Knives felt a keen sense of excitement as he and Elendira approached the main plant of North City. He was so close. Something had been drawing him for a long while and soon he would be close enough to touch the plant, to commune with his sister being and find out why she had called him.

He hurried past the crowds of humans. He shrugged off the unpleasant creeping feeling of disgust that lingered at the back of his throat. Elendira trailed behind him. She looked almost worried that he would give in to his loathing and exterminate every last human in the city. But she needn't have worried. Knives was focused on his destination with singular determination.

Finally they reached the threshold of the plant. Knives remarked that it was strangely deserted. It was the middle of the night but still there should be someone monitoring the plant.

"Wretched creatures," he thought to himself. "They care less for a superior being than for a dog."

It did make things slightly easier. He and Elendira walked uneventfully through the empty facility until they reached the main room, where Knives's sister began to shimmer into existence upon his approach. He neared the bulb with hands outstretched. Placing his palms on the smooth, warm glass, he reached out to the being inside.

"I have come," he thought.

His sister smiled warmly.

"Why?" she replied.

Knives fixed his sister with a questioning look but before he could reply Elendira called his name softly. Knives turned to see that another person had joined them in the room.

Standing in the shadows some ways behind Knives and Elendira was a woman. She was clothed top to tail in black. She regarded the pair before her angrily and Elendira noticed that strapped to her back was what looked like a long, blackish sword.

"Who are you?" plied Elendira smoothly.

The woman stared coldly at Elendira.

"Security," she said simply.

Elendira sighed and looked a bit non-plussed at the woman's archaic weapon. Who the hell carries a sword? But no matter. Elendira the Crimsonnail was always ready for blood.

Elendira swung her case around and let loose a volley of spikes. But before they could hit their target, the woman drew her blade, faster than fast, and with two quick swoops of the sword an unseen force rushed to stop most of the spikes and pushed Elendira back several yards.

Elendira quickly regained her footing. By this time Knives annoyance was fading and instead he wondered to himself whether he might have a use for the stranger. He stepped forward slightly.

"This plant," he began, "is my birthright. Stand aside now and you won't be killed. I might even have further use for you beyond this evening."

The woman fixed Knives with a hard stare and said nothing. Suddenly, she raised her blade in Elendira's direction. She showed no signs of backing down. Instead she addressed both of the intruders.

"Leave. Now."

Elendira took this as her cue to renew her attack. She brought round her case and summoned another flurry of nails even as the woman lifted her sword high. She once again used the sword to draw up the unseen force, whirling about and bringing down the blade forcefully into a wide arc. One nail grazed her side while Elendira went flying into a wall behind them all.

Knives was not a patient man. He was no longer amused by the display in front of him. He had come for one reason only and no human was going to stand between him and the plant. Calmly he summoned the angel arm. Dozens of preternaturally sharp blades emerged from Knives's skin and shot forward with deadly purpose.

Several things happened at once. Elendira regained her feet and began to close the distance between her and the woman, moving to attack at close range. The woman stepped to parry the blow and Knives's blades found their mark.

Knives was a bit perturbed. His blades had flown directly for the woman's head, but having dodged them, the woman now crouched beneath where the blades now stuck, lodged above her in the wall.

An eternity seemed to pass during which all parties seemed a bit dazed. Slowly, the woman stood up and regarded Knives with a curious, somewhat shocked expression. Then her expression shifted. It seemed to Knives that her expression now resembled one of understanding…almost recognition?

He didn't have long to ponder it. The woman faced him determinedly and lifted her blade above her head. For a moment all was stillness and then a great crackling boom ripped through the room as the sword sparked with electricity. Electricity, Knives realized, that was being channeled from the plant.

With a flash the woman swung the blade down and a force like a bolt of lightning streaked towards Knives, who had a split second to draw up blades to block it.

Knives wouldn't admit as much to himself but he was now deeply shaken. He had never known a human to be able to use plant energy in such a direct way. How could this human tap into his brethren? Unless…

"Wait!" he shouted over the din as the woman prepared another lightning strike. "You aren't human!"

"Neither are you," she replied icily before releasing her second bolt.

Knives deflected the strike and electricity crackled through the air around him. It resonated with him.

"We're the same!" Knives shouted. "Understand? We need to talk!"

"First get out of my city," she replied.

"You can't want to attack your own kind!"

"Try me."

The sword glowed with another charge and Knives made up his mind.

"I'll go," he said. "I'll go…for now."

Knives started to back away before reaching out to her with his mind. She tensed and looked at him with murder in her eyes before he quickly plied her with one question.

"Just tell me one thing," he began. "Tell me your name."

She stared at him hard, not backing down from the attack.

"Ultima."

Vash sighed.

It had been nearly two months since he had buried Wolfwood. He found himself wishing vainly that the priest were here. He might be able to say something to console the feeling of dread that had taken up steadfast residence in his heart over the past few weeks.

He didn't know exactly what he was doing. Knives was sick. Very sick. And Vash wasn't exactly qualified to help him. But he had a sneaking suspicion that he was the only one whom his brother would listen to in any case. At least now that Vash had put some bullets in him, maybe he would have to listen.

He felt like he could never tell anyone, but in his heart he feared that there would be no way to get through to Knives. He was afraid that his brother had been lost irrevocably so many years ago on that SEEDS ship, when Vash had made his choice about how to deal with the news of Tessla's death and Knives had made his.

Because the truth was the Knives wasn't unaware of the nature of humanity. He had eyes to see and ears to hear. It was his interpretation that faltered.

Lost in thought, Vash climbed the stairs to his brother's room and placed the cool glass of water he had brought on the nightstand across from Knives. Knives didn't look up from the worn old book he was reading, sitting up in bed. Vash waited through the silence.

"Today is our 151st birthday," he said idly. Knives continued to read. Only the fluttering of his turning pages periodically broke the silence in the room.

"Knives," Vash sighed. "Why won't you talk to me?" Knives placed a hand on his temple to cut Vash out of his field of vision and continued to read, brow creasing in annoyance and concentration. Vash continued.

"I wish you would say anything. Yell. Scream. Tell me how wrong I am!"

Knives had been awake for nearly two weeks after being unconscious for a time but hadn't said a word, not even a curse, to anyone. Vash didn't know if Knives's pride was wounded, if he was depressed or if he was just playing some childish game with Vash for having the gall to beat him in combat. Vash sat down in the rickety chair next to Knives's bed and sighed, his head dropping into his hands, elbows atop knees.

Knives finally lowered his dogeared book and coldly eyed his twin.

"You…," croaked Knives in a low voice, "…are a fool."

Vash's head shot up and he gaped at Knives, who continued to stare with all the hatred he could muster. Vash smiled slightly.

"Finally. I was afraid you were going to go on with the silent treatment forever." A muscle in Knives's jaw twitched.

"Look," said Vash, suddenly serious again. "We're going to have to have this conversation sooner or later so we might as well start now. Talk to me."

"About what? The same thing we've been talking about for one hundred and fifty years? The same thing you refuse to accept? That you're not a human, never will be, and can't peacefully live among them? About how you're condemning hundreds of your own brethren to a slow death? No, I'm tired of talking, Vash. You should have just killed me."

Vash looked hurt at his brother's torrent of words. He found he couldn't meet his brother's gaze so his eyes shifted to the lightly sweating glass of water.

"Killing you isn't the answer," he said quietly. "If I could just make you see." He wrung his hands in front of him. "I know you have reasons to believe the way you do, but—"

"I have the only reason," cut in Knives. "All you have are platitudes." Vash bristled.

"That's not true. I've spent a great deal of time among them, and I know humans can change. I know that not all people are like the ones you surround yourself with—who, by the way, are the reason I haven't been able to live peaceably."

Knives sat speechless so Vash continued. He had waited years to say what he was saying and couldn't seem to stop himself.

"And why did you feel the need to surround yourself with those people? The ones you sent after me? Could it be that you have to in order to keep believing what you tell yourself?"

"Vash—"

"I think I'm right. And there's something else. I think you're running from the past. Running so hard that you don't even know who you really are—"

"You're wrong—"

"I know what it is, brother. You're afraid. Afraid that all you are is a battery-"

"Yes, I'm afraid!" Knives suddenly shouted. "I'm afraid for you! For all of us!"

"Afraid for me?" replied Vash. "Were you afraid for me when you sent your worst to try to kill me?"

"Yes," said Knives quietly, regaining his composure. "I knew they wouldn't be able to kill you," he added at Vash's incredulous look. "Everything I have done…everything has been for you."

"You're wrong, Knives. You did it for yourself. To calm your fear."

Knives scoffed and jerked his head away from Vash to look out the window at the setting suns. Vash gazed at the floor. Silence once again took the room.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore," he said finally. "You don't need to make them afraid of you."

The sound of the front door slamming interrupted the solemn quiet of the room. A call of "Vash" came up the stairs from Meryl, who had evidently just gotten home with a load of groceries she wanted help with. Vash thought for the millionth time how dangerous it was for her to be here at all, but the diminutive lady insisted it was her job and in reality, Vash had no heart to argue with her. He felt brave when she was nearby.

"Knives—"

"Go help your fucking pet, Vash."

Deciding that Knives wasn't going to talk anymore, Vash sighed and rose heavily to his feet. He walked slowly to the door, leaving Knives in silence.

Frowning, Knives blinked at the rosy light of the suns sinking below the horizon as he continued to stare into the distance. He didn't yet know when or how, but he had to get away from Vash as soon as possible. As if to chide him, his bullet wounds seemed to pick that moment to twinge with increasing pain. He couldn't deny the sinking feeling that he had failed. Again. He had failed to persuade Vash. Hadn't even made him think about his position in the world, the futility of his life and the plight of the plant angels. Once he was away, he would have to begin anew. He sagged with the weariness of his purpose. It really would have been easier if Vash had just killed him.

Knives hadn't decided yet whether to tell Vash about the other plant independent he had met, since his twin was apparently completely unaware. Knives knew that Vash was much less in touch with his true being than himself, but he was surprised that his brother didn't know or at least suspect. Part of him wanted to grab Vash and tell him in a vomit of words all that he knew and guessed and wondered. But part of him just wanted to get out from under his brother's watchful eye and find the other plant by himself. He wanted to know about her, how she came to be and just now he was especially curious how she related to humans. But he wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea for her to know Vash right away. In any case. he and Vash had been alone for one hundred and fifty one years. Another little while wasn't going to matter. He had time to decide whether to tell Vash. First he had to concentrate on healing and getting away.