T R I G U N

Vash sobbed, banging against the side of the escape pod. "Rem!" He shouted, tears streaming down his face. "Rem . . . Ellie!"

"You're wasting your breath. They're probably both dead."

Vash whirled on Knives, eyes wide. "What do you mean by that?" He demanded. "We were fine--we were happy!"

Knives scoffed. "You actually liked being molested daily?"

Vash said nothing, stunned and hurt. He narrowed his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"You never had the guts to tell anyone, did you? About the scientists. About how almost every single one of them . . ."

"Stop it!" Vash cried, shaking.

"It was for your own good." Knives snapped. "If we kept on living there who knows what would have happened."

Vash stopped, staring at him in disbelief. "Y-you." He said at last. "You did this."

Knives watched him levelly, his voice calm. "They're just humans."

"Y-you killed . . . " Vash shook his head violently from side to side. "No . . . Knives . . . no, you couldn't have . . ."

"I did." Knives answered, sitting down. "And I'm glad I did."

Vash's eyes welled up with fresh tears. "Why?"

"You really think they would've left us alone after they let us bloom?" Knives said. "No. We were used for their own sick purposes, and then we would be experimented on. They would've killed us."

"No!" Vash shouted. "No! That isn't possible! R-Rem never--! N-not . . ."

"I tried to spare her, you know." Knives said quietly. "I thought she'd get into the pod, too." He seemed troubled. "But that . . . that stupid woman." He gripped his fists. "She had to go down with those stupid humans and . . . and . . ."

Vash lunged at him, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and punching him, pinning him down. "I hate you!" He screamed, shaking angrily. "You killed Rem and . . . and you killed Ellie!"

Knives stared up at him in confusion, his cheek throbbing with pain. "You hate me?" He repeated quietly, hurt.

Vash kicked him, stood up and sat on the other side of the pod, crying and rocking himself back and forth. Knives watched him for a long time, wondering what he had done wrong. "Why do you hate me, Vash?" He whispered.

Vash looked at him through blurry eyes. "I think you know why," he answered quietly.

The power plant was silent.

Bodies lay everywhere, twisted and broken like ragdolls, their faces frozen in mid-scream and their skin singed from the blast. There was no sound, no movement. Not a single human had escaped the blast.

Slowly she opened her eyes, trembling like a frightened animal, her white smock stained with dirt and oil. Slowly she crawled out of her hiding place, slowly but surely wandering into the halls, her bare feet making no sound on the cold ground. She stepped over the corpses of the workers and wandered into the power room.

The main energy shaft was still smoldering. All over the floor were the shreds of the plant, her bulb ripped apart and her children lying still. She herself was not intact, her arms and legs scattered everywhere, surrounded by pools of blood.

The girl lost her strength and collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

Knives adjusted his pack and quickened his pace, his eyes low to the ground and narrowed with hatred. It had been three months since the ships that had brought mankind to this rotten, desert planet had exploded. Vash was beside him, silent since their fight in the escape pod. His brother's face was dirty, covered with sand and tears.

Knives could not understand his brother's weakness; how could he love humans? He smiled to himself. It was good that most of them were dead. They were evil, horrible creatures. If it were up to him, he would destroy all of those who remained.

Knives paused and sniffed the air. Smoke lingered in the wind. He rubbed the sand from his eyes and brought out a cloak, shielding himself from the light and heat of the hot sun. He carried on, filled with curiosity. Black clouds were rising into the sky.

"Do you smell that?"looked at him curiously, and sniffed the air along with him. "Yeah." He said after a moment.

"Do you know what that is?"

Vash nodded. "A plant bulb must have exploded."

"Let's go check it out."

"No." Vash hung back. "I don't want to."

Knives turned on him and sighed in exasperation. "Look, it could be one of the big pods. Those were powered by bulbs."

"So?"

"So if there were survivors, Ellie might be one of them."

Vash's eyes widened and they both broke into a run.

"That," Vash said in awe, "is not a pod."

Towering before the two brothers was a power plant, its spirals reaching up into the desert sky. Debris lay all over the sands, mostly scattered machinery. The walls of the building were weak and crumbling.

"I thought we were the first settlers." Vash said quietly.

"We are." Knives corrected. "But the humans sent scientists here 10 years ago to do experiments."

"On what?"

Knives glanced at him darkly. "On us."

Vash fidgeted uncomfortably, stepping back as Knives went forward. "I don't want to go in."

"I do." Knives answered flatly. "Stay out here if you're scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Whatever. Stay and keep an eye out then, I'll do this myself."

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is it looks scary. Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Why, are you scared?"

"I am not!"

Ellie stirred, her head throbbing with pain as she lay sprawled on the pod floor, her messy red hair spread all over her face. She heard voices all around her, and even though they were whispering, the sound felt like drums in her ears.

"Aaron?"

"Yeah?"

"I hafta go potty."

"ACK! Why didn't you go before we left?"

"Because I didn' hafta go then!"

"Sam, take him back to the house."

"No way, I did it last time! It's your turn!"

"Ugh, fine then! Stay here. Try and get the door open, okay?"

Ellie opened her eyes and groaned, slowly sitting up. She looked around, disoriented and feeling sick to her stomach. Where am I . . .? Oh, my head . . .

"Daddy, Daddy, look what we found?"

"Iduna, give me the prybar. Let's see if there's anyone inside.

Light entered the pod--Ellie squinted and shrank away, trembling. A man peered inside and gasped. "Iduna?"

A woman slowly crawled into the pod. Ellie tucked up her knees and held them to her chest, frightened. "It's okay," the woman reassured gently, holding out her arms. "We're not going to hurt you."

Ellie made no answer, trembling violently. Iduna hesitated. "Adam, I think she's sick." She reached out and touched her, brushing away her red hair and revealing her face. "What's your name?"

"E-Ellie." She managed, her insides churning.

"Where are you from?" Iduna asked softly.

"I-I don't . . ." Ellie panicked, her memories faint. She did not know where she was from, or where she was. All she could remember was a young boy with blonde hair. "Vash!"

"She's running a fever." Iduna whispered, putting a blanket around her. Her husband lifted Ellie out of the pod and the family hurried back together, their home an oasis in the hot sun.

"Hold on, little girl. You'll be all right."

Ellie lost consciousness and went limp in his arms.

Knives stepped over the human bodies idly as he explored the power plant, taking in every detail. He kicked them aside in disgust. "Yuck. What a mess." He muttered disdainfully, climbing down the metal stairs. He kept going until he reached the basement, which was where humans usually kept their energy sources. Light shone down from the spiral towers, playing with the shadows.

Knives brought out a gun he had stolen from a soldier and cocked it. He had thought he heard something. It had sounded like a woman crying, but he could not be sure. All around him were the body parts of the plant and her children. Fiery anger grew within him--they had been mistreating the plant, and she had erupted on her own accord. He could not blame her.

A movement to his right. Knives whirled and pointed his gun, startled. "You there!" He shouted. "Come out! I can see you!"

A shadow sat cringing in the shadows, shaking and quietly crying. Knives growled. "Come out now or I'll shoot! I'm not afraid of you, you damned filthy human!"

The figure rose, frightened, and stepped into the light. Knives faltered in his astonishment and dropped the gun. He took a step backwards, his eyes wide.

Standing before him was a girl, far too beautiful to be a human. Her hair was a golden white and her eyes were sparkling crystal blue, stained and shimmering with tears.

He took a step towards her and she shrank from him uneasily. "It's all right," he whispered. His heart was beating like a drum, a feeling new and exciting to him.

The girl said nothing. Knives kept his voice low and gentle. "Can you speak? Do you understand me?"

She simply stared at him, still trembling in fear. Knives kicked the gun away. "I'm not going to harm you," he said quietly. "Do you speak? What is your name?"

The girl hesitated, and then took a step forward, still crying. He came closer to her, so close that they were face to face. He could hear her breathing, he could almost touch the softness of her skin. "Your name?" He repeated.

She did not answer, but touched his cheek gently, a curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Knives was now the one trembling as she brought her face closer to his, as if she were inspecting him. She was younger than he was, perhaps the only surviving child of the shattered plant, and as such she did not know the human's speech as well.

"You're so beautiful." Knives whispered, entranced.

She touched his face again, tracing his features with her fingers. Knives' breath quickened. He suddenly realized what she was doing. On the verge of maturity, she was looking him over as a potential mate. She touched his nose and smiled gently, her hands moving downwards. Knives almost gave into instinct but suddenly he gained control of his mind again and grabbed her wrists. "No."

The girl pulled back, and blinked several times, confused. She took a step backwards, looking almost emberrassed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I--"

Knives swallowed. "It's all right, it's just . . ." He gasped. "Wait a second . . . you just--!"

The girl leapt into the air over his head, landing on the next level, fleeing as fast as her legs could carry her. Knives stood there dumbfounded for a moment and then ran after her, climbing up the ladder. "Wait!"

She could run faster than any creature he had ever seen. He gave chase, following her up stairs and levels until they reached the highest peak of the building, out in the open air. Knives called to her but she would not answer. Out of breath, Knives finally reached the top of the tower. There she stood on the edge, looking down. He could see for miles.

"Wait," he gasped for air, holding his arms out to her. "Please don't."

"Stay away." The girl said, leaping onto the railing.

"Please, I'm not going to hurt you." Knives said calmly, slowly stepping forward. "I just want to know your name."

The girl watched him for a moment, making no movement. "I don't have a name." She said.

"Well, if you don't jump, maybe we can give you one." Knives said. He was close enough to grab her, but any sudden movements might have frightened her. "Take my hand."

The girl hesitated, and then did so, stepping down in front of him. Knives sighed in relief. "There we go." He said softly. "That's better."

"You said you'd give me a name." The girl said.

"Well, let's see . . ." he said thoughtfully, putting his arms around her as if to make sure she could not escape. "I was once told a story about a man and a woman."

"What was the woman's name?"

"Eve." He said, moving his face closer. "Her name was Eve."

"Eve." She repeated. "I like that."

"I do too." Knives whispered. He could not understand it, entranced once again by her beauty and the sound of her voice. He pulled her tighter, pressing his lips against hers gently.

She pushed him away and stepped backwards, frightened. Knives did not even have a chance to speak as she jumped once again onto the railing, her back to him. He panicked, lunging in hopes of grabbing her before she could fall. "Wait! Don't!"

She leapt from the railing and into the air, plummeting to the ground below. "Eve!" Knives shouted desperately, terrified.

A blur of white emerged from Eve's shoulderblades, and before she was but three feet from the ground she suddenly took advantage of her emerging wings, knocking over a very confused Vash in the process. She flew off like a bullet through the air until she was no more than a dot on the horizon. Knives drew in a deep breath, cursing to himself.

"What the heck was that?" Vash said, confused. He had been waiting for his brother on the ground and had seen the girl jump.

"You saw her?" Knives asked, emerging from the building.

"Yeah, I was going to catch her, but I guess she could handle herself." Vash brushed himself off a little. "But what was that?"

"It was a girl."

"I know that, but I've never seen a human girl do that."

"She wasn't human." Knives answered. "You don't even recognize your own kind?"

"We don't have wings." Vash said skeptically.

"We don't. Females do." Knives said with a sigh. "Well, come on, let's get going."

Vash paused and picked up his pack. "Say . . ."

"Huh?"

"Did you feel that?"

"What?"

"You know . . . that."

Knives did not need for him to explain. He nodded. "Yeah."

Vash whimpered. "I miss Ellie."

"For more than one reason, it seems." Knives muttered.

Vash shot his brother a dirty glare.

"Uggggh, this is torture." Vash whined. It was evening now, and they had a fire going. The air was unbearably cold. Knives sat up, coping with his pains and urges silently, while Vash rolled around on his back.

"Don't you think I know that?" Knives snapped. "Quit whining."

"I miss Ellie."

"Would you shut up already? Ellie's dead. Get over it."

Vash glanced at his brother, hurt at his words. "I loved her, you know."

"Hah." Knives scoffed. "You don't know what love is."

"Neither do you."

"And I never will." Knives said in irritation. "Thankfully."

Vash was quiet for less than five minutes before he began rolling around once again. "This is driving me crazy." He whimpered.

"Look, it's driving me crazy too, but there's nothing we can do about it, so you might as well shut up!"

Vash paused only momentarily. He then looked to the sky and grinned crookedly, snickering. Knives glared at him, extremely annoyed. "What now?"

"Oho, man, if Ellie were here right now, heh heh." Vash giggled evilly. "Let me tell you what I'd do . . ."

"Oh God." Knives groaned. "Keep your fantasies to yourself. Please."

"Oh come on, you know you want to, too."

"At least I'm fighting it, I'm not entertaining it." Knives answered shortly. "This should be over soon."

"Yeah." A short silence. "I miss Ellie."

"Would you quit it? Ellie is dead."

"Yeah, because of you." Vash said angrily.

"Hey, don't start this again, okay?"

"Why can't you just apologize for it?" Vash demanded.

"Why should I?" Knives replied curtly. "You've already forgiven me."

Tears welled up in Vash's eyes. He brushed them away. "Knives?"

"Dammit, what now?"

"I need to go."

"Of for the love of . . ." Knives sighed. "There's a sand dune over there, just go."

"No, not that type of going." Vash said, sitting up. "I just think . . . I need to go."

Knives stared at his brother, surprised. He was actually serious. "What for?" He asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"I need to find Ellie." Vash said quietly, looking up at the stars. "I know you think she's dead, but I have to be sure."

Knives was quiet for a long time. "F-fine then." He spat. "Just go. I don't care."

Sadly, Vash rose to his feet. Anger and hatred filled his heart as his brother began to walk away. Knives could tell that they had grown distant. Vash loved the humans, while Knives despised them. He loved them in spite of all they had done to him.

"Vash?" His voice was dangerously low.

Vash turned. "Yeah?"

"If you go, I'm going to make your life a living hell."

Their gazes were level for a long time. Then Vash lowered his eyes and sighed. "See you around, Knives."