𝚁𝚄𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚁 !

              '𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞  𝐢'𝐦  𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭  𝐭𝐨  𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞  𝐢𝐭, 𝐩𝐮𝐭  𝐦𝐲  𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞  𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤  𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨  𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞                  𝐬𝐨  𝐢  𝐜𝐚𝐧  𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧,  𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞  𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧

   There’s an unhappy giggle at that anger. Vash found a week point, he found something that made Knives uncertain. Something that made him feel the way he’d made vash feel on many occasions. and it was thrilling in the worst ways it ever could be, especially for someone who swore he was nothing like his twin brother. “How are they any of my concern?”

   “I Met Vash the Stampede.” the words are- strained? giddy? its hard to tell between the two with how his tone lilts. “Before his Knives turned him into a hollowed out shell in an attempt to make him his clone.” That’s all the ‘remade’ vash was, a husk, a shell, a horrific, failed attempt at a clone of his own damned twin. “And he was a better brother than you’ve ever been to me.”

   “But that’s not all- I was trying to save his Wolfwood, From Him. but i failed and now I’m back here, with you trying to torment me while one of my friends has become so fed up with my bullshit, that he might as well think i’m holding him back when that was never my intention.” there’s an indignantly giddy little squeal of a sound. “Am i getting under your skin, Knives?”

SOMETHING  IS  WRONG  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.  Vash,  without  a  doubt,  isn’t  acting  like  himself.  It  makes  Knives  wonder  if  something  else,  beyond  ‘  death  ’  happened.  Which  is  upsetting  to  think  about.  But  Vash  is  already  noticing  that.  Knives  didn’t  want  him  to  think  he  has  the  upper  hand  here.

❝  I   didn’t  want  a  clone,  I  wanted  my  brother  to  be  by  my  side,  ❞  he  says  only  so  Vash  doesn’t  get  him  mixed  up  with  the  other  ‘  Knives.  ’  &  the  more  he  looks  at  his  own  Vash  -  the  angrier  he  grows.  First,  at  himself.  But  now  it’s  mostly  directed  towards  what  he  sees  as  Vash’s  own  recklessness,  &  as  Wolfwood,  the  assigned  babysitter’s  neglect.  He  lets  the  better  brother  comment  slide  -  something  he  would’ve  rolled  his  eyes  over  had  he  not  been  so  distressed  at  the  moment.  Making  brothers  with  an  alternate  self,  how  pathetic.  Didn’t  work  out  so  well,  did  it  ?

   “No, Knives, I died, my new double tried to tear me apart, skewered me with vines. I Felt it.” The way he describes would unsettle even the weakest of men, an uncanny creature with an uncanny experience. He didn’t expect Knives to believe it, as Bizzare and real as it was for Vash. It would have been very surreal to someone who’d just decided to show up again, all to torment a man who’s own sanity was seemingly hanging by piano wire.

   “I thought he was You. I Called out for you to stop when it happened, I saw you in his place, hurting me, causing me distress. Right before everything turned to nothing.”

What  could  he  even  say  to  that  ?  Knives  can’t  even  compute  his  own  feelings.  He’s  furious.  At  whom  ?  At  himself  for  not  being  there  ?  Or  at  Vash  for  actually  getting  himself  killed  ?  There  are  times  when  he  wishes  for  his  brother’s  death.  When  he  promises  he’ll  kill  him  with  his  own  hands.  In  the  end,  he  can’t  actually  go  through  with  it.  No,  he  may  torment  Vash.  But  he  could  never  end  him.  The  very  thought  grips  at  his  heart,  &  chokes  him.  Just  what  it’s  doing  right  now.  

   “It’s happening again, with another version of us, with a brainwashed Vash and a Knives who’s arguably worse than you. If i were to drag Livio into the mess there’s a chance if something goes wrong he would get hurt, or caught in the fucking Blast once the inevitable happens. I Know you think i probably hold the same shitty beliefs you do and are trying to use this as an example, but there’s more to it than what you, or Livio think. I fucking- I Died Knives. Genuinely, wholly, Died.” And the way he mentions near death is unnervingly unbothered. “Don’t know for how long, but I died and I came back”

Eyes  widen  -  unsure  how  to  process  what  was  said.  Although,  the  alternate  versions  of  the  two  brothers  may  have  been  bizarre,  &  far  -  fetched.  The  brain  washing  of  his  alt  brother  may  be  crazier.  Another  July  is  almost  unimaginable.  But  Vash  mentioning  his  own  death  is  a  bigger  concern.  Knives  won’t  admit  it,  but  it  upsets  him.  However,  he  chooses  to  be  rational  before  panicking.  Then  . . .  he  rests,  &  exhales  slowly  through  his  nose  -  almost  a  sigh.

   They’re getting fucking nowhere. “Knives. Do you- fucking remember July?”

   “I do not.” he did. sort of. “I don’t mean to make him feel like that’s all he’s good for its just- some things are too dangerous, even for him.”

   “Yours is revealing nothing but what you think, Knives. I Didn’t tell Livio anything ‘cause there’s shit hitting the fan, and it got even me nearly killed.”

   “So are you.”

   “Did you crawl out of the grave just to kick me while i’m down?”

   He’s got one foot on a firework shell the size of someone’s head “If i threw this after lighting it do you think it’d go higher?”