A/N: More humor, and some life threatening situations. Thanks to my readers and reviewers!

Answers

I don't understand how people so closely related could have such different attitudes Erica thought wonderingly, leaning on one hand as she shook her head in disbelief. She was sitting at a table in what appeared to be a kitchen, staring at the brothers intently.

After her first meeting with the man who introduced himself as Vash, the psychotic man had led them through the ship and into the room where they now sat. Erica had been shocked her captor had dropped the conversation so quickly with the new inmate of the ship, wondering what power the man in red had over the insane one.

And why is he wearing a hat? Erica noticed as she looked to Knives, her head cocked to the side in puzzlement.

Knives noticed the female's eyes trained on his covering and glared at her, pulling the cloth further over his head. He still had his mohawk from the chase and, because of the confrontation with the filth, hadn't had time to regenerate his hair in one of the plant bulbs. For some reason which he couldn't explain even to himself, he didn't want the 'plant', or whatever she was, to know about his new 'look'.

After he finished informing Vash on the current situation, or as much as he could given the female had still refused to tell her story, Knives stood up to retrieve himself a cup of coffee. Vash merely sat there, taking in the new developments and what they could mean with a straight, serious face.

Erica silently and carefully watched the brothers' reactions with curiosity, wondering what course of action they would take with her. She wanted to be like she was before, a human with less problems, but there were perks to being a plant. She was able to talk to the angels without any trouble, and her physical strength had increased dramatically. Besides, the first angel she'd met had said something about helping someone. She should at least keep the dying wish of the plant angel, if only to honor her memory.

"There's nothing in the archives?" Vash said, interrupting Erica's thoughts. "Nothing on how an angel could have transformed this girl into a plant?"

"Don't you think I've looked?" Knives answered bitterly, staring at Erica with some disgust and continued with a rising tone. "For the last week I have scoured the data banks, but have been unable to find anything. What really aggravates me is the plants insist on calling her 'daughter'" he said angrily, slamming his coffee mug down on the kitchen table.

The action startled Erica, but Vash was unfazed. In fact, he seemed greatly amused by the title. Vash waited for Knives to take a drink from his mug, then smiled slyly at him.

"So, that means we're her uncles."

The coffee blasted from Knives' mouth and across the table, covering a large area. Vash, knowing beforehand Knives' reaction, managed to duck under the table. Erica, on the other hand, wasn't as quick. The liquid sprayed her heavily, covering her face and upper body in the thankfully lukewarm substance.

Knives stared shocked at Erica's appearance, his mouth twitching slightly. The sight of the female drenched in coffee, mouth wide open in a silent scream, was almost too much for his restrained emotions to handle. To distract his mind he slowly turning to his brother, his mood changing drastically at the one who had caused the mess.

"Vash" Knives gritted dangerously, making the gunman hold up his hands in defense.

"Oh, come on bro," Vash argued, laughing nervously. "I was only kidding."

The look the psychotic plant was giving the blond showed no amusement as he slowly slid from his table and approached Vash. However, Knives' addition to his body count was interrupted by a small voice.

"I think I'll go clean up" Erica said, slowly standing up and heading toward the bathroom. She shuddered as she felt the coffee sink into her clothes and slide down her face. Sometimes, she wished she could just reach out and touch someone, but the images going through her mind might be considered murder.

As soon as her footsteps died down the hall, Vash turned to Knives.

"What are you going to do with her?" he asked, his voice changing to his rare serious tone. "I mean, I might be able to talk to her and find out what happened to help, at least find out her name" Vash commented dryly, looking toward his sibling with disapproval only to be ignored. "But then what?"

"What can I do but keep her?" Knives answered somewhat sullenly, glaring at where the filth had left. "The plant angels won't even let me throw her out of the ship, much less destroy her."

With those words Vash was silently jumping around in excitement like an overactive pogo stick. Maybe she would be able to change him, possibly show Knives that humans weren't the monsters he made them out to be. At least, the blond gunman hoped such a miracle would, or could, happen.

"Don't be so excited, Vash!" Knives growled, once more slamming his fist onto the already dented table. "I am only keeping her until I can find a way to reverse the process, and learn how to avoid future situations like this."

Vash stood at rigid attention, barely controlling the smile itching to burst forth.

Several days later Knives sat at his computer panel rubbing his temple in aggravation, still troubled by Vash's remark in the kitchen. Him, the killer of millions and self-declared annihilator of the human race, related to a female spider? He was truly beginning to doubt his decision of bringing his brother to the ship. First searching half the planet to find him, then the mad chase in the town which had nearly got them both killed, and finally his brother's incessant fawning over the girl.

True, the strange looks she gave Vash were amusing, but the sight of his brother following her down the hall like a lost puppy was degrading. He doubted spiders acted so foolishly. Also, because of his sibling's endless blabbering, he had been forced to memorize the abomination's name, Erica, to the point of near insanity.

Knives, for his part, had returned to ignoring the female, or whatever she chose to call herself. He would have nothing to do with her, taking his meals alone in his bedroom or control room. Vash had argued against such behavior but the plant had insisted upon his actions, attempting himself to physically distance the blond gunman from the filth without success.

Well, at least Vash hadn't been spouting his 'love and peace' nonsense. He had also been able to learn how the female had become the strange plant-spider hybrid she now was, though the transference mentioned by the filth was still a mystery to the brothers.

Then was Knives rudely shoved from his thoughts by Vash suddenly entering the computer room, a disapproving expression on his face.

"What is it now, Vash?" Knives asked, skipping the usual pleasantries his brother insisted upon

After a moment's hesitation, with a curiously evil smirk on his face, Vash asked his question.

"Don't you think you should be treating your new niece with a little more kindness?"

"Listen, dear brother" Knives growled, grinning widely as Vash's gulp could be heard throughout the entire ship, "I am not related to any pathetic spider, changed or not." Then he leant back in his chair thoughtfully, closing his eyes in concentration. "Besides, if I am able to find how the female changed then she will not be related to us for very long."

"Have you tried asking the plants about Erica's change?" Vash asked idly, his eyes lazily looking over the computer screens.

Knives' eyes shot open and he stared at his sibling dumbly, realizing the simplicity in retrieving the information. He'd been scouring the computers for days with never a thought to the angels not more than a few hundred feet from him.