Chapter 7: Truth in Memories
The room had gone quiet as Anya went about rearranging furniture. The bed had been pushed against the far wall, leaving an open space in the middle of the room. Two wooden chairs had been placed facing each other where the bed had been. Vash had questioned this saying that she could just talk to him, but Anya had refused and insisted that there were things that Vash had to see.
Finally, Anya had Vash sit in one of the chairs while she made the final preparations. He watched as she closed the curtains and placed drinks on a small table. His eyebrows perked in interest when he saw that the drinks ranged from water to whiskey.
"Planning on a party?" he quipped light-heartedly, attempting to lighten the mood.
"I figured we may get thirsty if this takes awhile. Besides, depending on how you take this, you might need a stiff drink." she answered as she sat in her own seat opposite Vash. They sat quietly for a few moments, nervously staring at each other, unsure of when to begin. Then Vash cleared his throat and smiled weakly at Anya.
"Uh, before we get started, is there anything else that you can do? I just don't want to have anymore surprises later."
Anya sighed and looked down at her hands, nervously picking at her fingernails. Vash patiently waited for her to speak. What she was doing, telling him all her secrets, wasn't an easy thing to do.
She then looked up shyly at Vash, almost embarrassed, hands now clenched together.
"Besides what you've witnessed already, I'm also empathic. I can literally feel other people's emotions." A slight blush crept its way up Anya's cheeks. "That's why I was in such a state that first night that we met. I felt everything that you did."
Vash thought back to that first night and when Anya had chosen him. A steady blush of his own quickly swept up his neck as he thought about how he initially felt about Anya. He cleared his throat, looking terribly embarrassed and absently scratching the back of his head. Without explanation, Anya poured some of the whiskey into a shot glass and handed it to Vash, which he promptly drained and slammed onto the table.
"You going to be okay?" she asked warily. If he was going to take this little bit of news badly then the rest of her explanation wouldn't go over well. Vash winced slightly from the burn of the liquor but managed to nod to Anya.
"Yeah. Let's do this." he replied determinedly. Anya nodded and carefully took Vash's hands in hers. His hands, even the prosthetic, felt soft and warm and Anya couldn't help but run her thumb over his knuckles. It was a simple act but it helped calm her frazzled nerves. Finally she looked back up at Vash, ready to begin.
"The easiest way to explain everything to you is to show you my memories. Granted, some will be from the memories that I've picked up from people I've met. While this is going on, don't let go of my hands. Having physical contact helps me with maintaining a mental connection."
Anya paused to make sure Vash understood what she was saying. When he didn't question her, she continued.
"I want you to close your eyes and breathe slowly. Deep, calm breaths in and out. It may feel strange at first but don't panic. It's just you and me."
Vash did as Anya said and closed his eyes. His heart raced nervously and despite his slow breathing, it took him a few minutes to calm himself. Anya didn't rush him though, and he figured that she was most likely monitoring him with her empathic abilities. When he was settled, he could feel a slight tugging in the center of his mind. His first instinct was to fight it but Vash remembered Anya's instructions and remained calm. Soon the tugging intensified and it felt as though Vash was being pulled through a tunnel.
There was no light or sounds, just a constant pulling. It soon sped up, going faster and faster until suddenly Vash saw a light in the distance. The light grew as he approached until Vash was thrust through the light and into what looked like the inside of one of the plant rooms on some kind of ship. Vash had no body in this mental realm but he could see everything as if he were viewing it on a vid-screen. All the constructs were made of metal and there were computer consoles in the walls. Further down the platform were large, circular yellow objects that reminded Vash of the conductor pods in the plant room on the SEEDS ship.
No way! he thought. It can't be!
But as Vash looked around he saw that his suspicions were confirmed. This was one of the plant power rooms from the ship that he had been on, down to every last bolt.
"Rem, come quickly! You have to see this!" a male voice called out suddenly.
"Coming, Joey!" a melodic, female voice responded in kind. Vash thought that his heart would give out when he saw the familiar dark-haired woman rush through his line of sight. It was Rem, Vash's mentor, caretaker, and probably the greatest friend Vash had ever known. For a brief moment Vash thought that this was real, that Rem had survived and was on another crashed SEEDS ship. The logical part of him soon reminded him that over one hundred years had passed and it wasn't possible. This was only a memory.
The scene shifted, focusing on Rem's movements through the room. Vash concluded that this must have been one of Rem's memories. He watched as she met with Joey, the ship's captain. He was just as Vash remembered him; a tall, dark-haired, imposing man but who had a kind face. He led Rem to one of the yellow plant cells. What Rem saw beneath it made her gasp in surprise, bringing her hands over her mouth.
She quickly knelt down and Vash could see two small babies, still wet with their birthing liquids. At first, Vash thought that this was a memory of when Rem had found Vash and Knives. Once again his assumptions were broken when Joey next spoke.
"I found theme when I did a final sweep of the area after you took the other two to the infirmary." he explained as Rem inspected the new set of twins.
"Joey, these two are female!" Rem exclaimed with joy but then her expression clouded over with concern as she inspected one of the twins. Her eyes widened with fear and she spun around to face the captain.
"Joey, one of them isn't breathing!" she cried out.
As Rem turned back and tried to perform CPR on the small infant, Joey took off his coat and carefully wrapped the other twin and held her close. Rem worked tirelessly for a half hour before Joey gently put his hand on her shoulder, telling her that there wasn't any more that she could do. Rem's lip quivered and tears streamed down her cheeks as she carefully held the still infant against herself. The other infant, as if in response, soon joined in Rem's sadness with tiny wails of her own.
This memory had shocked Vash and he desperately wanted to see what happened next, however, the image darkened and he couldn't stop it. Color and light then began to filter back in, creating a new image. It was still on the ship but it appeared to be one of the large storage rooms and it appeared to have been transformed into a bedroom. Rem was sitting on a bed with a book laid open on her lap. Curled up against Rem's side was a familiar little girl with long, wavy white-blonde hair. She listened carefully, a serene, content look on her face, as Rem read aloud to her.
Once Rem finished the page she was on, she checked her watch and closed the book. The little girl frowned, expectantly waiting for what was to come next.
"I'm sorry, Anya, but I have to get back to the bridge." she said and kissed the top of the girl's head. The girl pouted in disappointment and followed Rem to the door.
"Rem, can't I come with you? I'm so bored!" she replied, ice-blue eyes looking pleadingly at her caretaker.
Vash was surprised to see Rem so hesitant in answering. He remembered that when he was little, Rem had a difficult time denying him anything.
Rem knelt before Anya and caressed the girl's face, running a hand through her long, silken hair.
"Anya, the boys aren't ready to meet you yet. You're going to have to stay hidden a little longer."
Frustrated tears glistened in the girl's eyes and she hit her small fists against Rem's shoulders.
"But it's not fair! They get to go everywhere while I'm cooped up here! Plus, you don't know that they'll react badly to me! It's purely speculation!" she cried out, desperately trying to convince the older woman. Rem wiped away Anya's tears and kissed her on the forehead.
"I can't, sweetheart. You and the boys are so unique; we honestly don't know what will happen once you meet. It's too high a risk, especially with what's at stake." she explained sadly. Anya rubbed her eyes then looked back at Rem.
"I know. The mission to find 'New Earth'." she choked out miserably. Rem nodded, smoothing back Anya's hair.
"I promise that this won't last much longer. You just have to be patient."
With the end of that statement, the scene began to shift again. Vash was shocked that Rem had kept this secret from him and Knives. He watched as the scene began to fill in and deep down he knew that wouldn't be keeping her promise to Rem. He now understood why he had that dream before coming to October. He had met Anya before and he cursed himself for not realizing what she really was when they first met and for not trying to find her sooner.
The memory played out before him, just like in his dream, except now it was from Anya's perspective. She truly had been shy around him but also excited to meet another person like herself. But then their conversation was cut short when Anya had sensed someone coming and that was why she had left him.
As she hurried back to her room she had been intercepted by Rem. However, Rem had been forced to tell Joey of the incident when jealous Knives had begun asking questions about a girl that Vash had met. Not wanting to risk a bigger incident, Joey recommended that Anya be put in stasis.
"Rem, it's like sleeping right?" Anya asked fearfully as she eyed the pod.
"Yes, sweetheart, it's just like sleeping." Rem answered, holding back tears of her own.
"And you'll be there when I wake up?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
Though Vash was deep in his own mind, he could faintly feel tears running down his cheeks. Rem had been precious to Anya as well. Unfortunately, Vash knew what was coming next and Anya would never see Rem when she woke up.
The time spent in the pod was a gray time in Anya's memories. She was asleep but her mind was slightly aware of the world around her. It sensed the damage being done to the ship but not what had caused it or that it was crashing to the planet below. Time passed and eventually the lock on the pod released and Anya was revived from stasis.
Anya emerged still in the form of a child, having not aged for however long she was in the pod. Wreckage was all around her, some of it parts of the ship but most of it being pods that hadn't survived the crash. Most startling of all was the world that Anya had found herself in. It was dry and hot and the barren landscape stretched out for miles in every direction. Anya sank to her knees, dumbfounded, and Vash could feel her despair and confusion. What had happened while she had been asleep?
"Hey! Who are you?" a voice cried out sharply.
Anya bolted to her feet in alarm and raced back into the wreckage, the boots of her warp suit clanging loudly on the metal. She ducked around a corner and crouched down, head in her hands. Her pursuer approached slowly, barely making a sound. Finally, the pursuer stopped in front of her hiding place and knelt in front of her.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the voice asked harshly.
"My name's Anya. I just woke up and I'm all alone! Rem said that she'd be with me but she's not! Everything is all wrong!" she cried out in a panicked rush. She could feel the stranger's anger fade, replaced by confusion and intrigue.
"Do you mean Rem Sevarem?" the voice, a familiar male voice, asked calmly.
"Y-yes."
"It's okay, I won't hurt you. Please, let me look at you."
Anya slowly raised her head to look at him. He had short white-blonde hair and light blue eyes, like hers. He also had on a suit similar to the one Anya was wearing. Vash realized in horror that his brother had been the one to find the lost girl.
"Hello, Anya. I'm Knives." he said, holding his hand out to her. Anya offered a weak smile and held her hand out to reach his. When their fingertips met, a shock passed between them. Knives' eyes widened in surprise and then in understanding.
"You're…you're a plant aren't you?"
She nodded slowly, initially afraid of his response, but Knives only smiled widely. Then in a move that surprised Vash, he gathered Anya up in his arms and hugged her close.
"Don't worry, dear one. I won't let anything happen to you. You won't be alone ever again."
Fear cut through Vash's heart like a knife and he pulled from the image of his brother carrying Anya out of the wreckage. After that a jumble of images of Knives and Anya flashed past him. Suddenly Vash felt himself falling until he landed with a jolt. He opened his eyes and found himself back in the hotel room, lying on his back because he had fallen backwards in his chair. He got up quickly, looking incredulously at Anya, who was still sitting calmly in her chair though she looked drained.
"You…you were with my brother?" he exclaimed, still unable to believe it.
He couldn't imagine Knives being kind to anyone.
"It's true. Knives found me and if I hadn't been who I am, he probably would have killed me. Anyway, I was only with him for about a year." she explained solemnly.
"When did he find you?" Vash interrupted.
"I don't know exactly. All I know was that it happened after Lost July. Towns we traveled through were all a buzz because of it." she replied. Vash's eyes fell and a sad look crossed his face.
"Bet Knives told you it was all my fault." he said bitterly.
"No, actually Knives didn't talk about you. Don't think he wanted the potential competition." Anya frowned as she looked closer at him. "And why do you sound like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like a jealous teenager."
Vash's head snapped up and he looked at Anya, surprised by the comment.
"I do not!" he said defensively.
"Yes, you do! Like you're jealous that Knives found me first. Obviously, you weren't listening when I said that I was only with him for about a year."
Vash paused for a moment then slowly picked up his chair and sat back down, still across from Anya.
"What happened? It seemed like he was taking good care of you." he asked softly. Anya sighed then continued the tale.
"Initially things were good. Knives looked out for me and it seemed like he enjoyed having a companion. Although once he found out about my abilities, I could always sense that he was more guarded around me. At first I didn't mind. Rem had taught me about privacy and not overstepping boundaries. Anyway, we talked a lot and Knives always tried to spoil me with gifts. It was just the two of us, wandering around but we were content." Anya paused and Vash could see a flicker of fear pass over her features. He was glad that he wasn't mentally linked to her at that moment; he didn't think that he wanted to see what frightened her, though he took her hand in his to offer a little comfort. It seemed to help because Anya continued with the story.
"Then one day, we were in some town getting supplies and a fight broke out. I didn't like the fighting and I wanted to help even though Knives was against the idea. I went to the locals and tried to use my abilities to help them. I only ended up scaring them and soon they had turned their guns on me."
Anya pulled aside the left strap of her nightgown and Vash could see a faint scar, a jagged patch of white against her tan skin, on her left shoulder. It pained him to see that she had gone through something like that and as a child, no less.
"Knives was furious when he had seen what they had done. What he did to them next terrified me. I had no idea he could be so cold and cruel." Anya's voice wavered as tears fell down her cheeks. "So I hid from him and I made my first attempt to heal myself, though it ended up being sloppy and rushed. I could feel Knives looking for me but I blocked him out and I ran and ran. Finally, I collapsed outside of October. I would have died if Sarah and Adrian Harper hadn't found me. They nursed me back to health and took me in. I've been here ever since."
Vash remained quiet at the end of her tale, simply too stunned to speak at the moment. He then knelt in front of Anya and took both of her hands in his. She looked at him and rested her forehead against his. They stayed there for a moment before Vash finally spoke.
"I'm sorry for sounding like that." he whispered, "You showed me so much, it's almost overwhelming. I feel guilty because I didn't find you sooner."
"So you're not surprised by what I am?" she whispered back.
"Well yeah, a little. I mean when I first met you I thought you were just a kid that I could play with. I had no idea that there were other independent plants, let alone on our own ship. But to be honest, now I'm just really happy. I don't like that Rem kept you a secret from us but I'm happy that she kept you safe. I'm happy that I know you. And if you'll let me, I want to stay with you." he answered sincerely. Anya nuzzled his nose, sighing with relief.
"I would like that very much, Vash." she whispered. Vash smiled then noticed how tired Anya looked. Her eyes could barely stay open and they were ringed with dark circles that hadn't been there previously. It even seemed like she was exerting a lot of effort simply to stay up in her chair.
"C'mon. You need to rest. We'll talk more later." he said gently.
Anya nodded slowly as Vash stood and scooper her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He carefully walked over to the bed and laid her down. The exhausted woman immediately sank into the inviting bed.
"Don't go, Vash." she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
Vash's smile grew and he quietly kicked off his boots and hung up his gun belt on one of the bed posts. He carefully got into bed, so as not to disturb her, and laid down facing her, resting on his prosthetic arm. With his other hand, he carefully gripped the sleeping woman's left hand.
"Where else could I go?" he asked, voice barely a whisper. And it was true. Although a lot had been revealed this day, Vash couldn't imagine leaving Anya now. She was like him and that brought not only joy but a great sense of relief. He didn't have to hide from her and there was the possibility of a real relationship with her. These thoughts bolstered Vash's spirits as he too fell asleep.
-)*(-
Sorry about the long hiatus. All is explained in my profile update. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please feel free to leave comments. I hope to update again soon. Love and Peace!