| Chapter 16 |
Knives breathed slowly as he watched the woman of Vash's life took a step closer, "Don't be afraid, Knives."
"I'm not like that . . ."
"It's not too late to change."
"I won't."
She smiled and looked at him as if she had been waiting her whole life to see him again. Knives didn't make eye-contact. Then Rem stared up at the sky, "I will go see Vash. After all, I could just stay here momentarily and his friend will come back soon."
Knives looked up, "Do you know who did it? Do you know the man who destroyed August City?"
Rem turned serious, "That man . . . knows all about Vash." She paused for a few minutes as she began to form tears around her eyes, "He could kill him from his worst fears. Not physically, but mentally." Rem covered her mouth to stop herself from crying.
"Why does this always happen to Vash? I remember him as a year old and he was so excited. . . so excited to live in a world of peace. . . now that he's here right now, many wanted to kill him. What did he do, Knives?"
Knives turned around and began to walk away, "Ask yourself that. He has been in your footsteps and had followed your words his whole life. Now look where it got him. He will be killed if this keeps happening."
Rem watched him disappeared in the desert sand. "Knives."
+ + +
"How can this happen?" Knives scolded himself. "How can that woman come back to life? It's impossible." He kicked the dirt to his hardest. "There is no way to bring back the dead. Damn it to hell!"
The sun's rays were burning on him, but his mind was left on Rem. Maybe she came for Vash . . . she knows that the faceless man would kill him someday. But isn't it also that same person who brought her to life?
It was too hot to think right now. He looked ahead and tried to concentrate. Despite no destination, he must keep moving, he must be away from everything: from Rem, Vash, humans, his past . . . everything.
He trudged along the ocean of sand for what seemed like hours. His legs hurt terribly and his mind seemed to blur away. No one could survive this heat. Maybe he should turn away.
Knives inhaled and exhaled but all he was getting in was more heat. He put his hand to cover up the sun. "Wh - What is that?" Further ahead, he saw a body lying on the ground. He tried to speed himself up to investigate.
When he reached there, his eyes widen. "Marianne!" He placed her on his lap and touched her face. She didn't respond.
He himself was too hot to do anything. "Wake up."
He got up and carried her in his arms. He could hear her moans, "Oh . . ." Her eyes slightly opened, "Let . . .me go." "Marianne." "Let me . . .go . . .now . . .I don't . . . want to live . . .anymore." Knives watched her and he saw her painful life. He remembered deaths.
* * *
Marianne put her hand on the doorknob and twisted it. Knives and Vash watched her. She took the first peek in and gasped. Knives and Vash's eyes widened as they watched her fell to the floor. Vash quickly went by her side.
Knives took a peek in and saw a man lying on the ground. His face full of blood. For a second, Knives wanted to laugh. "Such weaklings," he said to himself. Then he heard Marianne's cries. It was full of emotion and sadness. She hurried over to her father's body and shook it hard.
"Father!! Wake up, please!! Don't do this to me!" she kept shaking it until she's too weak. "No. . ." Then wrapped her arms around the dead body. Vash knelt down beside her, "You'll be okay." She kept on crying. "Father. . .no. . ." Knives backed away. +
"No, no! Don't go, Rem!" Vash cried as he tried to have Rem back in his arms. "I'm sorry, if he were alive, I'm sure he would do the same. Vash, take care of Knives." "NO REM!! You can't leave!! Please come back Rem!!"
Knives laughed, "I'll never understand humans. They're a total waste of life. To think they sacrifice themselves out of foolish sentiment to save others. It's incomprehensible. I thought I'd let her live only because you were so attached to her, but now I see how truly imperfect she really was. It's a good thing she died." Vash grew furious, "Don't say that!" +
Vash knelt down to his old friend, "Brad!! BRAD!!!" +
Wolfwood lowered down his Punisher. "Why did you shoot him?" Yelled Vash. The priest shot back at Vash, "What alternative do I have? We live too differently. And he's not alone." +
Legato watched Vash, his deadly gold eyes waiting for the bullet, "Shoot me of your own free will." +
Three sounds of a gunshot were heard. + "You are not a human being, you're a plant." "I know." "You're a superior breed." "I disagree." + Vash dropped to the floor, "I . . .I failed to save someone." + "Rem, help me."
* * *
Knives held Marianne tighter to him, "I'm sorry you have seen so many deaths. But I can't change the past. I promise the future will be better."
* * * +
A tear escaped and fell down on the note. A second followed and fell down leaving a small mark. The sentence looked as if it came to life. The last line said: "I'm sorry Rem died. I'm sorry I killed her. Please forgive me."
Knives breathed slowly as he watched the woman of Vash's life took a step closer, "Don't be afraid, Knives."
"I'm not like that . . ."
"It's not too late to change."
"I won't."
She smiled and looked at him as if she had been waiting her whole life to see him again. Knives didn't make eye-contact. Then Rem stared up at the sky, "I will go see Vash. After all, I could just stay here momentarily and his friend will come back soon."
Knives looked up, "Do you know who did it? Do you know the man who destroyed August City?"
Rem turned serious, "That man . . . knows all about Vash." She paused for a few minutes as she began to form tears around her eyes, "He could kill him from his worst fears. Not physically, but mentally." Rem covered her mouth to stop herself from crying.
"Why does this always happen to Vash? I remember him as a year old and he was so excited. . . so excited to live in a world of peace. . . now that he's here right now, many wanted to kill him. What did he do, Knives?"
Knives turned around and began to walk away, "Ask yourself that. He has been in your footsteps and had followed your words his whole life. Now look where it got him. He will be killed if this keeps happening."
Rem watched him disappeared in the desert sand. "Knives."
+ + +
"How can this happen?" Knives scolded himself. "How can that woman come back to life? It's impossible." He kicked the dirt to his hardest. "There is no way to bring back the dead. Damn it to hell!"
The sun's rays were burning on him, but his mind was left on Rem. Maybe she came for Vash . . . she knows that the faceless man would kill him someday. But isn't it also that same person who brought her to life?
It was too hot to think right now. He looked ahead and tried to concentrate. Despite no destination, he must keep moving, he must be away from everything: from Rem, Vash, humans, his past . . . everything.
He trudged along the ocean of sand for what seemed like hours. His legs hurt terribly and his mind seemed to blur away. No one could survive this heat. Maybe he should turn away.
Knives inhaled and exhaled but all he was getting in was more heat. He put his hand to cover up the sun. "Wh - What is that?" Further ahead, he saw a body lying on the ground. He tried to speed himself up to investigate.
When he reached there, his eyes widen. "Marianne!" He placed her on his lap and touched her face. She didn't respond.
He himself was too hot to do anything. "Wake up."
He got up and carried her in his arms. He could hear her moans, "Oh . . ." Her eyes slightly opened, "Let . . .me go." "Marianne." "Let me . . .go . . .now . . .I don't . . . want to live . . .anymore." Knives watched her and he saw her painful life. He remembered deaths.
* * *
Marianne put her hand on the doorknob and twisted it. Knives and Vash watched her. She took the first peek in and gasped. Knives and Vash's eyes widened as they watched her fell to the floor. Vash quickly went by her side.
Knives took a peek in and saw a man lying on the ground. His face full of blood. For a second, Knives wanted to laugh. "Such weaklings," he said to himself. Then he heard Marianne's cries. It was full of emotion and sadness. She hurried over to her father's body and shook it hard.
"Father!! Wake up, please!! Don't do this to me!" she kept shaking it until she's too weak. "No. . ." Then wrapped her arms around the dead body. Vash knelt down beside her, "You'll be okay." She kept on crying. "Father. . .no. . ." Knives backed away. +
"No, no! Don't go, Rem!" Vash cried as he tried to have Rem back in his arms. "I'm sorry, if he were alive, I'm sure he would do the same. Vash, take care of Knives." "NO REM!! You can't leave!! Please come back Rem!!"
Knives laughed, "I'll never understand humans. They're a total waste of life. To think they sacrifice themselves out of foolish sentiment to save others. It's incomprehensible. I thought I'd let her live only because you were so attached to her, but now I see how truly imperfect she really was. It's a good thing she died." Vash grew furious, "Don't say that!" +
Vash knelt down to his old friend, "Brad!! BRAD!!!" +
Wolfwood lowered down his Punisher. "Why did you shoot him?" Yelled Vash. The priest shot back at Vash, "What alternative do I have? We live too differently. And he's not alone." +
Legato watched Vash, his deadly gold eyes waiting for the bullet, "Shoot me of your own free will." +
Three sounds of a gunshot were heard. + "You are not a human being, you're a plant." "I know." "You're a superior breed." "I disagree." + Vash dropped to the floor, "I . . .I failed to save someone." + "Rem, help me."
* * *
Knives held Marianne tighter to him, "I'm sorry you have seen so many deaths. But I can't change the past. I promise the future will be better."
* * * +
A tear escaped and fell down on the note. A second followed and fell down leaving a small mark. The sentence looked as if it came to life. The last line said: "I'm sorry Rem died. I'm sorry I killed her. Please forgive me."