CHAPTER FOUR: DISHARMONY

Days passed, and Vanessa spoke less and less, hoping for Vash to articulate the words to Knives that she herself felt unfit to say. Unable to make progress, Vash attempted to use examples from his past to illustrate his pacifist viewpoint.

"They must be punished for their sins," Knives stated in a god-like manner.

"What about our sins? Or do you consider us sinless?" Vanessa asked.

"I do. Anything we've done to the humans was justified."

Vash interjected. "And all the things you did to Vanessa? And to me?"

Knives thought. "I think we're all even, between us…"

"Maybe, but not forgiven. A sin is a sin, no matter how it's repaid," Vanessa argued.

"And as you've said, we must do penance for sins, right? So the humans must do penance by dying," Knives reasoned.

"What proof do you have that we have any right to kill the humans, penance or no?" Vanessa said, narrowing her eyes accusatively.

"They have committed the worst of atrocities and crimes not only unto our race but to their own! Any species so primitive and destructive cannot be allowed to…" Knives stated matter-of-factly.

"But you're making vast generalizations! I bet that between the three of us, we've killed more people than any three humans have in history!" Vanessa stated angrily, tears rolling from her eyes although her voice did not waver. "If our race was defined like that, then we have no more a right to exist than they do! Just look at the horrible things we did, and so selfishly…we're the scum of this Earth!"

Knives frowned. "Now that's unfair! Our actions were just…"

"Did you enjoy it, when you killed?" she asked in a deep, almost sensual voice "Did it feel good? It did, didn't it? 'Makes you want to do it just to feel like that – the euphoria…"

"Uh, huh," Knives replied, smirking.

"Ecstasy from killing…" Vanessa reflected, her tone rising with excitement. "You think we're exterminators? Executioners aren't supposed to enjoy their job, no matter how wicked the criminal! When we kill them, it's a deep kind of evil! The thrill we get from it is far more immoral than another sort of depraved behavior would be!"

Knives paused, his mind spinning. He could think of no reply. His face suddenly grew hot and red, with an anger that morphed nauseatingly into shame.

"Oh…Oh my God…" Vanessa murmured, hands over her face. "We…How could we…I think I'm going to be sick…" She suddenly dashed down into the sand and around to a more secluded side of the cave.

Knives and Vash sat, arguing, at the cave top, their voices rising to a fever pitch.

"So you're telling me that that man was trying to avenge his daughter's death," Knives yelled in utter disbelief, "And you stopped him and let him beat the shit out of you?" He scoffed, disgusted at his dear brother. "What an imbecile you are!"

"Oh, yeah, you would've just killed them both, that'd solve the problem," Vash replied in a loud whining tone.

He noticed Vanessa climbing the rocks, carrying a tray of the prepared raw fish she called 'sushi.' She placed it between the brothers and also sat nearby, listening as they began to eat.

"You're such a hypocrite, Vash," Knives continued. "And no matter how strong your peacekeeping mentality, those you protect usually end up killed anyway!" He turned to Vanessa. "You know, the problem with Vash is that in his pacifism he's disgustingly sloppy…bringing on suicides and Armageddon...ironic. You see, I've perfected my angel arm control, but Vash – at the drop of a hat, his goes berserk and starts destroying everything!"

Vanessa looked down, unresponsive.

"I don't intend on using that ever again," Vash growled. "It's not as volatile as it was…"

Knives chuckled. "Still…so many had to die because of you. You have killed without prejudice, dear brother!"

Vash took a lump of cold fish and popped it into his mouth, speaking solemnly as he chewed, "Well I never worked for that! I know that no one has the right to decide…"

"-Who should live and who should die," Knives finished for him. "You've got to be kidding me; still quoting Rem as though quoting the Bible." He grabbed and swallowed a bit of the food, chewing with his mouth closed.

Vash stuck out his lower lip. "Well, she put it better than I can!"

Knives roared in hatred and frustration. "That accursed woman! See how she warped your obliging little mind!?"

"Why do you hate her so?" Vanessa asked, amazed. "I mean, all this time you say such harsh things, but this woman, she raised you as her own! You owe her memory some respect, don't you think? She was your adoptive mother!"

Knives frowned, and spoke with teeth gritted tightly. "Some mother! The bitch let them kill Tessla – if we had been the first born, she would have watched them kill us as well."

"Yes, Rem sinned against Tessla, but her relationship to the both of you was her penance for that sin, don't you think?" She grew silent in contemplation. "Now, you two are my penance for my sins…" she murmured, standing and leaving them calmly.

Vash was dealt a blow as if her words were a slap in the face. Truly, dealing with Knives would be a punishment on anyone, but Vash had never realized that, to Vanessa, he too was a danger and burden. It seemed clear to him suddenly that she saw this experience as her responsibility, and that although she feared them she felt duty-bound to take on the challenge.

Glancing up to see if they had noticed his shock, Vash noticed Knives glaring at him with a smirk. In Vash's head, he heard his brother's psychic voice.

'See? You are the nightmare I am.'

Vash detected in his comment a hint of sadness.

'This is not going according to plan,' Knives thought to himself angrily as he sat alone in the cave. 'Time is of the essence; still she shows no signs of willingness to reproduce with me. Actions must be taken.'

Knives was focused on one goal in the past – to kill humanity in order to end the degradation of the plant race. However, the entrance of the female plant, Vanessa, into his life had added a second major goal – to perpetuate the dwindling race. All along he had fought to protect his brethren and help his brother, Vash to see the way. He had perhaps assumed that once humanity was gone, the concluding Eden of plants would be timeless and immortal. But he and Vash could die, as was discovered, and plants could die as well. In the process of extinguishing the human race, the plant race may die off as well. This is why a greater supply of plants would aid in the effort. Knives and his twin possessed great, destructive power, and more plant children like them meant greater destructive force.

If he could only use Vanessa to produce more plant children, the resulting offspring could be trained to use their angel arm abilities to end humanity and yet not use enough of their energy to die. Thus, Eden would be far more secure.

'But it would be too risky to endanger her health,' he thought. 'Any pregnancies would have to be consensual or her instability may harm the offspring, I would imagine. And she finds me repulsive, it seems. And then there's Vash…making her feel nothing but guilt, and never wavering in his idiotic philosophy…'

He pounded the platform with his fist angrily. "Why must he be in my way!?"

Knives sat, stewing, until Vash returned from tending to the tomas.

Vash removed a muddied shirt and dug in a basket for a fresh one. As he pulled one from it, his old, red coat fell onto the cave floor. Vash paused, and as he stared down, tears began to form.

"What is it?" Knives asked cruelly. "Something in your eye?" He snickered.

"It reminds me," Vash answered sadly. "All the stuff I went through. The fighting, the death, the Gung-Ho Guns, the blood…" he sniffed, rubbed his eyes roughly with his forearm, and tossed the coat back into the basket. "And how you were behind most of it…"

Knives frowned. "You want me to stop hurting you, huh?"

Vash turned to face him, nodding slowly as he narrowed his eyes in concentration.

"I'd like to compromise," Knives stated in a businessman's manner. "Let me free our brethren and I will set aside an area for you and Vanessa. She can bear your children, and you can have a pleasant life. I'll leave you alone forever." He crossed his arms. "What do you say?"

Vash's face reddened with anger and embarrassment, so he turned from his brother to face the wall. "C'mon, that's a really terrible idea! Listen to yourself, bartering her off as if she's yours to begin with…And I'd never be able to ignore the human suffering you'd be causing. Seriously, Knives…"

Vash fell hard to the ground, unconscious. Knives stood over him with a thick book.

"I'll deal with you later. I just thought of a far better plan."

He checked his brother's vitals before dragging his body across the cave floor.

"She has to see."

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