Chapter 2
"If we shadows have offended, think of this and all is mended, you have
just but slumbered here, while these visions did appear, and this weak and
idle theme, no more yielding than a dream." William Shakespeare, Midsummer
Night's Dream
Vash found himself in the middle of a very green, life filled field with
trees, plants, butterflies, a lot of things he hadn't seen in a very, VERY
long time. For some strange reason, the place seemed familiar. He glanced
around, and suddenly, a VERY familiar face came.
She was taller than he was, with long black hair and kind, welcoming eyes.
"Vash," she said her voice happy and friendly, "There you are! Silly, you
fell asleep under the tree. You gave me quite the- what's the matter?" she
asked, then her smile grew.
"Come over here and get your hair cut," she smiled. Vash remembered
suddenly who it was and where he was. He even remembered this specific
happening. The kind woman's name was Rem Severem. He recognised the place
where he used to spend lots of time with his brother, Knives, and Rem on
the Laylo SEEDS. Vash looked down at himself. He was smaller, with long
blonde hair and odd clothes.
Vash looked around for his brother, the notorious Knives Millions, who was
no where to be seen.
"Rem." Vash began, his voice sounded younger as he walked up to her. Vash
felt like he was going to cry. Was it all a dream? Meryl, Milly, Wolfwood,
Gunsmoke, all of them, was it just a dream? Vash was saddened, but at the
same time, happy. Maybe it was a premonition of what was going to happen.
Maybe he could change it. Maybe he-
"Vash. you look ill, are you sure you're alright?" Rem asked, a concerned
look on her face.
Vash's face formed a sad smile. "Rem. is it real? Are you real?" Vash
asked, still stunned that it was all a dream.
"Vash, of coarse I'm real, this place is real. Now, come here, let's cut
your hair," Rem said happily. Vash pushed aside the thoughts of Gunsmoke
and all his bad dreams (and even the good ones) that involved that barren,
desolate planet.
***
Vash sat patiently as Rem cut his hair. Locks of blonde hair falling onto
the cloth that shielded his already odd looking clothing.
"Hmm. I'm going to try something on you," Rem said reflectively.
"Are you going to spike my hair?" Vash asked, remembering this in his
dream.
Rem seemed surprised. "Yes. I am. how did you know?" she asked, slightly
stunned.
Vash shrugged. "Oh. just an idea," Vash smiled. If his long, nightmarishly
realistic dream WAS real, then he could change it all. Stop Knives before
he could harm anyone. They could actually make it to a planet with life,
instead of the desert planet he lived so long at.
Rem's shocked expression gave way into an uneasy smile. "Well, Alright, you
already spoiled the surprise," Rem laughed as she spiked it. She looked at
it thoughtfully afterwards.
"It reminds you of some one in your past, doesn't it?" Vash asked, again,
referring to his dream. He was surprised how much he was recalling from
that dream.
Rem gave him another shocked expression. "Yes. Vash. are you sure you're
alright?" she asked, taking the cloth off of him.
"Where's-" before Rem could finish, Vash had already run off, to find his
brother, who was probably mutilating his hair somewhere in the bowels of
the ship.
***
Vash made it just in time. Knives had already mauled half his hair.
"Knives, what are you doing? And don't tell me it's because you wanted to
look like the others, that's a stupid reason," Vash said as he busted in.
Knives gave him a look of confusion and surprise. "But. that's why I did
it, Vash, I wanted to look like the others," Knives said as he finished his
hair.
Vash looked at Knives, not sure of what to do. He thought, maybe Knives
COULDN'T be changed, no matter what he said or did.
"There, see? All better, now I'm not different." Knives smiled, scissors in
hand.
"Brother, promise me something. Promise me you will L-l." Vash trailed off.
Would Knives even LISTEN to what he had to say? Or would he blow him off,
like every other thing he tried to tell him. Maybe he couldn't change the
future.
"Promise me you'll love in your life, forever, even after you die. Please,
Brother, promise me that you'll love," Vash said, almost crying, almost
begging.
Knives looked at Vash like he had gone nuts and was clucking like a chicken
and banging his head on the wall.
"W-what are you talking about, Vash? Have you gone insane?" Knives asked,
his confused look still on his face.
"JUST PROMISE ME! And never break the promise. Please. Please Knives.
promise me that you will love and bring peace to the world," Vash pleaded,
tears coming to his eyes. He remembered his dream. All the terrible things
Knives did, killed people, killed his own TEAMMATES. He remembered his idea
of paradise, where it would just be him and Vash. Together until the end.
Vash couldn't stand that; he WOULDN'T stand for it.
".If it will get you to stop begging, then, yes, I promise you I will love
and spread peace," Knives said, dully.
"You need to mean it, Knives, promise me and mean it," Vash's begging voice
morphed into a stern, determined voice, stronger.
"I PROMISE I PROMISE! Sheesh, what's your problem?" Knives asked, shaking
his head.
"You better keep that promise, Knives, or." Vash trailed off. He didn't
know how he would punish his brother, so came up with something off the top
of his head.
"Or I'll kill you," Just saying the words didn't feel right in Vash's
mouth. He couldn't kill his brother. He came close a few times, but never
could actually kill him. To kill his own brother would be. well.
uncivilised.
Knives looked at Vash, an austere look on his face. "You. you would? You
would kill me. if I broke a promise?" Knives asked, half of him thinking
Vash was defrauding him, the other half thinking Vash had gone completely
insane and would actually carry out the plan to kill him if he screwed up
and broke the promise.
"Y-yes. I will. so do you mean it when you promise me?" Vash asked, his
face straight. He felt so out of character, but he was going to change the
future and he wasn't going to see people around him die like he did in his
dream.
"I." Knives began, he didn't ACTUALLY think Vash would or COULD kill him.
"I. promise." Knives said, still scared.
Vash's straight face grew into a smile as he hugged his brother. "Thank
you, Knives, you. you don't understand how much this means to me," Vash's
eyes filled with tears. Tears of joy. He couldn't wait to see what planet
they would go to.
"Vash." Knives trailed off, he sounded, odd, different.
"Yes, Knives? What is it?" he asked, still hugging his brother tightly.
"Are. are you serious. when you say you'll kill me?" Knives asked, pushing
Vash away.
"Yes. and when we arrive to the next planet, I'll keep my eye on you, every
second of your life, to make sure you keep your promise. And if you break
it, I'll be there, and I'll keep MY side of the bargain," Vash said
happily.
Then, he felt strange. He felt, unnatural, threatening Knives like that.
Like this. He pulled away from Knives, who was pale, looking at Vash in the
eyes, frightened.
"V-Vash. Are y-you alright?" Knives asked, eyes still wide with fear.
Vash realised what he said, what he was saying. "I." Vash couldn't finish,
he backed out of the dark room and into the hallway. This couldn't be
happening. Somehow, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it was
actually happening.
"W-what is going on?" Vash stammered to no one in particular, eyes darting
around, frightened.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Vash cried out in confusion.
Vash was about to run back to where Rem was, when-
"If we shadows have offended, think of this and all is mended, you have
just but slumbered here, while these visions did appear, and this weak and
idle theme, no more yielding than a dream." William Shakespeare, Midsummer
Night's Dream
Vash found himself in the middle of a very green, life filled field with
trees, plants, butterflies, a lot of things he hadn't seen in a very, VERY
long time. For some strange reason, the place seemed familiar. He glanced
around, and suddenly, a VERY familiar face came.
She was taller than he was, with long black hair and kind, welcoming eyes.
"Vash," she said her voice happy and friendly, "There you are! Silly, you
fell asleep under the tree. You gave me quite the- what's the matter?" she
asked, then her smile grew.
"Come over here and get your hair cut," she smiled. Vash remembered
suddenly who it was and where he was. He even remembered this specific
happening. The kind woman's name was Rem Severem. He recognised the place
where he used to spend lots of time with his brother, Knives, and Rem on
the Laylo SEEDS. Vash looked down at himself. He was smaller, with long
blonde hair and odd clothes.
Vash looked around for his brother, the notorious Knives Millions, who was
no where to be seen.
"Rem." Vash began, his voice sounded younger as he walked up to her. Vash
felt like he was going to cry. Was it all a dream? Meryl, Milly, Wolfwood,
Gunsmoke, all of them, was it just a dream? Vash was saddened, but at the
same time, happy. Maybe it was a premonition of what was going to happen.
Maybe he could change it. Maybe he-
"Vash. you look ill, are you sure you're alright?" Rem asked, a concerned
look on her face.
Vash's face formed a sad smile. "Rem. is it real? Are you real?" Vash
asked, still stunned that it was all a dream.
"Vash, of coarse I'm real, this place is real. Now, come here, let's cut
your hair," Rem said happily. Vash pushed aside the thoughts of Gunsmoke
and all his bad dreams (and even the good ones) that involved that barren,
desolate planet.
***
Vash sat patiently as Rem cut his hair. Locks of blonde hair falling onto
the cloth that shielded his already odd looking clothing.
"Hmm. I'm going to try something on you," Rem said reflectively.
"Are you going to spike my hair?" Vash asked, remembering this in his
dream.
Rem seemed surprised. "Yes. I am. how did you know?" she asked, slightly
stunned.
Vash shrugged. "Oh. just an idea," Vash smiled. If his long, nightmarishly
realistic dream WAS real, then he could change it all. Stop Knives before
he could harm anyone. They could actually make it to a planet with life,
instead of the desert planet he lived so long at.
Rem's shocked expression gave way into an uneasy smile. "Well, Alright, you
already spoiled the surprise," Rem laughed as she spiked it. She looked at
it thoughtfully afterwards.
"It reminds you of some one in your past, doesn't it?" Vash asked, again,
referring to his dream. He was surprised how much he was recalling from
that dream.
Rem gave him another shocked expression. "Yes. Vash. are you sure you're
alright?" she asked, taking the cloth off of him.
"Where's-" before Rem could finish, Vash had already run off, to find his
brother, who was probably mutilating his hair somewhere in the bowels of
the ship.
***
Vash made it just in time. Knives had already mauled half his hair.
"Knives, what are you doing? And don't tell me it's because you wanted to
look like the others, that's a stupid reason," Vash said as he busted in.
Knives gave him a look of confusion and surprise. "But. that's why I did
it, Vash, I wanted to look like the others," Knives said as he finished his
hair.
Vash looked at Knives, not sure of what to do. He thought, maybe Knives
COULDN'T be changed, no matter what he said or did.
"There, see? All better, now I'm not different." Knives smiled, scissors in
hand.
"Brother, promise me something. Promise me you will L-l." Vash trailed off.
Would Knives even LISTEN to what he had to say? Or would he blow him off,
like every other thing he tried to tell him. Maybe he couldn't change the
future.
"Promise me you'll love in your life, forever, even after you die. Please,
Brother, promise me that you'll love," Vash said, almost crying, almost
begging.
Knives looked at Vash like he had gone nuts and was clucking like a chicken
and banging his head on the wall.
"W-what are you talking about, Vash? Have you gone insane?" Knives asked,
his confused look still on his face.
"JUST PROMISE ME! And never break the promise. Please. Please Knives.
promise me that you will love and bring peace to the world," Vash pleaded,
tears coming to his eyes. He remembered his dream. All the terrible things
Knives did, killed people, killed his own TEAMMATES. He remembered his idea
of paradise, where it would just be him and Vash. Together until the end.
Vash couldn't stand that; he WOULDN'T stand for it.
".If it will get you to stop begging, then, yes, I promise you I will love
and spread peace," Knives said, dully.
"You need to mean it, Knives, promise me and mean it," Vash's begging voice
morphed into a stern, determined voice, stronger.
"I PROMISE I PROMISE! Sheesh, what's your problem?" Knives asked, shaking
his head.
"You better keep that promise, Knives, or." Vash trailed off. He didn't
know how he would punish his brother, so came up with something off the top
of his head.
"Or I'll kill you," Just saying the words didn't feel right in Vash's
mouth. He couldn't kill his brother. He came close a few times, but never
could actually kill him. To kill his own brother would be. well.
uncivilised.
Knives looked at Vash, an austere look on his face. "You. you would? You
would kill me. if I broke a promise?" Knives asked, half of him thinking
Vash was defrauding him, the other half thinking Vash had gone completely
insane and would actually carry out the plan to kill him if he screwed up
and broke the promise.
"Y-yes. I will. so do you mean it when you promise me?" Vash asked, his
face straight. He felt so out of character, but he was going to change the
future and he wasn't going to see people around him die like he did in his
dream.
"I." Knives began, he didn't ACTUALLY think Vash would or COULD kill him.
"I. promise." Knives said, still scared.
Vash's straight face grew into a smile as he hugged his brother. "Thank
you, Knives, you. you don't understand how much this means to me," Vash's
eyes filled with tears. Tears of joy. He couldn't wait to see what planet
they would go to.
"Vash." Knives trailed off, he sounded, odd, different.
"Yes, Knives? What is it?" he asked, still hugging his brother tightly.
"Are. are you serious. when you say you'll kill me?" Knives asked, pushing
Vash away.
"Yes. and when we arrive to the next planet, I'll keep my eye on you, every
second of your life, to make sure you keep your promise. And if you break
it, I'll be there, and I'll keep MY side of the bargain," Vash said
happily.
Then, he felt strange. He felt, unnatural, threatening Knives like that.
Like this. He pulled away from Knives, who was pale, looking at Vash in the
eyes, frightened.
"V-Vash. Are y-you alright?" Knives asked, eyes still wide with fear.
Vash realised what he said, what he was saying. "I." Vash couldn't finish,
he backed out of the dark room and into the hallway. This couldn't be
happening. Somehow, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it was
actually happening.
"W-what is going on?" Vash stammered to no one in particular, eyes darting
around, frightened.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Vash cried out in confusion.
Vash was about to run back to where Rem was, when-