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Tying Up Loose Ends

Chapter Thirty

Parasomniac

The rattle and clang of her cell door sliding shut awoke Edy from a deep slumber, the remnants of a dream still clutching frantically to the inside of her eyelids as she lay there, unsure. Her surroundings were alien, that sound unfamiliar and frightening. Edy didn't particularly want to open her eyes to see who was there, or where there actually was, the knowledge of her location lost in the folds of sleep. A dull, aching throb in her tightly wrapped wrist told her that it probably wasn't a good place. Still, curiosity got the best of her and azure eyes opened to take in what lay, or in this instance stood, before her.

"How in the…" Edy murmured as she sat up a bit too fast, quickly laying down again. Blood had rushed from her head to leave a dazzling, dizzying display of pyrotechnics exploding across her vision. Where she resided and what had happened came rushing back, causing her to realize just how odd it seemed that her visitors stood there in her cell.

Milly virtually leapt across the room and knelt down beside the cot, crying and stroking Edy's hair; the poor woman seemed set to burst from her joy at seeing Edy still alive. Meryl stood by the door, looking a little worse for the wear and smiling a tiny, tired smile. Some explanation spilled from Milly's lips about how they came to be on the ship, but all that Edy could here was one simple phrase among the multitude of words.

"Mr. Vash is here too," the distraught girl exclaimed in the middle of her rambling, the words flipping Edy's hearing off and her frantic thoughts on. Vash was here, Vash came for her, Vash came… She began to weep with joy, the frustration and pain of the day before pouring from between dark lashes and shadowed lids, transforming into hope. It certainly didn't take him long to find them, though; doubt began it's normal gnawing at her belief but she refused to let it over take her. Edy wanted, no she needed to believe that he really was there upon the ship.

As if to quench her fears, the door slid open and closed once more to allow in the man in question. Unable to speak, Edy pushed herself up once more, aided by a splotchy-faced, teared-stained, yet smiling Milly. Vash strode forward quickly to catch Edy as she wobbled towards him, both clinging so tightly to each other neither could hardly breath but didn't care a whit about this fact.

"Vash, you're here, you're alright," she murmured into his chest as his gentle hands stroked her hair much like her friend had moments before, the action far more soothing now despite Milly's good intentions; no one could replace Vash's gentle touch in Edy's world. "For the love of God, get me out of here now."

"I can't just yet," Vash replied, his voice wrenched tight with apology and regret. This caused Edy to look up at last to see Vash's tired face, a bandage wrapped snuggly about his head; she realized that the shirt beneath her palms smelled of several days out in the elements, and looked it as well. She must have been out longer than she thought, their trial in finding her less simple than first believed. She wanted to ask how long she had been gone, but the first question Edy would form would be why they couldn't leave this instant.

"I'm trying to bargain with Knives, to talk some sense into him one last time. It's not likely he'll give in now, after all this, but I have to try; please understand Edy, I have to try. If you and the girls can just hold on a week, I promise you it will all be over then."

Edy pushed away, nodding her understanding but still cooling in her emotions. How could a girl blame a man for wanting to save his own flesh and blood, especially when true, physical family was so limited for beings such as they. Still, a part of her was jealous and angry. Didn't he care about her? Knives kidnapped her, and Isaiah too! Now Vash just let his brother keep them, and now the girls as well, locked up for absolutely no good reason.

Gently, her hand was enveloped in his real one, his thumb softly stroking the back side.

"I promise, I'll come back for you," he whispered as he leaned in to gently press his lips to corner of her own, just off center and oh so sweetly delicate. Then he was gone.

* * * * *

Neither had spoken for over an hour, Isaiah unable to let go of Wolfwood as the terror of the entire situation stuck at last in his conscious thought. Shock had turned him inside out, confusion and fear making it impossible to do anything. No more tears would come, even if Isaiah had wanted them to; he felt empty now, and so very tired but unable to sleep. Whatever happened to his friend, it destroyed the man. Not a recognizable flicker of who Wolfwood had been showed itself now. Anger mingled with Isaiah's sorrow, all of it directed at the one plant whose existence tore apart so many lives, his own included. Isaiah hated Knives so much; thoughts of revenge, deep red in their intensity, filled his thoughts. Small fists gripped the dull gray material of Wolfwood's garments that much tighter.

He had stopped muttering when the boy had latched on so tightly, but everything he said made no sense. Names, people, places, no matter how much he tried, nothing came to the forefront of his mind. Maybe one of those names was his own. Was it safe now to remember himself? Had the betrayal taken place with or without his aid? Could he reclaim his self now if he tried? Did he really want to? He had held on to so little that even the knowledge that he had forgotten himself barely remained.

"Nicholas, what did they do you," Isaiah whimpered at last, almost to himself. Shaking himself from his catatonic stupor, he pushed himself away and then sat upon his rear, trying to look his friend in the eyes; Wolfwood's eyes still wouldn't stay on anything for long, although he seemed to make an concerted effort to return Isaiah's gaze. Sighing, he scooted around to Wolfwood's side, laying a hand lightly upon his shoulder to signal for the man to lean forward.

What was the boy wanting? Nicholas, he called me Nicholas, didn't he? Nicholas… Can't let that slip away, can't let it go…

Isaiah stopped in his inspection of Wolfwood's restraints when the man began to mumble something over and over again. Leaning in closer to hear, Isaiah found that he repeated one word again and again, "Nicholas."

"Yeah, that's you name," said Isaiah, confused. Wolfwood made no sign that he heard the boy, keeping up the pseudo-mantra without hesitation. Isaiah moved back around to look Wolfwood in the face once more. Gently grasping the man by his shoulders, Isaiah tried to illicit a reaction.

"Your name's Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Don't you remember that? Nicholas D. Wolfwood."

The boy told him something, something he knew he needed to hold onto, but as he heard the words, he forgot them once more, lost into the vacuum of his fractured mind.

* * * * *

The girls were held there for what probably was a week before Vash returned; none of them had retained a watch in the midst of their detainment, so it could have been longer or shorter for all they knew. Much of the time passed slowly, either in silence or steeped in Milly's virtually incessant and inanely cheerful chatter.

Meryl, on the other hand, hardly spoke after the good-bye Vash gave Edy; she tried not to be childish, but it hurt. It hurt not only because Vash didn't care for her in that way but that he hadn't even said a word about it to the girls as they searched frantically for the Gardeners and Knives. The least he could have done was say, "Dammit, my brother stole my woman, let's go get her back and her little brother too." Of course, hindsight being virtually flawless, Meryl realized now that he had said as much without words but with his actions. Now she had a reason to be mad at herself as well and that just put her in a terrible mood.

Edy herself tried not to stew in her worry, but it was difficult. Food was brought around either twice or three times a day (again, no one really sure without a way to measure the time) but she couldn't keep a single bite down. After spending several post-mealtimes kneeling over the toilet, under the concerned scrutiny of Meryl and the tender back-pats of Milly, Edy nixed the idea of eating much more than she deemed necessary for existence. It hurt, she was hungry all the time, but nothing could be done to change it.

At long last the door slide open and closed and the girls found themselves starring up at Vash once more. Something seemed different, though…

"Your hair… Vash, what did he do to you?! What did you do to yourself," Edy cried out, throwing herself angrily into his waiting arms. She wanted to hug him and kill him at the same time, seeing the change that had come over Vash, demanding to know the explanation.

Tired eyes tried to smile at Edy, but only his mouth seemed capable of doing that; Vash looked worn, exhausted, defeated. Black replaced almost all the blond upon his head, Vash's hair now mirroring Edy's with only two light locks at the forefront of the head. Life had been drained from him and Edy wanted to know whether it had been his choice or not.

"It's alright, Edy, it's alright, really," he murmured, holding her close. "It's over, everything's almost all over."

"Then, Knives is…" Meryl murmured from her place in the corner. She had been sitting there when Vash entered, and she stood but couldn't bring herself to move away.

"Alive. He's fine, just fine."

Edy pulled away enough to look up and read Vash's expression, confused. The truth, he was telling the truth…

"Then he's not going to go through with it?" This was Milly standing eagerly behind Edy, waiting for news.

"No, it's already been done. I told you, everything's almost over. The camp, the ships, we got rid of them; you two as well as Legato and Elendira are the only humans left on Gunsmoke."

At this announcement Edy pushed away from Vash, backing into Milly. Shocked, unsure what to say, she grabbed at her friend's hand for support as she stared in horror at the man she thought she knew, but quite obviously did not.

"Why…"

"Knives and I had a long talk, a really, really, really long talk," Vash said, smiling with his mouth alone again. "He showed me a few things, actually explained his opinion calmly and logically for once, and I found myself agreeing with him."

An odd tingle rent through the air, causing Edy to shiver. She recognized it at once; it felt like her own power when she tapped it, pooled it together to use it. The skin upon Vash's true arm, revealed from the elbow down below rolled up sleeves, began to scale and flake; he was planning to use his angel arm. Edy didn't know exactly how she knew this, having only seen him use it once before, long ago in the cave, a burst of defensive feathers only. Vash continued to speak.

"We took care of them together; the ships tried to fly and I had to use so much of my own energy to catch them but in the end we got them all. Well, almost all of them. Edy honey, please step out of the way, you're blocking it."

Everything was gone. Right from wrong, up from down. Edy didn't understand her reality any more. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, this wasn't how it was supposed to be! Still, the power grew around her, the whole room crackling with a fierce and ominous energy. Vash really intended to kill his friends. He really planned to aim that terrible-looking gun that his arm had transformed into at them and blow them away…

"No! Vash, stop, you don't want this! Stop it! STOP IT!!!"

The room fell away from around her and Edy collapsed onto nothingness, sobbing. Some part of her was aware that she had at last lost it, that she had at last gone insane. Not a single image could be seen around her, no cell, no girls, no Vash. Still the energy remained, a coppery taste upon her tongue as it grew more intense, her own arm trying to react against her own will.

An arm enveloped her although she couldn't see it, paired with something smooth, soft, that tingled as it brushed against her skin, cradling her close. Wrapped in the power, these strong arms soothing her, holding her so lovingly, maybe Vash had come at last, for real this time. What had just transpired, it couldn't have been real, it just couldn't have. Vash would never, ever do the things he said he had.

"It's alright, Edy," a soft voice murmured low, calming her, "it's over now. Legato won't ever, ever touch you again, I promise."

"Legato… It was all a dream?"

"A nightmare that I could have prevented; his obedience seemed unable to override his jealousy," the low voice continued, succinct but not unkind, as if this explained it all.

"I knew you wouldn't have done any of that, Vash," Edy replied, nuzzling closer, burying her head in the still unseen chest as she ignored the uncharacteristic turn of phrase Vash employed. The energy still swirled around her but she no longer cared, she felt safe at last within it. "I also knew you'd come for me. It couldn't have been just meaningless pillow-talk, all those promises to never let me suffer any more, to never let anyone hurt me."

"Pillow-talk…"

Knives couldn't keep that last whisper to himself as he sat there in Edy's cell, holding her tightly to his chest and trying his hardest not to absorb her; his body writhed with the intensity of so many plants taken into himself over the past week, seeking more like itself to draw in. His left arm no longer appeared to be an arm, all blades wrapped protectively beneath cloth.

Pillow-talk…

A whimper escaped as the realization hit him, cut him cleaner and deeper than his own knives could. Edy and Vash… They…

"No!" Knives thought, violently refusing to accept the obvious truth and desperately trying to rid his eyes of these aberrant tears. "She has to remain with me; I will save her, show her the error of her thoughts and emotions, that she belongs at my side, not his… Mine…"

Gently helping her up to her feet, holding Edy tightly to his side with his one good arm, Knives led her out of the cell. Edy still could not see a single thing, her mind refusing to let her see even one more disturbing image, but she trusted in this unseen angel that held her tight, the one she thought to be Vash.

Stepping over the fallen figure of one Legato Bluesummers, Edy unaware that the psychic monster lay there in his tube and an ever-growing puddle of blood, Knives all too aware of the traitor's prostate body, the pair disappeared into the darkness of a long and winding hall.