Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Incompatible ❯ Chapter 0036 ( Chapter 36 )

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 36

**~**

"Well…I guess this is it, then." Vash sniffled and suddenly turned to Knives, throwing his arms around him and wiping his face against his shoulder. Knives grimaced and tried his level best to disentangle himself from his brother's clinging grasp. "Oh Knives! Our little Emily is leaving!" His wail was immediately followed by bouts of weeping.

Knives managed to shove his openly sobbing twin away from him and took several hasty steps away, an almost wild look of panic in his wide blue eyes as Vash appeared to be ready to glomp onto him again. "For God's sake, Vash! Stop that, you're making a scene!" He looked around hastily and cleared his throat, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck into his face. "People are staring!" He hissed as he sidestepped his brother again.

Meryl shook her head and tried to ignore the brothers and their antics. Vash currently had tears streaming down his face as he chased Knives around the street in a pathetic attempt at drawing his reluctant brother into a 'comforting' embrace. For his part, Knives looked like he'd rather have his limbs severed and then beat against his head rather than let the weeping gunman get anywhere near him. Not that she could blame him, of course. Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, a feared outlaw with a bounty of sixty billion double dollars on his head was quite possibly the most emotionally comfortable man she'd ever seen. Unlike most males, he didn't seem to be afraid to cry in public and did so frequently. She had to admit that, as nice as it was to know that there was at least one man on the planet that wasn't emotionally repressed, that it was bothersome and annoying at times. Like now. She tried to remain calm, but found that she just didn't have the energy to battle the irritation rising in her. "Would you two knock it off?!" She shouted and turned back to the source of Vash's current emotional outburst, the resulting silence almost deafening after the scene the two brothers had been creating in the street. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you know you're welcome to stay for as long as you like…" She let the sentence trail off when the taller woman smiled serenely.

"Thank you, Meryl, but I really think I should go. There's so much I want to learn still…so much I want to see." Emily looked pointedly towards her brothers. "With those two around it's impossible to really live. They're so overprotective it's scary sometimes." She shrugged and brushed her long hair back, tucking it behind her ear. "I'll never get to experience anything on my own with them around." She grinned impishly and spread her arms out. "I want to experience it all! Life, love and liberty!" She laughed, reminding her companions instantly of Vash during one of his crazed 'love and peace' spiels. "I can't do that if Vash-brother and Knives-brother are hanging all over me and glaring at any nice looking man that might happen to look my way."

Meryl cleared her throat and laughed uneasily when she thought she heard a low growl from Knives' direction. "I'm sure they mean well, Emily."

"Sure…I know that…but geez! I'm one hundred and eighty-four years old, Meryl! I think I'm old enough to make my own choices in life. Besides, do you know how pathetic it is to be this old and still a virgin? I mean, really! I've never even been kissed yet!" Meryl's face heated instantly. "Unless I get out on my own I'll end up dying an old maid and as far as I'm concerned that's just too terrible to contemplate!"

Millie stepped forward and shook her finger in Emily's face under her nose. "You just be careful, Miss Emily. There are bad men out there who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of you." She nodded wisely before drawing the older woman into her arms for a near bone crushing hug and smiled cheerfully. "But putting that aside, I hope you find what you're looking for."

When Emily finally managed to disentangle herself from Millie's hug, she turned to face her brothers reluctantly. "Well…" She began, feeling tears begin to sting her eyes. "I guess this is really it." She tried to summon a smile and winced when it failed horribly. Giving up, the let the tears flow and threw her arms around Vash. "Oh Vash-brother! I'm going to miss you **so** much! I'm so glad I finally got to meet you!" She sniffled and squeezed, smiling a little when he wheezed slightly from the pressure but returned her embrace with one of his own, only not quite as crushing. "I had so much fun with you and Millie!"

"Yeah…me, too." Vash rubbed his cheek against his sisters pale blond head and sighed. "Emily…you're squeezing too tight." He whispered gently as he felt his bones creak and the metal grid on his chest push against her shoulder in what he knew must be a most uncomfortable position. She released him slowly, with seeming reluctance and looked up at him solemnly. He blinked and tilted his head to the side as he tried to decipher the odd look in her smoky eyes. "What?"

Lowering her voice so only he could hear, she lightly punched him on the shoulder. "You better get in gear and tell Millie what's in here, Vash-brother!" She placed her hand against his chest over his heart. "I don't want to come back and find out that you're still procrastinating, brother!" Before Vash could form a reply she'd turned from him and looked at Knives. Drawing in a deep breath she approached him slowly, wary gaze fixed on his impassive features. "Knives-brother…" She began slowly, hesitantly. "H-how does one thank another for giving them life?" She whispered as she halted before him. "You freed me, taught me everything I needed to survive, saved me when I couldn't save myself…" She swallowed and raised a hand to rest her palm lightly against his cheek. "I am who I am because you gave me the chance to be **free**. I can't thank you enough for all that you've done."

Knives allowed a slight smile to curve his lips upwards and tilted his head forward to gaze into her eyes steadily. "Emily-sister…" He murmured softly and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "You are a butterfly, Emily…and now you are spreading your wings." He stepped back and fixed her with a stern glare. "Stay out of trouble, sister." Somehow, it was harder this time to let her go. Before, after he'd freed her and taught her the basics of survival in the harsh world, it had been much easier to let her go her own way. But now, after spending so much time in her company, he found that he'd become accustomed to her occasionally irritating chatter and seeming lack of good sense. And yet, beneath the innocence she portrayed to the world at large, he knew she was wise beyond comprehension. He was going to miss her.

**Knives-brother…** He blinked in surprise when he heard her mental voice whispering softly through his mind like a gentle caress. They hadn't used their telepathic link since he'd freed her from her bulb. **Listen well, brother. You can't hide from your emotions forever and you're just wasting time trying to do so.**

**Emily?** He wasn't certain he wanted to know where she was going with this. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like it at all.

**Love is a precious gift and is rarely found…stop being a ninny and tell her how you feel already!** She grinned and stepped away from him. "Well, goodbye!" She raised her hand and waved casually as she turned and scooped up her travel bag before striding down the street.

"Ninny?" He muttered and shook his head slowly. There were times he honestly thought his siblings truly wanted to drive him insane. Between Emily and Vash, he knew he wasn't going to find any peace until he gave in and did what they wanted. The thing was, he really **did** want to follow their advice and not so subtle hints, but he just didn't know if he could. He was a logical being and by his calculations the odds of success in such an endeavor were definitely not in his favor. He didn't like gambling when the odds were so obviously against him and in this game coming in second wasn't good enough. He glanced over at Meryl and found her gaze settled on his brother. He sighed and shook his head again. No, the odds weren't good at all.