Disclaimer: …Doin' this every time is very tiring… TxT
BOOOM!
(men in black lawyer suits come barging through the torpedo-ed door – and a good missing part of the wall – with one of them holding up an equally black and really shiny EVIL lawsuit, thus the author hastily added: )
IDON'TOWNTHECHARACTERSIUSEDINTHISFIC!!!
(then the lawyers vanished as fast as they came, whereas the author coughs in trepidation amidst the debris)
Keh keh— (fans away the dusts) …Remember, my fellow writers. Being lazy bout writing disclaimers is detrimental to the health of your body. And your wallet. And your sanity… (bonks head on the keyboard) I could SWEAR its Knives who told them to do this… (mumbles to self)
…!!! (suddenly got up from seat and spits into a sink) Blergh! Dirt got into my mouth! XP
Spoilers: Nooooooooneeeeee….. (dances around in glee)
Beta: Alaena Night, there is not enough gratitude in this world could be given to you, my dear friend… (huggles Alaena-san)
A/N: In here, I ranted a bit too much about stupid medical conjectures (which all I promptly pulled out of my behind around three in the morning. :p) and some theories of Independents' origins.
Yaaaaaaayy! I'm sooo happieee that my finals are almost over! One more paper and I'm FREEEEEEEE!!! (merrily does a New York boogie) Then I could finish up writing and editing this fic. I'm sorry if the waitin is too long… T.T Oh, sorry if I'm all jumbled up. This is what happens every time I got too overloaded with exams and shit… TvT
Happie reading: )
… come ta think about it, where are Knives and Vash?
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After The End of All
Part 8
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At last…
At last, after almost half a year of therapies and research, Vash was able to live outside of the Gouhfon's solution.
I cannot express my emotion; how ransacked and unbelievably ecstatic I was as I looked down to my brother on his sterile ashen bed, skin pallid still, but living and breathing nonetheless. He was no longer dependant to those unsightly tubes and wires, and as the healing strains on his body had alleviated, he didn't need to stay in a cold chamber anymore. I moved him to a medical billet nearest to my living quarters, so that it'd be easier for me to take care of him. But I believe the close proximity of our quarters is quite irrelevant, because I doubt that I'd even step out of this room, with him now with me…
I held his hand in mine in a firm grip, never wanting to ever let go. I lifted the unmoving limb up to my cheek, feeling the heat radiating from it. Feeling him in front of me; so warm, so physical, so alive…
Long have I yearned for this day to come. Bygone all those horrible days of hopeless search for a cure, of helplessly watching Vash being positioned into that glacial cylinder of his, of me desperately trying to connect with my brother through the icy walls of his confines…
The answer to the five-year riddle was difficult to uncover, but unexpectedly simple. Rather than Vash drowning in the pool of bio-stabilizer, why not let the solution heal from inside him? It was a radical proposal. The bio-stabilizer was extremely effective at accelerating cell and tissue regeneration, but it was also highly poisonous when consumed due to some of its main component of mercury and lead. Vash was not immune to the lethal fluid, and an external source of an antidote was far too slow to react with the toxin. But what if nano-machines in Vash could produce the counter-poison from deep within him? Upload the nano-bots with the required tools and instructions, and they could do wonders if one was willing enough to explore what others see as impossible.
Nothing is impossible, if one cares to delve into matters without letting the word 'unfeasible', 'impractical', 'unattainable', 'unachievable', or, worst still, 'hopeless' influence their credibility and decisions.
At first, Chronica was against my proposition. "It's too risky! You'll never know the consequences of an unproven hypothesis!" she retorted. But after a lot of reasoning and long discussions, she came to acknowledge it. Of course there were experimentations done. We couldn't apply untested theories straight onto Vash. The ratio of anything going wrong might have been very minimal, but I was not one to take any chances. So, for two weeks, I tested it on myself. Contented that there were no eminent negative side effects, Chronica began inserting the modified nano-machines into Vash, along with the smallest doses of the bio-stabilizer the numerous times I delved into Vash's unconsciousness. Since there were no apparent negative corollary, the doses were gradually added up to the required amount Vash needed to stay alive without being submerged in the solution itself.
But with Vash immersed in the bio-stabilizer for such a long period of time, the hideous scars around his body were significantly reduced to only white streaks of dead tissue on the smooth skin. The grates and bolts were long removed, leaving his skin clear of any foreign extrusions. His left arm had also mended, and looked almost like it was never disconnected from his body. I nearly sobbed in relief as I clothed Vash with a pair of clean, colorless pajamas, seeing how his once disfigured skin was healing so well.
I rested my head onto his chest, listening to his heartbeats. Slow, but steady. Such a melodious tune of life…
I pointedly disregarded Chronica who was leaning onto the entrance door, silently observing a moment of weakness on my part. But I couldn't care less.
I have the one thing in the whole universe that was important to me. And now, I'm nearer to getting him back. My brother, my solitude, my everything…
I can begin with the second stage of Vash's recuperation. And some more…
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"…What are you going to tell him?"
"The names of his human allies, nemeses, places, etcetera. Figured that by making him recall these, he would jumpstart his own memory into working."
I flexed at my limbs; cracking cramps that built up along the muscles and joints as I slept on the chair beside Vash's cot. Yesterday, I tried vainly to get into Vash's mind without doing the energy transfer for more than an hour, before completely giving up with the unproductive endeavor. Reckoned that his mind remained closed with his Gate running amok in his system. With only two-thirds of my hair remaining true to its original color, I presume that I shouldn't risk draining too much of my precious power. But my brother was more precious to me than my own self, because without him, I would not have a purpose to live anymore.
Chronica seemed to be vacillating with my decision. I understood her indecisiveness about making hasty progress with Vash's treatment. Vash had just left the cylinder that has always shielded him from possible repercussions less than twenty hours ago. His condition was shaky at best, and Chronica was worried if it was too early in the therapy to force Vash into remembering.
I cheekily replied to her unspoken question: "It's not that I'll be doing it now. I'm still too damned tired. And hungry. Care to have breakfast with me and Vash?"
Having Vash here with me really put me in an awfully good mood. And since Chronica had been so supportive, I didn't mind her bothering me anymore. We previously had countless meals together, while exchanging formal chats and altercations. Her way of dining was defined, elegant and controlled; a tribute of a delineate upbringing. Mine was relaxed and more direct, but nevertheless refrained. I couldn't care less how others thought of me as I was almost the picture-perfect example on how a person could wolf down their food with a hint of grace; I could never see the point of spending too much time in such a frivolous task. But to show my respect to my caretaker, I allowed myself to eat at a slower pace, and indulge her in leisurely conversations.
One could never know how much can be learned just by listening at the dinner table.
Chronica began opening up to me three months ago, after revealing to me about my darkening hair. She somehow was seeing me in another light. May have been the selfless reply I gave her, or for the fact that I continued with the energy transfer, in spite of knowing I'd slowly meet my death by doing so. She told me so much about the Independent communities all around the cosmos, her past and Earth itself.
A recorded number of thirty-eight Independents had been born in the last two centuries from every crook and cranny of the explored universe, and thirty-two of them had managed to live on until now. Vash and I were also added in the statistics. There may have been more, but they had yet to be logged into the Earth's registration system. The incredibly low number in such long period of time was ultimately contributed to the 'black hair' effect that was coded into every Plant's genetic makeup. Independents should have not existed at all, if not for the malfunction of the 'black hair' degenerative properties.
But the humans could not control even the products of their own creation. There were Independents born.
All Plantlings were given birth by the finest Plants of the pack; ones that lived lives long, healthy and secure enough to bring new lives into the world. Because it was a whole new finding by the humans, some of the first few were experimented on, just like Tessla. But more were saved from the hands of ignorant scientists, and were brought up by governments and commoners alike. Humans studied the Independents and their attributes. Each and every one had different specialties – which could visibly be seen when you compared Vash and I – and most seemed to stop aging when they achieved the physical attributes equivalent to mid-twenties in a human's life. Quite a majority were absorbed into the military and several other branches corresponding to it. Not many have enjoyed a free life, with an exception of a few that were born by Plants owned by very powerful individuals.
The strange thing was, even though the Plants were producing asexually, there were a number of males that were born as well. There were no apparent traces or patterns on how, where or why they were born. This one mystery has haunted experts for the last century. A child born asexually should be a perfect clone of the mother, but every Independent was unique not only with its powers, but also in appearance. Plants mostly have the same looks, so why not share the same attribute with their offspring? No one knows the answer to that. Albeit the small quantity of males out there, almost all of Independents were born as females. It wasn't proven yet if Independents were able to bring out offspring, either sexually or asexually, or if they could cross-produce with humans. Issues regarding the males were even more shrouded in mystery, as not many were born.
Well, that got us into another freak-of-nature statistic. Don't you think so, Vash?
Chronica disclosed the fact that she was one of the majority that was raised by the government to assist the military. She is around the same age as I am, and had been with the fleet of ships from Earth, 'The Pieces of Earth' – the one that attacked me of course – for more than five decades; seen people around her come and go like the wind. Because of the longevity of Independents, they were paired together at every mission, so they would not come to feel too solitary with a companion of the same species. Because Chronica had lost her partner, she was given this task of 'taking care' of my brother and I. And she had so for almost a year. She gravely told me that when this mission of reviving Vash was accomplished, I will be separated from my brother and put into a cold sleep; indefinitely. And by then, I may be locked up forever…
Not that I'd ever let that happen.
I smiled pleasantly at the female Independent at my side.
"Well, don't you want to eat? Or have you already eaten?"
Chronica smiled back; one of the few times I had ever seen her so relaxed around me.
"I'd be delighted to join the two of you for breakfast."
I grinned. "Great! I'll go and grab something to eat. I do hope we still have some of those canned scallops. I'm kinda getting sick of the goddamn microwaved morsels you called food." I treaded to Chronica and patted her shoulder, smiling still as I whispered to her, "I'll leave Vash in your able hands. Greet him properly, okay?" With that, I pottered my way out.
I glanced back to Vash's room. Chronica was pensively sitting next to Vash's prone body, lowly saying her hello and introducing herself to him. She was being very relaxed and laid back, with Vash at last out of the Convalesce Vessel. This may have been her first time meeting Vash face to face outside of his cold chambers. I could see that she was very elated with her foremost encounter with him.
Convinced that I was far enough from Vash's room, I wiped my hand onto the fabric of my cloths harshly, as if to clean it of invisible dusts along with a layer of my epidermis cells.
She wouldn't even notice if I was to come back later than I should.
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Chronica was aiding me with my current task.
I flexed Vash's joints and moved his limbs, following a simulation on how to take care of a comatose patient. Moving his muscles avoided tissue degeneration as an outcome of them long left unused. The bio-stabilizer had done its work at keeping Vash's muscle tissues alive. Now it was my duty to give him his physical therapy so that he'd be able to utilize his limbs by the time he'd be up and about.
As I was flexing Vash's legs, Chronica was kneading Vash's arms. She had taken to find every justification possible to keep herself in this room, with Vash. Somehow she seemed really fond of my brother and would take any means whatsoever to be here. Maybe I should take back that little statement of her not being much of an annoyance.
I'd really like to be alone with Vash at some point of the day, thank you very much…
"You can't hog him all for yourself, you know."
She was giving me that I-know-what-you're-thinking-about look again.
While raising Vash's left knee upwards and bending it, I scowled. "I love my bro, and I want to spend some quality time with him. So if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you leave me here with him. Only the two of us."
"After I finish massaging Sleeping Beauty here. But I can't until I get more of this ointment. Be a dear and fetch some for me, okay?"
She haphazardly tossed the almost empty bottle in my general direction without even glancing, and I barely managed to catch it before it made contact with my nose. Lowering Vash's leg delicately onto the soft mattress, I glowered at the innocent container, and extended the dark look at the real culprit in front of me.
She continued with massaging her charge, paying no heed to me glaring at her accusingly.
I huffed like a little kid banned from playing with his favorite toy. "Yes, Mother. I'll get the fucking ointment refill. Where can I find it?"
"Oh, I don't know. Somewhere in the forty-seven cabinets of the medical room next door? Wait. Maybe it's still in the supply room. Or--"
"Fine. I'll go and leave you two to mingle. Forgive me for being the unwanted third party," I exclaimed sardonically and trudged my way out. I could even hear my tormentor chuckling as I left the room. One really sadistic Plant, if you ask me…
This may take longer than I think it would. And she made sure of that.
May as well use it to my advantage.
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I fingered Vash's serene featurestracing his soft cheek up to his beauty mark, into his silky black hair. It had grown so long that if Vash stood, it would definitely brush past his waist. I combed some of the dark strands off his closed eyes, silently hoping, hoping, that those eyelids would flutter open if I did so. Logically that would be impossible, but it wouldn't hurt to have hollow expectations…
But when his eyes didn't even twitch, I felt a pang of something in my heart.
…no more hollow expectations for me then.
I wearily reclined intomy – mine only – chair next to Vash's bed, and placed my head on his chest, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. Even though I knew Vash couldn't hear me, I muttered my complaints to him, "Naa, Vashu. Chronica really is bothering our bonding time, right? She's really taken with you, do you know that? I dunno who I should be jealous of: you or she. I got to know her a lot longer than you, but you're the one she's being really nice with. Still, even if she didn't help you, I could do everything she did for you just the same… Hey, you know what? Even after six whole months of practically living in this spaceship, I still can't really figure out the mazes in here. Took me a good three hours to find the right room and the right cabinet and the right bottle of ointment. I lost count of how many rooms and cabinets there are here after twelve and eighty-five, respectively. Chronica's getting really good at tormenting me. At least she's out for good now that I protested that I wanted to get some sleep. Finally."
I entwined our hands and fingers, just like I always did every time I transferred my powers to him.
"Sorry that I have to leave you that long. I… had something else that I have to do…"
Something that will keep us together, forever and ever…
"Sweet dreams, Vashu."
Together…
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TURN TO THE NEXT EPISODE.
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