Chapter 5.
Complete darkness. Unfamiliar voices. Scorching heat. Parched lips and a dry throat with an empty stomach. All of this added to a tremendous pounding headache for which he really didn't care to have.
Vash opened his eyes carefully. At least, he tried to open them. He didn't see anything so he blinked, but it didn't help. Maybe something was covering his eyes. He brought his hands up to his eyes to feel around for whatever it was that blocked his vision. Something wasn't right; something was missing from his face, but he couldn't remember what, if anything at all.
"Mr. Vash, are you alright?" A shrill high-pitched voice asked. Vash didn't know who or what that person was talking about.
He rubbed his eyes again, and noticed his left arm was covered with some strange material. It didn't feel like his right arm, so which one was normal? Where am I and what happened and why can't I see? Questions flooded his mind, but they were without answers.
Knives held a donut above Vash's head. The man wasn't behaving like himself and he wanted to test him. Vash sniffed the air and grabbed it immediately, almost swallowing it whole. No problem in the eating department, but still.... He tried it again and this time moved it away when Vash reached for it.
"Quit playing and just take the donut, Vash." Another female voice scolded.
Vash finally spoke. "Are you talking to me?" He sat up and the excruciating pain made him lay back down. He thought he may have been in a room without any lights. "Why is it so dark in here?" He groped around for...well, whatever he could find.
He didn't feel anything but the hot sand on the ground. Vash could tell there were people around him. Two women and another distinguishable presence. "Yes, I'm talking to you! Do you mind explaining to us what happened, or do we have to beat it out of you?"
Knives looked slightly amused. The girl acted like she cared for him, but then turns around and threatens to hurt him. How very appealing! He snickered quietly to himself at the very thought.
Suddenly, Vash stood up. He had hardly opened his eyes all the way and stopped his search for the donut. "I have to get out of here!" He said his thoughts out loud on accident.
He got up and took off. If it wasn't for the headache slowing him down, he would have made it farther than he did. He collapsed on the ground after a few feet. Vash had to hold back tears. "Am...am I blind? I can't see a dang thing!" He checked his eyes again and it still felt as if something was missing.
His brother heard him and rushed to him. He grabbed him by his shirt collar and brought him close to his face. "What's wrong with you!? Why in the world can't you see? Tell me what happened to you!" Vash sensed fear and worry in the man's voice.
"I...I don't...remember. Please let go of me, you are hurting me." He whimpered.
Knives released his tight grip. What now? His twin brother could neither see nor remember anything. Vash the Amnesiac, he thought to himself. "Gah, why can't he remember, girl?" He stared at Milly and Meryl with his icy blue eyes.
"He must have gotten hit in the head or something." It was all Meryl could suggest.
Knives splashed some more water on Vash's face, which made him cringe. Slowly, light started to come into his view. Vash rubbed his eyes furiously. In a matter of minutes, he could clearly make out the three people who stood around him. Unfortunately, he didn't know who any of them were.
"Can you see now, Mr. Vash? Would you like another donut?" Milly grabbed one from Knives and gave it to Vash.
He smelled it cautiously and stuffed it in his mouth. "Thanth!" Vash smiled.
"You're welcome," Milly returned.
The heat was almost overwhelming now and Vash just had to get to some shade! He stood up again to go. "Um...thanks for the donuts and it was nice to meet you." He limped off in the wrong direction, not knowing where he was going or where he had come from for that matter.
"Don't even think about leaving, Vash!" Knives protested and grabbed his arm.
Vash looked quizzically at him. "Is that really my name: Vash?"
"Yes, you idiot! I don't care if your memory is gone or not..." Knives paused in his talking. "You don't remember anything that happened?" He raised an eyebrow.
"No, do you know what I'm doing out in the desert?"
Knives smiled mischievously. "Yes, actually, I do. You see, Vash, I'm your twin brother, Knives...what's so funny?"
Vash scratched at the back of his head. "It's just an interesting name."
"Anyway, our job is to destroy every human being we come across. We are greater than humans--we're plants! Before you got knocked out, we were on our way to--"
"Stop, Vash! Don't listen to him, he's lying to you!" Meryl screamed.
Vash plugged his ears and gripped his head. He could no longer stand the pain. "I have to...get out...." Vash blacked out and sank to the ground. He was unconscious once again.
Knives kicked him in the side. "What's wrong now?" He received silence as an answer.
"Mr. Knives, I didn't think you knew what happened to him." Milly said.
Meryl groaned, for she knew exactly what he was trying to do. How would she stop him, though? "Milly, come here." She commanded. "We're going to carry him back with us because his condition is more serious than I thought."
"He doesn't need a hospital! He'll heal in time, like always." Knives argued.
"I'm not going to let Vash sit there and listen to your lies, so he's coming with us! If you have a problem with that, I can show you where to shove it."
Knives smirked. "I'm scared of the puny human." He said with mock sarcasm. "I guess this note from...who did she say she was? Right, this letter from Milly's sister doesn't mean anything to you then." He turned his back on them and started walking away.
"Meryl," Milly's upper lip quivered and her bronze eyes filled with tears. "Meryl, please?" She begged.
Meryl let go of Vash and gestured with her hand that Milly go get it. "Mr. Knives, please give me that letter! It means the world to me..." Milly grabbed his right arm and looked deeply into his cold eyes.
He stared back at her with a feeling of accomplishment. As long as Vash stayed away from that confounded city, he would be alright. "So, you want it that badly, do you?" He grabbed her neck for emphasis. "Do you?"
Milly nodded as best as she could while gasping for breath. It reminded him of when he choked her sister. He let go and smiled. "Good, I'll keep it as insurance in case you decide you want to pull a stunt like that again. The moment either of you try to walk away with my brother, I will shred this letter to bits!"
Milly looked over to Meryl, who was boiling with anger. "Fine, we'll leave him here!" Meryl yelled. "His blood will be on your hands...if he dies." The end of the sentence came out rather weakly. She sometimes spoke before she knew what she was saying.
The man shrugged. "Why are you so concerned with his well-being anyway? You ridiculous humans and your pathetic emotions! What a waste of time!" He growled.
"Why don't we all just go back home? Since Vash needs to get out of the heat, and we need to eat desperately, I say we go back together. I promise, Mr. Knives, I won't let Meryl take him to the hospital." Milly smiled assuringly.
Meryl was all for it; it was the only way. Knives himself needed to cool off, but he didn't want to be around humans!
Complete darkness. Unfamiliar voices. Scorching heat. Parched lips and a dry throat with an empty stomach. All of this added to a tremendous pounding headache for which he really didn't care to have.
Vash opened his eyes carefully. At least, he tried to open them. He didn't see anything so he blinked, but it didn't help. Maybe something was covering his eyes. He brought his hands up to his eyes to feel around for whatever it was that blocked his vision. Something wasn't right; something was missing from his face, but he couldn't remember what, if anything at all.
"Mr. Vash, are you alright?" A shrill high-pitched voice asked. Vash didn't know who or what that person was talking about.
He rubbed his eyes again, and noticed his left arm was covered with some strange material. It didn't feel like his right arm, so which one was normal? Where am I and what happened and why can't I see? Questions flooded his mind, but they were without answers.
Knives held a donut above Vash's head. The man wasn't behaving like himself and he wanted to test him. Vash sniffed the air and grabbed it immediately, almost swallowing it whole. No problem in the eating department, but still.... He tried it again and this time moved it away when Vash reached for it.
"Quit playing and just take the donut, Vash." Another female voice scolded.
Vash finally spoke. "Are you talking to me?" He sat up and the excruciating pain made him lay back down. He thought he may have been in a room without any lights. "Why is it so dark in here?" He groped around for...well, whatever he could find.
He didn't feel anything but the hot sand on the ground. Vash could tell there were people around him. Two women and another distinguishable presence. "Yes, I'm talking to you! Do you mind explaining to us what happened, or do we have to beat it out of you?"
Knives looked slightly amused. The girl acted like she cared for him, but then turns around and threatens to hurt him. How very appealing! He snickered quietly to himself at the very thought.
Suddenly, Vash stood up. He had hardly opened his eyes all the way and stopped his search for the donut. "I have to get out of here!" He said his thoughts out loud on accident.
He got up and took off. If it wasn't for the headache slowing him down, he would have made it farther than he did. He collapsed on the ground after a few feet. Vash had to hold back tears. "Am...am I blind? I can't see a dang thing!" He checked his eyes again and it still felt as if something was missing.
His brother heard him and rushed to him. He grabbed him by his shirt collar and brought him close to his face. "What's wrong with you!? Why in the world can't you see? Tell me what happened to you!" Vash sensed fear and worry in the man's voice.
"I...I don't...remember. Please let go of me, you are hurting me." He whimpered.
Knives released his tight grip. What now? His twin brother could neither see nor remember anything. Vash the Amnesiac, he thought to himself. "Gah, why can't he remember, girl?" He stared at Milly and Meryl with his icy blue eyes.
"He must have gotten hit in the head or something." It was all Meryl could suggest.
Knives splashed some more water on Vash's face, which made him cringe. Slowly, light started to come into his view. Vash rubbed his eyes furiously. In a matter of minutes, he could clearly make out the three people who stood around him. Unfortunately, he didn't know who any of them were.
"Can you see now, Mr. Vash? Would you like another donut?" Milly grabbed one from Knives and gave it to Vash.
He smelled it cautiously and stuffed it in his mouth. "Thanth!" Vash smiled.
"You're welcome," Milly returned.
The heat was almost overwhelming now and Vash just had to get to some shade! He stood up again to go. "Um...thanks for the donuts and it was nice to meet you." He limped off in the wrong direction, not knowing where he was going or where he had come from for that matter.
"Don't even think about leaving, Vash!" Knives protested and grabbed his arm.
Vash looked quizzically at him. "Is that really my name: Vash?"
"Yes, you idiot! I don't care if your memory is gone or not..." Knives paused in his talking. "You don't remember anything that happened?" He raised an eyebrow.
"No, do you know what I'm doing out in the desert?"
Knives smiled mischievously. "Yes, actually, I do. You see, Vash, I'm your twin brother, Knives...what's so funny?"
Vash scratched at the back of his head. "It's just an interesting name."
"Anyway, our job is to destroy every human being we come across. We are greater than humans--we're plants! Before you got knocked out, we were on our way to--"
"Stop, Vash! Don't listen to him, he's lying to you!" Meryl screamed.
Vash plugged his ears and gripped his head. He could no longer stand the pain. "I have to...get out...." Vash blacked out and sank to the ground. He was unconscious once again.
Knives kicked him in the side. "What's wrong now?" He received silence as an answer.
"Mr. Knives, I didn't think you knew what happened to him." Milly said.
Meryl groaned, for she knew exactly what he was trying to do. How would she stop him, though? "Milly, come here." She commanded. "We're going to carry him back with us because his condition is more serious than I thought."
"He doesn't need a hospital! He'll heal in time, like always." Knives argued.
"I'm not going to let Vash sit there and listen to your lies, so he's coming with us! If you have a problem with that, I can show you where to shove it."
Knives smirked. "I'm scared of the puny human." He said with mock sarcasm. "I guess this note from...who did she say she was? Right, this letter from Milly's sister doesn't mean anything to you then." He turned his back on them and started walking away.
"Meryl," Milly's upper lip quivered and her bronze eyes filled with tears. "Meryl, please?" She begged.
Meryl let go of Vash and gestured with her hand that Milly go get it. "Mr. Knives, please give me that letter! It means the world to me..." Milly grabbed his right arm and looked deeply into his cold eyes.
He stared back at her with a feeling of accomplishment. As long as Vash stayed away from that confounded city, he would be alright. "So, you want it that badly, do you?" He grabbed her neck for emphasis. "Do you?"
Milly nodded as best as she could while gasping for breath. It reminded him of when he choked her sister. He let go and smiled. "Good, I'll keep it as insurance in case you decide you want to pull a stunt like that again. The moment either of you try to walk away with my brother, I will shred this letter to bits!"
Milly looked over to Meryl, who was boiling with anger. "Fine, we'll leave him here!" Meryl yelled. "His blood will be on your hands...if he dies." The end of the sentence came out rather weakly. She sometimes spoke before she knew what she was saying.
The man shrugged. "Why are you so concerned with his well-being anyway? You ridiculous humans and your pathetic emotions! What a waste of time!" He growled.
"Why don't we all just go back home? Since Vash needs to get out of the heat, and we need to eat desperately, I say we go back together. I promise, Mr. Knives, I won't let Meryl take him to the hospital." Milly smiled assuringly.
Meryl was all for it; it was the only way. Knives himself needed to cool off, but he didn't want to be around humans!