nomans_land | Tragic Ends VS Bad Ends, Trigun Flavor

Tragic Ends VS Bad Ends, Trigun Flavor

CW: mildly Plantcesty bc of canon end events but mostly toxicity, mindfuck, extreme codependency and.... co-parenting?

Somewhere in the sands is a tall person traveling on bare feet, a cloak of galaxies and roots covering their face from the sun. Vash moves slowly, not because he's tired or struggling, but because he's not really in a hurry. He doesn't get tired anymore, or hungry. Just weak, sometimes, but he's always been weak, hasn't he? That's why his brother has to protect him.

So this place couldn't be bad, because Knives would never leave him somewhere bad.

He stops briefly to collect a bleached skull left in the sand, picking it up with the roots and wisps of shadow and then holding it with the curiosity of a detached scholar rather than a compassionate man. Human, by the looks of it. Not killed by one of their brood, just unlucky in the desert.

Shrugging, Vash lets it drop into the sand again like an unwanted piece of trash and lets all those roots and glimmering energy unfold around him. He makes a little seat for himself, black flowers with shiny blue specks acting as cushions as the rest of his cloak peels away for a canopy. The dark undersuit is an echo of his brother, including the sturdiness of four perfectly fine limbs.

No memories were left, physical or otherwise. Sometimes you just have to remake your little brother to make him understand your point of view, and Vash... doesn't really know any better, anymore. It's fine, all he needs to focus on is making new Independents.

The roots continue to stretch over the sand, slithering over the area to see if they can pick up anything other than old bones of a doomed race.

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[ That gets Vash a surprised glance... surprised, and grateful. ]

Yeah. ...Yeah, okay. I thought you'd... [ He shakes his head, dismissing the thought. If Spikey doesn't plan to tell the world all the details about what happened, Wolfwood's sure not going to argue the point! ] ...never mind.

Um. Thanks.

[ He was not looking forward to any of his alternates finding out, that's for damn sure! ]

Of course!

... A few people might hunt me down with questions, and some might learn - I'm all right with lying by ommission when people don't think to look more closely, but I'm not sure I'm good when they do - but I think the questions about the other me are likely to be more important.

[ He'll do his best. ]

[ No, Blondie here's a terrible liar... but he's right that Thorns will probably be everyone's focus. Which will just put the discomfort on Vash instead of Wolfwood, won't it? ]

You gonna be okay with that?

[ He shoots Blondie another sideways glance, this one somewhat sympathetic. Wolfwood's been hearing about how he's going to die in December since he got here, but that other Wolfwood who died, that wasn't him. Blondie, on the other hand, seems to see all the Vashes as being, well, other hims. How's it going to be, having to talk about the horrific things a version of his brother did to a version of himself? ]

I mean, those questions might get nosy.

Hm?

Oh... well, it's not like I can answer all of them. We only talked for a bit, and a good, I don't know, third of that was him calling me sick.

[ He rubs the back of his head. ]

I might have called him an incomplete person, but that was more an honest opinion than calling him names.

[ Wolfwood snorts at that. Of course the man who's only said 'fuck' twice in his life thinks that "you're an incomplete person" is a rude thing to say to a mindwiped monster. It's like listening to somebody's grandma get angry. ]

I meant questions about why he's like that. About what Knives did to him.

[ About what yours might have been planning for you, he thinks, but doesn't say that bit out loud. ]

If you want to just skip over that bit and tell everyone that there's a psycho running around with your face and you don't have any idea what happened to him, just say the word. I'll back you up.

Well...

Rem will need to know because she will try to reach out to him. And she's ... easier to hurt than you are. Nai... absolutely should not know. I will need to talk with the much older Knives. Any other version of me or you...

[ Just a shrug, because. ]

And anyone else, they just need to know to stay very, very far away.

[ The idea of telling Rem anything about what some version of Nai did to that version of Vash makes Wolfwood scowl, but at the end of the day, it's Blondie's choice who gets told what. It'd be better if they could find the guy before he found anybody else and deal with him permanently, but since he's got no weapons and Vash can't kill anyone -- even if they'd stay dead, which isn't a guarantee anymore! -- then that's just wishful thinking. ]

Never thought I'd be grateful that all the towns around here are empty. At least there's fewer people for him to find.

[ Oh, telling Rem isn't something he wants to have to do, but it's a necessity for her ability to exert some self-preservation. So basically it's a choice between two bad options, and Vash has to at least try to reduce the damage.

It's all he ever has. ]

Yeah, it's...

[ Vash goes quiet, frowning. ]

I think he may be near. At least... nearer than 'somewhere out there.'

[ Wolfwood snaps his head around, staring at Vash wide-eyed. He's here? Nearby? ]

Where?

[ He scans the horizon, but there's no sign of roots that he can see. ]

Give me a direction, Blondie, where's that fucker hiding?

[ The frown deepens, but he does point a bit to the right. ]

I don't think he's hiding, he's.. moving, but slowly. And he's a lot less... concentrated himself? Somehow?

[ Sadly Vash was way too out of it when it happened to Tessla, or he would have recognized the way Wolfwood - the ghost one - is mixed with THorns. Right now, it's just confusing. ]

[ The comment about being less concentrated doesn't make any sense to Wolfwood...but the pointing to the right, that he can follow. He yanks the wheel hard, zooming off in that direction... and it's not long before he sees that Blondie here was right. There he is, a dark blot against all that bright sand, heading away from them. The roots are missing, but there's no mistaking him.

Gotcha, you bastard. ]

Hold on.

[ It's all the warning Vash gets before Wolfwood slams the accelerator down as far as it'll go. The engine whines its protest as the speedometer ticks upward, sand flying in a wave behind them as the car rockets towards the solitary figure. Impact in five... four... three... ]

[ Vash realizes what is happening just a little too late, eyes going all wide and his voice coming out as a stragled cry. ]

Wolfwood, wait--!

[ ... too little, too late. ]

[His reaction time might not have been quite so delayed if he weren't struggling against the way the electrical-burning feeling made things like thinking and moving more and more sluggish, the longer it went on. So it took an embarrassingly long time for him to register the sound of the engine reving from behind him as it roared over the dunes.

When it did register, he had only a few seconds to turn, Vash's eyes widening almost comically as Wolfwood realized he was seeing the guys he was looking for, coming at him way too fast, and if the other Vash's horrified expression and the other Wolfwood's recognizable, bloodlusty grimace were anything to go off of, it was intentional.

Well, maybe he wouldn't have to do too much explaining, then? That couldn't be a coincidence.

He barely had enough time to begin lifting Vash's arms up defensively, as if he could possibly stop an entire car.]

No no, wait, stop!

[THBUMP! The sudden lack of sensation immediately following the vehicle smashing through his form left him bewildered for a moment, and then realization dawned on him and he turned, frantically trying to track where they had gone before he ran after them.]

WAIT, STOP, SHIT, DAMNIT, NO, FUCK!

[ Vash had been mostly out of it the entire time that Wolfwood had been piloting his body, so he didn't even have time to brace himself before he's slammed into. His body flies over the hood and even hits the roof, before smashing onto the ground just as hard and rolling a few times.

Something's definitely broken and there's a heavily-bleeding cut on his brow from hitting the roof - but it takes a lot more than that to kill a plant, no matter how much he's writhing on the ground. He's not even sure what happened, lost in his internal fight to keep his sanity... but he has to get up. No matter how much he wants to die he can't risk the children. ]

Edited 2023-06-20 22:06 (UTC)

[ Honestly, he didn't think that would work! ]

Oh shit, I got him!

[ But Thorns goes flying over the hood of the car -- there's a hell of a dent in the front of the car now, but it still runs -- and Wolfwood doesn't hesitate. As soon as Thorns's body hits the ground behind the car Wolfwood is already throwing it into reverse. He's gonna flatten that fucker into paste -- let's see him resurrect from that! ]

[ Vash's eyes somehow widen even more, and his head whips as some of his senses register and follow the ghost's trajectory, mouth hanging slack. ]

Wait wait stop, that was the other you, the ghost one, wait, Wolfwood!!!

[ Is he calling out to the Wolfwood next to him or the other one? He can't even answer that himself.

His eyes return to the body behind the car, eyes already assessing the damage. He should probably physically stop him, but given how not good he is with cars, that has a chance to make the mess worse, he's pretty sure. ]

This can't be right either.

[He didn't know what to focus on more, the way Vash was writhing on the ground or the fact that the car immediately stopped once things had settled, and then began to kick into reverse. He couldn't drag him out of the way, he didn't have that much control over the physical world, and he for sure couldn't stop a fucking car!

Which meant he had to make the person driving the car stop. He could hear shouting coming from inside as he rushed over, and then he lunged through the driver's side door, making his hand solid once he was half-phased through the thing so that he could grab Wolfwood's ankle and try to yank it off the gas pedal.]

STOP STOP STOP WAIT I HAD HIM CONTAINED!

[ Vash's eyes widen as he sees the car be put into reverse and head for him again, and his roots snap out to try to pull himself away. It's a strange disconnection between wanting to die so badly and wanting to protect the lives inside him at the same time, but he doesn't have time to lose his mind right now.

That was Wolfwood in the car. Him, and the... the normal version of himself. The one that hadn't fallen into this hell yet. I'll only accept your answer if you give it once you remember who you are. It's almost ironic that he finally does - but now he is the sick one.

Vash can't breathe quite right, probably broken ribs, and one of his legs is definitely broken as well. It makes getting up a bit more difficult, but the roots can hold him. Shield him. Anything to stop the onslaught. The pain is warranted, he deserves every part of it and so much more. ]

[ Blondie yells at him to stop, and Wolfwood hesitates just a second or two before flooring the car in reverse: did he say ghost?

And then said ghost grabs his ankle and Wolfwood yelps, kicking hard at the ghost... which means kicking hard at the floorboards, car door, the bottom of the steering column. ]

What the fuck? What the fuck! What the hell is...!?

[ Ah, but then, in the rearview mirror he sees those roots rising up again, and all the blood washes right out of Wolfwood's face. Fuck the ghost, fuck the car... he shoves against Vash's arm, pushing him toward the car door. ]

Get out. It's awake, get out get out!

[ 'get out get out' Wolfwood yells and Vash does, stumbling in his hurry, except since he can't pinpoint where the ghost is immediately, he's going to go to the vash on the sands, so Wolfwood might have to deal with the consideration of running both of them over before he hits more ]

Vash, hey, Vash? Can you hear me?

[ ... yeah he's moving, at least it's not quite a repetition of Vash shaking Rollo's lifeless bulk of a body. ]

Edited 2023-06-21 22:16 (UTC)

[His hold was shaken off easily enough once the other Wolfwood began kicking out in a panic, and on one hand, it solved the problem of getting him to stop gunning the engine. But it was still irritating, and he snarled out a little shout]

It's me, you dumbass! I had 'im under control!

[But then he was panicking for another reason, and Nicholas' head lifted up, catching sight of the vines and roots manifesting again, and he cursed out loud.

Then Vash was out of the passenger side and running toward the other, but the car was still in reverse, and who even knew if this knucklehead was going to make the right decisions quickly enough to keep things from spiraling out of control?

So, first problem; Stop the car! He reached up, focusing on the emergency brake and yanking it up before the gas could be applied again. It wouldn't stop the thing completely if the other Wolfwood tried to gun the gas again, but it would slow it down significantly.

Second problem; Check on the Blondies and make sure there wasn't going to be more violence.

He raced out towards them, not knowing whether touching again was a good idea, not with those vines whipping around the way they were, so he focused on the other Vash, reaching out to put his arm across his chest and focusing on holding him back. The hold wasn't strong, he'd already used up so much energy getting them there, but it would hopefully keep him back until they could be sure the other wouldn't lash out again.]

I found the asshole out in the desert, he was talkin' some real crazy shit, his brother really fucked him up in the head, so be careful! I did the whole-...memory thing, and I don't know if it's better or worse, cause he's not violent anymore, but Vash, it's bad, he was beggin' me t'kill 'im, an' talkin' about kids. Like...they're his and his brother's kids, and he's carryin' and he's worried we'll hurt 'em! [He wasn't going to ask how or even if that was possible, that was the least of their worries at the moment, but damn if it wasn't' an important detail that needed to get out there right from the start.] I can't-...I can't do what he's askin' me to do, and I'm not gonna hurt kids, Vash! I couldn't leave 'im out there on his own, though, he's too dangerous and...

[Too hurt. Too broken, in pain. The thought of leaving him to suffer like that, even without the whole "kids" things, wasn't something Nicholas could have forgiven himself for.]

I knew I needed to find someone else, so I tried somethin', and he let me take control. I was comin' to find you. I don't know what to do, Vash. I don't know what to do.

[ Vash flinches hard as he hears someone running towards him, and he barely understands who it is before he hears the voice calling out to him. His thoughts are so scattered and he's not sure if it's because of the hit or if his mind is truly tearing apart. The roots curl up even more around him, almost like a protective shell, but he doesn't have his flawless control any more. ]

You... were right.

[ Not a person, not a person. Just his brother's tool. Nai. Fuck, why... why is he still so scared that he isn't here with him? He's going insane, isn't he? He can't concentrate, he can't think, every time he tries to focus all he sees are faces of people he has killed... and how is Wolfwood here? He's dead, he killed him, he tore him apart and liked it.

Monster. He deserves no mercy.

Even so, he's repeating that cluster of thorns again, all focused around him like the organic iron maiden with himself in the middle. Not yet. He can't be allowed to die yet. ]

[ Finally Blondie gets out of the car, but then the moron runs straight at the damn monster! Wolfwood tries to follow, climbing out of the driver's seat and heading for the passenger door, but the hand brake engages itself in his way and costs him valuable seconds getting past it. By the time he manages to throw himself out the car door, Blondie's already all but face to face with the thing, and the fucking thing's murder vines are rising up.

Not again. He's running before he realizes it, charging full speed toward Blondie, and the holstered gun at his side. Vash won't shoot that thing, can't kill it. But Wolfwood doesn't have that problem.

He's not gonna watch it kill Blondie, too.

AS soon as he's close enough, he's gonna grab that gun out from beneath Blondie's coat and empty the whole clip into that thorny fucker's face. Vash can be mad at him all he wants, so long as he's alive enough to be mad. ]

[ As soon as Wolfwood grabs his gun, Vash knows what he intends to do. He doesn't necessarily know with certainty there are bullets in the gun - he usually doesn't keep any in, knowing he's fast enough to load as needed - but either way he flails, trying to place himself between the gun and its target. ]

NO WAIT STOP, THERE ARE KIDS. INSIDE. THERE ARE KIDS INSIDE HIM???

[ This is going swimmingly. And he isn't even sure what is going on, but this part has to matter, right? ]

[Thorny-Blondie was saying something, and for a second, he was distracted, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of it, but then footsteps were thudding through the sand behind him and Other-Blondie was screaming, and he spun to find a gun aiming at the crazy son of a bitch right through his own face, and he screamed to.

Before he reached up, slapping the top-break loading mechanism so that it would pop open and eject any bullets that might have been in the barrel before they could be fired.]

KIDS! NICHOLAS, HE'S GROWING KIDS INSIDE OF HIM! BABIES, HE WAS SCARED I'D HURT THE BABIES! STAND DOWN, WE DON'T WANT 'IM GOIN' BERZERKER MODE AGAIN!

[Did he know that would happen? No. But if the thought of hurting innocent children wasn't enough to make the other Wolfwood stop, maybe the threat of making Vash go back on his murdering bullshit again if they were threatened would.]

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