Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ As the Rose Falls ❯ Almost There ( Chapter 7 )

As the Rose Falls

Chapter 7: Almost There

By Dashing V and Hellions K.

A long sigh escaped from the peace loving man as he trudged through the white sand of the dessert planet, "Are we there yet?" he asked again, probably for the fifth time in the past fifteen minutes.

He was tired of traveling, they had put many miles on their feet since leaving the last plant and Vash himself was the one who had insisted on going at such a pace...why...why this city...he groaned, all he wanted was a warm bed and a fresh donut.

"The Plant is still a good week and a half away at this pace dear brother," Knives replied to his twin's question.

Each time he has given his twin a different answer, one would think that he would learn to just reply with the word no after a while. He shook his head, there were times when being the analytical mind could be just as much of a curse as it was a blessing when it came to situations like this. For right now he doubted that no matter what he said his sibling was not going to take to it very well.

"But think of it this way if there are no problems with the plant, as there had been none last time, we will not have to stay long," he added as he watched the shifting sand before him.

He rose his hand to shade his eyes against their harshness for a moment thinking that he saw something but it must have just been a trick of the shifting sands.

"A week and a haaaaalf?" the fair headed man queried in a groan, "But...." he sighed and shut his mouth before Knives got too overly annoyed with him.

He trudged on, following his brother as he looked at the world through his yellow tinted glasses. Wishing that he were at a bar having some Ceylon tea and a salmon sandwich. Hmmmmm....he thought to himself, a nice cold salmon sandwich.

His attention was then brought back to Knives, "Yeah...I think it's a bid odd, Knives. And some of the others have been that way too. You think someone is trying to help us out?"

"That is a distinct possibility," Knives replied as he dropped his hand to his side once again. "Especially with this particular Plant."

He gestured with his left hand in the direction of the Plant the sought. Of all of their sibling Plants that appear to be taken care of, the one outside the city of October was by far the best that he has seen.

"I have yet to see another Plant that we have been to that is so meticulously tended in both the grove and the mechanics of the Plant itself. Even our sibling seems to be happy and content, at least the past time or two we have been there. Many of our brothers and sisters in the other 'tended' Plants do not seem to share the mirth that our brother does here," Knives mused aloud to his twin as they walked along. "It is unfortunate that none of the other Plants are tended this well outside of October, there would be far more green on this desert that we call home...."

He paused, his words trailing off slowly as he sighed. "But I guess that the blame for the world that we live upon should rest upon my shoulders." He then turned his crystalline blue gaze upon his twin, his voice held a twinge of sadness to it. "There are times dear brother that I wish that I had been a mama's boy just like you. Maybe then our lives would have been different. That we could have lived our lives with peaceful days, without pain and suffering."

He then paused again as his gaze turned towards the horizon as the soft wind rustled the fabric of his long cloak. He then reached up a hand and ran it through his hair, the short locks growing out some, hanging more the length that Vash kept his hair when it was short.


His twin's words made the man stop as he looked at his physically un-scarred twin yet he was scarred so emotionally. His heart went out to Knives as his hand to a rest upon his right shoulder.

"Do not think about it, Knives, my brother, things happen for a reason. Brad was not a very nice
man...he despised us. You did what you could to live with the hurt he caused...I can not blame you, only help you."

He paused as he felt Vash's hand upon his shoulder and he looked over at the dark glove encased hand. They both bared their own scars, some of which may never heal, for either of them.

He chuckled softly at his twin's reply, knowing that he was trying to comfort him, which sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. "Maybe," he replied before he started to move again.

The pair of them walked on several more hours and the twin suns began to sink in the sky.

"We should stop for the night," Knives said all of a sudden as he changed direction and walked over to a outcropping of rocks that he had seen in the distance a while back. This may seem a bit odd for a man who can walk all day and a good portion of the night most of the time.

Once he reached the outcropping he leaned up against the smooth surface of stone before he slid down to a sitting position and stretched his legs out before him. His pack was dropped to the sand next to him, to lie however landed. Arms folded as hands were placed behind his head and he looked up the slowly darkening sky, soon it would be sunset.

"I wonder if we will meet the one who has been tending to the Plant outside of the city of October," he said out of he blue.

His mind was a constant shifting of thoughts, like ripples upon water, they seemed to ebb and flow in rippling patterns. Obviously he was either not coming to terms with his thoughts and memories or he was lost somewhere in the confusion. He did not look over to his twin, though the look upon his face would be thoughtful if not a bit distant. A distance that Vash has probably seen Knives slip into from time to time.

"Over two centuries have past..." He murmured softly, "...and still so many questions." It was then that his gaze turned to Vash.

"Will I...we ever find the answers to everything we...or...I, seek? Or will they drift away on iridescent wings?"

The daydreamer and acting baka sat opposite his brother as they stopped for the night, his pack lying beside him. He sighed, actually thankful to be resting, for he got sick of sliding through the ever changing sand and trying to not find that one rock in the desert that would be the end of him. He closed his eyes as he let his head rest against his rock, only opening them and looking at Knives upon the question.

"What brought that up, brother?" he questioned, very curious. He studied the other for a few moments, "Do you think that our sibling would tell us?"

He watched the other slip into the distant look and went back to resting his head against the rock his eyes now studying the stars, still mulling over the question that Knives had just brought up.

"Do we want to find the answers to everything?" he answered his brother's questions with his own, he for one didn't want to know some things, for that would ruin the mystery that was life in his eyes.

"A curiosity," Knives replied as he looked up at the starry sky. "I don't know if our sibling will tell us or not, it will be his choice if he does or not."

He stretched a bit before he turned his gaze back to his twin. "I don't know, there are things I would like to find, others that I could probably live without."

He stretched again and his eyes slowly closed. "It will be nice to reach the Plant at October," he said softly before slipping of to sleep.

The gunman nodded as he felt the day wear on his body and sleep come in to over take his thoughts. He tried stay conscious long enough to hear his brother, but it was lost to him, for he slipped into dreams ones that were rather sweat in their own way.

* * * * *

The boy kicked at a stone in the road as he walked along the street, not on the sidewalk in the street. He could care less about much of anything at the moment; Jarod had been being a really big jerk of late, so life at home had been anything but good. He gave a sigh as he continued just walking the streets and watching as people were starting to turn into a frenzy from the festival being only a couple weeks away.

He stopped a moment as he saw some kids younger than him go running down the street, delighted grins on their faces as they waved some of the plushies from last year's festival. Shaking his head with a chuckle the nine-year-old continued on his way, kicking at this stone and that, just thinking...odd for a nine-year-old.

"You leaving?" Nick asked as he saw Viv walk past the cafe where he sat upon the steps smoking.

"Yeah," Viv replied as she stopped, to look down at Nick through the pair of yellow sunglasses perched upon her nose. The long red trench coat flapping softly against her legs showing glimpses of the black bodysuit beneath. She shifted her pack slightly upon her back as the strap was wound around her hand. "I'm leaving later than usual so I'm going to be taking a Thomas this time.

"Well I can at least walk you as far as, Andrew's," Nick offered as he stood up to walk beside the woman who in her stilts stood taller then he did.

Andrew was the best Thomas Rancher in the area. Always had nice animals to rent or let good friends borrow.

"Thanks I should be back in a week if all goes well," Viv said with a smile.

Nick nodded, his gaze then caught Matti, "Hey kiddo how ya doin'?" he asked as he patted the boy on the head as he passed.

"Be good while I'm gone, Matti," Viv called over her shoulder.

Matti looked up at Nick as he was addressed, giving a small shrug, "Okay, I guess. Better if Jarod wasn't being more of a jerk than normal." He sighed and then nodded at Viv as he gave her smile and thumbs up side, as he tagged along, "I will, Miss Viv!"

Matti would definitely follow along, he loved going for walks and hanging out with the older people, they were so nice to him. He started to skip along as his spirits lifted just for who knows what reason. He then started to hum a little beboppity tune to himself, one that he had been practicing for his lessons.

Once they got to Andrew's Viv gave Nick a bit of a wave as she walked inside and talked to Andrew. A few moments later they walked outside and saddled up a Thomas for her. Once the pack was secured Andrew opened the gate and she rode the animal out at a slow walk so that
Nick and Matti could walk with her to the city limits if they wanted.

"Ah yes," Nick said around the but of his cigarette that was now burnt out, he then chuckled softly. "That last dye job was awful so I bet he's scrambling now for another dye to use."

Viv gave the boy thumbs up in return as she smiled down at him from her seat on the back of the Thomas. "I'm sure that you gentlemen will take care of everything while I'm gone," she added with a wink at both boy and man. "Take care!"

She then gave the Thomas a little kick as they reached the city limits and the animal leapt forward at a brisk trot. A wave of a black gloved hand would be the last thing the woman gives before focusing her attention on the road ahead of her.

It would take Viv a day and a half travel by Thomas to reach the plant, a smile spreading across her lips as she saw it growing upon the horizon as well as the lush greenery around it. She would tie the Thomas up in the little make shift coral around the back of the Plant as she slipped behind it, then she would make her way inside.

Once inside she removed her coat and hung it in the side room that she would call home for the next four to five days. Setting her pack down beside it she then left the room and made her way through the twisting hallways to the heart of the plant.

"I'm here," she called softly as she reached out and touched the glass orb inside with a glove incased hand. She then waited to see if the being inside the plant would respond.