Someone else

8

At morning no one said anything about what had happened at night. Overall, unlike he usually was, Wolfwood stayed quiet until he suddenly found that Vash gets on his nerves. If it were a normal day, he would've said at least something.

"Why don't you ever drive?" he demanded an answer from Plant and before Vash could understand what's happening, he was already sitting behind the wheel.

"I don't know how to." he finally managed to say but that was after he had managed to crash it against nothing.

That's when Wolfwood gave up trying to make him do it and drove, because it was obvious that if Vash does it, they'll end up dead before they even reach anything.

"How do you even know Knives? You haven't told me about it."

Wolfwood didn't answer and distracted his attention by starting to talk about an sandworm what was moving next to them.

This annoyed Vash but he let it go that he didn't get an answer because they were soon supposed to arrive at their destination. At the city where all the residents disappeared and in the middle of it someone wrote Knive's name in red.

When they arrived, everything turned out to be like said. The city was deserted and there was a text at the square.

In addition there was also some samurai who somehow knew Wolfwood and wanted to fight to death with Vash but Plant wanted to avoid it and tried to talk him out of it. He didn't succeed and strangely enough, just like Wolfwood, his opponent was also aware of the fact that he's not human.

How had it suddenly become so common knowledge that anybody could know?

He tried to get the priest to help him but that traitorous being suddenly decided that he's just a bystander who shouldn't interfere in their battle.

Vash had to survive by himself.

He only then started showing signs of wanting to help Vash when it looked like Plant may lose. 

What a strange mood he has.

Is he on Vash's or someone else's side then? Everything about him was so uncertain that Vash preferred to think that priest won't help. Mostly because that didn't leave room for any sudden surprises.

But Vash didn't need help and samurai didn't let him disturb them. Vash won.

The enemy didn't want to accept his loss but for Plant, the fight was already over.

The shots ringed in the air right after he turned his back and when he looked back, samurai was on the ground and there was a pistol in Wolfwood's hand.

"Why did you kill him!?" Vash screamed to get an explanation.

He had thought Wolfwood to be different.

After that, priest threw him to the ground with unnatural strength and coldness. Like he was someone else. Someone who didn't care.

"If I hadn't shot, it would be you lying there in a puddle of blood. He would've killed you."

Vash refused to agree with him. "No wouldn't. The sword is still in the same place, he wouldn't have killed me."

"You're too naïve. Not every person in this world can be changed."

"I know but when they're dead there's not even a chance for them. Killing isn't a solution."

That was enough for Wolfwood.

"Now's the appropriate time for you to stop talking nonsense you walking hypocrite. You speak of saving everyone and how you don't want for anyone to die but all you do is pushing the  dirty work on somebody else."

He grabbed Vash's pistol and put it against his head.

"Shoot." he ordered Vash "Shoot to prove that I'm wrong. If this means that you won't hesitate to kill your next enemy, I'm ready to die."

Vash didn't shoot but this action made it clearer what was going around in Wolfwood's head.

"Didn't I promise you  that I won't die? Are you really that afraid to be disappointed that you don't trust me to keep it that promise? You promised me the same but are trying to make me break it now. How should I feel after this? Right now I feel as if you're someone else. I don't know you, tell me who you are." Vash spoke to him seriously.

This man standing in front of him wasn't the same one he had talked to at night. This here was someone else.

Someone insecure and desperate and Vash couldn't understand what had triggered the change although he knew about other things.

"Remember you told me that my smile was shallow." he knew that priest remembers. At the same time he had also wondered how Vash can smile so widely. 

"Right now when I look at you, it looks the same to me. You try to play the villain but that's not what you want. This is not the real you."

"You don't know me." Wolfwood argued and he seemed to truly believe it.

"I know that your smile is just like mine. It hides things we don't want the others to see.

I know that you care about the promises the same way as me but unlike me, you're afraid to trust. You're afraid to give even a small chance because for some reason you're certain that it ends with getting hurt.

I also know that you don't like to see people suffer but you try to keep your heart cold and not care.

Isn't this enough to trust? You know even more about me so tell me what is it what doesn't allow you to trust my decisions?"

In his own hidden way Vash called him a coward.

Wolfwood gritted teeth, held himself back and didn't say a word.

They moved on.

Vash would've liked to get an answer or at least an reply but as long as the other party didn't want to cooperate, it was impossible.

He had no other choice but to just wait.