Knives became increasingly invested in such an ambitious project as Elizabeth continued to speak. Although it seemed improbable, he and his brother had the inclination to achieve the extraordinary. Despite faltering in the beginning due to having to process the fact they were superior to her, she managed the presentation well. Her hand gestures were subtle, her posture was impeccable, and her dialogue lacked any pauses and added nonsense. She was straight to the point, blunt, and overall successful. Of course, Knives simply followed passively, but he was attentive.

Perhaps there was more to her mind after all.

Her planned organization was titled Society for Education in Plant Analysis and Longevity or SEPAL, and it was a research organization dedicated to altering the outdated data engineers and scientists had been employing but never improving on for decades. She desired to find alternative means to increase the longevity of the Plants while also reducing the strain so many of Knives' sisters endured. Knives grimaced occasionally as he reflected on his experience with the engineers and scientists Legato had kidnapped while Knives was incapacitated after July. His irritation didn't last long, because Elizabeth announced that she aspired to update the ancient textbooks and other resources humans studied from.

Elizabeth sat down and gathered the papers she had presented. She continued to glance at them, and while Knives knew she was preparing to ask questions, he had already produced a few himself.

Vash had moved to lean beside Knives in his chair. "Yep, so what do ya think, Knives?" He snaked an arm around Knives' shoulders, his eyes twinkling. "It's a plan that could use your insight."

Knives raised a skeptical brow before straightening his back, shaking his shoulders as a warning for Vash to leave him be. Knives' arms stiffly gripped onto the armrest as if he were a contemplating king on a throne. "Would you ever reveal our existence to the humans?" He entered Elizabeth's mind and waited.

Vash continued to stand beside him, his shoulder dropped. "Knives, c'mon."

"Are you kidding?" Elizabeth asked. "One: I know people. I know. People are not ready to understand this information—especially since many don't understand Plants or want to. I… I'm assuming Vash informed you of how we first met… I refuse to risk another Plant again. I refuse to risk people's lives again. I want to change how things are run."

"People can change. It's gonna take some time, but I've seen it. They can!" Vash dropped back onto the couch beside Elizabeth.

Knives felt her emotions and discovered her statements and feelings were genuine, but he couldn't risk her spilling such information accidentally. Thompson had done so once in public, and although the humans found her entertaining, Knives wasn't amused. He assumed this human wouldn't be as careless as Thompson was, but he'd watch her until he was certain she could be trusted.

Thompson descended the stairs and yawned obnoxiously, running fingers through her disheveled hair. She halted and took in the scene before her.

"Hey, Milly! How was your nap?" Vash asked.

"Oh, it was nice. I just woke up... Miss Elizabeth!" She stood beside Knives' chair, and he hoped she wouldn't invade his space too. "She's the person you've been mentioning, right, Mr. Vash?"

"Yep, she's the one!" Vash raised his arms as if he had just unveiled Elizabeth's existence from behind an invisible curtain. "I would've said her name sooner, but you know how Meryl gets."

"Hmph, which is the pet and which is the master," Knives said and everyone glanced at him.

"No!" Vash pouted, puffing his cheeks as he inhaled before exhaling in one gust of moist air. "What we have is a relationship!"

"It's a neutral term and such bonds can be platonic. A dog and his master, for instance."

"Meryl? Is that the short woman that was obsessed with you?" Elizabeth faced Vash.

"Yes, ma'am! She and big girl here stalked me all the time." Vash pointed a thumb toward the tall woman. "Right?"

The woman in question waved. "I'll go make us some… What would you three like?" she asked as she neared the kitchen.

"A beer would be nice," Vash answered. "Want some help?"

"No, I got it," Thompson responded.

"Coffee, black," Knives said coolly, almost demanding.

Elizabeth watched them before saying, "Coffee with a teaspoon of cream and one spoon of sugar."

The room fell silent, and as Knives continued to trespass on Elizabeth's thoughts, he devised an answer to her problematic question. He almost acted on the urge to alter her mind to avoid asking, but he didn't.

"Before I ask anything else," Elizabeth began, staring at her half-eaten cookie, "what really happened to July?"

Knives continued to face her. Vash looked away, his cheery character gone, and his confident position dropped a little.

"You two don't have a mutation caused by Plants. You can communicate with them because you're part of the same species. Did a malfunctioning Plant—"

"Human," Knives spoke, his tone hinting at his irritation. Vash glared at him, but Knives ignored it. "Despite having physical similarities to your kind, we are superior to you, even if my brother argues otherwise." He relaxed into his armchair and pushed Vash away when he attempted to communicate telepathically. "I've speculated that due to being independent of the bulbs, we require the Long Colts or other means to activate certain abilities, such as the Angel Arms."

"She doesn't know what you're talking about!" Vash cried, rubbing his right arm simultaneously.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and kept eye contact with Knives, never flinching at his glare or authoritative demeanor. "Angel Arms?"

Vash shut his eyes. "They're…"

"While I attempted to understand our abilities," Knives began, "Vash denied the fact that he is a Plant for the sake of blending with humanity. This irresponsible decision led to him losing control of his Angel Arm in July. We've been apart for decades until over seven years ago, so I was unable to guide him into understanding his potential."

"Here you go," Milly said as she placed the drinks in front of everyone. "One black coffee, one with cream and sugar, and a cold beer."

'It wasn't entirely my fault,' Vash spoke softly as he cracked open his can of beer.

Knives brought his ceramic cup to his lips and sighed into it, his breath blowing the liquid before he set it down. 'Should I reveal that I destroyed July, then? I'm confident that she'll enjoy my company afterward.'

'Maybe she will. Me and the girls are still around you even after everything you did.'

Knives snapped his head toward Vash, eyes ready to challenge him. 'We're brothers.'

Vash shook his head before tilting it back to gulp down half of his beer. Milly sat on one side of him while Elizabeth sat stiffly on the other, seemingly lost in thought until Milly suddenly trapped the other woman in a trivial conversation. Knives absently drank his coffee.

'She has the right to know the truth—even if I've been keeping it from her—but you're right. It's not a good time. ' Vash sighed in content with a forced smile. 'You two need to get along. If we can improve the Plants' living conditions, we'll have more time to find a solution to free them both from being dependent on each other. We can do it if we work together."

Knives grumbled. 'Why do we need a human to accomplish that? If we cooperate to liberate our kind, then I doubt we'd need an engineer's assistance.'

'We have a superior intellect,' Vash tapped his head to mock his brother, 'as you say, but she has the connections and people trust her. Would they listen to strangers?"

'Not unless we command them to do so.'

'No!' Vash whined, almost crushing the can in his grasp . 'I don't want you to. We can do better without harming each other or them.'

'Time, time, that's the problem! If we do this your way, nothing will change in our lifetime.' Knives raised his eyes toward the engineer, and when she flinched, he realized his glare must have been intense. 'I tried to genetically alter the Plants for so long. How long would it take if I tried again? Even when I free them, they'd be enslaved by verm—'

'Okay, Mr. Negative,' Vash pointed his finger while the others wrapped around the can, then they began rhythmically tapping the aluminum. 'You know, when we were kids wandering the desert, you said you killed the spiders to save the butterflies because humans leech off the Plants.'

Knives furrowed his brows. Out of everything they discussed, argued, and fought about, that was what Vash had to mention? Knives set the cup down on the table with a noticeable amount of force that the girls flinched at.

'Yes, I did.'

'You know,' Vash placed the can beside the cup and opened his palms to face the ceiling. 'I still think we can save them both. We're not going to be eaten and they won't starve. Back then, I said you were wrong about the spider, but you are right, and so was I. There has to be another way.'

'Could you actually offer another solution?'

Vash finished his beer quickly. 'Plants need humans to survive because they fix malfunctioning lost technology, and people need them to survive because they provide necessities. All we gotta do is find a way to get along.' Vash leaned forward, his upper half arching over the coffee table. 'Terraforming. If we can find a way to terraform, then people can survive—'

"Okay, thank you, Milly," Elizabeth said before finishing the rest of her coffee. "I like a good family story, but we were busy talking about something important. Sorry to disrupt it."

Milly noticeably frown, which was an odd sight since she smiled just about as much as Vash did. "Oh! Of course! Silly me! You know, Meryl really doesn't like it when we go shopping and I talk to the cashier about them." Milly stood. "I'll leave you all to it, then."

"You can stay, Milly," Vash said before turning to Elizabeth. "The girls know about us, so you don't have to worry; you all can gossip together about this handsome devil." He grinned, and Knives rolled his eyes.

"That's okay, Mr. Vash. If I stay, I'll ask a bunch of questions and slow things down. Bye Mr. Vash! Mr. Knives," she chirped while waving.

Elizabeth sighed before sinking back into the couch. "You did destroy July. You remember now, or did you always remember?"

Vash rubbed the back of his neck before nodding, hiding half of his face behind the beer can before taking a sip, but it was empty. "The Angel Arms are weapons we can create if we have the guns." At Elizabeth's widened eyes, he refrained. "I got rid of the guns years ago. July and Augusta… won't ever happen again." Vash's voice grew quiet, and Knives quirked a brow at his brother's hesitancy.

Elizabeth scowled and shook her head in disbelief. "Vash, if this Angel Arm is a biological aspect of yourself, and it can only be activated if you had those weapons, why did you even have them begin with? Where did you get them?!"

"I created them," Knives admitted, bluntly.

They both stared. "You? Why?" Elizabeth inquired.

The guns were a means to rid the planet of garbage and prolong their suffering. Now, Knives was supposedly going to cooperate with her, likely her engineers, and whoever Vash wanted him to meet. It was too much, really.

"For our protection since vermin were fighting for dominance across the planet. As you said, you are aware of how humans act when faced with something beyond their comprehension."

"H… How old are you two?"

"137 years, although I'm the older one."

"Older?" Vash cocked his head to the side. "Technically, we really don't know since they found us at the same time. You just want to say you're older."

Elizabeth nearly dropped her glass of water.

"Well, I guess we should start from the beginning…" Vash gave Knives a pleading look. He would gladly boast about his deeds toward her kind, but he knew Vash wanted him to remain civil.

Although they didn't lie about their experiences, Vash portrayed Knives as a passive figure that hadn't doomed humanity or hampered the lives of the surviving humans. No, he was rarely ever named as Vash described their history from their earliest memory of being carried in Rem's arms to what Vash described as having a dispute and parting ways after Knives created the Long Colts. The cause of the Great Fall was unknown, according to Vash during his narrative

Elizabeth listened intensely, forgetting her refilled cup. Vash further elaborated on events when he was rescued by the doctor and the other now crashed ship's residents.

"We just couldn't get along until seven years ago and even now we have issues," Vash spoke while Elizabeth nodded and Knives held his head in hand, leaning into the armrest with an uninterested demeanor. "After years of being apart, we're finally getting along the best we can." Vash locked his fingers together on his lap for emphasis.

"... This is a lot to…" Elizabeth faltered, but she remained sitting professionally upright. "At least you two stayed alive long enough to see each other again."

"Look," Vash said as he reached for his pile of papers and textbooks, "Knives doesn't trust you, but maybe you can prove that you're willing to put your all into these ideas—show him what you're capable of." Vash turned to Knives, eyes begging, and the older twin huffed.

"Your thoughts and actions will be monitored regularly while I'm residing in the ship until I say so."

"Knives…"

"W-what—Why?! My thoughts?" Elizabeth stammered.

"You've already heard me in your mind. I can invade your memories along with other areas, but I'll only observe thoughts and actions. If you reveal anything that is spoken within these walls, I will kill you."

Vash gagged on his saliva before pounding his chest. "Gah—Knives!"

'A little intimidation goes a long way, Vash.'

Elizabeth remained stationary, but Knives caught the brief shift of her brows.

'You threatened to kill her!"

"I promised Vash I wouldn't kill humans unnecessarily, but there will be consequences if others are informed of our existence." He paused for a moment and sneered. "If you display malicious intent towards us in any way—thoughts, actions, verbal communication—then I will force you to forget everything you've ever learned about Plants." Knives recalled almost wiping Thompson and Stryfe's memories years ago, but Vash had ordered them to keep their distance from where Knives resided until he gradually tolerated their existence.

Vash scowled at Knives and said, "You can trust her."

"You'd trust every human!"

"Knives, please."

"He can do that…?" Elizabeth asked.

Knives nodded. "You'll forget about us and the critical knowledge you use to live comfortably on this planet as an engineer."

The silence was thick, and Elizabeth's face contorted in confusion, obviously piecing the puzzle of their lives together with missing parts. Vash gave him a disapproving frown, but Knives ignored his brother's lack of gratitude since he could've simply killed her.

"Elizabeth," Vash began, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently, "give yourself some time. You can talk to the girls if you want about us." He offered a cordial smile, a smile Knives was convinced that got Vash out of disputes with humans before. "It isn't easy, but if you understand us, then it'd be easier for us to help. Knives will have to stalk you for a while, but he won't hurt you." He eyed his brother. "He won't hurt you."

"Is he usually the hurting type?" she asked, a passive look on her face, but Knives heard her irregular breaths.

"Not recently, no. We just have different ways of dealing with whatever the world throws at us. Look." Vash handed Knives one of the papers and he reluctantly inspected its contents. "We'll look over this while you give yourself some time. If you have any questions…" He widened his eyes and his jaw nearly fell to the floor, an obvious sign of Vash developing one of his brilliant ideas. "Be right back!"

Knives felt the woman's eyes bore into his skull, but he couldn't avert his attention from the piece of paper with information regarding one of the Plant's many technical and complex systems. He scoffed often, and then he snorted once, which made him scowl. He reached a particular sequence of code and other equations and laughed before turning the page over. The math and reasoning were inadequate to a damaging degree. It was a wonder Plants hadn't already died. The human woman seemed confused as he swallowed his chuckles. The paper limped over his hand as he searched the table for a writing utensil and spotted a pen perched over the woman's ear. Without warning, and without her noticing, he leaned forward and snatched it from her ear with speed her mind couldn't register. With a superior smirk, he leaned back on the armchair and worked on his edits.

"Okie dokie, here ya go," Vash said as he handed Elizabeth a pen. "This is a communication device. Just tap the button and talk into it and I'll hear ya. If I wanna ask ya something, you'll hear me."

Elizabeth's eyes widened as if she were a child acting on curiosity while inspecting it. She pressed the button and spoke to it, which was heard from Vash's earring. "The doctor has lost technology like this, Vash. This is older than the ones he recently developed and your arm is so advanced I should've known something more was going on with you." She reached for the pen that should've been over her ear, and when her fingers brushed against hair, she turned to find it in Knives' hand as he scribbled on the paper over one of the textbooks. "When—How?"

"Your inferior mind couldn't register my pace," Knives said with a hint of arrogance. "If I didn't know any better, I would've assumed you wrote a comedy." He set the pen and paper in front of her on the table.

Vash looked over the paper. "Hey, people worked hard on these. They're trying to help Plants, look," he said as he pointed out a few equations and handed Knives the same sheet.

Knives chuckled. "Oh yes, to help shorten their lives."

Vash handed the paper to Elizabeth and she wearily crinkled it as she glared at Knives. "I didn't say to edit on the page directly! What the hell did you change?! These were sensitive notes and information regarding the Plants!"

Knives should've known. Even she, like the engineers and scientists he had confined on his ship, was attached to such foolish practices. "They're outdated regulations. Humans rely on these ancient methods and because the Plants aren't usually responsive, they have to accept your assistance in reducing their lifespans."

Elizabeth prepared to speak, but she closed her mouth and reconsidered her outburst. Now Knives realized why Vash revealed their identities; she wouldn't ignore the valuable information from them and such a fact was solidified by revealing their true natures. Still, Knives didn't trust this woman even though her sentiments and thoughts were genuine.

"Knives," Vash began, "when will you move into the ship? If you want, I'll join you for a bit."

Knives shrugged. "Immediately."

"Alright." Elizabeth nodded before standing and flattening the wrinkles of the dress. "Vash the Stampede. Millions. It was… a life-changing experience. I know words won't be enough, but I promise I won't recount this to anyone. I'm not comfortable with you reading my mind, but I'll agree to this for now."

Knives dismissed himself and left to retrieve his essentials before moving.

"Knives? Your things?" Vash said, wiggling a finger toward the stack of clipped papers and worn textbooks.

Knives groaned before taking a step, and then he abruptly turned to collect the outdated materials and entered his room to pack. He thought he was placing too much faith in his brother, but even though Vash was a trusting idiot—loving humans left and right—he had judged those closely surrounding him and they had proved their loyalty to a superior.

Knives waited for Vash to inform the doctor of his predicament and how he required a chamber in the ship near Elizabeth's. In the meantime, Knives packed his necessities and arranged to stay for months if needed—a year, maybe. He wrote detailed instructions as a safety precaution if he couldn't visit often enough to tend to his garden.

Once he and Vash reached the ship and stepped into Knives' room, he smirked at being given the captain's quarters, which was one of the most spacious rooms available. A functioning and equipped kitchen - furnished with comfortable seats with therapeutic aesthetics - and a wide desk for projects were what he favored, though he had been used to a minimalist lifestyle for most of his life.

After Knives' troublesome brother insisted on giving him a tour of the room, Vash left him to settle in. Knives went to unpacking what little he brought, and when he reached the papers and textbooks, he disregarded them on the coffee table before shelving his personal books between the kitchen and living room.

He had been monitoring Elizabeth ever since he left, and such a task was child's play compared to what he had endured the previous year. Her thoughts were of them, unsurprisingly, and occasionally she'd picture the Plant within the bulb and couldn't quite compare him and Vash to their sister. If Knives desired it, he could've barged into her room and alter his arm to remind her of what he was. Vash would disapprove...

Days passed while Elizabeth continued to cope with the existence of the twins. Knives remained in his room, and Vash often left the ship to visit Stryfe and Thompson. While occupying himself with Elizabeth and his own affairs, Knives had developed a plan to test her worth.

It was amusing to monitor her while she worked, dealing with incompetents who dared call themselves engineers and scientists. Elizabeth was working with humans who had written about Plant safety protocol in some of the academic journals now in Knives' possession.

It seemed every human surrounding Elizabeth had a talent for writing comedies.

Knives sat in his chair, both hands grasping onto the arms as he straightened his posture against it. He breathed, meditating for a moment to prepare himself and his sister. He had warned her of his plan and had to elaborate on his reasoning, which she agreed to. He had done this before. He frowned at the memory of the times he forced a Plant to overload. He planned to test how Elizabeth would handle an overloading Plant.

He chuckled as the vermin panicked at the sight of a humming bulb with a glow that gradually intensified to signal a potential explosion. Elizabeth commanded the other engineers, demanding an explanation and to identify who was responsible.

The Plant continued to glow, the humans quivered in fear, but Elizabeth remained calm while ordering others to control the situation by positioning them in numerous places. She then warned to prepare for a possible evacuation, and she cursed severely when some of her underlings scrambled to the exit. She panicked slightly but remained rational while deciding to contact Vash for assistance through the pen. Knives sighed, knowing he'd be lectured for this. Before he distanced himself from his sister, he opened his eyes.

Knives was accustomed to humans only worrying for themselves or their materialistic possessions when it came to his sisters' malfunctioning bulbs; either that or they abandoned the Plant.

Not her. Elizabeth's sudden emotional state was… genuine, similarly to what he felt from her during their first meeting. Her frantic heart reacted to the thought that the Plant would possibly perish. Not just the technology—the being within. She valued his sister as much if not more than the lives of the cowering engineers and even herself, which was unusual given how humans strive for self-preservation. She also feared for the safety of the other two Plants in the ship, because she cared and not because of what his species would provide for hers. Knives was left pondering the results of his test after ordering his sister to calm. It was one of many to come, but he had to wait because his idiotic brother had accidentally revealed the culprit behind the Plant's behavior.

"Millions Knives!" Elizabeth shouted, pounding on the door to his room sometime later. "You better have a good explanation for this!"

'Knives…' Vash whispered. 'It's wrong for you to use the Plants like this.'

'Vash.' Knives crossed his legs while he sat in his chair. 'It was a test, as I said before.'

'You still scared people and the Plants. Did you have to do that to her and the others?'

'I had the situation under control.'

'Elizabeth just left in a rage... She reminds me of Meryl a bit like that.'

'If you think I can't handle her, then you've clearly forgotten who your brother is.'

'... I haven't.'

Knives shifted uncomfortably in his chair. 'I won't harm her, Vash. However, if you tell her whenever I do something—'

'If we want the Plants and people to survive, she's one of our best bets.'

Knives rolled his eyes before glancing at his locked door. He debated with himself, and before realizing it, he unlocked it with a lengthy sequence of numbers. He glared down at Elizabeth, internally curious by her glistening eyes and irritated by the noises she made.

"What the hell was that about?! I thought the Plant was going to die! Vash tried to hide that it was your doing, but he accidentally said your name when I asked." Her clenched fists dug into her thighs.

Knives quirked a brow. He didn't have to ask since her thoughts spoke louder than words, but he was curious about how she'd choose to react. "You're more concerned about my sisters than the fact that you could've died yourself."

Elizabeth froze, her face softening from its previous enraged expression. She then uncurled her fingers and her arms dangled at her sides. She challenged his glare with one of her own, and Knives was entertained by her attitude—a challenge. Midvalley and Legato had immediately submitted to him, and such a reaction was devoid of excitement, but this human was something else entirely.

She knew what he was, what Vash was, and hadn't betrayed them—yet. She confronted him even, which if he were the same Plant that had caused July, he would've—

"Human," Knives spoke, and long ago he would've spat the word. "I'm curious. Why did you weep at the sight of the Plant when we were communicating?"

Her eyelids sagged slightly before she returned to her fierce gaze. She then sighed before glancing at everything in his room. "Vash said he told you about how we met. If it wasn't for him, I would've been a criminal and lost everything. Now, even though he caused July's destruction, he didn't have the intention to. I nearly took his life and the Plant's'." She met his glare, and Knives found himself staring into her sorrowful eyes. He felt his face relax as he listened mentally and externally. "Trapped. They're trapped. I'm sorry that I almost murdered your brothersh and the Plant. It was a mistake I'm trying to correct now."

"They're enslaved and have been even before humans crashed on this desolate planet. Experimentation, abuse, injections, cancer, torture." With each word, Knives spoke with a hint of venom that gradually intensified. "Humans created Plants, and they played God with their creations."

"I understand that, Millions. When I saw the Plant, I was overwhelmed by the memories of what I had almost done. Now, ever since then, I've been perfecting plans for the organization. But people will challenge me."

Knives scoffed. "Of course humans would resist innovation. Your engineers and scientists cling to ancient practices that have been harming my kind for generations."

"Excuse me," she demanded his attention, "now what have you been up to for the past hundred thirty-seven years?" She pointed, accusing him.

Now if he revealed that to her at this moment, Vash might have the nerve to rip his head—legs off again. Before he could react, she interrupted his thought process.

"I realized people can be disgusting long ago, but I'm trying to improve things now. It's… hard when the higher-ups coordinate everything related to Plant maintenance, the school system, and everything in between. Every double dollar counts to them, even at the expense of the Plants." She gestured toward the stacks of papers, some of them curiously scattered on the coffee table. "If I continue with my plans for the organization, they'll…"

Of course. Humans had always manipulated the masses, subliminally and otherwise, and Knives was infuriated to be reminded that they were repeating their history. He breathed deeply to manage his anger.

This woman was no different, wasn't she.

Oh, how Vash should've been appreciative of his efforts to tame his temper.

"Hm, I'm assuming a solution to your interference is to kill you," Knives said as he turned away to then sit in front of the papers. "Have you been targeted?"

Elizabeth continued to stand while she watched him read through a paper heavily marked with notes and scribbles. "Yes. Months ago, my bodyguard was injured by one of many assassins. Now, I've halted my attempts to start this project, but once I continue, they'll be after me again most likely."

Knives chuckled; he was reading through another page as she spoke.

"What's so funny?"

Knives continued to read. "These regulations are nothing but comical. If I had left your kind to their own devices, you all potentially would've caused every Plant to overload, but I needed—" He needed them for Eden. Back then, he had planned to use his sisters to create a new world, potentially draining them similarly to what humans were doing and had done.

If he'd done so, he would have been more human than Plant.

"And how would these regulations do such a thing? Hm?" she demanded, snatching the paper Knives loosely held in his grasp, and if he weren't so amused, he would've smacked her for such a disrespectful act.

He loomed over her as she read his notes and altered her expressions from irritated to curious. "It's difficult for an inferior human to recognize this," he pointed at a section he bracketed and wrote enough to overwhelm those unknowledgeable, "and in another two-hundred years or so, the Plants with these regulations will either explode or simply cease to function. I've suggested calibrations to these few pages that would reduce the strain on my sisters and prolong their lives by 52%."

She gaped, and Knives watched closely and listened to her mind. She was blank—shocked most likely. He wondered if she'd catch his lie.

"Nearly thirty years ago," he began. "I had made these discoveries after years of rigorous self-study to understand my kind."

She reached for other papers and sat to interpret them. Knives continued to listen inside her mind, entertained by her flow of shifting thoughts as she pieced the information, but she found parts that didn't fit. He entered the kitchen and returned with the cold cup of iced tea. He crossed his legs, balanced it over his knee, and watched with amusement.

"No," she finally said after three minutes, "that doesn't make sense. Comparing our notes, the Plants would have an increased output of 23% while extending their lifespan."

Perhaps she wasn't as incompetent as the engineers Knives had met throughout his long life. Still, she was human.

"Yes," he spoke.

"Was this another test?"

He sipped his tea and focused on the ice cubes clinking against the glass.

"Do what you have to do, but do not," she stood and now she was towering over him as he sat, "do not mess with the Plants like you did today. Why would you do that to a fellow Plant?"

Knives chuckled before setting his cup down and standing alongside her. Even with his height - strength obvious with the slightly tight blue long-sleeved shirt Stryfe stitched for him - and piercing eyes, Elizabeth stood her ground and expected him to yield.

Vash certainly knew how to select his own humans.

"I will determine what actions are appropriate; however, for my brother, I will refrain from using such methods. There are other ways to test you."

"You're testing to see if you can trust me. You already listen to my thoughts… What would it take for you to trust me?"

Knives pondered on that for a moment. "You're human. Despite how Vash's humans behave, I've never fully trusted them. Tolerated, yes, but I would be a fool to disregard their potential entirely." No matter how comfortable he became while living with the women, he still held onto the lesson he had learned as a child: Never entirely trust a human.

"I thought you'd be like your brother, but I was wrong."

"If he had done as I asked before we parted, he'd be better off." He averted his eyes for a moment.

She set the papers down. "What exactly would those beliefs be?"

The Plant raised the glass to his lips before opening a textbook. "To not be an irresponsible idiot."

She chuckled. "Irresponsible—maybe. Idiot, no. I've seen what he and the doctor can do."

Knives furrowed his brows at the sudden wave of her memories from years ago involving his brother, and Vash's humiliating behavior wrinkled the rest of Knives' face.

Why did Vash have a history of acting like a dog?

"We're quite capable of achieving the impossible." Knives leaned back into his chair. "You're privileged to be part of the few humans who are knowledgeable of our existence."

She rolled her eyes. "We'll see. Like most privileges, it can easily be revoked."

He raised a brow but said nothing else.

Other than monitoring Elizabeth's thoughts and actions throughout the ship and when she traveled outside, Knives remained in his room for those days with the occasional visit from her, Thomson, Stryfe, and his brother. Out of everyone who visited, Knives found himself somewhat appreciating the novelty of Elizabeth's company. She and Vash offered their own unique challenges, and even though they were educated, Elizabeth clung to logic with blunt clarity and a realistic view of the world compared to Vash; his brother tended to focus on the possibilities, disregarding facts that criticized his views and methods.

Knives often found himself visiting the library that had opened months ago and finally used the membership card Vash had given him. He soon developed a schedule when the library was least populated and the areas within where humans didn't sojourn. There, he'd continued to improve the materials given and write mocking notes Elizabeth found both humorous and annoying depending on her mood.

Christmas had passed, and New Year's Day neared sooner than Knives had anticipated. He basked in the pleasant weather as he returned home from the library after hours of rigorous study. He carried a traveling bag and brought some of his favorite books and cheap whiskey Vash craved for their New Year's Day celebration. Knives had read quite frequently while living in his own ships, but something about grasping onto a physical book felt more satisfying than straining his eyes while reading on a monitor.

He wondered who was in the house, and when he reached out, he felt his brother inside. That was unusual considering he also moved into the ship for a time and usually remained to work with the doctor or the engineers.

When Knives stepped inside after unlocking the door, his eyebrows knitted together as he felt the heavy atmosphere. Something wasn't quite right, and he reassured himself that only Vash was present. He set the books Thompson requested on the coffee table and left his pack on the couch before entering his bedroom where his brother waited.

'Vash?' Knives sent, but he felt his brother forcefully push him away.

What did he do this time?

Knives grasped the knob but hesitated when he heard his brother sniffling.

What was his brother crying about this time?

"Vash?" Knives called out as he pushed the door open.

Knives remained calm, eyes narrowed, and his stance radiated confidence, but his heart sank at the sight of his brother slouching over the edge of the bed. Past Vash was his desk where Thompson's damaged music box lay in the middle, then Knives focused his attention back to his weeping brother. He thought he had hidden the cause of Vash's discomfort in the room well enough; Knives could see the familiar silver gun slightly sinking into the blanket.

Vash's face contorted with disdain, a wrinkled appearance that made him look his age as he stared at the floor. "I thought I could trust you, Knives." His voice was screechy and sounded betrayed.

"As you should," Knives affirmed.

"W-why did you—the guns! Why do you have them? Why are you hiding them?" Vash turned his head, slowly. The trail of tears began drying.

Knives crossed his arms. "They're mine. You discarded them."

"I'm guessing you picked them up when you left for those months."

Knives simply nodded.

"The one you've been carrying isn't the gun I gave you, is it? The Plant told me it isn't."

Knives shook his head slightly. He should've known his sister would remain cautious of his motives and possibly tell his brother of the weapon, but he had been... distracted.

Vash's face went deadpan. "When were you planning on blowing us up?"

Knives furrowed his brows, then he uncrossed his arms and approached his brother in purposeful steps. "Really, Vash? After everything, you—"

"Why else would you hide them? Hide the black one with parts from the gun I gave you?!" Vash stood, his body stiff, and he was heaving breaths.

Knives glanced at the black Long Colt holstered at his side and slowly grasped onto the grip. He presented it to his brother, who slightly flinched away.

"I left those guns and the coat for a reason!" Vash's face now displayed his disappointment. "You still want to kill them."

Knives prepared to speak, but he sighed and avoided his brother's eyes. Yes, he had grown used to being among humans, befriended his brother's favorites, and lived in close proximity with them, but there was always the voice—the part of himself that demanded he should return to his senses. The vermin had to perish. He would terraform the planet with his brother and create Eden. Those thoughts and feelings had always clashed with ones that had been developing over the past several years.

Knives remained unreadable as he met Vash's eyes.

"Yes."

Immediately, his little brother's anger was more apparent than ever; Knives hadn't seen Vash look this way in quite some time. It was inevitable, Knives would admit to himself. No longer was Vash a victim to his cruelties; no longer was he the same brother. No, Vash had attempted to change, to face the world and love those he cherished. Now, Knives had found those weapons and in doing so, Vash's past life returned. Knives hadn't thought about that. He knew Vash would object to having them, but Knives had hidden them away, believing his brother would understand eventually why he retrieved them. They were simply for comfort. The guns were their siblings after all. They were his.

It took minutes, but Vash made his choice. In one quick motion - too swiftly to be seen by mortal eyes - he grabbed his silver gun and aimed it between Knives' dull eyes. Knives remained outwardly calm, but his heart raced at the sight of the gun used to cripple him on multiple occasions.

"I told you a while ago not to give me a reason to shoot you, Knives."

Knives blinked slowly.

Vash lowered his eyes to examine the scuffs Knives hadn't repaired on the silver gun. "How can I trust you when you still have these and you want to kill them?" he spoke softly.

Knives turned his gun over as if he'd find something different about it. "You can't, I suppose. I could've killed that human that nearly killed you last year. I could've blown up the city by now." He met Vash's eyes and snarled. "Vash! I have lived with my ideologies for as long as you have; you shouldn't think for a moment that ignoring them is an effortless endeavor. Look at you! It took Legato killing that priest, then you returning the favor and accepting what you are to—"

Vash cocked the hammer back. Knives froze, but his posture gave no indication of his internal turmoil.

"I ran away when we talked about July and Elizabeth, but now I'm not. I can't let you succeed, Knives. I can't let you because if we're all that's left, I'll make sure you're the only one to enjoy Eden."

Knives sneered, but his heart felt as if it stopped at Vash's hidden implication. "Suicide? You'd rather kill yourself than be with me? I thought you disapproved of it."

"I do. I'd be the one to hide from you; I'd make sure you'd never find me."

Knives pondered on that. What if Vash discovered a way to completely separate from him? Vash had been gradually accepting what he was over the years. It was possible. Knives had always felt his twin throughout his life through their connection - no matter the distance - and for that feeling to be completely severed from him was…

"Running away? Of course," Knives responded coldly.

"There wouldn't be anything to run from that's worth staying for!" Vash slightly squeezed the trigger, his arm trembled but he steadied the gun. "Rem told me to take care of you… This is one way to take care of you. I don't want this, but how can I trust you? What do you want now?! Are you gonna torture Meryl and Milly? Are you gonna make me suffer again until you get your way?"

Knives stared for a moment. Vash's emotions were justified, but if he had truly forgiven Knives, then shouldn't he have already overcome his doubts? Vash had overcome the grievances caused by vermin easily before. Knives then reflected on the conversation they had while sitting against the house in the backyard.

"You haven't ever forgiven me, not really."

Vash's control wavered as he slightly lowered the gun and widened his eyes. "I-I… I don't know."

"Yes, that's it. You'd forgive rapists, murderers, pedophiles, slavers, arsonists, thieves, and the like, but when it comes to your brother—your flesh and blood that hasn't reverted to his previous ways—I'm treated differently, worse than irredeemable human garbage. I'm not human, is that the problem? Humans kill each other and learn to cope with their atrocities. Are my sins horrendous not because I killed, but because I killed so many? Rem and the millions of others? I'm still your brother—still capable of exterminating humanity at any moment!" Knives nonchalantly raised his own gun and aimed it at Vash's forehead, but he kept his fingers away from the trigger.

Vash gawked at his brother, eyes wide and never averting from his twin. His arm shook violently, seemingly debating whether shooting Knives was the best choice, convincing himself that to 'take care of Knives' meant ending his potential reign of terror, forever.

"You want forgiveness? Okay, what should I forgive you for?" Vash asked, his voice raised slightly as he steadied his weapon again.

Knives' eyes narrowed then closed in contemplation. Forgiveness… He had accomplished quite a bit in his life, and had done things his brother would surely never forget, but forgive? If his brother truly wanted to know, then Knives wouldn't remain silent.

The older twin opened his eyes and his face hardened as the seconds ticked by. Knives watched his own knuckles whiten as he replayed the memory in his head. "You ran from me a century ago because you were afraid of your superiority. I knew you had to experience what horrors humanity was capable of, so I allowed you to mingle with them for decades. Maybe you'd finally see what they are and despise them as much as I do, but I should've known better.

"Before July, I managed to hack into the now crashed ship's databases, knowing you were among them, and planted false information regarding Rem's relative." Knives watched Vash's grip tighten on his weapon. "I also wanted my gun back. I wanted my brother back.

"When we finally met, you really hadn't changed. I had already seen your scars thanks to the files the ship kept of you. Decades among them and you still thought humans deserved to live, so my anger got the better of me." His grip slackened on the gun as he recalled the blood that spilled from his brother's stump. "I felt powerful, confident that you'd finally realize that you weren't human, and killing them would sever the chain Rem had around you. What I hadn't counted on was your memory loss wiping away that growth, but would it have changed you?

"After I was reduced to a torso, I sought to survive. I could regenerate what was necessary to live, but it took everything for me to stay alive while buried under rubble. I attempted to reach you, but you weren't there, and I thought you were abandoning me again and your 'everything has the right to live' nonsense didn't apply to me—only to the humans. I didn't deserve to live, apparently." He released a humorless laugh.

"I survived the ordeal because a young adolescent boy was conscious and able to assist me. I commanded him with what energy remained, and since vehicles and other forms of transportation were also destroyed, he had to pull my body out of the rubble and across the desert. Eventually, we were running low on supplies, which I had commanded him to gather until a vehicle drove by. I had the boy dispose of the driver and he drove us to my ship, Pequod, near Demetrihi. There, I managed to command the boy to free the Plant scientists I had in cryogenic pods to assist him in strapping my body into a healing bulb, where I remained for two decades."

Knives placed a finger on the trigger and remained calmer than his struggling twin.

"I remained asleep for years after that, and when the boy turned into a man, I discovered that he remained affected by my telepathy even while I laid dormant. My obsession with revenge led me to plan on how to return the pain I had endured. I couldn't accomplish this plan myself, so I had to rely on the man I named Bluesummers, who had eagerly accepted the idea of replacing his arm with your preserved one he was ordered to take in July as well. Plant DNA has similarities to human DNA, so it's no surprise that your arm accepted him. In doing this, he gained abilities and was able to activate your arm."

Vash gasped for breaths, his eyes slightly turning blue as he grasped onto his silver Long Colt with both hands.

"Oh, I didn't trust the worm. I ordered him to command the militia he had gathered to make you suffer, but I never wanted you to die. After he had mastered his abilities, he became harder to manipulate, which I had anticipated, but since he was human, I doubted he'd be able to resist me. My telepathy couldn't reach or command him when he believed killing you was what I wanted. This is when that priest enters the picture during the time the Gung-Ho Guns were sent by Bluesummers." Knives suppressed a snarl as Vash began pulling the trigger. "Evergreen from his cult, the Eye of Michael, discovered my existence and sent me his best assassins. Legato guided Evergreen and the priest to my ship, and I ordered Legato away and gave specific orders to the priest that I wanted him to be your babysitter and guide. It was a job that ensured he'd be rewarded and his orphans protected.

"The priest was also sent to betray you—show you how greedy and selfish the vermin could be if it meant that their atrocities would result in their favor, but I hadn't anticipated that he'd risk his life and his orphans' lives to betray me. I knew having him deceive you wouldn't have killed you since he was no match."

Vash began crying, tears staining his coat as he aimed directly for Knives' heart instead. Knives steadied his gun, but even he couldn't control his breaths as he became drowned in his thoughts.

"I remained in the bulb for over twenty years. I slept through most of it, but each time I awakened, my hatred conflicted with my relationship with you. You're my brother. You're my other half. I supposed Rem would've labeled these feelings as love, but I wasn't sure. I never wanted you dead, and when I finally was tired of Legato after regenerating my legs, I killed Evergreen, slowly, and ordered Midvalley to torment you and the residents of the city, but never to kill you. Legato's punishment was to die, but not by his own hands—one of them." Knives laughed then, and Vash looked horrified. "I ordered him to make you suffer and in doing so, he'd have to forfeit his life in an endeavor for you to evolve past your pitiful existence and be by my side again. You should've been broken, an irreversible mess that needed support from someone who understood you. What human could possibly understand you? I wasn't expecting your pet to even bother with you after that, but she and Thompson had proven their worth to your cause, I suppose.

"I made my location very clear. I wanted you to come to me because you needed me. That overconfidence backfired. The rest is history."

Knives watched Vash's fingers tighten again around the trigger.

"Will you ever forgive me, dear brother?" he mocked. He readied himself as his fingers pressed the trigger. "Are you going to shoot me again?" Knives smirked, but it fell when he met Vash's conflicted eyes. "Could you forgive yourself if you did kill me?"

Vash tightly shut his eyes.

"Would you ever really trust me?" Knives asked softly.

"... I want to."

"Even after everything—the effort I have given because of y—and you still don't quite trust me. Even after leaving for months without causing a catastrophic incident—giving me a weapon! You always favored them, so what's the point in all of this? How many humans had broken promises and were forgiven? If I break mine, would you forgive me?"

"... I don't know! … Mistakes happen."

"Have you forgiven so many that you've forgotten what forgiveness truly means or its effect? How many have betrayed you again and again? The priest? He murdered many of the Guns to protect you, and you still favored him! When I murdered Steve to protect us, you lashed out. You favored Rem even though she abandoned us for them! It's always them! I'm pleased that I killed her and you realized the hold she had on you! When I extinguish them, your pet, create Ed—"

That sound was so familiar. Knives had heard it countless times. Their Long Colts had a peculiar echo to them, a deep wailing noise that haunted Knives during their previous confrontation. It was foolish of him to have once stated their battle in the geo-plant he nurtured had been their final confrontation. It was bound to occur again. The cycle.

Knives staggered back, his left arm dangling at his side, swinging as his body vigorously trembled. The black Long Colt clanked on the ground before it too immersed itself in the heavy silence. They both froze and the stillness was broken by the panting from the younger brother while the oldest stared at the blood seeping into the very stitching of his shirt Stryfe had meticulously sewn together. Knives dabbed his fingertips into the hole below his shoulder, slowly processing what had just occurred, and felt the skin encasing the bullet throb. His vacant eyes revealed nothing, but his mind and heart raced.

Revenge. Vash deserved it! Grab the gun. They all did! Vermin, garbage, an insignificant species! The betrayal!

If his brother wouldn't ever forgive—trust him—then why bother trying?

It was easier to cling to the familiar—the past—the grudge. He had lost track of what he was for too long.

No… He couldn't!

Knives eyed the gun on the floor and gripped onto his shoulder to prevent himself from seizing the weapon. He'd kill them. Who? The women? Vash? Revenge. He'd sever his brother's other arm for this! He'd make him suffer! Knives forced the acidic taste down his throat as it ascended to his tongue. He felt helpless and flashbacks to him screaming in agony after his thigh had been shot tormented him, reminding him of his brother's first betrayal—the first of many to come.

Vash's determined expression gradually turned into a pained one. "K-Kni...Knives…" Vash dropped his gun and hesitantly reached for his brother.

Knives only watched Vash briefly as he scanned everything else surrounding him. Vash was still present after shooting him, but he deserved to pay—yes! No! Knives continued to debate with himself, but when a gentle hand grasped onto his clean shoulder, he jerked back, eyes wide and enraged, his lower arm swinging as he nearly fell over.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Knives could feel his previous wounds ache, but they had healed years ago.

Vash wanted to trust him, but how could Knives trust him?

They weren't ready. Maybe in another hundred years when he sorted these conflicting emotions or buried them, he'd find Vash again. Would Knives choose to develop a plan, gather another militia, kill the insurance women if they were alive by the time he left the ship, destroy this city, or kill his br—"

No. He didn't want to flee, but Knives knew if he didn't, he'd reclaim the gun and shoot Vash—annihilate the city.

Knives stepped backward, struggling to keep his balance as he developed his new plan. At the beginning of his life on the planet, he had despised being alone, but he had buried the emotions caused by the damaging emptiness during the years he isolated himself. He knew how to ignore it, but it would take time again to return to that state of mind.

"Knives, please let me help you. I—"

"You've done enough." He schooled his voice as he backed into the front door with a trail of blood following him. "If you follow me, I'll kill them."

Vash halted and forced his body to stop. "W-who?"

"Would it matter which human?" Knives felt his back press against the door. "I'll kill them."

"No, you won't. Not after everything. I won't let you."

"Then you'll kill me." Knives opened the door, and before Vash could respond, he stormed into the crowd of people preparing to celebrate the beginning of the new year.

What had he done?

Vash watched Knives gradually disappear within the crowd of people. He remained in front of their house, and when he finally found the strength to move, Knives' pale, blond hair was swallowed by the sea of browns and blacks as people traveled across the city.

'Knives! Damn it!' Vash shouted as he ran toward where he last spotted his brother. 'Don't go, please!' His attempts to reach his twin through telepathy were futile. Vash was more adept at his abilities now, but even he couldn't do half of the things Knives could, and, if he were being honest with himself, he would never want to.

'Knives… please…'

Vash wasn't sure what to feel or believe when his sister had mentioned Knives' unique weapon. When she shared Knives' memories, Vash immediately ran to the house where the insurance girls lived and searched through the wall where Knives hid his silver gun, pieces from the old black Long Colt, and the skeleton of the one Vash gave him for Christmas.

Could he forgive himself if he took Knives' life? Vash was tempted to ask Rem after all these years, but this was something he had to decide for himself.

Vash rushed into the crowd, swiftly and gracefully maneuvering around people and their supplies. He tried to feel for his brother, but Knives hid similarly to when Vash had searched for him for years.

He couldn't lose Knives. Not now.

Vash spotted Knives' pale hair through the masses and doubled his efforts. Vash didn't want his brother to know he was nearing him, so he kept his concerns hidden, using his fear to propel himself toward Knives. Unfortunately, even if Vash couldn't feel Knives, the older twin could sense him. Knives glanced over his shoulder. Vash nearly tripped when Knives revealed his contorted face, and his expression reminded Vash of the brother who had nonchalantly sat on a desk covered with blood just before July City's demise.

Knives could've done that again. Why was he running away? Hadn't Knives mocked him for doing the same thing? His brother had always been a hypocrite.

Vash's boots slid across the desert sand when people got in his way. There wasn't any room to circumvent each person, because when he parted from his thoughts, the crowd halted and stared at him. Everyone stood in place, bodies facing away from him and not, but their heads turned to watch him, eyes wide and some twisted in anger. Knives' footsteps echoed and gradually dissipated while the people remained motionless.

'Knives—' Vash prepared to demand why his brother controlled people after promising not to unless it was necessary, but he caught himself. He supposed it was an emergency; Knives was shot and had to defend himself from the one responsible.

Vash thought he had a reason to shoot Knives. Not only did his brother still believe in killing people, but he also threatened Meryl, and kept the guns hidden to—what, prepare? Now, Vash was reminded that Knives never needed the guns to harm people on a mass scale. His brother could've caused them to slaughter each other, overload a Plant, and so much more. Vash had always scrutinized Knives for using his telepathy, but he hadn't witnessed the magnitude of what Knives could accomplish.

If Knives planned to do something against humanity, he'd do it.

Knives was trying to change, but Vash had disregarded his brother's efforts. Now, everything was undone.

Vash watched as helpless people readied their weapons, eyes unblinking and many began crying due to the lack of moisture. Vash had never tested the new submachine gun in his prosthetic, and even if he had, he wouldn't risk firing into a crowd this dense. He'd dodge, and if they did fire, the people behind him would die.

Knives was truly lost to him, wasn't he?

People's arms began to shake, and before Vash could adjust his stance, they lowered their weapons. Some raised them again only to drop them or aim elsewhere. Vash observed this display carefully and widened his eyes in realization.

He needed to find his brother, now!

Only, Vash couldn't. After he found his way around the area, he lost track of Knives. He rushed through the city, asked the girls telepathically if Knives returned to the house, and reached out to his sisters in the crashed ship; they were asked not to reveal Knives' whereabouts, and Vash begged them to, but they politely refused. The sister that told Vash of Knives' weapon was informed of what happened and stubbornly stayed silent.

Two hours passed, and there was still no sign of Knives. Vash returned home in case Knives threatened Meryl and Milly. When he reached the house, he banged on the door and sent a message to Meryl that it was him. Immediately, the door opened and she pulled him inside, slamming the door.

"What the hell happened, Vash!?" Meryl demanded. "Why is Knives acting like this?!"

"Mr. Vash," Milly spoke as she diligently entered the room, "is Mr. Knives okay?"

Vash reluctantly shook his head. He turned to the books and pack Knives left in the living room and absently turned a few pages of a children's book Milly wanted. "While you two were at work, I… I found the Long Colts Knives made to exterminate humanity." Meryl looked down at her feet. Milly stared at him, shaking her head in disbelief. "He's had them since months after Christmas last year. If he wanted to," he met Meryl's eyes, "he could've destroyed this city already. He could've forced people to shoot each other. He could've—"

"But he didn't!" Milly shouted. "Knives isn't that kind of person anymore!"

Vash's face fell, defeated. "I'm not so sure about that. He's… I don't know. Conflicted? I don't know… Damn it! It was a mistake!" Vash buried his face in his hands and slumped into the couch. He felt tears trail down his face before falling onto his palms. While he wept, he was startled by a pair of arms wrapping around him. He didn't need to see who it was.

"What do we do now?" Milly whispered as she stood beside the couch.

Vash sniffled and raised his head when Meryl lightly shook him. A handkerchief hovered in front of him before he spotted the delicate hand carrying it. He followed the arm that led him to a concerned Meryl, who also began crying quietly. He accepted the cloth and used half of it to clean himself and offered Meryl the other half.

"I don't know… I can't find him. If Knives doesn't want to be found, there might not be a lot we can do."

"Mr. Vash, you can't give up now!"

"Vash!"

The man jolted, and Meryl also jumped at the sound of a voice so close to her ear. The earring!

"E-Elizabeth," Vash spoke while Meryl grasped his prosthetic. "Now's not the time—"

"Your psychotic brother was here and demanded someone to fix his shoulder… He…"

Vash's eyes hardened as he stood from the couch. "Did he hurt you?" he immediately asked. Why was Knives asking her if he could control people?

"No… I did it willingly. He left after I fastened a cast around his arm." Vash sat back down."You lied to me."

Vash raised his head, eyes narrowed as he absently rubbed Meryl's hand with his thumb. "About what?"

"... He told me he caused July, but he was acting—I don't know. He forced you to use your power to destroy it—my life! Why didn't you tell me?! He's a monster!"

Meryl turned her head to give Vash a questioning look. He couldn't find the words to respond. He furrowed his brows, eerily resembling his brother. "I'm sorry… You deserved to know, but it wasn't entirely a lie. I never pleaded my innocence because I couldn't remember, and I wasn't sure if I was responsible or not. I pulled the trigger. I'm sorry." Why would his brother reveal what he had done?

"Sorry isn't good enough!"

"I-I know. Just saying things never is…"

"He'll pay, Vash. I can't—" Elizabeth's voice cut off, indicating that she disconnected.

Forgiveness, trust, apologies. Meaningless, really. Knives had proven himself through his actions, proved he could be trusted, and he had apologized somewhat and—

"Meryl," Vash gave her a hollow smile, "I am an idiot."

She offered her own. "Idiots can learn, Vash." She released a humorless laugh while Milly giggled, but it lacked enthusiasm.

Milly sat beside Vash, both girls on either side of him. Milly grabbed his other hand and squeezed. He returned the gesture and tightened his hold onto Meryl's hand. He wasn't alone. Knives wasn't alone anymore either. He'd find his brother again if it's the last thing he'd do.