Water started to drip slowly from the sky. Vash put his sunglasses on and blinked when a droplet hit him right in the forehead. He put his hand up to shield his face as he looked up.
"Rain?" He wondered aloud. "It's colder than I expected…"
Nai looked up as well, pulling his hood over his head. "We'll have to get used to it." He looked over, half wondering if his younger brother was already having second thoughts.
But Vash just smiled, tugging on his own hood. "Yeah."
The long stretches of concrete before them seemed to have no end. There were cracks in the ground that disrupted the man made constructs with grass that was reclaiming its territory. Traffic lights that had gone dark long ago swung back and forth with the wind. Several barren store fronts lined each side of the street.
Curious, Vash approached one, glass crunching under his boots as he peered inside. Only tiny scraps of clothes and hangers laid haphazardly across the floor, along with several signs enthusiastically advertising deals.
Nai walked up next to him to silently examine it as well.
"Do you think Luida's theory is right?" Vash asked with a curious tone.
"It's too soon to tell," Nai replied evenly before turning back around. "But this planet's climate is close to the records she showed us."
Vash gave a slight nod. "Right." His gaze lingered on the store a moment longer before he followed his brother.
As they got closer to the heart of the city, the buildings grew taller and more overgrown. They loomed like giants over the twins as they walked. Nai glanced around at every corner they passed at the street level while Vash was looking upwards, his eyes tracing the lines of the highest windows. He followed the vines and blades of grass that snaked the structures. The overwhelming amount of green concealed the smaller traces of brighter colors interlaced throughout, desperately trying to poke out into bigger blossoms. It gave him a bit of hope. Maybe he'd find some of them after all…
Eventually, they came upon a large fountain adorning the once bustling square. Sculptures of various people were circling it, carrying vases meant to cascade the water that spilled from the top of the structure down to the bottom layers. Now, the rain just sadly pattered against the stone.
Vash tried to imagine what it would've looked like if it was fully populated. The sheer amount of people going about their days, greeting each other as they passed, driving around wherever they pleased.
It must've been amazing, he thought. Part of him grew sad thinking about it… What happened? Where did they go? Had they moved on to better places? Had they also fled in the hopes of finding a better home? Or were they all gone for good?
He stared down towards the ground. There was no point in speculating on it. They would just have to see if they could find out for certain.
While his mind tried to focus on other things, he found a trace of what he'd glimpsed earlier: petals. They were somewhat obscured amongst the tall weeds. Vash walked closer and crouched down, gently pushing the greenery aside. He started to beam as he got a better look.
Several small flowers were budding there. They were mostly yellow and white with an occasional tint of pink. With a free hand, Vash pulled the screen he'd been using to record earlier and pointed it towards his find.
Nai took another moment to scan their surroundings before noticing. "What are you doing?"
"Look." Vash smiled up at him and pointed to the flowers. "They're like the flora on the ship."
Nai crouched down and watched Vash take several pictures. "Do you think they're that important?"
"Well… probably not." Vash chuckled. "But… Rem used to grow flowers like this, remember?"
Nai didn't say anything. He just watched his younger brother, his expression flat. Why did he keep asking that? Of course he remembered. After a few moments, he sighed and stood back up. "Come on. We should find somewhere to–"
Hissss…
The brothers turned their heads at the same time. The sound was faint at first, barely above a whisper. They watched the entrance of a nearby alley intently, certain that was where it was coming from. Vash set his bag on the ground and stashed the camera away before slowly getting back to his feet.
Hissss!
It was getting louder. A pair of eyes reflected back at them from the shadows. They bounced between Vash and Nai, as if unsure which of them to focus on. The two just stared back, not making a move. Until…
Hisss! Hisss!
The sound became more insistent, but not just from in front of them. Vash turned on his heel to see another set of eyes glaring at him. He stood back to back with his brother, watching as another, and another appeared. Nai witnessed the same. The creatures started to inch forward tensely, baring their teeth. Their fur was matted and filthy. They were big enough to be large dogs, but their appearance suggested they were related to cats.
Vash put his right hand towards the holster on his leg.
"You actually loaded it this time, right?" Nai asked as kept a cold glare on the creatures.
"Yeah." Vash nodded, his own gaze rigid.
The rain started to pour harder. Two long knives started to grow from Nai's fists. The creatures crept closer… closer… Until they found the moment to strike–!
They had barely leapt off their feet when Vash swiftly pulled the gun from his side and aimed it squarely at his attacker.
BANG!
There was hardly a moment to think about it as another creature rushed in to swipe its claws wildly. Vash ducked out of the way before striking it away with his left hand. The water splashed up from his boots as he jumped past the sets of gnashing teeth and wild lunges they were taking.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He never took a shot unless he was sure it would land. Each one proved either fatal or severely debilitating. No matter how many he took down, they seemed no less deterred from their prey. He silently hoped that they would just give up eventually. But if they didn't… there was nothing else for it.
Simultaneously, Nai was busy slicing at any that dared to get close to him. It looked effortless for him, as if he was under no threat at all. As one attempted to bite towards his ankle, he stomped its head down before stabbing straight through its jugular. Even when more and more of them kept appearing, he simply clicked his tongue and continued on.
After several merciless strikes, he flicked the blood and water from his blades. He let out an annoyed sigh. Though he hadn't once looked amused through the whole encounter, he'd at least found it somewhat entertaining for a bit. But it was starting to get tedious.
He looked back towards his brother to ensure everything was under control. Vash was managing well enough as he wiped his face with his sleeve. Still, it was best to end things sooner rather than later. If these menaces weren't going to stand down after seeing their kin felled so easily, Nai would just have to send a clear message.
From his back, several lines of etched, small knives protruded out like tendrils.
"Out of my way," he threatened.
In one fell swoop, each tendril skewered one of the beasts, lifting and slamming them back to the ground with a hard CRACK! They slinked out of each corpse as they laid motionless in the relentless downpour before stretching out to find their next targets.
BANG! BANG!
The last two bullets of the chamber rang out. Vash instinctively went to reload… until he saw the looks in each creature's eyes. They had all gone stock still and fixed their gaze beyond him, cowering. Seeing that they were no longer a threat, he turned around to witness what had caused them to stop.
This was far from the first time he'd seen his older brother's abilities. And it certainly wouldn't be the last. But to say he didn't find it unsettling, even after all that time, would be a lie. It was unnerving, harsh, and meant for one purpose. Any sliver of jealousy he had for Nai's powers went out the window when he was reminded of what they really were.
The creatures slowly started to back away before fleeing the area completely. Once they had, the line of tendrils receded back into Nai as he turned to his twin.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yeah… Though I wish I would've known we'd be fighting this early. I would've done some stretching," Vash jokingly responded, sitting on the edge of the fountain and rolling his shoulders. His eyes fell to the mix of blood and water that was blending into the cracks of the street. Some of it had spread to the wildflowers he'd found before, sullying their pristine hues. He couldn't help but frown.
"Would it really have made a difference?" Nai asked, sitting beside him.
Vash let out a small laugh. "Guess not."
The two sat in silence for a minute, listening to the drums of rainfall as it echoed around them.
"Come on. We should keep moving." Nai rose to his feet and looked down the road.
There was no argument from Vash. He holstered his gun and picked up his bag, following wordlessly.
They found refuge in what appeared to be an apartment building. The dilapidated lobby was at least dry and insulated enough to warm them up. Vash took off his coat and hung it on the railing of the stairwell.
"A-Achoo!" He let out a loud sneeze and shivered, shaking his head like a dog.
"Don't tell me you're already sick." Nai sighed.
Vash waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, I'm fine. But a warm bath does sound nice… Or some soup."
As if on cue, his stomach growled. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
Nai couldn't help but smirk. "You get something to eat. I'm taking a look around."
"Alright… Be careful." Vash plopped onto the bottom step and fished through his bag.
The older brother wandered up towards the upper level. Some of the doors in the hallway were opened, but the rooms were all abandoned. There were clothes and useless items strewn all around, as if they'd been ransacked time and time again. Stuffed animals, office supplies, lamps, headphones… None of it was of any interest to him, so he didn't bother looking at them any closer. But something did finally catch his eye.
A noticeboard posted at the end of the hall had wrinkled up notices to the community. It was all standard, monotonous messages about events and job opportunities… save for one poster:
Need protection from mutations?
Unable to alleviate your symptoms?
Trying to find a new community?
Look no further than Genesis!
Our doors are always open for residents new and old!
There was an address printed at the bottom. It didn't mean anything to Nai, but he plucked the paper from its tack. Maybe it was a lead.
Unable to find anything else useful, he returned to Vash, who was happily munching on a sandwich. Hearing Nai's footsteps descending towards him, he turned and held out the other half.
"Want shome?" He asked with his mouth full.
"You already know the answer," his brother replied before sitting down next to him. "This is all I found." Nai showed Vash the poster.
Vash read it over as he chewed. He swallowed and raised an eyebrow. " 'Mutations?' What does that mean? Was there some kind of infection?"
"I don't know. But if there are any people left on this planet, they could all be here."
"Makes sense. If there was some kind of disaster, the survivors would want to band together."
"Now we just need to figure out where it is."
That would be a tall order. They didn't have a map, and there were countless streets they hadn't even seen yet. It would take ages to start marking everything down. …In hindsight, they probably should've started taking notes on what they'd seen earlier. Maybe Vash's vlogging idea wasn't so bad after all.
Crunch…
They immediately turned to their left, looking for the source of the sound. Vash reached for his gun, wondering if it was another creature stalking them as he scanned the room. But his guard dropped when he saw what was staring back at them.
A child was peeking out from the doorframe, only one of their eyes and hands visible as they tried to remain discrete. When they realized they'd been spotted, their eye widened and their grip on the wall tightened.
Vash put his hands up and smiled gently. "It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you."
The child glanced over to Nai. Unfortunately, he wasn't backing up Vash's statement as he watched the child with a tense gaze.
"Are you hungry? Here." Vash reached for the uneaten half of his sandwich and reached it out in front of him. "You can have it if you want."
That didn't appear to be enticing enough as the child slunk back further away from the door. A moment later, the twins could hear the crunching of their shoes again as they darted away.
"Wait!" Vash called out to them and hurriedly packed his stuff away to give chase.
"Vash! It could be a trap!" Nai insisted as he ran to catch up.
But there was no convincing the younger twin. Even if there was danger ahead, he couldn't ignore the facts; they'd found proof of a living person. And a child couldn't survive on their own. What if they needed help? What if there were more people where they were going? Whatever the answer was, he had to find out, caution be damned.