Donuts and Death
Vash hung in anti-gravity, eyes closed, trying to think of anything but that horrible creature he saw in the glass. "Mother." The words rung in his ears and he covered them up with his hands, hoping they'd go away. The word stung him more than he would have thought capable. He couldn't think of that creature as being his mother. Rem was his mother, and she always would be. The plant.
"Why why why? We aren't disgusting feathered monsters! We look like." Vash opened his eyes and looked around the room. He grabbed at the wall and pushed off towards the door, opening it, he stumbled out into the artificial gravity, gained his balance and jogged, then ran down the hall towards the Cold Sleep Chamber.
Not even grabbing a coat, he stumbled through the icy pods, shivering, looking at the faces, and examining each one. He looked like them. Humans. Sleeping angels, SEEDs, ready to find new soil and new life.
Vash turned, caught his reflection on the warped silver steel and he couldn't quite see himself anymore. All he saw were those appendages, feathered wings and those blank eyes. Those terrible eyes that had no life to them but somehow looked exactly like a human's eyes. And as the sight overcame him, he turned from the room and stumbled out again nearly tripping over Knives as he did so. His brother grabbed his shoulders and Vash looked into those cool eyes. "We look human, Knives. We can't create things like the plants; we don't have to hang in those glass cages. We're free! Free like humans."
"Free like them?" Knives pointed into the rows of sleeping humans, each in cages of their own. "I don't exactly see how the plants are any different than those humans."
"But, they're there by choice." Vash tried to convince himself, and then when that failed, he said, "Aren't they?"
Knives nodded. "I guess they are. Rem told me that they sleep because during this trip they would eventually get old and die."
"Will we die, Knives?"
His brother frowned, "I." Knives had been careful to avoid the subject of death with Vash, just because he was afraid of how he might react. He turned away from his brother and said, "Vash, there's never been anything saying on the ship that a plant can die. They're special because they're protected in those globes. I'm not sure about us."
"Maybe Rem would know." Vash pulled away from his brother and started to head towards the door. "Because maybe we can die. Maybe we're as human as Rem says we are."
Knives shrugged, "Maybe we can." He lowered his voice as Vash went around the corner, "But we'll never be human."
Vash peered around the corner, "Are you coming, Knives? I think I smell donuts!" He grinned, grabbed his brother's hand and they ran all the way to the mess room.
Rem was waiting with a plate of donuts. She set the last batch down on the table and wiped the flour from her cheeks. It was funny, of all the different foods that she had learned to make on Earth; these seemed to be the most special for the boys. At least Vash relished them as if they were gold. Knives was always indifferent to every food set out for them. This was especially true after he had first visited the plants and he had learned that they didn't eat.
Knives' attitude about the plants worried her. Day after day he seemed to be more curious about them as if he'd rather live in one of those bulbs than out here with his brother. Rem wondered if she should have closed off the whole section of the ship to them instead of letting the boys wander. They were learning so quickly though. It was hard for her, as a mother, even a foster mother, to deny them anything to help them learn and grow. Her thoughts disappeared as she heard pounding footsteps coming down the hall.
"I was right!" Vash ran past Rem to the table and grabbed a donut, nearly shoving it into his mouth before she caught him. Rem lifted her eyebrow at her boy and gave him the look.
"Your prayers, Vash?"
"Oh yeah," Vash bowed his head and when Rem wasn't looking, shoved the donut in his mouth.
Knives came in and Rem exchanged a look with him. Apparently their little episode that morning hadn't changed Vash just as Knives had said. She wondered though, even if Vash didn't appear to be hurting on the outside, how did she know it hadn't hurt him deeper on the inside? Rem had never been very good at reading people. "I'm glad you're back to your old self, Vash." She said offhandedly.
"Oh yeah," Vash said between donuts. "There was something I wanted to ask you, Rem." He stopped chewing long enough to watch Rem and Knives sit down at the table around him. Then he reached for a third donut. "Rem, can we die?"
Rem looked shocked and threw a glance towards Knives who shrugged. "I didn't say anything." He reached for a donut and started eating as Rem looked back at the expectant green eyes that were looking at her. The question had come quite unexpectedly, and she started to wonder about its origin. Had Knives talked to him about the plant, and what was going to happen to her?
"I'm." Rem smiled, a dark expression passed over her face as she thought desperately of how to answer Vash. The right answer would leave him as he was, but the wrong answer. "Yes, Vash, you can die." The truth was the only answer, Rem realized. She would never tell her boys a lie, even if it would hurt her to do so.
Vash's eyes lit up. "See Knives? What did I tell you? We are more like humans." He turned his eyes to Rem again. "Thank you Rem. I. I'm sorry about how I acted. I'm glad I know now. But," his eyes fell to the table. "Is it okay if we never go back to that room again?"
Rem nodded, "Not ever again." Whew, she thought to herself. Vash really hadn't changed.
"And you're our mother, forever and always right?"
"Of course." Rem smiled, her look was distant but loving. If only she had been their real mother.
"Good!" Vash didn't seem to notice her expression and grabbed another donut, "Oh these are so good." He munched eagerly at the donut as Knives and Rem joined the meal. "Plants couldn't enjoy donuts. They aren't lucky enough!" He nodded to himself and they settled into the rest of the meal talking about the flowers in the Rec room.
Vash hung in anti-gravity, eyes closed, trying to think of anything but that horrible creature he saw in the glass. "Mother." The words rung in his ears and he covered them up with his hands, hoping they'd go away. The word stung him more than he would have thought capable. He couldn't think of that creature as being his mother. Rem was his mother, and she always would be. The plant.
"Why why why? We aren't disgusting feathered monsters! We look like." Vash opened his eyes and looked around the room. He grabbed at the wall and pushed off towards the door, opening it, he stumbled out into the artificial gravity, gained his balance and jogged, then ran down the hall towards the Cold Sleep Chamber.
Not even grabbing a coat, he stumbled through the icy pods, shivering, looking at the faces, and examining each one. He looked like them. Humans. Sleeping angels, SEEDs, ready to find new soil and new life.
Vash turned, caught his reflection on the warped silver steel and he couldn't quite see himself anymore. All he saw were those appendages, feathered wings and those blank eyes. Those terrible eyes that had no life to them but somehow looked exactly like a human's eyes. And as the sight overcame him, he turned from the room and stumbled out again nearly tripping over Knives as he did so. His brother grabbed his shoulders and Vash looked into those cool eyes. "We look human, Knives. We can't create things like the plants; we don't have to hang in those glass cages. We're free! Free like humans."
"Free like them?" Knives pointed into the rows of sleeping humans, each in cages of their own. "I don't exactly see how the plants are any different than those humans."
"But, they're there by choice." Vash tried to convince himself, and then when that failed, he said, "Aren't they?"
Knives nodded. "I guess they are. Rem told me that they sleep because during this trip they would eventually get old and die."
"Will we die, Knives?"
His brother frowned, "I." Knives had been careful to avoid the subject of death with Vash, just because he was afraid of how he might react. He turned away from his brother and said, "Vash, there's never been anything saying on the ship that a plant can die. They're special because they're protected in those globes. I'm not sure about us."
"Maybe Rem would know." Vash pulled away from his brother and started to head towards the door. "Because maybe we can die. Maybe we're as human as Rem says we are."
Knives shrugged, "Maybe we can." He lowered his voice as Vash went around the corner, "But we'll never be human."
Vash peered around the corner, "Are you coming, Knives? I think I smell donuts!" He grinned, grabbed his brother's hand and they ran all the way to the mess room.
Rem was waiting with a plate of donuts. She set the last batch down on the table and wiped the flour from her cheeks. It was funny, of all the different foods that she had learned to make on Earth; these seemed to be the most special for the boys. At least Vash relished them as if they were gold. Knives was always indifferent to every food set out for them. This was especially true after he had first visited the plants and he had learned that they didn't eat.
Knives' attitude about the plants worried her. Day after day he seemed to be more curious about them as if he'd rather live in one of those bulbs than out here with his brother. Rem wondered if she should have closed off the whole section of the ship to them instead of letting the boys wander. They were learning so quickly though. It was hard for her, as a mother, even a foster mother, to deny them anything to help them learn and grow. Her thoughts disappeared as she heard pounding footsteps coming down the hall.
"I was right!" Vash ran past Rem to the table and grabbed a donut, nearly shoving it into his mouth before she caught him. Rem lifted her eyebrow at her boy and gave him the look.
"Your prayers, Vash?"
"Oh yeah," Vash bowed his head and when Rem wasn't looking, shoved the donut in his mouth.
Knives came in and Rem exchanged a look with him. Apparently their little episode that morning hadn't changed Vash just as Knives had said. She wondered though, even if Vash didn't appear to be hurting on the outside, how did she know it hadn't hurt him deeper on the inside? Rem had never been very good at reading people. "I'm glad you're back to your old self, Vash." She said offhandedly.
"Oh yeah," Vash said between donuts. "There was something I wanted to ask you, Rem." He stopped chewing long enough to watch Rem and Knives sit down at the table around him. Then he reached for a third donut. "Rem, can we die?"
Rem looked shocked and threw a glance towards Knives who shrugged. "I didn't say anything." He reached for a donut and started eating as Rem looked back at the expectant green eyes that were looking at her. The question had come quite unexpectedly, and she started to wonder about its origin. Had Knives talked to him about the plant, and what was going to happen to her?
"I'm." Rem smiled, a dark expression passed over her face as she thought desperately of how to answer Vash. The right answer would leave him as he was, but the wrong answer. "Yes, Vash, you can die." The truth was the only answer, Rem realized. She would never tell her boys a lie, even if it would hurt her to do so.
Vash's eyes lit up. "See Knives? What did I tell you? We are more like humans." He turned his eyes to Rem again. "Thank you Rem. I. I'm sorry about how I acted. I'm glad I know now. But," his eyes fell to the table. "Is it okay if we never go back to that room again?"
Rem nodded, "Not ever again." Whew, she thought to herself. Vash really hadn't changed.
"And you're our mother, forever and always right?"
"Of course." Rem smiled, her look was distant but loving. If only she had been their real mother.
"Good!" Vash didn't seem to notice her expression and grabbed another donut, "Oh these are so good." He munched eagerly at the donut as Knives and Rem joined the meal. "Plants couldn't enjoy donuts. They aren't lucky enough!" He nodded to himself and they settled into the rest of the meal talking about the flowers in the Rec room.
