Prerogative

Green Pears

Vash stared from a distance at his brother and Meryl beside one another, he felt the presence of Millie walk up next to him, sharing the same view.

"She'll come around Mr. Vash, she always does."

"She isn't what I'm worried about," Vash retorted to her.

Even hearing his words of hate, Meryl's focus was still on the structure within reach. The group was just now starting to catch up and they all stopped where she was, on the horizon to gasp at the sight before them. Mutterings went through the group at the disbelief at such a large geo plant.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed at the unison of reactions, Knives was about to head down the sand dune to enter the plant when he felt a tight clamp around his arm. His eyes rolled to the side of his head to look at his brother who was giving him a disapproving look.

"What?"

"You can't go down that way."

"May I ask why not?"

"Because they cant get down that way."

"Your point?"

"Humans can't get down that way."

Knives gave him a blank look.

"If you go down the dune on this side, they're going to know you're not human. No human could survive such a drop without being buried in sand."

Knives shook off Vash's grip on him, "are you telling me," he began with a cold hard voice. "That you expect me to act like a human around them?"

"I'm telling you not to stand out."

"I won't remind you who is in charge again Vash. Its starting to annoy me, if anything now is as good as any time to show them that a superior breed exists."

Vash frowned at his brother before turning his head away. "Whoa, what the hell is that!" Vash exclaimed so loudly that he caught the attention of the once trance liked group to stare in the opposite direction Knives had just jumped.

Landing perfectly at the bottom of the dune, Knives smirked at Vash's predictability and left him to answer unanswerable questions as to what they were all supposed to be looking at and how he, himself had gotten down so quickly.

Meryl narrowed her eyes at Vash's weak explanation that he thought he saw something black in the clouds forming above them. The others seemed to take the explanation well enough but once she turned and saw that Knives was no longer by her side her thoughts began to turn.

'Did they exchange something in that split second when I wasn't looking? What could it have been?' She wondered to herself.

Without another word or thought, Meryl took lead and began to take the longer walk around and down the dune, Vash taking up the rear and Millie in the middle. As they approached the outside of the plant the group members, with the exception of Meryl ran their hands along the smooth metal that separated them from what was inside.

They walked slowly, rounding the structure till they came across the large opening that stretched almost to the tip of the non existent ceiling. Once more they stopped as a group to awe at the beauty inside the plant. While a few bent down in disbelief to run their fingers over the smooth green grass, a few others approached the towering trees, extending their hands to press firmly against he trunks, as if trying to prove that they did not exist.

The group spread themselves out as each became fascinated with a different part of the plant. Most of them had never even seen a real tree, or real grass, only what drawings were available in the few books they possessed.

"Is it supposed to be this soft?" Vash heard a man mutter to himself as he lightly touched a flower petal.

"Its all real, it's really real! I didn't know geo plants could be this expansive!" Another exclaimed as she marveled at a small crop of sunflowers.

Vash smiled at their reactions and walked past them, wanting to find where his brother had taken off too, as he passed by he whispered, "It's a gorgeous thing isn't it?"

Vash walked through the shadows finding another and approaching Knives who was out of view from the people.

"What are you doing back here?"

"Can't I do anything without you questioning why I'm doing it?" Knives asked back. "Just look at them." He continued after Vash said nothing to his question. "Swarming over my creation like a pesticide."

"They're not swarming, they're amazed at what they see, and they're appreciating the natural beauty!" Vash responded in protest.

Both twins turned their head at the sound of someone clearing their voice.

"I hate to sound like a broken record but…" Knives stopped Meryl with a raised hand.

"Right, food," he nodded his head in the direction of another shadowy area on the other side if the plant. "There's a storage room in there, try not to choke on anything."

Meryl said nothing and walked away passing the group with a small smile at each person. Every last one of them had finally gotten over the shock of the plant and was resting peacefully on the grass, actually they were starving on the grass, and she seemed to be the last to have any energy. Granted her energy was in tact only because she was steaming with mistrust and suspicion.

When she opened the storage room, she realized just how weak she was, as all she could do was stare at the packed closet filled with food, most of it she didn't even recognize. Meryl slowly reached in and pulled out an oddly shaped green thing that had been sitting in a basket with dozens of others. She examined it closely, aware that it must have been some sort of fruit or vegetable. The stem on one side gave away that it must have come from a tree or the ground, but it wasn't something she had ever laid eyes on.

"It's a pear." Vash's voice startled her and she dropped the piece of fruit she was holding on the ground. Vash smiled as he bent down to pick it up, "sorry did I scare you?" He asked as he handed it back to her.

"You just startled me," she muttered quickly grabbing what she recognized for herself and the others.

"Meryl we have to talk," Vash said as he realized she was trying to rush herself along to get away from him.

"I don't think we do."

"Yes we do because you don't trust me, and that hurts!"

"How can I! You wouldn't if you were me."

"Mille does."

"Mille trusts everyone, she trusts your brother I'm sure."

"That's not putting a lot of faith in her."

"She'd understand."

"What can I do to make you see that it's really me? That Knives has no control over me?"

"I don't know…" Meryl said quietly as she grabbed a few of the pears Vash had talked about. "Are these editable?" She asked as a side note.

Vash nodded, "they're fruit and sweet, you'd like them, try it."

Meryl bit into the slightly hard, slightly soft fruit and made a face. "The insides good but I don't like the outside."

"Not everyone likes the skin," Vash said and continued with their previous conversation. "If you don't know how can you know its not me here in front of you?"

"Because you haven't been very Vash-like."

"Vash-like?"

"Bubbly, cheerful… even given the circumstances…"

"I've been cheerful!"

"That's not the only way to determine who you are Vash! If you really were Vash… you wouldn't have lost that fight. We wouldn't be in this situation, I wouldn't be worried about the safety of an entire population of people, I wouldn't have to fear for my life. I wouldn't be wondering if this meal is my last or what's to become of me. If you were Vash, you would have won. Not Knives." Meryl gave Vash a saddened look and walked off with the load of food in her arms.

She was met halfway by the opposite twin who stopped directly in front of her. Knives looked down at her with careful eyes; he had heard that entire conversation, Meryl was sure of it.

She watched suspiciously as he hefted part of her load from her arms, "I'll help you carry some of this." He said, walking ahead of her.

Setting the food in front of the group members who quickly muttered their gratitude he tuned them out and walked back to his shadowed oasis. He stood and watched them, while flicking his eyes back to his brother who was watching them as well.

'How dos she do it?' He wondered to himself. 'That guilt, the anxiety, the depression, they way he feels for what she says to him, the way it affects him, the way she controls him…'

Meryl watched with some relief as everyone happily ate their fill, she herself tried to be as enthusiastic about the meal they finally had in their possession, but it was hard. Because she couldn't shrug off the two pairs of eyes she felt boring into her back.

AN: It's a little late coming up, but it's up! I got distracted with exams and my birthday passing through. I'm 19 now! HUZZAH! Please read and review everyone, it'd make some nice belated birthday gifts! Oh and side note, what a smack in the face Meryl gave Vash, poor guy.

Yours truly,
Faery Goddyss :)