Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Cowboy Bebop Meets Trigun ❯ Sibling Rivalry ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: Trigun and Cowboy Bebop do not belong to me. However, I am planning a hostile takeover of Vash and Knives. (Hehe...)

 

A/N: It's me again, everybody! This chapter is shorter than my others. I was kind of planning on making this chapter as long as the last one, but I felt like I ended the chapter on an interesting note. (No, it's not a cliffhanger.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy Chapter 12!

 

 

Chapter 12: Sibling Rivalry

 

“Nightingale.”

“Yes, Tatsujin?”

“Report.”

Nightingale stood in the command center of the her ship, the Eden. She stared at the monitor at her mentor. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, cropped black hair, and piercing slate grey eyes. Although he was not the most handsome or startling of men when it came to looks, his personality demanded one's attention and respect. He was an austere man by nature, but he could also be fair and kind when the need arose. A skilled martial artist and weapons master, he had trained Nightingale since her early childhood.

Of course, she mused, I grew up rather quickly.

“The two have made contact with one another. The elder is attempting to lure the younger to planet Earth by kidnapping two of his former companions.”

“I see.”

“What course of action shall I take?”

“Follow them. Unless the need arises, do nothing. Merely watch.”

Nightingale bowed. “I understand, Tatsujin. I will do as you command.”

“And, Gale?”

She stiffened slightly. It was not like Tatsujin to call her by her real name. It was a rule. Everyone was named by their parents, although in her case, Tatsujin had named her. Soon after, a different name was given, the name one must go by. In essence, a codename. Gale was her first name. However, almost no one used that name. Nightingale was what everyone called her. Then why had he called her Gale?

Tatsujin looked at her speculatively. “I do not want your feelings to get in the way of your mission. Do you understand?”

She nodded, her throat tight.

He smiled on of his rare smiles at her. “However, I trust your judgement in this matter.”

She bowed again, somewhat flattered by that statement. Tatsujin almost never gave compliments.

As the monitor shut off, she told the crew to plot a course for Earth. Her voice hardened as she gave out orders. All traces of any emotion left her features. Cold determination radiated from her as she walked authoritatively about, reprimanding those who did not carry out their orders efficiently enough. Gale was gone.

Only Nightingale remained.

 

 

Spike had been rather quiet all day. The Bebop had already entered the hyperspace gate to Earth so there would be no problems in actually getting there. Spike used the time to think. Alone.

There were so many things he didn't know. Granted, he had learned a great deal today. Most of it hadn't been that interesting, although it now seemed any information they could get on Vash's species, Project SEEDS, and GENE would come in handy, especially since Vash's borther Knives had appeared.

However, it wasn't Vash's history or Knives that concerned him right now. It was the fact that the Red Dragon Syndicate was somehow involved in all this insanity. And why was it that they had been the ones to build a hyperspace gate to Gunsmoke? Moreover, how had they even known Gunsmoke existed? And what was so damn significant about 3 years ago? The only special thing that Spike could remember happening was almost dying because he broke off with the syndicate because of Julia.

Spike growled with frustration. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

“Spike?”

Faye's face poked out from around the corner. She looked the same as she always did, but her expression was smooth, not marred by her characteristic insufferable smirk. No, this time, her green eyes were openly curious and...warm?

A second later, her mouth curled into an arrogant smirk.

Spike sighed. The female species truly was a mystery beyond the ability of men to understand.

Faye walked over to him. “What are you doing, sitting here by yourself?”

“Thinking.”

“Well, that's a first.”

Spike sighed. “Not in the mood, Faye.”

“Well, that's just too bad.” She strode over to him and sat down.

They stayed that way for a while. Neither spoke. Spike wondered why Faye wasn't being snide or, at the very least, obnoxious. When he glanced over at her, she was staring at the floor, her fists clenched in her lap.

“Listen, Spike...” Her voice trailed off.

“Faye, I have enough on my mind right now. Can't you bother me some other time?”

Spike nearly fell over backwards at the look in her eyes. Her fiery green eyes glared murderously at him. She looked ready to kill.

“FINE!” Her voice was almost a screech as she stompedout of the room in a rage.

What the hell is her problem?

Before he could figure it out, Ed ran into the room, singing, “Earth HO! Earth HO! Spike-person, EARTH HO!”

“Alright, alright, alright, Ed! I'm coming!”

“Spike-person, why is Faye-Faye mad at you?”

Spike scowled. “Do I look like I understand what goes on in that bitch's mind, Ed?

“Nope!” Ed chirped. “But Ed thinks you should try!”

Spike watched, nonplussed, as Ed danced out of the room. What the hell did she mean by that?

He shrugged before following Ed.

 

 

Wolfwood looked at Earth on the monitor. It was a wreck. Although the planet itself didn't seem so bad from space, there was tons of debris orbiting the planet. Sometimes, one of the large chunks of what seemed to be rubble would randomly fall to Earth, leaving a trail of red in it's wake as it entered the atmosphere. Wolfwood looked at Jet's grim face.

“Jet, is that really Earth?”

Jet sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“What happened to it?”

“Well, that's a long story, I guess. You see, humans wer already branching off into space at the time. Hyperspace gates, which facillitated interplanetary travel, were being constructed everywhere. Then, one day, there was a malfunction on the hyperspace gate near the Earth's moon. It caused an explosion which destroyed the moon. The debris that didn't crash on Earth began to orbit the planet. However, sometimes, the gravitational pull of the Earth is enough to cause the chunks of debris to fall to Earth randomly. That's why people immigrated to Mars and other parts of the solar system. It is no longer safe to live there. Of course,” Jet scratched his chin, “there are a few people who still live on Earth, but they have a hard time.”

“I see.”

At that moment, Faye marched into the room, her eyes flaring. Wolfwood looked at her, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth. He could guess what had happened. The woman was so stubborn about admitting she had feelings for Spike. Of course, Spike didn't seem to notice which only frustrated her more.

“Hey, Ed.”

Ed pulled her goggles off her face, replying, “Yes, Jet-person?”

“Go get Spike, would you?”

“OKAY!”

She was almost out of the room when Jet added, “And go find Vash while your at it.”

“Okey-dokey!” She took off.

“She's quite a handful, isn't she?” Wolfwood chuckled.

“Yeah. It's hard to keep up with her sometimes.”

Wolfwood raised his eyebrows. “Sometimes?”

Jet grinned. “Most of the time.”

Seeing the look on Wolfwood's face, he laughed. “Alright, then! All of the time!”

A few minutes later, Ed zoomed into the room, slapped her goggles on, and began typing ferociously, shouting, “We're heeeeeeeee-rrrrrrrrre!”

A few minuted later, Spike came in, followed by Vash. Everyone was assembled. Wolfwood looked at Vash. He seemed ok, but Wolfwood could tell that his friend was having some trouble. After, it wasn't everyday that you thought you could start a new life, only to find out later that it wasn't an option.

Maybe, someday, we can both start over...

“Ed, what's our status?”

“Jet-person, we just got coordinates from Utensils!”

Jet blinked. “Utensils?”

Spike snickered. “She probably means Knives.”

Ed nodded vigorously.

“Ok, then. Where does he want us to meet him?” Jet asked.

“Riiiiiiiiight HERE!” Ed pointed to the monitor.

“Hmmm, looks like he wants to meet us in what used to be the East Coast of the United States. Ed!”

“Yes, Jet-person?”

“Plot our course to those coordinates!”

“Yes, sirree, Jet-person!”

Well, it looks like things are about to heat up.

 

 

Knives's eyes swept over the surrounding area, his mouth curled with disgust. The place was a wasteland, much like Gunsmoke. It wasn't enough that the humans had ravaged their own planet with all of their meaningless conflicts. No, they had decided to make the entire place uninhabitable. Knives had seen the debris orbiting around the planet. It made his blood boil that such insignificant, parasitic organisms had been allowed to exist in the first place. However, once he had his brother by his side once more, he wouldn't need the Gung-Ho Guns anymore. He would destroy them all! All of the spiders would die!

He glanced over at the two puny humans by his side. The short one was biting her lip, an indication of anxiety. Knives gained some pleasure from that although it still did not cover the hatred he felt for her for tearing his brother away from him. The tall one, on the other hand, radiated calm and serenity. He refrained from glaring at her. Despite the fact that he had struck her, the tall one continued to address him cheerfully. It was maddening. Also, despite her apparent innocence, she seemed to have her own sort of wisdom about her that was infuriating.

Knives pushed both of them from his mind. He had left his ship in the very capable hands of Legato. It was only the three of them, standing about 100 yarz from Omega, waiting for Vash to arrive with his pitiful little friends.

Not long after, a ship began to descend from the sky. Knives sneered. Even the ship radiated insignificance. As the ship began to land in the pollution-infested ocean, once called the Atlantic, dust began to kick up. The two females next to Knives shielded their eyes with their arms, but Knives merely stood tall and didn't flinch away.

A few minutes later, the dust cleared, revealing Vash in his flowing, red coat. All of his friends were with him. Knives mouth curled even further when he saw the so-called priest with his Cross Punisher slung over his soldier.

So, my brother's keeper has also decided to come. How interesting.

Knives narrowed his eyes as he watched the debate that seemed to be raging near the rag-tag ship. From what Knives could gather from the surface thoughts of his brother's mind, Vash wanted to go alone, yet the others were insisting that someone accompany him.

Knives sneered. How presumptuous to think that they would actually be able to assist him!

In the end, it appeared that Vash won. As Vash began to walk slowly towards his brother, Wolfwood began to follow at a distance.

What are you planning, brother?

 

 

Vash walked slowly towards his brother. He was aware of Wolfwood's presence behind him. The only reason he had consented to Wolfwood accompanying him was in case Knives tried something. Vash would have to stop him while Wolfwood got the girls to safety. When the others had argued over who would go, Wolfwood immediately said that it was his idea so he should be the one to go. There was some protest, but everyone eventually gave in.

As he got closer, Vash watched Knives carefully. He only spared brief glances to see how Meryl and Millie were. Meryl was biting her lip, but Millie seemed calm, despite the bruise that was on her cheek. Vash's aqua eyes burned when he looked at Millie's injury. Knives had had no right to do that!

Knives himself seemed passive. His arctic blue eyes were locked on Vash's aqua ones, searching. Vash could not sense very much from Knives, except for the occasional feeling of anticipation. Other than that, Knives's mind was closed to Vash. It wasn't surprising. Vash had never bothered to polish his mental skills while Knives obviously had.

Vash stopped a few yarz away from Knives. Wolfwood was about the same distance behind him. The two brothers stared at each other as the moments crawled by. The only sound to be heard was the whistling of the wind.

Vash smiled faintly. “Well, here we are.”

Knives chucked slightly. “It would appear so.”

“So, are you going to return Meryl and Millie, or do I have to take them?” Vash's voice was hard.

Knives waved his hand. “No need for that, dear brother. I shall return them to you without a fuss,” he remarked airily.

Vash stared as Knives indicated to the girls that they could leave. As Meryl and Millie's bonds and gags undid themselves, the two hesitated before running towards Vash and Wolfwood. Millie charged Wolfwood with a hug while Meryl ran up to Vash, arms extended. Expecting a warm greeting, Vash extended his arms as well. He was disappointed.

WHACK!

“Ow!” Vash rubbed the bump on his head. “What did you do that for?”

Meryl smirked at him and simply said, “You're late.”

Vash stared at her for a moment before laughing, “I guess I deserved that!”

Meryl's eyes twinkled. “Yes, you did.”

Vash's eyes widened as she leaned against him and wrapped her tiny arms around his broad frame. After a moment, he reciprocated. He had never held her before. It was a new experience for him. For the first time, he realized how mch she meant to him.

He gently pushed her away from him, a serious look in his eyes. Her violet eyes met his. After a moment, her face lit with understanding. Briefly, she glanced in Knives direction, who was still standing in the exact same spot.

“Listen, go with Wolfwood. I'll catch up with you later. I have some unfinished busines that I need to take care of.”

Meryl nodded. As Vash turned away, she pulled him down close to her and pecked him on the cheek. He stared at her in wonder.

“Come back safe to me, alright?” she whispered.

“I will.”

As Meryl went towards Wolfwood (who was also disentangling himself from another, very happy Insurance Girl), Vash turned his attention back to Knives. The two brothers stared at each again.

“So, are you quite finished with your two pet humans?”

Vash blinked. Did Knives sound...jealous? Or was Vash just imagining things? He definitely sounded irritable. Maybe that was it.

“Yeah. But tell me something, Knives. Why did you let them go?”

Knives sniffed. “I would think that would be obvious, dear brother. The use I had for them has no expired.”

Vash frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Please, brother. You are a superior being with an intellect far beyond that of humans. Act like it, won't you? Fine,” Knives said, cutting off Vash's indignant exclamation, “I will spell it out for you. I released your two pet humans because now that I have you,” Knives began to grin, “what need have I for them?”

Knives drew his gun. It was identical to Vash's silver gun, only it was black. He pointed it at Vash.

Vash smiled sadly as he drew his own gun. `I guess things were bound to come to this.'

`Not unless you concede that humans do indeed deserve to be exterminated like the insects they are.'

`Not a chance, Knives.'

`What a pity. I guess I'll have to teach you the hard way.'

`They are living beings! They deserve to live, Knives!'

`Please. Don't insult my intelligence by claiming they “deserve to live”. They are parasites! After all the scars they have carved into your body, you still insist that they are worth saving?'

`That's only because of the bounty on my head that you caused! I could have lived in peace, but you wouldn't allow it!'

`They would have done so anyway upon discovering what we are! Look at what they have done to our sisters! Enslaved them, used them as batteries, treating them as less than living beings!'

`Knives, it doesn't matter. Humans can learn from their mistakes! We could teach them! Together!'

`You really are a fool, Vash. Believing in that ridiculous woman who lived and died by contradiction!'

`Knives...'

`What?'

`It's obvious that neither of us are going to agree on anything. Let's settle this. Once and for all.'

`Yes. Let's.'

 

 

Yes, I know. The chapter was short. Well, hopefully my next one will be longer. Writing 4000 words for one chapter is hard! (In other words, I'm lazy. Hehe...) Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I wanted some cute moments between Vash/Meryl, Wolfwood/Millie, and Spike/Faye. I hope they're ok. Writing romance is not my forté. Also, I hope everyone liked the conversation between Vash and Knives.

 

Done now. Bye, everybody!

 

Love and Peace!