Disclaimer: I don't own anything Trigun, so don't sue me please, thank you!
Myshkin: Yeah, Knives sobbing is a tad OC, but he's changing inside. Sort of. Actually, in most ways he's still the same rat bastard, but the one who treated him as her equal almost died. Even Vash never seemed to do that past their childhood on the ship; he was too afraid of what his brother was capable of and hated his ideology. At least, that's how I interpreted it. But anyways, I digress. On to the story!
Tying Up Loose Ends
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dissolution
Edy actually ended up spending two weeks in the hospital; the girls hung around as long as they could until duty called them away once more. They left with a flurry of promises to be back in a few weeks for Edy's birthday; the celebration they had planned for this trip would have to be pushed back till then, making it twice as hard to wait for. Wolfwood and Isaiah were the only ones to see them off, Vash and Edy still being at the hospital. The priest gave his "favorite Insurance Girl" a hug and a kiss good-bye, much to the embarrassment of both Isaiah and Meryl, and then the girls were gone once more.
At last Edy came home, much to the relief of her boys. Her movements were less sure and her speech still relatively garbled, but she was getting better. Recovery at home called for some extra help around the house; Knives and Isaiah were of little use, one having almost completely cut himself off from Vash and now Edy, and the other too small mass-wise to be of any use if Edy needed a hand getting around. So Vash, with the approval of Luc, took off to play Suzy Homemaker for a few weeks.
Wolfwood had words for why it wasn't him that got to cut out from work, most of them vulgar, but everyone ignored him, like usual.
The days passed slowly, like Karo syrup from the bottle, dark overtones of sadness casting a shadow over the household. No amount of attempts at jest and light-heartedness from Wolfwood or Edy could cheer up Vash, Isaiah, or Knives. Quite frankly, it was depressing, and no one knew what to do about it.
One afternoon, Edy and Vash sat out on the back porch, taking in some air and talking. Really, Edy talked and Vash stared out at nothing, absorbing very little of what she was saying.
"Soon, I'll start-work… soon," Edy's voice light around the slow, garbled, and whole-hearted effort it took of her to form her sentences; all for an inattentive audience, too, she grumbled inwardly. "It'll… b-be good, to-be-of… use again. And, you'll go… go back-to Luc's too. Wolfwood c-can-stop… bitch… ing."
Vash just nodded vaguely in response.
"Spit it out… Vash."
Her tone had turned stern, causing the blonde man to reel in his mind from the depths where it had currently been trolling for thoughts. Sighing, Vash spat it out, knowing he couldn't beat around the bush with Edy for long.
"When did you heal last," he asked, accusing and hurt at the same time. "Why did you sneak around my back, Edy? You promised you would stop. Don't you understand…"
Her unconscious hand ran itself through Edy's hair, ruffling the mostly black locks that had grown quite a bit since she shorn them off that night long ago. She had taken note of this fact too, that her life was slipping through her fingers, regardless of what she did; it was really the same with humans, though.
But she had quit, Knives being the last to receive her ministrations. She couldn't remember exactly, but the change seemed to have taken place after the stroke.
"Knives… was-the-last. In, in the cave."
Vash had expected Edy to get angry, to snap at him. She usually did when confronted by anyone. But now her response was soft, a tiny hint of a plea to believe what she said.
"Then…"
"Human," she explained. "My body is-half… my father… I don't-think, don't think it can handle the… p-plant… in-me."
Vash just sat there, surprised but not horrified. It didn't make a whole lot of sense and yet it did. If part of her was human, the amount of energy that it took to do what a plant could would destroy the body's systems almost instantaneously. Edy had the ability of a plant without a strong enough body to support it. That explained why she was so sickly. Didn't make it any easier for Vash, but it did explain it.
"Don't… Knives…" she added, barely speaking.
Vash shifted to take her hand in his, putting on his warmest smile for her.
"Of course I won't tell Knives."
They sat there for the rest of the afternoon, silent, hand in hand, while the world continued to turn beneath the twin suns.
* * * * *
Knives paced restlessly, a caged tiger ready to go. He knew his fangs could make quick work of the door that held him back, but his legs weren't nearly up to par. Late nights had been spent testing his arm, testing his limits, but it was all useless if he couldn't run. If he couldn't get away.
Tunk, tunk, tunk… Tunk, tunk, tunk…Tunk, tunk… pause…
The noise his crutches made on the wooden floor stopped suddenly, pensively. Knives needed out, now. He needed to absorb Isaiah and Edy… His heart caught on the thought of drawing Edy into himself, obliterating her consciousness effectively as she melded into Isaiah and himself, as well as all who would follow just like before. They would blend inside him and be a part of him but never be individual minds and souls again; unless one believed in reincarnation and that would only come when he no longer contained them. Fat chance that would be any time soon.
This line of thinking set up an effective rope across his path, clothes-lining him and dropping his heart to the ground in a flash. In anger he slammed one crutch into the foot of the bed, sending a chunk flying. Why did the idea of ending Edy as an unique being hold him back? This attachment to others, this was what made Vash so despicable to him. That, and the fact that Vash was attached to humans. Knives honestly would take in his own brother if he hadn't already tried and failed.
Vash. That was another problem. Even if Knives managed to absorb the Gardeners and figured out how to get away, his brother would chase him down before he could get very far. The ships were still a long time coming; his plan would have to be executed within a small span of time directly before their arrival.
Until then, he would have to wait. Knives wanted nothing to do with this life any more. He didn't want to have wavering convictions and emotional bonds. It all got in the way of everything.
Damn Edy. Damn her and her kind words and patient nature. Damn her for her stubborn refusal to give up on him. Damn her for ever meeting him, for ever shooting him, for ever giving a rat's ass about him. Damn, damn, damn that woman.
Damn.
* * * * *
While Edy, with the help of Isaiah, set to work getting dinner around, Vash meandered out towards the sounds of Wolfwood working on Angelina II. He didn't remember the priest mentioning that the motorcycle needed any work, but then again, it could have been something to keep the man's hands busy while he tried to de-stress after a long day on his feet.
On the side of the house sat the bike, with all Wolfwood's tools splayed out across the ground. He himself squatted with his back to the blonde visitor, carefully trying to work, smoke, and keep himself from getting blown up at the same time. Vash just stood and watched him for a moment before the other man spoke.
"Tongari, I'm heading out soon," Wolfwood stated matter-of-factly, never turning from his work.
"Oh, where you going," Vash asked cheerfully, oblivious. "I don't think we need anything from the store. The tavern? You need company? I'm sure Edy would love a night out and away from the house; I've got to spend some times with Knives tonight, he's becoming really antisocial, ever since… ever since everything happened."
"No Vash, you don't get it," snapped Wolfwood, interrupting his friend as he whirled around to face him. "I'm leaving for good. I've gotten too attached to this life, but the longer I stick around, the harder it's been to live it."
His anger had flared up, but after taking a breath, Wolfwood continued, calmer and lighter, as if it was all nothing, no big deal.
"If I leave, maybe there's something I can do to keep you all safe. I know Elendira and Legato are out there still and if they know what's going on, things won't be so nice for the others when they finally catch up with their master. I've kept my ear to the ground and there are rumblings that they're looking for him. If there's something I can do to keep innocents out of the crossfire, I'll do it."
"Wolfwood, striking out on your own to hunt them down won't do anyone any good. You know you can't take them both yourself. If they do come here, which I highly doubt they will, I need you to be here as well to fight them off."
"Tongari, I can't stay here."
"Wolfwood…"
"I'm staying until Edy's birthday in a week, and then I'll be gone. Edy's healing fast; you and her will be able to take care of the household yourself by then. Neither of you really need me. Not really."
"We'll see each other again."
"Maybe…"
"No," Vash said, defiance flashing in his eyes, "you're not going to disappear like this for good. When the ships come, when we leave for Earth, our lives are going to change for the better."
"Still holding on to that futile hope, Tongari," spat the other man. "Knives will never board those ships and he won't let them leave this planet. Who's going to stay behind to make sure he doesn't destroy us all? You? Are you going to play the fucking sacrificial lamb once more and throw away any chance you have at a normal life?"
"Normal is something I'll probably never know," he murmured in the face of Wolfwood's storm. "I'm kidding myself now that this," he gestured at the house, his home, "is normal, that this is real. You're right, I am kidding myself. I don't have any other ideas besides staying behind. When it comes time, promise me you'll be alive and able to board those ships with the Insurance Girls, Isaiah, and Edy. They'll need you then, just like they need you now."
"I'll see what I can do," came the reply. "Just don't tell anyone that I'm leaving, okay?"
"Okay. I guess it's good luck, then. Isaiah's going to hate you for this, you know."
"He looks up to you more," Wolfwood laughed softly.
As more time was spent together, Isaiah had opened up more to both of the men, especially Wolfwood. Eternally cool Wolfwood who rode a motorcycle, smoked, and never seemed to take anything too seriously. Everyone in the house knew that Vash had quickly been knocked from his position on Isaiah's pedestal to be replaced by the scruffy, fowl-mouth priest.
"Nah, not really. I can tell the way he acts around you; you're his idol. He's already taking to wearing black in the middle of this god-forsaken desert planet. If it weren't for Edy's flat out refusal to allow him that filthy habit at so young an age, he'd probably be smoking already too."
"Try to make him understand it's nothing personal."
"Yeah…"
"Tongari…"
"What?"
"Wipe your nose, your snotting all over yourself. For Christ's sake, do you ever stop crying?"