Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ As the Rose Falls ❯ Quality Time? ( Chapter 6 )

As The Rose Falls

Chapter 6: Quality Time?

By: Hellions K. and Dashing V.

The tall gunman sat just outside the plant, with yellow glasses perched on his nose, watching the sunset on yet another day.

He rubbed his chin in thought, the couple days worth of stubble prickling against his glove. It had been about a year since they had last seen the city of October and were actually due back through there in about another month, he was looking forward to it. For he was hoping to see if the festival was still going on.

He sighed as he thought of the memories that he had, had to live with in the past year, from that cheery celebration, that he didn't quite understand. The Wolfwood he had seen had made him long for the priest's companionship and then there was that doll of Merle that he had been keeping close ever since then. That hadn't helped matters but he felt safe with it somehow, as if she were more with him than he had felt since she had died.

He gave a soft sigh as the suns sunk even closer to the edged of the world, "I know you want me to live on my dear old friends but tis hard. Especially when one looses the trace of time so easily."

He gave a soft smile to the glowing sand that had a dot of green just to the left of his vision, "But once we have built our Eden perhaps you will join us once again."

Getting to his feet he stretched and yawned then gazed at the first star. He looked at it for a few moments, "I wish I may, I wish I might, Upon the first star that I see tonight," he closed his eyes and let that wish float away on the sudden light breeze. Opening them he then watched it float away in to the sky heading toward heaven.

He gave a broad grin, his heart feeling much lighter, as if he could live as he had before the odd festival last year. He knew that she had no ill will towards how he lived, she would love him no matter what.

The fairer haired twin walked out of the plant just in time to see the last red glow of the setting suns. His gaze searching for Vash as he had seen the gunman leave earlier, figuring that he wanted to catch the sunset. Unfortunately he could not finish the last of his work that needed to be done to watch the spectacular sight that the twin suns provoked.

His gaze traveled up with Vash's as he spoke the old saying to wish upon a star. His long hair and cloak billowing about him in the light breeze, as he stood there one hand still upon the door frame of the building. He sighed softly before walking towards his twin who was a little ways from the door.

"We should be ready to leave tomorrow," Knives said softly in the night as it soon started to fill with stars. "The plant is running much smoother, to the delight of our sibling sister inside."

He leaned back against the building and slid down to a sitting position. Knees bent as he rested there, hands resting upon each knee as he looked up at the night sky. He would probably spend part of the night sitting outside, he did that from time to time.

"What are you thinking right now dear brother?" he asked as he looked up at his twin, who stood beside him.

Vash looked down at his brother, having not noticed he was there until Knives had done spoken to him.

"How long have you been standing there?" he questioned, it wasn't that he was embarrassed by anything, he was just curious.

He gave a shrug of his shoulders as the grin continued on his face, "Nothing much, dearest brother."

"Long enough to know that you're never to old to wish upon a star, dear brother," Knives replied looking up at Vash. "You look to be thinking of something happy at least, even if it is nothing."

He then looked back at the stars before looking back down at Knives a few minutes later, he got a sly grin before he tackled Knives.

"You're it!" he yelled as he untangled himself and got up to start running, laughing as he started the childish game.

His gaze then went to from his sibling to the starry sky as well so he was quite unprepared to be pounced upon by his twin. He let out a yelp of surprise, as the wide-eyed expression on his face must have been priceless. He squirmed to get free as the two tumbled down as the small dune before Vash ended up extracting himself from the tangled pile that they landed in. It didn't take long for Knives to regain his footing and tear off after Vash.

"Just wait till I get my hands on you dear brother!" Knives shouted good naturedly after his twin as his long strides ate up the turf slowly, closing in on Vash.

It has been quite some time since the pair of them had time to relax and enjoy some good downtime, that this little romp may actually be enjoyable.

Vash's laughter floated on the light breeze as he pumped his legs harder, if he could at least make it to the little grove off to the left.

He looked over his shoulder, "HA! Those are big words for such a little man!" he taunted as he kept running, and squeaked into the trees as Knives was almost upon him.

He ducked behind one and then popped out to stick his tongue out at his brother before going behind it again, all the while laughing breathlessly, his shoulder length hair now clinging to him. At least he had one advantage or was it two...for he wasn't wearing his cloak and his suit was black which helped him blend in with the darker grove.

"Little man?" Knives says under his breath before calling out to his twin, "Who you calling a little man?"

He knew that the cloak slowed him down a bit as his twin reaches the grove.

"We'll see about that," he says with a wide grin.

As Vash ducks back behind the tree Knives takes the opportunity to take a more...aireal rout. Leaping up he grabbed hold of a low hanging branch and hauled himself up to stand on the branch, long tattered edges of the brown cloak flutter much like the leaves on the tree as he looks for the golden blond mop that he could consider his brother. A cheshire grin spreads across the man's face as he leans out, a ways holding on to the branch above his head firmly. A leaping pounce is made for his twin, out of the tree, aiming to knock his twin off his feet.

The fair-headed gunman peeked back around the tree when he couldn't hear the footsteps of his brother. He scratched his head.

Hearing something the man looked up in time to see something coming at him before he hit the ground with his brother on top.

He blinked his eyes trying to get them to clear, "Oh...there you are, brother," he said in a dazed tone.

He looked up at his brother as Knives straddled him, Vash laying flat on his back, he gave his brother a grin. Then taking hold of one of Knive's arms he pushed the same arm with his opposite hand as he suddenly thrust his hips up and turned sideways, dumping the other man off of him.

He quickly got to his feet and grinned down at his brother as he started to laugh a very happy and rich sounding one, one that he had not done for a long, long time.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Knives replied to Vash's comment a weird grin on his face.

Could it mean that the man was actually content? Maybe even happy? There's something that is not easily expected from the analytical twin, set time back a 100 years ago and you might not have seen so happy of a look on his face. Nor would he have been caught dead playing tag with his twin either. A very bitter man this one, he's getting better but as they say things take time and well a century is just a start to heal this man's wounds. Unlike Vash, this man holds a grudge an awfully long time.

"Whoa..." Knives said as he lost his balance and with Vash holding on to his arm at first he was throw even more off balance than when his sibling took off, that he fell into the brush with a bit of a crunch. Twisting a little he found the cloak starting to entangle itself in the brushy growth so he decided to slip out of it.

"Very funny, Vash," he commented as he got jabbed quite well in the side. He then started to wiggle around to try and get out and stopped all of a sudden as his hair was yanked quite smartly. Knives blinked before he started to laugh at the entire situation. For now he was stuck, very stuck in the bushes.

"I think that I have a slight problem, dear brother," he managed to get out between fits of laughter, for the more he thought about it the harder he laughed. He was like a butterfly caught in a spider's web, oh the irony.

If Vash were to look over his twin's shoulder and past the entangled cloak he would find his twin's long fair locks entangled quite well in the branches of the bushes, much like faint golden filaments of silk.

The peace loving man laughed all the harder at his brother, not so much because of the situation but because of the fact that his twin was laughing so hard instead of getting mad at the situation. Yes things have changed over the last century, and for the better.

After a few more minutes of laughing and finally the gunman could speak, "I...I would...say...so!" he chuckled in between words, trying to catch his breath.

Finally the chuckles dying down to just rough breathing from the all the laughter the man finally started to look at the situation and thinking of a solution to it.

"Hmmmm...you really got yourself in a fix this time, brother," he gave a nod of his head. He stood there looking at his twin in the dark for a few moments more before snapping his fingers, "I have it! I will be right back!"

Turning Vash ran quickly back to the plant to get a couple of things out of his pack, one being a flash light and the other being the solution to the problem.

Once back, and still out of breath, the peace loving man bobbed the flashlight at his brother, making sure not to shine it in the man's eyes.

"Okay! I have your solution, Knives!" he cried happily as he walked over to the bush and put the flashlight into his mouth.

Then bringing out the scissors that he had brought with him, hence the solution, he started to snip at his brother's long locks. Not even asking permission for his thought was that his brother had to get out somehow and this was the simplest way.

The man opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again. What good would it do to toss out the fact that if Vash wouldn't have shoved him backwards this wouldn't have happened. He would probably get the response of ::but brother if you wouldn't have jumped out of the tree at me I wouldn't have shoved you into the bush:: Knives just sighed instead.

Pale brows lofted as Vash snapped his fingers and he took off for the Plant. 'What is he up to?' Knives thought as he just shifted so that he was a bit more comfortable and waited. Blue orbs watched the waving light of the flashlight when it came into view and his brow furrowed a little at the sight of it as he wondered, 'what in the hell he needed that for.'

The man's eyes went wide at the sight of the scissors, he knew he needed a hair cut but this was not the way he had anticipated that it should be done.

"Vash wa....." Knives started as the scissors clicked closed. He placed a hand to his forehead and groaned. ".......Never mind........"

He had wanted to wait till they were back in the city for some reason before cutting his hair. He didn't know why, he just did. He had a feeling now that he was going to have to cut the entirety of his hair short after this is over. He sighed again, there was nothing he could do. Either his hair goes or he's gonna be stuck in the grove for who knows how long and there was no use in yelling at his twin. For he knew that Vash's intentions were good ones.

Meanwhile as Knives was all but groaning about having a haircut, Vash just snipped away until the last of it was free.

He stepped back to survey his handy work, it was a bit shaggy and choppy but all in all he didn't think it looked too bad.

Taking the flashlight out of his mouth he pointed at the cloak, "Need that done too?" he asked in all innocence but yet with an eager sound to his voice.

"No dear brother, I can manage with the cloak," Knives said as he wiggled free of the garment and untangled it quite easily now that he was out.

He then turned to face his twin and reached over and took the scissors away from him and wrapped then in one of the folds of his cloak now that it was draped over one arm.

"I'll take these, thank you," he said as he started to walk out of the grove, running a hand through his hair as he did so. The first thing he planned on doing was to give himself a better hair cut once he was inside. "What did you think of the idea of leaving tomorrow, Vash?"

His question was an honest one and since there was no one else around to hear the pair of them as they spoke he feel the need to withhold his twin's name quite as often.

The gunman's face fell as his brother took the scissors from his hand, "Do you no trust me, Knives?" he asked, a light whining tone creeping in to his voice.

He watched the tool be slipped into his brother's cloak and gave a soft sigh, those were his, at least as far as he was concerned.

He followed his twin out of the grove, ears perking at the question, "Leave? Tomorrow? Can we, Knives!? Can WE!?" he started getting more and more excited at the thought of heading towards the city of October.

He took off before his brother in a run, "WHOOOOOOPEEEEE!" he yelled at the stars, the sound echoing off the landscape.

He slowed and turned back to his brother, suddenly turning serious, "Are you sure that everything is okay with this plant, Knives?"

"Of course I trust you dear brother," Knives replied without looking back at twin. "I just trust myself more."

The man's long strides took him closer and closer to the plant, "Yes Vash," he said as he rolled his eyes with a soft sigh, as Vash began to bubble excitedly over being able to leave.

The tall man actually paused to look over his shoulder at Vash as the man emitted the loud whoop of joy. Shaking his head he continued on, he had just placed his hand upon the door to the Plant and was about to shove it open when Vash's joy turned to a serious tone. He looked over his shoulder at his sibling.

"From what our sibling said the everything is running smoothly." Knives replied. "I have one last test that I will be running in the morning just as a final precaution. If everything goes well we should be able to leave by mid-afternoon."

He then slipped inside of the Plant and walked down the hallway, he paused long enough at the room he was using to drop the cloak off before heading down to the bathroom with the scissors. The door shutting with a soft click behind him. Looking at the state his hair was in he frowned lightly. The sound of the scissors clicking was all that would be able to be heard from the room as what was left of the long hair clipped off in chucks till he was satisfied with the outcome as he ran a hand through his fair short locks. His hair cut in the same fashion as he had cut it the first time. Rinsing off the scissors of the last remaining strands of hair he then picked up the razor. Looking at the sharp blade for a moment and then to the mirror with a bit of a hard glint in his eyes before shaving off the stubble upon his chin. When he left the room he didn't bother cleaning up the mass of pale gold upon the floor. It wasn't that he didn't have the heart to...it was because he didn't care.