Disclaimer: Will Nevaaaa... Be Miiiiine...!

Spoilers: ...none any more in dis one, I believe... Just a bit of explanation of who Chronica is in my A/N.

A/N: ALAS! My finals have at last been finalized! X3

...but if I told ya I'm not feelin as really happy as I should bout it, would ya believe me?

Coz from this point onward that I'm free from the evil clutches of exams, I have now fallen into the malicious hands of my softball captain! Given, that both she and the coach were very tolerant of me (I'm the worst rookie yet...T-T). Still... training for 8 hours every day is just too CRUEL!! (sulks)

...actually I should be on the field two hours ago, but it was raining. But now with it only drizzling away for the past 40 minutes, I can't delay the inevitable any more... (sigh...)

Oh right. Didja like the surprise character I put in the fic? X3 From most of the Trigun fics I read, original characters from the manga series are, like, non-existent. Sooo, I figured that I'd be one of the first authors to use Chronica. Like her:3 ...Oh? Dunno who she is, or what she looks like? Hrm... the least I could do is entertain ya guys about her right? (grins) I posted her pic in my PhotoBucket. The link is in my profile.

Chronica is what Knives said she is: a Plant, just like him. From Earth of course. She made her first appearance in Trigun Maximum in Volume 11, chapter 1. She attacked Knives using one of the Earth's spaceships in Trigun Maximum ch 82, hence Knives' comment in that last episode; which happened after Knives' failed attempt to cointegrate with Domina. Huh? Who's Domina? ...Won't it be too much of a spoiler if I explain too much? (pouts) Okaaaay, the most I could say is she was Chronica's ...friend.

To further understand these characters, I highly recommend reading the manga itself. You can download the latest installments of Trigun Maximum mangas from:

www(DOT)maximum7(DOT)com(SLASH)?page(the "Equals-to" key)projects(SLASH)trigunmax

You guys know what to do, right? (grins sheepishly) The credits go to the tireless scanlators of Maximum 7. They got downloads in IRC, BitTorrent and Direct Download! Talk about professionals! XD

Or at: www(DOT)mangatraders(DOT)com

As the address suggested, the website is called MangaTraders, and trade mangas they do! XD Here, there are collections of mangas from various scanlation groups! They even got from the very first volume of Trigun to the latest of Trigun Maximum! Go and visit the site! X3

I've checked and re-checked the links. If there's any problem regarding the links, drop me a notice, kay:3

Hey, Vash-kun. Do the ending for me? I need ta go now. Thanks man! Bye!!

(Vash pops his head from the side of the monitor, grinning –as always– at the already gone-with-the-wind author) "Sure! Bye bye!" :D

(Knives scrolls down and read through the chapter, frowning) "Hey, that annoying female is doing as much chatter as I am in this episode too... and you'r – OUCH! Wat was dat for??"

(Vash smiles sickly sweet with his closed knuckle in front of him, while Knives pouts and rubs at his sore head. Then Vash proceeds to drags Knives away from the monitor; mumbling to himself of cunningly cute and rambling-way-too-much-for-their-own-good brothers. Turning to face the audience, he beams,)

"Have fun reading!" : )

(and proceeds to now semi-drags by the scuff of the neck a moping, mumbling-about-the-unfair-circumstances-of-them-all Knives away...)

(The readers are left with "...Huh? What just happened...?" written all over their face)

A/N (2): February 20th, 2007: Revised the chapter. Is very tempted to bonk my head onto my desktop repeatedly

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After The End of All

Part 3

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"Yes, I am a Plant myself. An Independent; just like you."

I continued to stare, or more precisely, glare at her, without uttering a word in reply. I never have a meeting with another 'Free-Born' –or Independent, as she verbalized it– before, except with Vash and what remained of Tessla. Oh, yes. There was another. The female I almost succeeded in cointegrating with. If only Vash didn't cut off the cointegration link...

Heh... still couldn't stop with the 'what-ifs', huh...

"... Stop smirking like that. For your information, the 'female' you were referring to has a name: Domina."

I sighed.

'Stop reading my mind, okay? Can't I have any privacy of thoughts here?'

I couldn't put any barricades to stop her from reading my mind. This may be her powers after all... with the help of the tranquilizer which was currently dulling the functions of my brain. Everything was still fuzzy, unclear...

"If only you'd stop insulting the memories of Domina. Her personal salvage was impossible after you-- ...We have lost her."

Her stern face twisted for a moment; of hatred, of pain. Those emotions were gone as fast as it surfaced. I listened, disinterested. My only concern was to save Vash. That was all.

"Shall I continue scanning your brain waves, or would you start talking?"

'If only you stop doing what you're doing right now, it'd be a deal.'

She stared at me, somewhat dissatisfied. "If only you stop with your insults. It's displeasing."

'I wasn't insulting anyone. And it wasn't even in our initial agreement: your so-called Terms and Regulations.' I disdainfully snarled at her. Fuck all logics. I really didn't like her, and I'd prove it.

"It will, if you continue to be this obstinate. Really, with your brother's life being in the line right now..."

I harrumphed. "Very well, I'll stop with the insults; as long as no one warrant for it. Then, what should I do for Vash? You have said that he's in critical condition right now, did you not? Bring me to him," I demanded from her. My stubbornness was cut short with her reminding me of Vash. With some exertion on my part, I bent away from the wall I was leaning onto, shifting my entire weight on my aching legs, and managed to do it quite well. From another's point of view, I would look as if I was only shrugging the wall off of me. I staggered slightly at the few first steps; a miraculous show of muscle control. I was almost sure I would fall to my knees after pulling myself off the wall. But there was no way I would kneel in front of her. Sheer strength of a prideful mind, if there was nothing more.

She was still gazing at me with those impossibly calm eyes. Then, she just had to remind me, "Are you sure you wouldn't be needing this chair?"

I glowered at her for all she worth. Humans would usually yelp and beg for forgiveness, or just simply run away with a look at my face right now. She didn't even flinch.

I sauntered the rest of the few steps to her with the utmost grace I could muster at the moment given. I was really proud of myself of being able to do so. Keeping my chin high, I walked past her and that fucking implement of mobility, and then looked over my shoulders at her.

"Well, when are you going to start moving, woman?"

I chose to ignore her silent insinuation of me regarding the wheelchair. For the time being.

She didn't even blink an eye. Her empty eyes reminded me of Vash, on the freezing nights of those first few weeks after the Big Fall...

He would just lie on his back, staring at the cloudless skies for hours to come. Not blinking. Not moving. Not doing anything. There were times when I was disturbed with thoughts that he may be dead –which absolutely freaked me out, so much that I sometimes just had to shook his body violently, yelled at him to snap him out of his lifeless reverie, even punched him in the face and kicked him on his sides, only to get a reaction from him, any kind of reactions from him– if not for the occasional silent tears that fell down from his distressingly tranquil, empty turquoise orbs...

The woman started to walk to the direction to the door. I shook myself off my reminiscence, and followed her stead. The door slid open smoothly, leading to a long hallway. So, this room was at the very end of a fifty-feet-plus corridor. I could make out the evidences of thick barricades along the hallway, as I continued in stride with her. Safety precautions they were, then; if I was to escape from my enclosure, I suppose. If they were to try and stop me, my Angel Blades could take care of it just fine...

I flicked my left hand for the familiar feeling of sharp protrusions forming on my arm.

What in the...?

I stopped walking. I realized that I couldn't even trigger my powers into working. Any of my powers. I dubiously stared at my left arm, confused and alarmed. I tried some more, to create at least a small blade, or a single feather. But nothing happened.

The feeling of helplessness washed throughout me. Terrified for the fact that I couldn't use my powers...

If I couldn't utilize my powers, how am I going to save Vash then...?

"Don't worry. The power-limiting body suit fixed onto you is only to suppress your powers; not eliminating it."

I jerked and glared at her. "STOP READING MY MIND, you damned bitch!!" She wasn't keeping her side of our agreement! And since when did she stop walking??

She slowly turned her head to completely face me; her left eye was twitching. Hah! A response!

"I wasn't. I could easily perceive your current thoughts, just by looking at you."

I really, really hate her. I could taste the smugness in her voice...

"You were the one not following the terms of our agreement."

Am I some fucking book for you to read for fun!?

"We will momentarily release you of the suppressor when the time comes. But for now, please bear with it."

With me shaking in my anger, she turned away and continued with her task of leading me to my brother. I stared dubiously at her back. No one, I mean, no one ever turns their backs at me, and kept living. She was lucky that I couldn't use my powers at that time being. She would be in bits and pieces by now...

She glanced at me over her shoulders, "Well, are you coming, or not?"

Trust her to indirectly attack my self-esteem. First: The wheelchair. Now: Throwing my insults back at me.

"Your brother is waiting."

I sighed. And trust her to strategically seed her reminders of my presently-very-sick brother. I composed my irate mind and swallowed my pride; trying to calm myself. "Lead the way," I declared while dramatically sweeping my arm to her general direction; the gesture oozing with mocking politeness.

She ignored me and resumed her stride to who-knows-where. I was tempted to stomp all the way, but my limbs were still too weak to execute the rigorous exercise of stomping. Even walking straight has been an exceptional accomplishment for me at that time.

As time passes, I began to be aware of my surroundings. Mazes of corridors... Even if I were to walk back to my enclosure, I wasn't sure if I could get there without being lost. The hallways all looked just the same...

Strange... I haven't sensed any humans here... We have been walking for what? 30 minutes?

"I don't intuit any living organism along the way. Where are we exactly?"

"In Spaceship Furcanica-01. Near the Ursula consolations," she answered without looking at me. "Very far from any human civilizations."

I raised an eyebrow. How long exactly I've been locked in, I asked myself...

"Tell me of this... ship."

"This spaceship is a one of its kind that functions as a top-security prison unit and a sanatorium all together. Powered by recyclable pure energy absorbed from the free plasmas in this universe, no Plant is needed in this craft. A fully automated spacecraft; it does not require anyone at hand to control its operations. This is why in here there are no beings other than us. I am here merely as a guide."

That explained the uncanny silence.

"It was hastily constructed to accommodate you, at first. To honor your brother's last request. Your brother asked especially for you to be healed and to be safe. After confirmation of agreement from us, he collapsed. We built his chambers as well, when the suspicion of him needing your assistance was brought up. So, please do not assume that we were to isolate your brother along with you. After his recuperation, we will send him, either back to Gunsmoke or to Earth."

I smiled bitterly to myself, "Of course..." Reunite us, just to separate us back...

After a long walk, we arrived at a very large metal door. The blood-red cross on an ashen rectangular panel on the far right wall of the entryway was eerily familiar: just like the medical research facility where Tessla's remains were stored in...

She placed her hand onto a small platform on the wall beside the door, as she simply said, "Chronica."

The door opened for her, and wisps of cryogenic clouds filtered out of the opening. She stepped in, and I trailed close behind. I immediately felt the temperature difference; plunging for a good fifty degrees when I was a few steps into what I hope was not Vash's chambers. It was so cold... Vashu simply couldn't stand feeling cold. He didn't even like being cold. May that be physically, or emotionally. He has always been warm... so warm...

In the freezing temperatures, she started talking again, "Vash was to put in a cold chamber; it helps slow down the biological activities. We have just taken him out of his Convalesce Vessel, allowing you to touch him. Through touch, the conveyance of energy will be at its best."

"H-How... so?" I asked through clattering teeth. Deeper into the chamber, the hostile cold got worst. My sore muscles were shivering out of control.

"Skin-to-skin contact. Your and your brother' Gates are in your left arm and right arm respectively. The transfer of energy from you to him is enhanced if you were to hold his right hand in your left hand, focusing on giving him a constant flow of medium-pulse energy; to yield the best transfer results. But please be quick. He mustn't be outside of his vessel for longer than an hour."

In the haze, I could discern a raised platform a few meters front of me. On the bed-like contrivance, was Vash...

His body was covered with flakes of ice. His once radiant skin was pale as snow. His now cracked lips were blue. There was even frost on his long eyelashes and flowing black hair...

How long have you been like this, Vashu...

Chronica stopped and faced me, looking at me directly in the eyes.

"If I were to release you from your suppressor, can I trust you to not misuse your powers, and will you agree to let me put it back on after this transfer session is over?"

I merely nodded, all my attention focused on my brother's pitiful form.

She stepped aside, to a protrusion of keyboards that was facing at Vash's left side. She typed in a few keys, and I felt a torrent of energy flowing from my left arm and throughout my body. It left me a little lightheaded, and flexed my left arm a bit. The familiar feeling of my Seed's energy...

She glanced at me, and looked down at the monitor holograms in front of her.

"His condition now is fairly stable. But it won't be long. Please, start."

I stepped to Vash's right, while taking off the glove of my left hand; sorrow flushed through my systems. Even though I had been the main source of his torment for the past fifteen decades and had more than once wished for his death, I had never wanted him to suffer like this... I took his right hand –so cold; so not like the Vash I knew– into my left, and spun my brother's limp fingers into my own; focusing to somehow transfer my overflowing energy into his Gate.

I could feel it: his hand was getting warmer by the minute. Little by little, I could see his pale right arm getting back its color. Which could only mean that I was doing the right thing. I sighed deeply in my relief.

I lowered my forehead onto his, and closed my eyes. I desperately wanted to bask in his warmth...

When I opened my eyes, I realized...

I was standing in meadow of flowers.

Of geraniums... Rem's favorite...

Where am I...?

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