Jaina (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
effervescible) wrote2002-07-16 01:31 am
effervescible) wrote2002-07-16 01:31 am
Trigun ficlet o'weirdness
This scene came to me nearly 100% complete this morning as I was arranging frame samples. Go figure. And no, I have no idea whatwould happen next.
Vash's nose twitched as the curl of smoke reached it. He rolled over and sat up, sighing with an air of exasperated tolerance. "All right, you can come out already. I know you're there."
Nicholas D. Wolfwood stepped out of the shadows beside the window, habitual cigarette in hand. "I wasn't hiding from you, Tongari."
"Not like you could, with that stench. Do you have to do that here?"
"Does it really bother you that much?"
"Maybe I like my lungs the way they are. The docs here can't fix cancer the way they could on Earth."
Wolfwood shrugged and took another drag. "Doesn't matter much for me. I'm dead, remember?"
Vash's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I remember." Silence. "Why are you here, Wolfwood?"
"You tell me." Wolfwood stubbed his cigarette out on the windowsill and strolled over to the chair beside Vash's bed. "This is your dream, after all."
"This is a dream?"
"That, or your mind finally broke from the stress of taking responsibility for things which have never been your fault."
Vash groaned and lay back down, pulling a pillow over his head. "Go away, Wolfwod."
"Can't." He pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "I'm here because you want me here, Tongari. If you want some peace and quiet, maybe you'd better ask yourself why."
Vash removed the pillow and glared at him. "Well, if you're just an extension of my subconscious, why don't you give me an answer? It'd save time."
Wolfwood laughed. "Fair enough. All right, here's why I'm here, and in addition why you haven't been sleeping well at all lately." He leaned forward. "You're thinking about her again."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Can't lie to me, Tongari." Wolfwood tapped his head, then his heart. "I know what goes on inside. Want to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Gee, then maybe I should just leave."
"Maybe you should. What do you want me to say? She's gone. She left me."
"Are you so sure about that?"
Vash's eyes flashed. "She's not here, is she?"
"She is, in a way." He slipped out of the chair and knelt beside the bed. "Let's take a look, shall we?" Before Vash could say anything, he pulled a box out from under the bed and blew dust off the cover. Opening it, he dug through the contents before pulling something out. "Ah, here we go." He handed Vash the object.
It was a photograph. Not dusty at all, it had a shiny gold frame. The picture was of himself and her-the girl-cuddled together for more than just to fit in the shot. They were smiling. Happy.
Vash handed the frame back. "No one ever took a picture of us together. This never happened. It's not real."
"I never said it was. Remember, dream. But just because it never happened doesn't mean she's not still here. She still is, in a way."
"If she's here it's because you put her there. What does it matter if there's a picture? It just means I like having memories."
"Really? These don't seem like memories to me." Wolfwood began rifling through the box once more. "Look, here's the two of you dancing…aw, this one's really cute, I didn't know she could grin like that…woah, Vash! I didn't know you were into that sort of photography!"
"Give me that!" Vash grabbed the box and threw it away from them. "Just let it go! Whatever I might have felt, it doesn't matter anymore, okay? She walked away from me! She's got her own life to live now!" He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "It would never have worked anyways. Our lives are different."
"Everyone's lives are different, Tongari." He blew a smoke ring. "And if you believe any of what you just said, I'll eat this cigarette."
"I hope you're hungry. It's true. Her assignment was over; she made a choice. She left."
"You're extremely intelligent, but you can also be extremely stupid. You're also good at distancing yourself from people, but that girl was tenacious. You got to know her, and she got to know you. Now, if she stuck by you for all that time, why would she just up and leave without telling you why?"
"How about everything that I am?" Vash spread his arms wide. "It's not easy to accept what I am. I don't blame her for wanting something normal."
"Bullshit. She followed you through how many dangers, how many horrors, and didn't waver. Now you're going to tell me that you were enough to send her packing? You know the truth, Vash. She wouldn't have snuck away like a coward unless she had a damn good reason." He tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette. "Or unless she didn't have a choice."
Vash stared into space, considering what Wolfwood had said, when his erstwhile companion stood up. "Hey, where are you going?"
"You're not the only sleeping soul who needs guidance tonight. I've got to watch over my big girl."
"Sure. Does that extend to making very sure she doesn't slip and fall in the shower? Would you try to heal her by the laying on of hands, Mr. Priest?"
He laughed. "You've got a sharp wit there. Be sure it doesn't cut you." His eyes glittered.
Vash was quiet for a moment. "Wolfwood…"
"What?"
"Wherever you are now…is it a better place?"
"Will you believe anything I say, if it's in your dream?" He tossed the cigarette aside. "For what it's worth…yeah. It's better."
"Will I see you again?"
Wolfwood grinned. "That's entirely up to you."
"Hey, wait-"
Vash sat up, his words echoing in the dark, and more importantly, empty, room. He sat back slowly. That dream had been…"No more donuts before bedtime," he grumbled.
He was alone again. In the room and in the larger sense. Wolfwood was still dead. She..she was still gone, off living whatever life she had without outlaws and bounty hunters and megalomaniacal plants. And his dream had been just that…a dream.
He rolled over, still frowning despite himself. The memories were already fading, but he felt something…not right. The way she'd left. It had made perfect sense, though painful, and yet it didn't. And then…something Wolfwood had said. Something about…his sharp wit…
Vash said bolt upright, his eyes wide open. "Knives."
Vash's nose twitched as the curl of smoke reached it. He rolled over and sat up, sighing with an air of exasperated tolerance. "All right, you can come out already. I know you're there."
Nicholas D. Wolfwood stepped out of the shadows beside the window, habitual cigarette in hand. "I wasn't hiding from you, Tongari."
"Not like you could, with that stench. Do you have to do that here?"
"Does it really bother you that much?"
"Maybe I like my lungs the way they are. The docs here can't fix cancer the way they could on Earth."
Wolfwood shrugged and took another drag. "Doesn't matter much for me. I'm dead, remember?"
Vash's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I remember." Silence. "Why are you here, Wolfwood?"
"You tell me." Wolfwood stubbed his cigarette out on the windowsill and strolled over to the chair beside Vash's bed. "This is your dream, after all."
"This is a dream?"
"That, or your mind finally broke from the stress of taking responsibility for things which have never been your fault."
Vash groaned and lay back down, pulling a pillow over his head. "Go away, Wolfwod."
"Can't." He pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "I'm here because you want me here, Tongari. If you want some peace and quiet, maybe you'd better ask yourself why."
Vash removed the pillow and glared at him. "Well, if you're just an extension of my subconscious, why don't you give me an answer? It'd save time."
Wolfwood laughed. "Fair enough. All right, here's why I'm here, and in addition why you haven't been sleeping well at all lately." He leaned forward. "You're thinking about her again."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Can't lie to me, Tongari." Wolfwood tapped his head, then his heart. "I know what goes on inside. Want to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Gee, then maybe I should just leave."
"Maybe you should. What do you want me to say? She's gone. She left me."
"Are you so sure about that?"
Vash's eyes flashed. "She's not here, is she?"
"She is, in a way." He slipped out of the chair and knelt beside the bed. "Let's take a look, shall we?" Before Vash could say anything, he pulled a box out from under the bed and blew dust off the cover. Opening it, he dug through the contents before pulling something out. "Ah, here we go." He handed Vash the object.
It was a photograph. Not dusty at all, it had a shiny gold frame. The picture was of himself and her-the girl-cuddled together for more than just to fit in the shot. They were smiling. Happy.
Vash handed the frame back. "No one ever took a picture of us together. This never happened. It's not real."
"I never said it was. Remember, dream. But just because it never happened doesn't mean she's not still here. She still is, in a way."
"If she's here it's because you put her there. What does it matter if there's a picture? It just means I like having memories."
"Really? These don't seem like memories to me." Wolfwood began rifling through the box once more. "Look, here's the two of you dancing…aw, this one's really cute, I didn't know she could grin like that…woah, Vash! I didn't know you were into that sort of photography!"
"Give me that!" Vash grabbed the box and threw it away from them. "Just let it go! Whatever I might have felt, it doesn't matter anymore, okay? She walked away from me! She's got her own life to live now!" He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "It would never have worked anyways. Our lives are different."
"Everyone's lives are different, Tongari." He blew a smoke ring. "And if you believe any of what you just said, I'll eat this cigarette."
"I hope you're hungry. It's true. Her assignment was over; she made a choice. She left."
"You're extremely intelligent, but you can also be extremely stupid. You're also good at distancing yourself from people, but that girl was tenacious. You got to know her, and she got to know you. Now, if she stuck by you for all that time, why would she just up and leave without telling you why?"
"How about everything that I am?" Vash spread his arms wide. "It's not easy to accept what I am. I don't blame her for wanting something normal."
"Bullshit. She followed you through how many dangers, how many horrors, and didn't waver. Now you're going to tell me that you were enough to send her packing? You know the truth, Vash. She wouldn't have snuck away like a coward unless she had a damn good reason." He tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette. "Or unless she didn't have a choice."
Vash stared into space, considering what Wolfwood had said, when his erstwhile companion stood up. "Hey, where are you going?"
"You're not the only sleeping soul who needs guidance tonight. I've got to watch over my big girl."
"Sure. Does that extend to making very sure she doesn't slip and fall in the shower? Would you try to heal her by the laying on of hands, Mr. Priest?"
He laughed. "You've got a sharp wit there. Be sure it doesn't cut you." His eyes glittered.
Vash was quiet for a moment. "Wolfwood…"
"What?"
"Wherever you are now…is it a better place?"
"Will you believe anything I say, if it's in your dream?" He tossed the cigarette aside. "For what it's worth…yeah. It's better."
"Will I see you again?"
Wolfwood grinned. "That's entirely up to you."
"Hey, wait-"
Vash sat up, his words echoing in the dark, and more importantly, empty, room. He sat back slowly. That dream had been…"No more donuts before bedtime," he grumbled.
He was alone again. In the room and in the larger sense. Wolfwood was still dead. She..she was still gone, off living whatever life she had without outlaws and bounty hunters and megalomaniacal plants. And his dream had been just that…a dream.
He rolled over, still frowning despite himself. The memories were already fading, but he felt something…not right. The way she'd left. It had made perfect sense, though painful, and yet it didn't. And then…something Wolfwood had said. Something about…his sharp wit…
Vash said bolt upright, his eyes wide open. "Knives."
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^_^;; Sorry!