Blithering blather: Ossu! Well, this is where we get off, everyone!

Knives: I think you mean this is where Vash and I get off.

Spazz: Eh heh heh, right...Anyway, I planned on using my Spring Break to finish up this fic, and here I am, the first day of class after the break just barely finishing it now ^_^;; It also happens to be the same day that Trigun begins airing on Adult Swim! Oh, joy, I shall now prepare myself for the flood of newbies writing me things like "hEy, who is ths "knvies" guy?!vashs us in luv wirh merly!111" I hope everyone has enjoyed this long and strange journey into the not-often-enough explored realm of Trigun twincest. I've really appreciated all the comments and encouragement you readers have given me along the way. I love you guys ^_^

Knives: Oh, gag me with a spoon.

Spazz: Wouldn't a knife be more appropriate?

Knives: Actually, in this fic, the most appropriate gagging implement would be Vash's penis.

Spazz: Of course...anyway, prepare yourselves for the end! Heeeere we go!

Disclaimer: You know :P

Chapter completed: 2003.03.31

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Chapter 7: Conversation

"Wow, it sure is deserted in here today," Meryl said, looking around at the larger than usual number of empty tables in the restaurant. "I wonder what's going on."

"Hey, as long as it means less work for us, I'm not complaining." Meryl looked at the tall, redheaded waitress who was known as Polly. "I'm going outside for a cigarette. Wanna join me?"

"No, thank you." Meryl didn't think it would be wise to come home smelling like smoke after work. It would only serve to remind Milly of the priest she had lost not too long ago. Meryl bowed her head and let out a sigh. Though the man Meryl cared about was still around, he was so distant from her that it sometimes felt like he wasn't even there at all. Then again, there were other times when he acted so familiar with her that it appeared as if he might share her feelings. He really was quite the complicated man. Or Plant, rather. She still found it difficult to think of Vash as not being human. Everyone on the planet had always been taught that Plants could only survive inside their bulbs, that they neither spoke nor understood human language, and that the only purpose they served was to produce resources. Vash definitely didn't fit any of those criteria, and Meryl couldn't help but wonder how normal Plants could have given birth to creatures like Vash and Knives.

Meryl's thoughts were interrupted when the burly voice of her boss invaded her ears. "What'cha daydreamin' about, Ms. Stryfe?"

Meryl immediately straightened up. "Oh, just, uh, people and things...sir."

The mustached man raised an eyebrow playfully. "There a man on your mind?"

A blush spread across the shorthaired woman's face. "No, of course not, sir. I was thinking about how few customers we've had today, sir. When at work, the only thing on a good employee's mind is business, after all."

The man adjusted the cigar in his mouth. "Well, I'll tell ya what, Ms. Stryfe. Since you're always such a hard worker, and there've been so few customers today, I'm gonna let you go ahead and take the rest of the day off."

"Are you sure about this, sir?"

"Sure, sure. Polly can handle things on 'er own. Where is that girl, anyway?"

"I believe she's taking another break, sir."

"See? That's why she's stayin' here and you're goin' home. So go, have fun." He paused and winked. "Maybe go out on a date with that man you've been thinkin' about."

Meryl blushed again. "Thank you for allowing me this privilege."

"No problem. See ya tomorrow."

Meryl gathered up her things and headed out the door. "Where're you going?" Polly asked her as she walked by.

"The boss is giving me the rest of the day off."

Polly let out a puff of smoke. "You mean he's gonna make me do everything by myself?"

"It appears that way..." Meryl was going to apologize for leaving her with all the work, but the taller woman simply huffed and stormed inside, intending to give the boss a thorough tongue-lashing, no doubt. Meryl sighed, trying not to feel bad about leaving like this. After all, she had covered for Polly several times on days that had been far busier than this one.

Meryl looked around as she began the short walk back to her home, wondering how she could spend the rest of the day. She wasn't used to having time off, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. Milly usually didn't get off of work for a few more hours, and that particular day she expected her to get off later than usual since she had come in late that morning. She could hang around with Vash and Knives, but she was still intensely afraid of Vash's brother. It was quite obvious that he didn't like her, or any other human, for that matter. He supposedly acted differently when he and Vash were alone, but Meryl found that hard to imagine when all she had ever seen of him was his cold as ice death glare.

Meryl arrived at the house and noticed that there were dirty dishes on the table. She sighed. Couldn't the two of them even pick up after themselves? She came closer and noted that the plates still had food on them. It was quite unusual for food to be left behind when Vash was around, and she wondered what could have happened that would cause them to leave so suddenly that they didn't even finish eating...where were those two, anyway? Vash was usually in the living room when she came home from work. Of course, since she was coming home earlier than usual, there was no reason to expect that he sat in that exact spot all day long as he diligently awaited her return. She may have had feelings for him, but she wasn't delusional. Perhaps he had gone out somewhere. Although, she knew Knives hated leaving the house and only ventured out when he was forced. Was it possible that Vash had gone somewhere and left Knives behind? Now there was a scary thought. How would she defend herself if she ended up being alone in the house with Vash's brother? She shook her head. Come on, Meryl, you're just overreacting. She figured they were either both at home or they had both gone out. Surely Vash wouldn't have left Knives in a position that allowed him to wreak havoc on random unsuspecting victims.

Meryl decided she would first look around the house before she began scouring the town for their whereabouts. She made her way through the kitchen and down the hallway, where she found their bedroom door to be closed. She hesitated before knocking. What if they were getting dressed? What if they had gone back to sleep? What if Knives was in there alone? Meryl shook her head and slapped her cheeks. Come on, you've faced situations far scarier and more dangerous than this one. Just go! Meryl raised her hand and knocked timidly on the door. She didn't hear any reply. She tried knocking again, this time a little louder. "Umm, Vash? Are you in there?" She didn't get a response, so she opened the door a bit just to make sure whether anyone was in there or not. Meryl's eyes went wide with shock when she took in what was happening before her.

Knives and Vash were both lying shirtless on the bed, with Knives hands and lips roaming all over Vash's body. As Knives' hand slipped down the front of Vash's pants, Vash began to gasp and moan, obviously enjoying himself very much. He tossed his head back and his eyes met Meryl's. Vash uttered the only thing that seemed appropriate for the situation.

"Oh, shit."

Knives looked up from what he was doing. "What's wrong?" He looked up further and noticed Meryl standing in the doorway. "Oh."

Vash struggled out from underneath his brother and hastily zipped up his pants. "Uh, hey there, Meryl. Wow, what are you doing home so early?"

Meryl's mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times before she shook her head and walked away.

"Shit shit shit," Vash mumbled as he pulled on his shirt and rushed out the door.

Knives sighed and sat back on the bed. Why did humans always have to ruin their fun?

Vash made his way down the hallway, where he caught Meryl in the living room staring out the window. He approached hesitantly and sat down on the couch next to her. He struggled to think of how he could explain what she had seen in the gentlest way possible. He cleared his throat. "So, uhh..."

"That was the first time," Meryl interrupted him in a voice that was surprisingly monotonous.

Vash blinked. "Huh?"

Meryl looked down. "That was the first time you called me by my name," she said softly.

Vash rubbed his head in thought. "Really? Huh. I wonder why that is..."

"Probably because you had your guard down in the moment you were caught in your lie." Meryl's voice had become considerably more confrontational.

Vash looked down in thought. "Listen, I know this must be a shock to you, but an appropriate time to talk about this just never came up before. I mean, this is kind of an unusual situation, and I wasn't sure how you would take it if I just brought it up out of the blue."

"You should have told me." She turned to look at him for the first time since he'd entered the room, her eyes brimming with tears. "You should have told me that Knives was really your lover and not your brother, instead of letting me think that...that..." She didn't need to finish her sentence for him to know that she was going to say Vash shouldn't have let her believe that she actually had a chance with him.

Vash began twiddling his thumbs. "I'm sorry if I've been giving you the wrong idea, but there's something you've misunderstood here." Vash took in a deep breath. "I haven't been lying to you about Knives being related to me. He really is my twin brother."

Meryl's voice lost its confrontational air. "Oh." After thinking for a second her face contorted into an expression mixed with confusion and disgust. "So if you really are brothers, why were you...?" Once again, Meryl knew she didn't need to finish her sentence for Vash to understand what she meant.

Vash crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, especially to a human. Don't get me wrong, because up until recently I myself didn't fully understand why Knives and I share the kind of relationship we do. You have to look at it in the most objective way possible, without paying any regard to human ideology. Do you think you can do that?"

"I can try my best."

"Okay." Vash appeared to be deep in thought for several moments as he tried to think of the best way to explain the situation. Knives probably understood better than he did, but he realized that Knives would explain it in the most condescending manner possible to Meryl, which wouldn't be all that helpful. He took a deep breath. "I told you before that Knives and I aren't human, right? Well, being a part of a different species means that we live by separate standards than people do. All of us Plants are related to each other, and Knives and I call the other Plants our Sisters, but it's not exactly the same kind of relationship that exists between human siblings. Plants reproduce asexually, so it's not the same as a man and a woman creating a child together like humans do. As far as Knives and I can tell, Plants don't have any sexual feelings whatsoever; they just reproduce when they feel the time is right. The same is not true for Knives and me, though. We were born with bodies that are only different from humans in that we possess the powers of Plants. But we feel all the same things that humans do, even if Plants don't naturally feel such things...including sexual arousal." Vash could tell Meryl was feeling a bit uncomfortable hearing him talk about sex, but he knew she must be curious about it, seeing as how she had walked in on Vash and Knives as they were about to engage in the act.

Meryl cleared her throat. "This may be a bit off the subject, but why, or rather, how was it possible for two human-like beings to be born from a Plant?"

Vash clasped his hands together. "That's one thing I myself am not sure about. Perhaps the Plant that gave birth to Knives and me was around humans a lot and somehow managed to copy their structure and reproduce it inside Herself. We never really got the chance to find out, since She's the only Plant that ever did it, and She died in the Great Fall," Vash paused, as he still got choked up thinking about all the lives of both Plants and humans that were lost on that fateful day. "As for why we were born...well, Knives and I have differing opinions on that. I always believed that the Plant that gave birth to us wanted to improve Plant and human relations by creating a go-between that understood the feelings of both species. Knives, on the other hand, believed that the Plants wanted liberation from their human enslavers, and created beings that had the capacity to change things." Vash leaned his head back against the couch. "Whether we were created for either of those reasons, or for a completely different purpose, or even just on the whim of a bored Plant we can't be sure, but we do both hold the belief that we were originally intended to be one being."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Looking at our personality traits, we've noticed that we either have the exact same features or the exact opposites. With the thought that we were originally intended to be one being, we believe that whatever positive or negative traits that would have naturally been a part of that being's disposition ended up being spread to both of us. Anything that would have been neutral, however, ended up being split, resulting in the two of us being on entirely different ends of the spectrum in some ways." Vash noticed that Meryl looked a little baffled. "I know this seems kind of unbelievable, but keep in mind that Knives and I aren't human." Vash thought for a moment. "I guess a more concrete way of demonstrating this is by comparing our power. When Knives and I were fighting with our Angel Arms, we were able to neutralize each other. We basically cancel each other out.

"But I guess the strongest evidence that we are one is the bond that exists between us. As I said before, it's not the same as the bond between human brothers...in fact, it would be considered inappropriate for human siblings to share the kind of bond that we do. Knives and I are tied to each other many ways…emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And for some reason, reuniting into one being in a physical manner actually has an effect on all the other ways in which we are linked together. I can't explain why a physical act that stems purely from the instincts coming from the human-like qualities of our bodies could play a role in tightening the bond between us as Plants, but in unusual circumstances such as ours, I guess there are some things that just can't be explained."

Meryl nodded slowly as she took everything Vash was saying, still somewhat in a stage of disbelief that this was all actually happening. She tried to think of how to respond. "So, if this really is something that feels natural to you, why did you say before that you've had trouble dealing with it?"

"Because I've been so heavily influenced, or, as Knives would say, corrupted by humans over the years. I had absolutely no reservations when our relationship first turned sexual, because it just felt good and natural, and, since Knives and I spent our first several years on this planet solely with each other, there wasn't anyone around to say that what we were doing was wrong. Once we were separated, however, I immersed myself in human society and became ashamed of what Knives and I had shared. In the many decades we were apart, I developed a human side of my personality, building on the things I had learned from Rem. I tried to be as human as I could, and tried to completely forget the years Knives and I had spent together doing things that the human side of myself had come to believe were wrong. And it worked. Up until a couple weeks ago, I had completely erased from my mind all the feelings that emerged from the intimate side of my relationship with Knives...which is why I was so surprised when everything came rushing back to me when I brought him here to live with me again. Ever since he's been here, I've been struggling to reconcile the human side of my personality that's developed over the years with my natural feelings as a Plant. However, there is still a separation between the two. Earlier when I called you by your name, you were right about my guard being down, because Knives is what causes my guard to drop. He's the only one who has access to me in my most natural state of being."

Though Meryl was still in a bit of shock at hearing Vash talking about this kind of subject, she was also happy that he was actually opening up to her for once. She actually wanted the conversation to continue. "So, how exactly did all of this start?"

"Well, I told you before that Knives and I developed at a much more rapid pace than humans, right? The rate of our growth was comparable to a month for us equaling a year for humans. Knives and I landed on this planet when we were one year old, and our first time together was a couple months after that, or when we were physically about fourteen or fifteen." Vash caught Meryl's eyes widening at the very idea of one year olds having sex with each other, even if they had matured to teenagers physically. "I know, we were pretty young, but when hormones are beginning to kick in and there's no one around to tell you what to do, there's no reason to try to resist your body's natural urges..."

"Damn, it's getting a lot colder than usual," Knives said, pulling his cloak more tightly around his thin shoulders.

"No kidding," Vash replied through chattering teeth.

"We should find a cave or something before we freeze to death." Vash nodded in agreement and the two young Plants began searching for anything that would shelter them from the harshness of this unusually cold night. During the couple of months they'd been traveling together since the Great Fall, they could usually fend off the cold with only their sleeping bags, but there had been a couple of occasions when they'd needed to find shelter. This particular night was the coldest they'd ever experienced.

"Look over there, Knives, I think I see a cave."

"Okay, let's go." The two brothers made their way over to the cave Vash had seen and quickly went inside. The temperature inside wasn't really all that warm, but at least the cave would shield them from the chilly winds. They put their sleeping bags close together on the cave floor and each huddled inside his own, both of them overcome with shivering.

"Shit, this isn't working. I'm still freezing," Knives said before pulling the sleeping bag back up over his head.

Vash suddenly got an idea. "Why don't we try sharing a sleeping bag? You know, for body heat."

Knives unzipped his sleeping bag partially and allowed Vash to crawl inside with him. He had trouble trying to zip it up again, as it wasn't exactly designed to fit two lanky young teenage bodies.

"Wow, it's really cramped in here. We used to be able to share a sleeping bag when we had campouts in the recreation room."

"Yeah, well, we've grown quite a bit since then." The two of them fell into an awkward silence after that. Anytime one of them brought up the past they usually ended up arguing with each other, and neither one of them wanted to ruin the relatively peaceful time they were having in trying to help each other survive.

Being in such close quarters, however, made it difficult for either of them to avoid thoughts that were about more than just survival. Their raging teenage hormones were beginning to kick in, after all, and both had been feeling more than a little frustrated as of late. That was one probable cause of the viciousness and frequency of their fights lately, and if they didn't find a way to release the tension soon, they feared they may end up seriously hurting each other.

Vash had been lying on his side comfortably for a while, but suddenly he felt his right arm beginning to go numb. He tried to shift positions, but he wasn't quite sure what to do with his arms. He tried putting them around Knives, who raised an eyebrow at him. "My arm was falling asleep."

"I see." Now that their bodies were pressed even more closely together, Knives began to feel uncomfortable at the sudden tightness growing in the groin area of his spacesuit. The tension made him begin to sweat. "Umm, Vash? Don't you think it's maybe a little too warm now?"

"What do you suggest we do, then?"

"Let's try this." Knives unzipped both his and Vash's sleeping bags all the way, spreading one of them out on the cave floor. "We can sleep on top of this one and use the other as a blanket."

"Wow, that's a good idea." Vash dove under the makeshift blanket and laid down next to Knives. He soon realized that he didn't feel nearly as warm as had when he'd had his arms around his brother. Vash snuggled closer to Knives, encircling him with his arms and throwing a leg over him.

"Vash, what are you doing?" Knives asked, his voice husky with his growing desire.

"It feels better like this. When I was just lying next to you, only my body felt warm, but when I'm like this, I feel like my heart is warm, too. And it feels really good."

"Well, it feels a bit too good as far as I'm concerned."

"What do you mean?"

Knives took Vash's hand and placed it on the lump in his pants. "This."

"Oh." Vash thought deeply for a few moments. "Well, it's okay, isn't it?"

Knives looked surprised at Vash's response. He'd expected him to be disturbed at his arousal. "I don't know, do you think it is?"

"I kinda feel the same thing, too," Vash said, emphasizing his point by pressing his body closer to Knives' and illustrating that he, too, was getting an erection. "I mean, if we both want to do something that only affects us, is it wrong for us to do it?"

Knives tried to get over the shock that he and Vash actually seemed to agree about something. He wrapped his arms around Vash. "Well, that's what I've been thinking. It's obvious that we've both been feeling tense, so it's only logical that we release it before it gets to be too much to handle." Knives leaned in closer like he was going to kiss Vash, but his brother stopped him as another thought occurred to him.

"Wait a minute. Didn't the books we read say incest was dangerous?"

Knives growled. He was getting more and more frustrated with each passing second. "I believe that only applies to members of the opposite sex when the possibility of producing an offspring exists. Since we can't reproduce together, there's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, okay. I guess it's all right, then. On the other hand—" Vash was cut off as Knives, fed up with Vash's indecisiveness, decided for him by planting his lips firmly on his brother's. They shared a rather sloppy first kiss and pulled away after several moments, panting heavily.

"What were you going to say, Vash?"

"Huh? Oh, I forgot."

"Good." Knives leaned forward and took his brother's lips again, being somewhat gentler than the first time. While Knives fumbled with Vash's clothes, Vash began lightly stroking Knives' erection through his spacesuit. Knives began moaning and was suddenly more interested in taking off his own clothes rather than Vash's. He nearly ripped his spacesuit in his desperation to get out of it, as he wanted so badly to feel his twin's sensuous touch on his bare skin. He moaned as Vash began to stroke him again. Knives was a bit confused as to why it felt so good. He had masturbated before, so why did the same action feel so much better when Vash was doing it to him? He gasped as he nearly went over the edge and removed Vash's hand. "I want you to try putting it in your mouth."

Vash gave him a weird look. "Is that how it works when two guys have sex?"

"It's not the only thing we can do. I found some books in Mary's room that had men having sex in them, and that's just one of the things they did."

"Okay, I'll try it." Vash lowered his head and took Knives' penis into his mouth. He stayed like that for several moments before lifting his head. "Uhh, what exactly am I supposed to do with it?"

"Suck it, lick it, bite it, I don't care. Just do something." Vash lowered his head again and began doing various things with his tongue. Knives gripped the sleeping bag below him as he gasped in pleasure.

Vash lifted up his head again. "Does it feel good?"

Knives nearly whimpered at the sudden loss of contact, but instead grunted and shoved Vash's head back down again. "Don't stop, you idiot!" Knives calmed down again as Vash continued his oral manipulation. "Try moving your head back and forth." Vash did as his brother asked and Knives began writhing in pleasure again, running his fingers through his hair as he bobbed up and down. Knives came rather quickly, catching Vash off guard and causing him to gag.

"A little warning would have been nice," Vash said, coughing out some semen.

"Sorry, I just got so caught up in it," Knives said, panting heavily.

Vash sat up. "So, how did it feel?"

Knives smirked and gave Vash a quick kiss. "Let me show you." His lips made their way down Vash's neck, then back up to his lips as his hands went to work finishing undressing Vash. He then trailed his tongue all the way down to Vash's penis, which he began licking up and down vigorously. He continued until he caused Vash to ejaculate, though Knives was actually prepared for it and was able to swallow without any problems. He crawled up to where he was lying on top of Vash. "So, did you like that?"

"Oh, yeah," Vash smiled and gazed at him with lust filled eyes. "What other kinds of things did you read about?"

"Well, we could have anal sex."

Vash's eyes widened to twice their normal size. "So are you gonna put what I think you're gonna put where I think you're gonna put it?" Knives nodded. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"How the hell would I know? I've never done this before, either. Come on, spread your legs. We can just try it, and if it hurts, we'll stop, okay?"

"Okay" Vash said hesitantly, placing his legs over the top of Knives' arms.

Knives carefully pushed himself into Vash, keeping his thrusts slow and shallow at first, but eventually increasing the speed and depth. "Does it hurt, Vash?" he asked breathlessly.

"No," Vash said with a small moan. "Actually, it feels pretty good." Vash closed his eyes. "And it doesn't just feel good physically, it feels like something's happening in my head."

"You feel that, too? I was wondering about the same thing. I didn't read about anything like this." As they continued, the feelings swirling in both of their minds increased. They got stronger and stronger until the two of them felt a sudden sense of unity, a moment in which they could feel both their own sensations as well as each other's. The two of them collapsed together. "Wow, that was really intense. It's like my mind had an orgasm, or something."

"Yeah..." A sly grin made its way onto Vash's face. "I want another one."

Knives grinned back. "Me, too."

The two of them continued their sexual experimentation until the cave filled with the light of morning. Both of them were quite happy about what had happened, and neither one questioned whether what they were doing was right or wrong. In fact, there were many times during the years that followed when their sexual relationship seemed to be the only thing that was right between them...

Vash snapped himself out of his thoughts and began talking to Meryl again. "We continued our relationship throughout the years we were traveling together, and, as I said before, it just started up again when he came to live here like nothing had changed." Vash folded his hands in his lap. "And nothing really had changed, until earlier today. Today was the first time Knives and I really opened up and seriously listened to each other. This is especially true for me, and I'm glad that I did. I put aside my belief that I could make Knives into what I wanted him to be and truly listened to what he wanted. I realized that he has changed for me, but since he hadn't changed into exactly what I wanted, I selfishly didn't even notice his efforts. Now that I have, I've decided that I can easily give him what he wants from me."

"And what exactly is that?"

"He wants me to move away from here with him and go live somewhere far away from humans."

Meryl looked down. "Oh..."

Vash put a hand on her shoulder. He knew it must have been hard on her to not only learn once and for all that they could never be together, but also that he was going to be leaving. "Listen, Meryl, I'll come visit you whenever I can, no matter where I end up, or wherever you go. I consider my friendships to be very important. In fact, they're second only to my love for Knives."

Meryl began to feel overwhelmed again. She nodded as her eyes filled with tears. "I understand."

Vash noticed the tears and pulled her into a hug. "I know this is tough. I just hope you can accept me for what I really am."

Meryl sniffled into Vash's chest. "I do, Vash. Even if it's…shocking to a regular person, I know you have to do what you feel is right. It's just...a lot to take in."

"Is there anything I can do to make this easier?"

"Just...let me stay like this for a while."

Vash nodded and pulled her a bit closer. She stayed in his arms and cried softly for a while. Once her tears died down, she lifted her head and smiled sadly at him. "I think I'm okay now."

Vash smiled softly. "Good. I'm going back to my room so Knives and I can begin packing up our stuff." Vash gave her a final pat on the shoulder and left the room.

Meryl sat back on the couch with a heavy sigh. This whole situation still seemed a bit surreal to her, but she knew she had to learn to accept it as the truth. Yes, she had feelings for him, but he had to do what was best for the one he loved the most.

The next day, Meryl found herself saying goodbye to the man she'd grown accustomed to and his intimidating brother. Vash assured her and Milly that he'd come to visit them, and Meryl found herself worrying that this would be one of those empty promises when people say they'll keep in touch, but then end up never seeing each other again. As Vash began to disappear from sight into the distance, Meryl shook her head. No, this was Vash. He wasn't one to make empty promises. He was honest and loyal and had a good heart. Tears began slipping down her cheeks again. It was these things that had caused her to fall for him against her will. She thought of the happy look on his face as he'd left the house with his brother and found a smile creeping onto her own lips. He was happy with his life, so she had to find happiness in her own. Life goes on, after all.

"Ahh, I feel better already just getting out of that place," Knives said as he and Vash began their trek through the desert.

Vash smiled at him. "I'm glad you're happy, Knives. I just hope that the girls understand why we needed to do this. I told Meryl everything, and I'm not sure how much of it she repeated to Milly, but in any case it's something very unusual for them to have to deal with on their own. I hope they're okay..."

"Vash," Knives said, grabbing Vash's shoulders. "I know you're concerned for your little friends, but what's most important right now is concentrating on finding a home for ourselves. If you really must worry about them, do it later."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Vash put an arm around Knives. "Let's go."

Knives smiled and the two began walking again. Knives found himself feeling quite excited at the prospect of this new journey they were setting out on together. He was glad that he was going to have the chance to be with Vash and only Vash again. He could only hope that their new arrangement would work out for the better. Though he was quite confident that they were doing what was best for both of them, he wasn't 100% sure. He couldn't see the future, after all.

~The ticket to the future is always blank,~ a familiar voice from the past echoed in his head.

Knives smirked. Still haunting me after all these years, eh? Damn that woman.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Knives, I'm home!" Vash shouted cheerfully as he walked through the door.

Knives poked his head out from the kitchen. "About time. I was just making some food. I didn't make any for you, though. I assumed you'd abandoned me to go live with your humans."

Vash rolled his eyes. "Kniiives, just because I'm a bit late doesn't mean I've left you! Meryl and Milly went back to work at Bernardelli, which is quite a bit farther away from here than the village they lived in before. Stop being so paranoid and jealous."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Knives walked over and sniffed at him. "Especially when you come home reeking with the stench of humanity. Were you hugging those girls again?" Knives playfully pinned Vash against the wall.

Vash batted his eyelashes at Knives. "So what if I was? What are you gonna do about it?" Vash challenged with a sultry smile.

Knives gave Vash a burning kiss. "Well, first I'll have to cleanse your body to get rid of your human stink. Then I'll have to teach you a lesson by taking you in various locations around the house." Knives nipped at Vash's neck.

"Mmm, bring it on, you jealous, paranoid, psycho son of a bitch," Vash purred.

Some time later, the two of them found themselves resting naked in bed together, limbs lazily draped over each other. Vash lifted his head to look Knives in the eye. "So, now that we've been living like this for a few months, are you really happy with the way things are?"

"Yes," Knives gently stroked Vash's hair. "I mean, of course I would rather have you all to myself instead of letting you leave me here alone to go visit your humans, but at least you're with me most of the time."

"You know, you could always come along, if you want." The death glare Vash received in return caused him to sweatdrop. "Okay, okay, just checking. I was just seeing if you've changed your mind at all."

"I never will, Vash. Just like you'll never change your mind about needing to go see your little friends, I'll never change my mind about not seeing them, or any other humans."

"Well, if you not having to see them keeps you from killing them, I can live with that."

"And if letting you visit them keeps you from bitching about not being able to visit them, then I can definitely live with that."

Vash wrapped his arms around Knives. "So this really is working?"

"Of course it is. It was my idea, after all."

Vash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, but it took teamwork on both of our parts to make it work."

"Yeah, my teamwork." Knives suddenly found himself being whomped on the head by a pillow. He narrowed his eyes at the sinister-looking Vash grinning at him from above. He calmly reached behind his head and whacked Vash with his own pillow. This of course led to a huge pillow fight that ended with feathers fluttering around the room and two exhausted Plants collapsed on the bed. Knives rolled over so he was lying on top of Vash. "I love you, Vash."

Vash smiled. "I love you, too, Knives." He kissed Knives gently on the lips and snuggled closer to him so the two could enjoy just being together in peace and quiet.

They had finally found happiness. Of course, there were still many glaring differences between them that occasionally led to serious problems, but at least they had reached the point where they were able to laugh and joke about each other's quirks instead of arguing about them constantly. They had learned to put their love for each other above all else, for only in each other were the two beings that sprang from one able to truly be fulfilled. All they had needed was a little compromise.

THE END

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Spazz: Nya ha ha, I've done it! I've finished the fic! Hooray! And it took me less than a year to do it, which is, sadly, the shortest time in which I've ever completed a fic.

Knives: Yes, "hooray" for that, but I'm more interested in the fact that you turned out to be a complete sap! What's with this happy ending crap? Where're the explosions? The blood? The genocide of the human race?

Spazz: Oh, shoosh. I may be someone who likes surprise tragic endings in the forms of entertainment I consume, but when I write my own stories, I want the characters I like to be happy. Speaking of which, I know there must have been some people reading this fic who were hoping for Meryl to be crushed and devastated, but I don't hate her, so I couldn't be mean ^_^;; If you want a fic where I mercilessly bash the clueless female admirer at every possible opportunity, read my Gundam Wing fic "Forever Love." My "love" for Relena reeeally shines through in that fic.

Knives: Yeah, love of bashing with a metal pipe.

Spazz: Bwa ha ha...*ahem* Anyway, another thing about Meryl is that when the idea for this fic first began bubbling in my head way back in the summer of 2001, Meryl was actually going to be the sympathetic character. I started out as a VashxMeryl fan at the beginning of my Trigun fandom, but within a few months I started getting into twincest, as well. The plan for this fic was basically the same, except that when Meryl found out what was going on, Vash was going to realize how much he really loved Meryl and decide to hook up with her!

Knives: Horror of horrors!

Spazz: Yeah, I know. So now I bet some of you are actually thankful for the procrastination in starting this fic that allowed for Knikni-sama to become Mr. Sympathetic Character. I know I am. If I'd ended up doing my original idea, I'd probably had to have learned how to write heterosexual love scenes.

Knives: Horror of horrors!

Spazz: Is that all you can say now?

Knives: Yes.

Spazz: *Sigh* Anyway, I don't think I originally planned to have any graphic love scenes , yet somehow I ended up with six of them.

Knives: That's because you're a pervert.

Spazz: *Sigh* What did I do to deserve this?

Knives: You wrote me into your fic.

Spazz: *Ahem* Anyway, other fun facts: this fic is officially my longest one (out of three :P) by a couple thousand words. I didn't quite reach the 40,000 word level, which, when playing around with the website's word count thingy, less than 20 out of 1077 Trigun fics posted here have done (and there are only 4 over 100,000). This can't be! I am a super elite! Speaking of that, I shall now inform you of my plans for future fics.

Knives: Oh "joy."

Spazz: I have plans for another Trigun twincest fic, the next one being a comedy. It might end up coming after another fic, though, because, as fandom goes, I've recently become reobsessed with Dragon Ball, and therefore I may finally write the DBZ fic that's been sitting in my head for several years.

Vegeta: *Appears* Oh, great. Now I'm going to have to put up with this pathetic human woman, too? Why can't she just leave me alone and torture some other character?

Spazz: *Squeals* Because you're such a cutey patooty.

Knives: Don't be fooled by the innocent act! Read this fic and you'll see what kind of stuff she writes about.

Vegeta: *Reads* o_O Are you planning on writing a fic about me and Kakarrot?!

Spazz: No, don't worry. I'm not that into DBZ yaoi.

Vegeta: Oh, good, *cough* not that I would ever think of something like *cough*

Spazz: The Saiyan doth protest too much, me thinks.

Vegeta: Gah, I don't need to waste my time with such an inferior race.

Knives: Yeah, why has a superior being such as myself put up with this kind of nonsense for so long, anyway?

Vegeta: Yes, well I, being super superior, should especially not have to put up with this.

Knives: And I, being super duper superior, will also not stand for it.

Vegeta: Well, when someone like me, who is super duper superior infinite—

Knives: And I, as a super duper superior infinite plus one—

Spazz: Umm, guys?

Knikni & Vegepoo: WHAT?!

Spazz: The fic's been over for, like, two pages now, so could you please end your argument so I can wrap it up?

Knives: You know, she's right. Who cares who's more superior...

Vegeta: ...when we're both superior to her. *Evil grins*

Spazz: Umm, as I am currently being approached by two scary, angry, sexy men, let me end by saying that I plan on doing an MST of this fic, so watch my woefully incomplete website for the latest developments. Thanks for reading! Bai bai!

Knives: And don't forget, when life hands you lemons, you blast those lemons to bits with your laser cannons! Or Angel Arms...*Powers up*

Spazz: Eep.

*Explosion*