Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Incompatible ❯ Chapter 0042 ( Chapter 42 )

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 42

**~**

Knives studied the irrigation ditches with a critical eye. The humans of Ender had worked hard to bring the water resting underground to the surface and throughout their small town. Hopes were high amongst the townspeople and excitement filled the air. Today was planting day. They'd sent a small delegation to October City to acquire the necessary seeds and now, after divvying it out amongst themselves, they were preparing to attempt to make the sandy soil fertile with growth.

His eyes moved of their own volition towards his own home and the trio standing just behind it with various planting tools. It was going to take a lot of work to make anything grow in such a hostile environment, but they'd done all they could to increase the odds. The power generated by the solar panels provided the necessary energy to run the circulating pumps that distributed the water throughout the town and the water itself created the necessary hope for the people to tackle the monumental endeavor with enthusiasm. Now all that remained was to actually place the seeds in the ground and watch them take root and grow. He grimaced and shook his head. Or watch it fail and blow away with the next sandstorm that bombarded the town with depressing frequency. They would have to devise a way to protect the project from the high winds and erosion that accompanied them.

He was drawn out of his musings when Meryl broke away from the small group and approached him. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. He'd been putting of talking to her, convincing himself that the time wasn't right for various reasons, and now, judging by the expression she wore, her patience had finally fled. He knew the timing was way off. They should be focusing on the planting not on talking. Unfortunately, he doubted she'd see it that way.

"Knives." She glared up at him when she stopped in front of him. "We need to talk."

"Can't this wait?" He asked, shifting away from her and glancing meaningfully towards the recently tilled ground. "We have to…"

She grabbed his arm and began pulling him behind her away from their companions. He ignored Vash's knowing grin and Millie's encouraging smile. "No, this can't wait. Besides, we can work over here. It needs to be done, too, and Vash and Millie can take care of things at the house."

He allowed himself to be led towards the area that had been designated the public 'garden'. Of course, it was currently deserted, the people having decided to first work on their own individual plots first before tackling what was intended to become an orchard of sorts. "But…" He cast an almost pleading look in his brother's direction and sighed when he grinned and waved cheerfully in his direction before turning away.

"No 'buts', Knives. I've been patient so far. More than patient. Now it's time for us to have a little talk."

"Is now really the time? Can't this wait until later, after the planting…"

"No, it **can't** wait! Unlike you, I don't have an infinite lifespan, Knives. If we keep putting this off I'm going to grow old and die before you make a move."

"Make a…move?" He echoed, blue eyes widening in surprise when she whirled to him, stood on tiptoe while reaching up to pull him down closer to her level, and kissed him.

"Yes! Make a move!" She stepped back, a faint flush in her cheeks as she continued to glare at him. "I'm not getting any younger, you know. I've waited for nearly four years for you to give me any indication that you might feel the same way about me that I do for you and you've stubbornly avoided the entire topic!"

"F-feel? Wh-what?" He blinked and stared at her as he stuttered like a fool as he tried to grasp the meaning behind her words, hoping that she meant what he thought she meant. "I-I thought…" He paused and shook his head sharply before drawing in a deep breath. "What about Vash?" He finally asked, blue eyes narrowed as he awaited her answer.

"What about him? What does he have to do with anything?" Meryl scowled and planted her fists on her hips. "Are you trying to avoid it again, Knives? Because if you are, I'm letting you know right now that I won't stand for it. I want to know what your intentions are and I want to know now."

"Intentions? And I'm not trying to avoid anything, woman! I think it's a valid question considering the subject at hand."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh! You…you're…jealous!" She laughed and shook her head as his own expression hardened. "Of all the…" She shook her head again. "If you would've just **said** something we could've cleared this up a long time ago, Knives. There's nothing between Vash and I."

"Could've fooled me. The way you look at him sometimes…" He turned away and stared at the ground with a frown. "What else was I supposed to think?"

"For all your supposed superior intellect, you can be pretty dumb sometimes." She sighed and stepped closer to him. "I admit that I care about him…a lot…but…" Her words trailed off when she saw his shoulders slump slightly. "Hey…let me finish, all right?" She placed her hand on his arm and frowned when she felt the tenseness of his muscles beneath her palm. "But what I feel for Vash is friendship…a close friendship, but nothing more. It was never meant to be anything more. I've known that for a long time." She bowed her head and sighed deeply. "Please don't tell me it's going to be the same way with you."

He thought this over for a moment before replying. "So…this…" He waved a hand at the air between them. "Is a compromise, then? Settling for one when you can't have the other?" He didn't like the implications of that and found that the mere thought brought instant pain to his chest.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, hard. "No!" She cried and stepped around in front of him. "God no! It isn't like that at all, Knives!" She shook her head again. "I'm making a real mess of this, aren't I? I'm just no good at talking about my feelings. I always say the wrong thing at the wrong time." She sighed and leaned forward, resting her cheek against his chest as she placed her arms around his waist. "To tell you the truth, I'm afraid. I don't like talking about things like this, but I just can't go on with the uncertainty anymore." She closed her eyes with a slight smile when he slowly, with seeming reluctance, returned the embrace. "I need to know how you feel, Knives. I need to know where I stand with you before I can move on to the next step, whatever it may be."

"I don't understand this." He murmured softly as he tightened his arms around her. "I don't understand these feelings. They're so complicated and confusing." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "It's like being pulled in opposite directions all at once and never knowing which the correct way to go is. I'm not sure I like feeling like this and most of the time I can't think of a more cruel form of torment…yet at other times, it's the most wonderful feeling I've ever felt." He sighed deeply. "I don't understand any of it. You confuse me, Meryl. I hurt when you're around, but it's even worse when you're not. You make me laugh and you make me want to be a better person." He closed his eyes tightly. "You make me wish I was more like Vash so that you would look at me like you look at him…so that you could love me, too."

She tightened her arms around his waist and shook her head against his chest. "You big dummy…I thought we already went over that thing with the looks I'm supposed to be giving Vash. And…and…" She swallowed passed the lump forming in her throat in an effort to force the words out that she needed to say. "I **do** love you, Knives…I'm just afraid that you don't feel the same way about me."