threats to her," Alex angrily said.

"If anything happens…go to Kagome's brother," Matt firmly said.

"Souta? Why?" Alex questioned.

"Just trust me," Matt replied.

Alex nodded and left the room. Before he knew, a week had passed and Rem had given birth to twin boys. His father was found dead in the park, a bullet to the brain. Rem feared the worst and gave one of her son's to Souta. If anything happened one could live on, but she was too selfish to part with other son.

"Wake her ass up," Richard groaned as Meryl glowered at him.

Meryl leaned against the wall before she pushed away and walked to the pod. The glass was smudged with dirt so she couldn't see clearly into the pod. Meryl reached out and wiped the dirt with her hand. Her gray eyes could make out a female face and black hair. A soft hiss was heard as the pod door began to open. Cool air leaked into the room and Meryl shivered. When the soft mist cleared, Meryl could make out the figure perfectly. Her skin was pale from lack of sunlight, but the sheen of her black hair made her face stand out. Meryl thought the woman was beautiful.

An electronic voice spoke through old speakers that Higurashi Kagome was alive. It read off her stats and Dr. Suzuki stepped forward and pulled the woman from the pod. He laid her body along the table and sighed. She still felt cold to touch. Meryl gazed at the woman and wondered if she were lucky to be alive. They gathered around her and Milly gasped.

"She's beautiful," Milly whispered.

"That she is," Meryl softly agreed.

'She resembles Rem, why do they hold some features?' Vash wondered.

"I wonder if she likes dogs?" Richard questioned as he glared at Meryl.

"Then I guess your out," Meryl coldly replied as his eyes narrowed.

"Her pulse and temperature appear to be normal," Dr. Suzuki replied.

"Is there anything special we have to do?" Micah questioned.

"Keep her out of the sun, her skin will be likely to burn and make sure to keep her away from anyone who's sick. Her resistance is bound to be low," Dr. Suzuki advised as he gazed at the woman.

"Thank you for your help, your check is on the table next the door," Micah calmly said.

Dr. Suzuki nodded and quickly left the building. Micah was a good man, but that son he didn't trust. Richard was the bad seed of the family.

"What do you plan to do with her?" Meryl questioned.

"Keep her warm until she wakes up," Micah replied.

"She looks like a corpse, let's bury her," Richard suggested with a grin.

"Let's not and say we did, then we can bury you for real," Meryl replied as they began to glower at each other.

"Monster," Richard growled.

"Place the woman in a room in the left wing," Micah spoke directly to Meryl.

"Why not the right wing?" Richard snapped.

"Because that is where you reside," Micah responded before he turned to leave.

Richard glared at his father before he slowly began to smirk. Vash turned his gaze to the human and frowned. Something wasn't right with Meryl's brother. Richard smiled at Vash and left. All the way, he was slowly mumbling. Meryl softly growled as she listened to his words.

"Guess freaks gather other freaks," Richard sneered.

Meryl gripped the edge of the table and slowly clenched it. She was snapped back into reality when Milly placed a hand on her own.

"Sempai…look," Milly softly said.

"Wha—"

Meryl looked to where her hand was and quickly pulled them away from the table, it was as if the table burnt her. Four deep gashes were embedded in the wood. Meryl looked at her nails and rubbed her fingers over them checking for anything. Panic was written on her face as she backed away from the table. She hit something and her eyes widened. Hands gripped her shoulders and she spun out of the grip.

"Meryl?" Vash questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'll…I'll see you at dinner," Meryl quickly said and ran past him and up the stairs.

Heavy footfalls going up the stairs and through the hallway were a sign that she had left. Vash raised an eyebrow and sighed. Milly simply shrugged and began to pick Kagome. Vash sighed and followed Milly out of the basement with Kagome. Milly began to hum as they traveled through the house.

"Why did she run off so fast?" Vash questioned.

"Meryl's…stressed," Milly replied with a saddened look.

"When isn't she?" Vash joked with a soft laugh.

"Meryl's birthday is coming up and that could decide a lot…especially with the Fiers," Milly spoke as they turned to enter the left wing.

"Who are the Fiers?" Vash asked as he opened a random bedroom door.

"I'm not sure…but I know they're important," Milly mused as Vash sheepishly smiled.

"How did Meryl and you meet?" Vash suddenly asked.

Milly sighed as she placed Kagome on the bed. She sullenly gazed down at the woman. That was a memory that reminded her how different Meryl was. The memory was one that she would never forget. It was precious, just like her friendship at Meryl.

"My parents used to live around Neogaia. One night I was coming home from a friend's house. I heard crying in an alley…it was very dark. The moons were out and weren't very bright that night," Milly softly said as she covered Kagome. "I walked toward the alley and I saw her…Meryl was badly beaten."

"What happened to her?" Vash worriedly asked.

"Her brother and his friend's had chased her off the property and into the outer city. They had pushed her off a cliff and she had sought safety in the alley. I helped her after much…arguing…I took her back home to her father," Milly answered.

"What happened after that?" Vash questioned as he moved his gaze to Kagome.

"I constantly came over to Meryl's house to play with her. I then moved closer to Bernardelli and we lost touch…but I soon met her again," Milly cheerfully said with a chuckle.

"Why would her brother and mother harm her?" Vash softly wondered as Milly simply shrugged.

"You'll find out when her birthday comes," Milly mysteriously said as she smiled and left the room.

Vash watched her form leave. He had never known Milly to be so good at keeping secrets. Meryl had always acted distant, and he now understood why. Her own home was a jail to her. She couldn't rely on anyone but her father. From what Vash understood, Meryl was pretty much on her own since her father traveled. Vash looked back down at Kagome and saw a few of the same features. At this point in time, Kagome and Meryl looked helpless.

Meryl slammed her door and threw on the locks. She leaned against the door and let her head rest against the scratched up wood. A deep breath didn't help calm her nerves. She tapped her fingers against the wood and heard the slight tap. No one else would have heard it, but she did. She shakily brought her hands up before her face and grimaced. Her nails were a bit sharper then normal. Every night before bed, she would file them till they bled; they were officially an inch long. Fear coursed through her veins as she struggled not to scream or sob.

Meryl quickly pushed away from the door and to her suitcase. She threw random articles of clothing about searching for her clippers. The metal touched her fingers and she opened them. Meryl put her nail in between the metal and pushed down. She loudly cursed as the clippers bent upward. Her nail wasn't even scratched. Meryl dropped the clippers and sat on her bed. She pushed her palms against her eyes and shook her head.

'It's happening,' Meryl thought.

She wiped the tears away and she looked to her scratched up door. Meryl didn't want it to happen again. Her father had promised her that this wouldn't happen again.

'Maybe Kagome knows about this,' Meryl hopefully thought as she gazed at the door.

Meryl could hear Vash and Milly pass by her door. She sighed in relief that they hadn't bothered her. Meryl pulled out a metal file and began to file her nails furiously. She bit her lower lip as her arm became sore from the struggle. Normal, she wanted to be normal and not a freak.

"I won't change back," Meryl growled as she worked on her nails.

Author's Notes: Important, please read:

Sorry about the long wait, but I want to piece this together and not leave any blanks…flashbacks have officially ended! There will be no more long flashbacks!

I'm still thinking of a pairing. I have already decided to pair Meryl up with Vash, but I was seriously thinking about Kagome and Knives. I'm not too sure about Kagome and Knives, but I am deeply thinking about it. Inuyasha is truly dead, and if I did pair Kagome and Knives, it might just be a deep friendship…I'm not sure.

Please leave a review and tell me what you would think about Kagome and Knives or any other character you might be able to think of