Tempest Wind (Vash x F!Reader)

A Paradise for You and Me

Vash can't turn back anymore, this is it, he's on the verge of determining his future. He is about to lay his life on the line to save his brother and keep him from destroying humanity. He has to make him see. He knows his twin, the views he has, the beliefs he holds. But he has to do this. There is no other option, he has to succeed.

With every step he takes, the distant echo of music becomes louder—the old and familiar melody, his own fingers remembering every keystroke to accompany him. The way they used to sit together by the piano and play—two halves of the same coin. Side by side. Back to back. Is there any hope of ever returning to that?

What does it mean to save his brother? Vash still doesn't have the answer, his time spent with Wolfwood made him see things in a strange light, the hopelessness of the situation seeping deeper into his bones. Still, he is grateful for the assassin sent to escort him to July, and while they had their differences, he started to consider the strange man a friend.

The melody, last heard in Jeneora Rock before the tragedy, sounds from behind the large metal door. So clear are the notes, and he can imagine the figure playing them all too well. Vash's loaded gun weighs heavily in its holster, his fingers are drawn to it, only to lightly touch the handle. He will not kill. Never again. But he might have to use it. Somehow, he has to make his brother listen and understand.

The doors open to the large hall, across from which sits Millions Knives. The room is filled with echoing music as the hooded figure doesn't react to his arrival. Vash steps closer, into the circle formed by the petrified figures of their sisters. With sadness stinging in his heart, he walks closer to his brother, halting in the middle of the room. The last note played lingers uncomfortably in the air as Knives stops and straightens up without turning to his brother. Vash's eyes travel up from the silvery hood onto the Plant standing above the piano. She is frozen in a moment of agony, the pain she felt as she screamed out for help, is preserved in that expression.

"She was killed in the early days. I keep her here as a reminder." Knives says sorrowfully.

"You've got to understand. The humans are not exploiting them because they want to," Vash tries to reason.

The other twin lets out a deep sigh. "What did you come here for?"

"I'm taking their Plant back from you," Vash thinks back to what happened in Jeneora Rock. "Not just that. All the robberies were you, weren't they? Admit it! It was you, Nai!"

"You'd dare accuse me? All I've done is rescue our brethren from the confines of mankind's oppression." Knives still hasn't turned around to even look at his brother.

"Nai, they're not evil!" Vash's voice gets more urgent with every step he takes closer to his brother. "We can coexist! I kno-"

"SILENCE!" Knives cuts him off with a roar. "Your stanching defense of humanity is no act of love. It's an attempt to make up for the crash that you caused all those years ago."

Vash is shaken, the breath catching in his throat. His eyes widen in recognition and in fear that his brother might be right.

"No matter how much good you try to atone, they'll never forgive you. No matter how much you fool yourself, in their eyes, you will always be a monster." His words continue to cut like blades into Vash's soul.

"I know humans make sacrifices in order to survive, but they're trying to move forward. I wanna believe in them." He does, even if for a part of him, Nai's words ring true, he desires nothing more than to support and help everyone, to see the planet thrive, both the humans and Plants.

"I pity you, brother. Your mind is not well." Knives' voice lowers, a sadness creeps into it, yet he still hasn't turned to look at his twin.

"Don't be sad." A different voice captures Vash's attention, his head whips over to the right, and from behind the base of one of the Plants, he catches a glimpse of white. But he doesn't have to see the figure, the voice is unmistakable. The words get stuck in him as he watches you step out into the open, yet you aren't looking at him. You are covered in a one piece layer, much like Knives; the Plant markings on the garment are blue, like the irises in Luida's biodome. Over it, you wear a sheer gown similar to a dress, it reaches the ground with slits on both sides up to your hips. Silvery sheaths decorate your thighs, and he is mesmerized.