Ch. 3 – Mysterious Plant
That day Vash and Loki quickly left town on their way to their special destination but the trip wasn't easy, they were barely able to get by with the $$2,000 reward. They took a bus, then a sand steamer and finally ended up renting a beat up car, which Vash wasn't used to driving. Loki had to drive most of the way. When they were almost their Vash made her stop and they hid the car behind some rocks. They were in the middle of nowhere and Loki didn't understand why they were stopping. They had nowhere to go, all that was in front of them was a sea of sand, but Vash merely smiled and winked, telling her to trust him. They grabbed their bags and started walking. Vash told Loki to stay close because the dust was so thick they could lose each other in it. Once they were walking through the sea of sand Loki walked close to Vash, holding onto his jacket as she used her other hand to shield her eyes and mouth. But soon the dust cleared as they came up on a large house built off the edge of a cliff. Loki was shocked and stood staring for a moment before she caught up to Vash. They went into the house and Vash lead the way to a box car on a pulley system. They got in and Vash started the system. It started moving and Loki was amazed. The car swayed as it moved along the wire through the sea of sand. Loki began to pace feeling antsy in the car surrounded by sand and mist. But soon the sun shone brightly and Loki could see where they were going. It was a floating ship in the middle of the sea of sand and mist.
"Oh! A ship! It's still floating after all these years?" She asked in amazement.
"Yes, thanks to the fine powder of the sand the gravity plant still works."
Vash said and Loki was amazed but then she was worried.
"Wait, since their ship is still floating they don't get out much right, and probably hate outsiders… What if they don't like me Vash? What if they get mad at you for bringing me?" Loki asked him in worry but he smiled
"Relax. They don't hate outsiders, they're only wary of them. But since you're with me they'll know they can trust you. Besides as soon as you smile you'll win them all over." Vash said and Loki blushed deeply watching Vash, her heart now pounding twice as fast.
Vash had gotten up to prepare for their arrival. Soon the car stopped and they exited. At the doors to the ship Vash and Loki stood for a moment before they opened. Vash walked through the doors and Loki followed. They entered into a huge GEO plant room where lots of people were enjoying the day. The older people recognized Vash and ran over calling to everyone to spread the word that Vash had returned.
"Vash is back! Hey Vash!" Most of them called out to him and he waved.
"Getting into trouble again huh Vash?" A young man asked after he greeted Vash.
"About time for a new arm anyway huh?" He added.
"Yeah, sorry this is such short notice. I thought I could fix it myself but everything is torn. Plus I figured it was about time for a visit." Vash said.
"Well, everyone will sure be glad to have you back for a few days. I'm sure they're getting booze together already." He said and Vash laughed as he scratched his head.
It was then the other man noticed Loki, as did everyone else.
"Oh, who's your friend?" He asked.
"Oh sorry! This is Loki, she's been traveling with me for a while now. She's worried you'll hate her." Vash told him and he laughed.
"Nah! Anyone with Vash is welcome."
"There, you see. What did I tell you. You worried for nothing and missed the view on the way in." Vash told her and it was then she finally got a good look around as she finally came out from hiding behind Vash. She looked around in astonishment. She'd never seen living trees and plants before. She walked a bit away from Vash to get a good look around, not even noticing all the older people staring at her. She kneeled and ran her fingers through the grass. After a moment she was brought out of her trance as a ball rolled up to her in her line of sight. She picked it up and looked up as a few boys and girls ran over. They were motioning for her to throw it back.
"Throw it over here!" They called and she tossed it to them.
"Thanks!" Some of the children said as Vash appeared next to her.
"Hey Vash come play with us! Your friend can play too!" One boy called.
"Maybe later ok! We've got some things to take care of first!"
Vash called to them as he pointed out his left arm which caused them all to cheer in amazement. Vash laughed and looked at Loki who was smiling at them. Vash kneeled holding out his hand to her.
"I knew you'd like it here. Come on I'll show you around." Vash said with a smile and Loki took his hand as he helped her up. As they were walking Loki finally noticed the people looking at her. Most stared in amazement and others whispered to each other. Loki felt uncomfortable and worried by this and so hid herself by Vash, holding onto his arm as they walked.
"Vash… everyone is staring at me, and whispering." She whispered to him and he smiled down at her.
"It's because you don't look like an outsider. They think you're beautiful. They know there's something special about you." Vash told her and she blushed.
She was starting to get suspicious of Vash's mood toward her. It was the little subtle comments he made about saying she was beautiful or special. It made her happy and finally comfortable in her own skin.
Soon the man who had greeted Vash led them to a place where they could stay for their time on the ship. They were left alone for a time to refresh from their long journey. Vash laughed at how shy Loki was acting. She didn't want to go anywhere without him. And so Vash took her to meet the man who would fix his arm. On the way he showed her around, everything she needed to know to find her way around on her own.
After meeting the man Vash trusted to fix his arm Loki was asked to leave so that they could start the surgery but she wanted to stay and watch. Vash really didn't want her to watch, not that it was bloody it was a bit disturbing to gentle eyes. But Vash let her stay, he couldn't say no to her.
Through the whole thing there was a state of shock on her face. Vash gently touched her arm at one point to let her know everything was alright. But soon came the moment where the arm had to be attached to the nerves in Vash's arm. The doctor decided to do it quick for Vash's sake, which made Loki flinch. But after a moment the pain passed for Vash and he tested out his new arm, moving it all around. Loki was watching his arm curiously and he held his hand out to her. She cautiously moved her left hand to his and gently touched her fingers on his palm. It didn't feel any differently from a normal hand and she wondered if he could feel with it. She took her hand away and gave him a smile.
"Can you feel with it?" She asked.
"Yup, but not as much as it should. Good enough though. There's also a hidden gun in my arm."
Vash told her as he got off the table and put his shirt back on. Loki was amazed and followed him as he continued the tour of the ship. He showed her the nerve center of the ship and how it worked and explained that it was a satellite to Earth. He also explained that the work being done here was also on the plants.
"They've been able to discover that the plants have the capability to create fertile land and plant trees all over the planet, but in order for that to happen every plant has to be activated a special way at the same time otherwise they'll only get small random patches of land everywhere that would die quickly in this environment. They just don't know how to do it. The plants have the power to create a second Earth. The only problem is we don't have the key or code to doing it. And we don't know everything we can about the plants even though we created them." The woman at the computer added.
Loki was amazed by everything, but something about creating a second Earth caught her attention and she zoned out, thinking about it for a moment. Vash got her attention back when he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"It's almost time for dinner." He told her and they left.
After dinner there was a huge party for Vash's return and it involved a lot of drinking. But while the night was still young Loki had stopped drinking, and sat at a table watching the fun. Vash noticed her sitting alone and came over. She could tell he was toasted due to the funny colored tie around his head. His concerned expression made him look funny with the tie and she laughed inwardly.
"Not having fun?" He asked.
"Yes I am, just a little tired I guess." She replied.
"Want me to walk you back to the room?" He asked.
"That's ok I can go myself. You have fun." She told him as she got up.
Vash followed her to the exit.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes." She said with a smile and he grinned stupidly as he watched her leave.
Loki went to their room and tried to sleep but found she couldn't. The room had no windows and was pitch dark with the lights off. Not a sound could be heard and it was getting to her. She felt trapped in that room and then decided to take a walk.
The party in the dining hall had finally died down. As Loki passed the entrance she saw Vash passed out on a table drooling with the tie still on his head. She laughed to herself as she walked, making her way to the GEO plant room she and Vash had entered into. The room was dark and silent but the night sky could be seen through the dome above. Loki found a spot to sit beneath a big tree as two of the five moons hung over head draping everything in silver light. She found peace in this beautiful place her nerves finally calmed as she wished the whole planet could look like this.
Deep into the night all was quiet, and Vash would have slept all night on the table if his subconscious hadn't picked up something. He sat up with a start and looked around, trying to get a fix on what was going on. He then realized his brother was on the move.
"Knives… What are you up to? Are you trying to find me? To find us? You better keep your promise." Vash thought to himself as he got up.
He walked to his room, but when he got there he didn't see Loki. After a seconds thought he knew where she was and went to the GEO plant room. He found her sitting under the tree and grinned at the way the moon light played on her pale hair. As Vash peered around the tree she looked at him and smiled.
"Thought I'd find you here." He said.
"I couldn't sleep. That room feels like a box." She said.
"I feel the same way sometimes. You get used to it in a day or so. Can I sit with you?" He asked and she nodded.
He sat down close to her, putting part of himself behind her. Startled she looked at him.
"Something soft to lean on in case you fall asleep." He said and she smiled as she leaned against him.
They sat for a while in silence, enjoying the peace of that living place, but Loki broke the silence gently with her soft voice.
"I hope this planet can look like this one day… I'm going to pray for it every day. What do you think the key is?" She asked softly.
"I don't know, but I hope and pray for the same thing." Vash said.
After some time Vash could tell Loki had fallen asleep. He sat for a time thinking about Knives and what he might be up to. Vash could tell it was nothing serious and he prayed it wouldn't become serious. But just to be safe Vash wanted to leave as soon as possible and hide out in a small town he knew no one would look for them in, at least for a while. He knew Knives must have become suspicious of Loki's power. Somehow Vash knew there was something special and very different about her and he knew the secrets of her past were unraveling the closer they got to the town where she was born. Beginning to feel tired Vash decided to bring Loki to their room to finally rest. As Vash turned to pick Loki up he noticed something in the grass by her right hand. It was a small purple flower growing by the tree. He'd never seen one in that GEO room before and thought it odd for there to be only one. He recognized the flower, it was Violetta, a wild violet and for it to be between her fingers like it had been, without being damaged. It was as if it had grown between her fingers. Vash laughed to himself as he picked Loki up, thinking the idea that she had grown the flower was silly. Vash carried Loki to their room and laid her on the bed. He decided to take the couch to discourage her feelings for him, but he had a feeling they both would spill their hearts to each other sooner or later. But he knew right now was not a good time to express their feelings. But he also knew pent up feelings were bad, it was why he had been giving her little hints and compliments. Vash now didn't think much about her being his sister and began to let his feelings grow.