Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Incompatible ❯ Chapter 0010 ( Chapter 10 )

Trigun Fanfic

Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc.

The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.

--Incompatible-

Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl. Knives hates all humans. Meryl just hates Knives. It's a match ideal for the promise of Eden.

By Chiruken

Chapter 10

**~**

He hated to admit it, even now, but the woman had been right. He stared up at the ceiling and ignored the pain lancing outwards through his legs. He idly wondered how far he'd set back his recovery. With his luck he'd end up spending another four months staring at the same walls and thinking the same dreary thoughts and remain unbelievably bored. He sighed and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to try walking again for some time, not after the episode from two weeks before. He winced just remembering. He'd been right about one thing…the floor **had** been hard.

The door opened and he purposely turned his face to the wall. He wasn't actually trying to be difficult this time…he honestly didn't want to see Meryl or talk to her. He was tired of the animosity that surrounded them when they were together and he felt the only way to avoid it was to simply keep his mouth shut. Every time he opened his mouth to say something he always ended up making her angry and he was tired of it. He couldn't seem to have a civil conversation with her so it was better to just stop bothering.

Millie and Vash, he'd discovered, had left town for some business or other. Amazingly, the people of the town seemed to like him and trust him so they'd voted him to be the new sheriff after the other had absconded with the town funds. He was happy for his brother. It seemed as if he might actually get the peaceful life he'd wanted after all. If his luck held, people would eventually forget that he'd ever been Vash the Stampede, sixty billion double dollar outlaw and the Humanoid Typhoon. Knives hoped it worked out for him. He may as well enjoy the time he had with the humans rather than constantly running for his life everywhere he went.

"Are you still sulking?" He winced at the harsh tone she used as well as the words. He dearly wanted to tell her that he, Millions Knives, didn't sulk, but decided that it would be prudent to maintain his silence. If he held his tongue, maybe she'd just leave him alone for a while and not yell at him, even if it was only for an hour or so. "Knives?" He pressed his lips together and stared intently at the wall. **Oh look…another crease in the steel…imagine that. And there…another scuff mark.** He tried to block out the sound of her voice and found it to be a futile endeavor. He sighed inwardly and closed his eyes. Maybe if he feigned sleep she'd go away. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He winced at the volume so close to his ear. What was she doing? Trying to make him deaf? "Are you still pouting about what happened? Come on…get over it. It was bound to happen, you know. I tried to tell you that you were in no shape to try walking, but did you listen? Of course not. I mean, really. What does a stupid human know, right?"

Unable to remain silent any more he sighed. "Oh shut up." He muttered. "Go away." He just wanted to be alone, couldn't she see that? What did he have to do, spell it out for her? He'd thought she had **some** intelligence, even if she was human. Maybe he'd been wrong about her after all. He sighed softly again. It didn't really matter one way or the other, not to him at least. He'd give anything just to get her to leave him alone.

"What? No sardonic reply? What happened to that sarcastic wit we all hate so much?" She leaned over him to peer into his face. "Knives?" She asked softly. "Hey…what's wrong?" Was that concern he detected in her tone? He almost snorted. **Right. As if she cares.** "Are you okay?" At his continued silence she slowly backed away. "Okay…this is weird…" She murmured as she slowly made her way to the door.

He breathed a soft sigh of relief when he heard the door close. "Finally…" Slowly he opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. A slight smile curved his lips up as his sharp eyes detected a darker blotch against the paint. "Ah…spider…" He murmured softly and watched the tiny creature's progress across the cracked and peeling paint. He wondered if this arachnid would take up residence in his room. He found that he almost hoped it did. He missed the sight of the other spider's web being spun above his head. He wasn't sure if he should be alarmed at these thoughts and decided to not worry about it at the moment.

In the silence of his room he found his mind traveling down nearly forgotten paths of memory, inexorably dragging him back to his brief childhood aboard the Seeds ship with his brother. In the beginning everything had been idyllic and he'd been happy. Rem had been a kind and caring woman though a little naïve at times. Joey had been a generous and patient man trying his best to fill in as a father figure though he tended to second guess himself too often. Mary had shown them the stimulation of interacting with others in a social environment though she lacked the vision of her friend, Rem. Rowen had taught them much in regards to the technology on board their ship and shown them the path to intellectual pursuits but his lack of self confidence had undermined his authority on many occasions. And then there was Steve. Knives felt his lip curl with disgust. That man had taught him one thing and one thing only…only the strong survive by preying on the weak. He'd been a bully who enjoyed to pick on those weaker than himself. The lesson he'd taught Knives was that human nature was ugly and filled with hatred and fear. It was a lesson he'd learned well and had never once forgotten.

It had been a harsh reality that Knives had woken up to all those years ago under the heavy handed tutelage of that man. Vash had received similar lessons, yet somehow he'd forgiven Steve for the beatings and the horrible emotional abuse he'd dished out. Knives hadn't been able to do that. He'd been unable to forgive nor could he forget. He'd tried to spare his brother the worst of the abuse and had received it double for his efforts. He was thankful that Vash, as gentle and sensitive as he'd been, had been spared the pain of betrayal at the hands of the humans he both trusted and admired. Rem had been useful in that respect. She'd kept Vash occupied and away from Steve with her prattle about love and peace and her naïve hopes and dreams of the future. But it didn't excuse the fact that she completely ignored what Steve had been doing all that time. It wasn't like she didn't know. How could she not know? It was vividly obvious in the bruises and broken bones, the torn clothing and fearful hiding. She should have protected them from Steve but she'd chosen to turn a blind eye to the man's abuse and continued as if she were blissfully ignorant of the situation. And that was why Knives detested her memory so much. It had all been a lie…everything. The hugs and the stories and the lullabies and the way she'd gently kiss their foreheads as they went to sleep at the end of the day. Rem Saverem and her so-called teachings of life and the inherent goodness in everyone was nothing but a hypocrite and a liar.

He scrubbed his face wearily and tried to banish the unwelcome memories that were invading his mind. He didn't want to think about Rem and her betrayal of his faith and trust. He didn't want to think of Steve and his vicious attacks. He didn't want to think about any of it. He just wanted to rest and gather his strength for another attempt at walking. He wanted to find peace, even for a few short hours, in the oblivion of sleep. He sighed and forcefully pushed all the negative thoughts from his mind as he forced his body to relax. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, sleep was still a long time in coming.