tampered | Log; Complete

Log; Complete

When; Saturday, December 08; sometime after midnight
Rating; PG-13/R for violence and maybe language
Characters; Knives (

unmerged) and Vash (

mildlyreckless)
Summary; The dynamic twin duo face off yet again over Rem.
Log;
Vash stared straight ahead from his spot on the steps to building 12, waiting. Tension and wrath was apparent in the glow about him and in his eyes, but one never would have guessed by seeing his expression that anything was wrong.

This fight was a bad idea. He was tired and he knew Knives was still having to adjust to being dead. But it wouldn't stop Knives from killing Rem, so Vash couldn't let it stop him from throwing himself in between them. He'd already had Rem taken from him once just recently and he'd be damned if it happened again when he knew he could prevent it. Especially if it would be at the hands of his brother again.

So Vash stood on the steps and waited for Knives to appear, ignoring the winter cold.

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The news had come as a surprise, a piece of information casually slipped in to the converstation as though it hadn't mattered. How wrong that assupmtion had been. He'd been quick to make a move on it, taking the first opportunity to call out both his twin and the woman who'd caused it all.

Rem. The equivalent of his and his brothers mother. She'd been the one to find them, to raise them, and then to try an corrupt them. Unluckily for him, it'd worked on at least one of the pair. The very same Plant who currently stood on guard outside one of the buildings.

"Vash." It was just a single word, but it was all the warning he was willing to give right then. Either his brother would move and allow him free access, or yet again, the pair would be forced to fight thanks to Vash's warped ideals.

By way of a reply, Vash drew his revolver and fired a round just next to Knives' ear, then slowly turned his eyes to lock onto those of his twin's.

"Take one more step and my next shot will hit you," Vash said flatly. "And I'll make sure it counts."

Vash's reaction hadn't come as much of a surprise. Afterall, his brother's devotion to the humans around him had always been one of the few subjects it was easy to rile him up over. And now it was the memory of the one person who meant most to him. No, not the memory. A reanimated version of her. He was trying to protect the few pieces that were left of the woman he cared so deeply for. It was also the very same thing that Knives was so set on tearing away from him once again.

Pausing in his steps, Knives smirked at the sight in front of him. It was almost too familiar. The difference was that this time, he knew it would take more than his 'death' to stop him from doing as he wanted.

"Why do you continue to try and protect her? After everything she's done to you." To both of them.

Vash aimed for his brother's shoulder and continued to glare. It really was like looking into a mirror. Looking the same, but with everything in reverse. One looking in a mirror always knew that something was wrong. And while what was wrong with a mirror's reflection was the inverted image, what was wrong here was the heart of the eyes staring back at him. All this time, and nothing had really changed.

It struck Vash then that, just like before in this City, any understanding the two had reached was shredded away by the presence of the woman who had raised them.

"Because I love her," Vash said.

"Why?" He remained whare he was, still keeping from calling on any form of weapon just yet. As with every other encounter they'd had, Knives was still trying to gain some kind of understanding behind his brothers actions. "How can you love someone like her? She has used both of us from the very moment we were born." It was just a shame that nothing Vash ever said made any sense. Or at least, not to him.

Looking away from Vash, his attention drifted up to the building the other was protecting. Obviously, the one he was trying to find was inside that building, somewhere. If need be, he'd tear the building apart to try and find her, unless Vash decided to cooperate. Something he highly doubted would ever happen.

Vash's frown deepened, but he didn't move otherwise. He still didn't understand Knives. How had Rem used them? She'd kept information from them, yes, but she did it to protect them. She kept them safe from the rest of the crew; from the rest of the world. How did this...make any sense?

He stiffened when he noted Knives' glance to the building and spoke quickly to get his attention back on him.

"Because she loved us first," he replied evenly. "She took care of us and kept us safe. So now I'm going to do the same for her."

"She is the reason you are as you are. She was the one who fed you with these false ideals about the human race. You were shown, time and time again, that they cannot be trusted. Even before we landed on that planet. But you still seem to choose the humans above your own family. Your true family." His gaze still remained on the building, though Vash had been successful in pulling his actual attention back, for the time being. "Why do you constantly pick them above your own kind?"

It felt like a repetition, and in some ways, it was. It was also something he doubted would ever change. Knives would continue to try and get his brother to see sense, and Vash would always ignore every word he said, believing his own opinions to be correct.

Vash could feel himself bristling at Knives' words even before his twin had finished speaking.

"I don't choose one over the other," he growled. "We can make peace with them and live alongside them, Knives. I've met a lot of people who have been able to accept me for who and what I am. You just need to be more patient!"

Vash knew the verbal argument wouldn't last much longer... It never did when it got to this point.

"152 years is long enough. They've only ever made moves because they were forced into them. Reactions, nothing more. Of all the humans who survived, how many of them can you honestly say chose to take care of our sisters? For how many of them is it more than just a necessity? The number's too low to take in to consideration. And where they may help, they've done little to teach the others of their kind."

Finally, Knives looks back down to Vash again, starting to move forward once more. "But that isn't the point of this meeting now, is it? You're keeping something from me that I have as much of a right to access as you do."

Vash stiffened as Knives started towards him and fired a shot into his brother's shoulder. It wouldn't do much to stop Knives, but it would serve to show him he wasn't bluffing.

"I told you if you came any closer, I'd shoot," he said coldly. "Don't take another step."

He couldn't help the flinch that accompanied the wound. Glancing at his shoulder, Knives' smirk turned almost bitter. It seemed that this was going to be just the same as every other 'conversation' the pair had. His hand balled up into a fist as he turned back to Vash, eyes narrowed. If Vash wasn't going to see reason and let him through, then Knives would make a way for himself.

His energy began pooling into his arm, taking more out of him than he'd care to admit. A blade appeared moments later, being flipped round into his hand. "Brother. You should already know your warnings mean nothing to me."

There was a flash in the Plant's mind and he suddenly thought back to that day he first fired a bullet into his brother's shoulder. That was the moment right before he lost his left arm. Vash felt his own power react to Knives' and was suddenly made very aware of how exhausted he was. This wasn't good. Feathers began to appear out of his right arm and Vash felt a twinge he knew would turn into pain later if he overexerted himself.

"It's not just a warning," Vash said flatly. "I'll do whatever it takes, short of killing you or dying to keep you from Rem."

He just hoped he wouldn't pass out before he could be sure Knives couldn't get through.

"Will you?" It was said in an almost mocking tone. It seemed he himself wasn't the only one who wasn't back up to scratch yet. If anything, that made the entire situation simpler. In some ways at least. It still meant that he too would have to find a way around the situation. He wouldn't kill his brother after going through all the trouble of saving him.

"Then you'd better find a way to stop me. Otherwise your precious Rem dies again." The words had barely left his mouth before he was on the move, this time in a sprint as he flew toward his brother, the blade drawn and ready to be swung at the other Plant.

While most would flinch at the sudden attack, Vash channeled the reaction into four smooth shots aimed for Knives' torso; his last bullets before he'd have to reload the revolver. He pivoted on his right foot to get out of the way of the blade, but he wasn't moving as fast as he could've. And then he staggered slightly. Not enough to cause a problem against a human, but against Knives...

He was already in trouble.

He glanced at the building as he swung around and gritted his teeth. The next few minutes were going to be painful.

He did his best to try and avoid the shots aimed at him, though a pair still managed to hit home. Enough for him to stumble a few paces, but not enough to stop him yet. His free hand pressed to the wounds and came away wet. How bad it was, he didn't know. Nor did he care just then.

Bringing the blade round quickly, he slashed at the very weapon that'd just injured him. Or more precisely, the arm that held it. Get rid of the weapons and leave the man intact. He could easily be healed up later.

Vash's eyes widened as he felt the knife slice into his right arm. Not another one; not THAT one! He yanked the arm away before the blade could cut through bone and felt it drag across his midsection instead. It was all right, it didn't go deep there, but his right arm nearly exploded into action not even a second later, energy gathering and crackling and making it very difficult for Vash to keep it in.

In the split-second chaos, he lost his grip of the gun and dropped it. A rookie mistake, but Knives had been able to do enough damage to Vash's tendons to affect his fingers before his arm's defenses took over and could repair them enough to catch the weapon. Damn it. Vash flipped open his gun arm instead. It wasn't his preferred weapon, but it sure as hell did the job.

Edited 2007-12-08 12:56 (UTC)

He watched in amusement as Vash fumbled with his weapon, an eye staying on the others' transformation. It would've undoubtedly been enough to finish him, given his current state, but he seemed to be trying to keep from using it, most likely in some kind of fear of hurting others. He was going to let himself get injured yet again, in hopes of protecting the people who knew him.

"Scared, brother? You could stop me so easily, if you wanted to. You could really protect her from me." The second gun appeared, effectively cutting off his conversation for the time being. His blade flicked to the side, drops of Vash's blood sliding clean from the weapon as he did so.

"I told you..." Vash said, shoving the weariness out of his voice, "I'm not going to kill you."

He straightened and headed for Knives again, firing his automatic at the blade. As he moved, his body seemed to be giving him a running tally of physical and mental strain he'd been put through over the past few weeks. And now, exhausted and fighting to keep his arm in check while his defenses and regeneration went full throttle... He wasn't surprised when he felt what must be blood dripping from his nose.

But drained or not, Knives would have to do a lot more damage than a cut on his arm to make Vash stop.

"Then it seems you'll have to get used to guarding that step. I'm going to see her, no matter what it takes to do so." It took more than he had to be able to keep the bullets from reaching him, his energy being forced into the blade as cracks were made and repaired with every few shots. But it seemed that he wasn't the only one in trouble. Vash was wearing down too, quicker than should be expected, which meant it was merely a waiting game until he would be left with nothing.

He just had to make sure to last that long himself. It was only as Vash drew closer that he moved from his spot again, the weapon slicing through the air toward his brother yet again. However, the action also left him open to those few stray shots that pierced his flesh, his attack being forced to move slower this time round. It didn't matter to him at that point.

Vash's eyes snapped to the opening Knives gave him and fired at his body as the blade cut through his own. His arm flared again and Vash willed the energy back into regeneration instead, holding the knife where it was in his side with his right hand.

"Yeah," he said with a slight smile. "I guess I will. But you should know by now that I'm not just going to let you have your way, Knives."

Vash slowly pulled the blade away from himself and raised his left arm towards Knives' chest before staggering and falling to his knees.

"I'm not going to stop until you do."

"You're still so willing to give up your safety for them. For her." Even now, after 152 years, it wasn't something he could get his head around. Vash had called it 'love', but Knives still couldn't see it as anything other than stupidity. Here he was, bleeding, running out of energy, and still he wasn't going to back down.

He watched as Vash dropped to his knees, his blade remaining still, even as his body ached from the wounds that littered his own body. "You're a fool, Vash. You still have your life, so why waste it on someone who's already dead? Why continue to fight me, even when you know it wont make a difference?"

Vash stared past Knives' legs for a while in silence, taking ragged breaths with his automatic still aimed towards his brother's heart. Memories of leaving Rem on the ship flashed through his mind, quickly followed by thoughts of what she'd said to him not long ago on the Network.

He thought of the other people inside the building; people who would give their lives to protect Rem and him, if only because they cared. He thought of the man sleeping in his room who called him idiot and repeatedly beat the crap out of him, only to always hug him tight and tell him he loved him later on.

Why, indeed.

After a few moments of silence, Vash raised his head and gave Knives a mournful smile.

"Because my arms still work. And as long as they work, they can do what my heart says is right."

Knives could only stare at Vash, completely silent for the longest while. They were brothers. Twins. So how could they really be so different? How could he still believe all the lies that Rem had told him? How could he still have so much faith in his family's murderers above his own blood relations?

Slowly, the blade in his hand was turned, the tip being pointed toward Vash's throat. Hovering a few millimeters away, it stopped again, Knives making no move to attack just yet. "You're better than them." His voice was low, the sentance being one that wouldn't bare repeating again. Not something that was close to being a compliment, in his view. "You don't need them anymore. You never have."

"I needed them once and you helped me get to them," Vash said quietly. "When we flew away... They took care of me when you couldn't."

His left arm was beginning to tremble with fatigue. Knives would make a choice soon... He had to.

"We're no better than they are, Knives. We make mistakes just like they do. You always talk about how they murder us, but you do the same thing to them. It doesn't solve anything. I'll always love my family, but this isn't right."

His scowl was almost instant, annoyed at a certain event that had been brought to light. "They were the only option at the time." Vash had needed help, and the humans had owed him that much at least. Knives wasn't able to do anything to heal Vash after their fight, and the few he could rely on to do so had been killed. "If there had been another choice, I would've taken it." Or at least, he'd like to believe so. At that time, he hadn't been thinking straight, preoccupied with making sure that Vash survived.

"They have killed our kind without remorse, whereas I've killed to protect our sisters. There's a difference there, even if you try not to see it." The blade pressed forward the short gap, resting against Vash's neck. "They were the ones who did this to you. They're the reason we've done nothing but fight for all these years. They took you from me, brother. And for that, they pay, one at a time. She was the one who started it all, so she is the one I'll enjoy killing again."

Vash flinched at the touch and began to shake more, his power itching to negate the threat in front of him.

"S-Stop," he pleaded. "I don't want to shoot you... Just go home, Knives..."

It hurt. All that contained energy... Vash felt something wet slide from his eyes and knew it wasn't tears.

"Stay away from her!"

"Isn't that home?" He glanced briefly up toward the building, pointing out quite what he meant. "Back with my 'mother' and brother. You're the one trying to get in my way, aren't-"

His words were cut off however, as he turned back to Vash. Looking almost confused, his free hand reached out quickly, a thumb swiping across the familiar liquid that was tracking down Vash's face. It was brought closer for inspection, the anger returning as Vash's blood was rubbed between his fingers.

"Stop me, or get out of my way. Now." He wasn't going to back down, but he also wasn't going to let his brother kill himself over this. Not after everything that'd happened before he'd arrived. Drawing the blade away from Vash's neck again, his eyes narrowed as he finally swung it downward to strike at his twin.

Vash started to open fire, but swung the arm up on instinct to deflect Knives' blade and ended up having the prosthesis cloven in two down the middle, all the way up to where it connected to his real arm. He let out a pained cry and fell backwards onto the ground.

Now frantic and out of options if he wanted to save Rem and everyone else in the building, Vash lifted his right arm. He could do it. He could control a blast to simply knock Knives out with the surge of energy.

For the first time in quite a while, Vash used his arm as an offensive attack.

The shots were enough to knock him off balance as he staggered backwards, a grunt of pain escaping him. His breaths coming harder now, Knives looked down, sneering at the damage he'd taken. Vash seemed to be set on wounding him alone, leaving Knives to have to be the one to take the initiative again.

Looking back to Vash however, it seemed that maybe this time, he was wrong. His eyes widened at the sight that greeted him, the mass of feathers and light that he'd seem so many times before. It'd just never been pointed at him like this. "...Vash?"

Vash looked up at Knives with empty, glowing eyes and shifted to level his arm at his target.

"I said stay away from her!" Vash growled, then fired. It wasn't much, considering what he COULD do, just enough to shock Knives and hopefully render him unconscious. The taste of release was enough to send his body screaming for more and Vash felt like he was being torn inside-out by keeping it in check.

The blood spattering on the ground suggested the sensation wasn't all that far from the mark.

"Vash, stop." The few seconds he had were nowhere near enough to prepare. Barely managing to lift his arms in front of him, Knives could do nothing to prevent the attack, his feet lifting from the ground as he was thrown backwards. It may not've been anything close to full power, but it was enough to throw Knives a short distance away, his body coming to a halt as it crashed facedown in the dirt.

He was still for a long while, barely on the edge of consciousness as he lay there, his mind working too slowly to understand what had just happened. Blinking through the blood and dust, he eventually managed to shakily lift his head, long enough to look toward Vash one last time before the darkness seeped back into his vision.

Vash eyed Knives warily for a while to make sure he was going to stay put before letting his head fall back to the ground with a loud cry as he forced his energy back down. His hand trembled weakly as he groped into his pocket in search of his portable device. All there was left to do was have Legato come and get Knives.

He'd try and talk things out with his twin later. It was the only way he could hope not to repeat this over and over again for the rest of his time in the City. He looked over at his broken gun arm and attempted a frown, but found that moving any muscle felt like he was ripping them right out, so pondered with a listless expression. He just hoped Lilith would be willing to fix his prosthesis a second time.

Vash watched his breath form soft clouds of mist in the frigid air for a while before forcing himself to sit up. He still had things to do, even if it meant he'd be coughing up blood later.

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