Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wolfwood came back to the Eye of Michael’s base without a beating heart.

From the report Conrad received at his office this morning, everything began with children being held hostage by a group of bandits. And then there’s a shootout. And then Wolfwood ran out of vials. At the end of the story, his precious hunting dog returned back to July and crashed by the front door, making a mess out of everything with his blood.

Just great.

And here he was having such high expectations for him.

“What should we do, doctor?” A fellow researcher asks, fear in his eyes. “Should we tell Master Knives about this?”

Conrad sighs. He remembers hearing Nai talking about wanting to use Wolfwood as a tool to lead Vash here, but now that he’s dead, who is going to fill in that role? A shiver runs down Conrad’s spine. No, he can not let Nai know. He can’t even imagine what sort of calamity would fall upon them if he knows his plan is (slightly) ruined.

“No, we can still—we can still remake him.” Conrad all but mumbles to himself, head running three thousands different equations at once. “We will not let him die in vain.”

000

It’s been a few months since Conrad last presented himself to his master; all the work in the lab prevented him from sparing even a minute to do so. But now he’s here, standing in front of a regal gate separating the hallway and the piano room, and Conrad has never felt so utterly and devastatingly terrified of Millions Knives. He takes a long, deep breath and pushes the door open, the sound of piano immediately spilling through the crack.

As always, Nai is playing that same, old tune in a fervent pace, as if he was possessed by something. He never stops playing, not even when Conrad kneels before his self-made god and presents himself like a slave to him. “Master Knives, I have something to report to you.”

Nai keeps his focus on the piano, but Conrad notices the tempo slowing down, the notes playing softly in his ears. His master is listening. With all of his remaining bravery, Conrad opens his mouth again. “The Punisher, our best soldier, is unfortunately unable to continue on his mission.”

The music stops.

Conrad gulps.

Nai sits still, unmoving like a statue, the only clue that he’s breathing at all is the gentle rise and fall of his cloak. He slowly turns to Conrad then, piercing blue eyes gazing straight into his sinful soul. Conrad shivers and keeps his head lowered, too scared to even look him in the eye.

“What do you mean?” Nai stands, the tail end of his cloak sweeping dust behind him.

“During a mission, the Punisher suffered an irreparable amount of damage.” Conrad can feel him walking closer to him, his presence choking him like the thousands knives he employs as his most loyal weapon. “He is…”

“Dead, you say?” Nai finishes the sentence for him. When Conrad finally dares to look up, he can see Nai standing merely inches away from him, glaring at him as if he was nothing but a bug. Conrad lowers his head again. “And what of his mission then?”

“That’s…” Conrad gulps. His lips are dry, tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. “We’ve made countermeasures to ensure his mission’s accomplishment, but…”

“But what, doctor?” Nai’s knife rests underneath the doctor’s jaw, moments away from slicing him open. “Speak.”

“...It'll be better if you see the situation for yourself.” Conrad gulps, not daring to inch away and flee, knowing those knives are faster than his legs.

Nai goes deathly silent, never removing his knife from Conrad’s neck as he thinks. Conrad keeps his pose, silencing the alarms in his head, and when Nai finally pulls away, he can't stop the sigh that slips out of his lips. Nai retracts his knives with a hum, a hint of interest in his otherwise cold facade.

“Show me then.”

“Of course.”

Conrad rises up to his feet, willing his shaking legs to move fast, striding across the hallway until he’s finally back in his lab. The light coming from rows upon rows of test tubes illuminates his face in a gentle blue hue, the residents sleeping inside greeting him from their dreams. He ignores them however, and goes straight to a tube slotted right at the very end, holding what was left of Wolfwood inside.

Or at least, what used to be him, anyway.

Inside of the glass tube is a child, not older than a few months old, hooked up to wires and cables like the rest of his kin. Though he has Wolfwood’s face, the child has a singular strand of blonde in his head, a contrast to his otherwise dark hair. From his back, cloak-like tendrils sprout out, shielding him like a budding flower. He’s sleeping soundly, unaware of the monster looking at him through the glass.

“This child is the fruit of extensive research we did for the past few months.” Conrad says, chest puffing up a little with pride. “We’ve tried integrating some Plant DNA, but alas, only this child can only take a drop of it.”

Nai puts his hand on the glass, eyes never leaving the child’s face. He looks so peaceful sleeping inside, reminding him of Vash when he sleeps. His little brother would wear an equally ridiculous face when he’s far in dreamland as well. 

Dear heavens above, he misses him.

“We will let him out of the tank next week.” Conrad says, snapping Nai out of his thoughts. “Perhaps then you can assess whether or not he’s useful in your cause.”

“I see.” Nai pulls away, facing the doctor once more. He puts up his cold facade again, tucking that weak, sympathetic part of himself away from view. “Do let me know when the time comes. I shall test his capabilities myself.”

Conrad bows as Nai walks past him, a huge load taken off his shoulders. “As you wish, Master Knives.”

000

It’s cold.

He can’t see anything.

Wolfwood tries to move, but his limbs aren’t listening to him. A cacophony of noises appears and overwhelms his senses. Not knowing what to do, Wolfwood cries then, as loud as he can. The noises don't stop. There’s hands all over him now, picking him up without the gentleness he needs.

[It’s scary.]

[So scary.]

[Someone, please save me…]

He tries to crawl away, but his limbs are too weak, his nails are blunt and his fangs are nothing but stubs. He can’t fight back against this unkind world, not like this. So he cries even harder, lungs heaving for air and face flushed a deep red. Just when he thought he’s all alone here, someone finally responds.

[Shush now.]

[I’m here.]

Another pair of hands lifts him up, putting him close to a beating heart. Someone wipes his face free of amniotic fluids and he can finally open his eyes. The first thing he notices is the person’s ice blue eyes, looking down at him with a complicated expression, then the hint of platinum blonde peeking underneath his hood, then the haggle of people looking at them with surprise on their faces.

Wolfwood reaches out towards the man’s face, slapping his palm against his cheeks. His skin is warm to the touch, bringing him the comfort he needs. Wolfwood laughs then, showing him a line of baby fangs growing out of his jaw. The man doesn’t say anything and huffs, cradling Wolfwood closer to his chest. He can feel it rumbling, like the core of the sun itself.

“Master Knives, is everything alright?” One of the researchers asks, hands hanging uselessly midair.

“You humans are utterly worthless,” Nai hands Wolfwood back to one of the researcher’s open arms. “Can’t even attend to a child’s needs, can you?”

“F-Forgive us, Master Knives!” The researchers all bow their heads, shaking in their boots.

Nai huffs and walks away, moments away from exiting the lab when he hears a loud cry behind him. He stops by the doorway and slowly turns around, seeing Wolfwood trying to reach out to him, flailing his useless hands in the air. The researchers try to calm him down, but Wolfwood just cries harder.

[Don’t leave me.]

[Please don’t leave me.]

Nai clenches his fists. Wolfwood’s cry brings back unpleasant memories of the lonely nights he spent after the Great Fall. He would silently cry in the rubbles, begging for Vash to return to him, to accompany him in this cruel, desolate world. And yet, his cry always falls to deaf ears, mixing with the dry air of No Man’s Land and disappearing into nothingness.

This child reminds him of himself, of him when he’s weak and alone.

“W-We’re very sorry, Master Knives! We’ll bring him—”

Nai doesn’t wait for them to finish their sentence and plucks Wolfwood out of their grasp. Wolfwood coughs, his chest heaving to take as much air as he could. Nai puts him on his shoulder and rubs soft circles into his back, repeating the motion until Wolfwood stops coughing. Eventually, he falls asleep on Nai’s shoulder, the petals sprouting from his back swaying midair like sentient wings.

“Um, Master Knives?” One of the researchers walks forward, arms open and ready to receive Wolfwood again. Nai looks at him with disgust.

“Tell the doctor that I will be foreseeing this myself.” Nai groans. He doesn’t want to take care of a baby, especially a half-human, half-plant scum like the one he’s holding right now, but by the heavens, if he has to hear him crying again, he would kill the entire city of July himself.

And no, he’s not thinking of killing the baby. Losing him the first time is already bad enough, he can’t afford to lose another precious weapon so easily.

“O-Of course!” The researchers bow their heads in reverence as Nai walks out, Wolfwood snug in his arms. He sees Conrad and Legato by the hallway, their eyes wide with surprise, but Nai merely spares a cold glance their way.

Wolfwood snuggles into the crook of Nai’s neck, yawning cutely. His petals curl around his small form, making him look like a ball. Through their shared connection, Nai hears a faint mumble.

[Mama…]

Nai merely scoffs and continues to walk, ignoring the bitter ache growing in his chest.

000

“Oh, what’s with that face?“ Zazie comes flying in, perching on top of a pipe as they stares at Legato, unblinking. “It’s unusual to find you this rattled.”

“Why is Master Knives letting that scum touch him so casually?” Legato whispers, motioning at the scene before them. 

Nai is focused on his piano, playing an oddly calm tune while Wolfwood is sitting on the floor, pawing at his cloak before he rolls to the side and laughs, his voice a gentle chime of ten thousand bells. He crawls under Nai’s cloak and pulls at his legs, and Nai lifts him up with a quiet huff, putting Wolfwood on his lap. As Nai continues to play the piano, Wolfwood stares at his hands, mesmerized by the way they dance across the keys.

Zazie snorts. “What? Are you seriously jealous over a fledgling?”

“He’s a menace.” Legato grimaces. “That thing tried to bite me earlier!”

“Maybe it’s because your face is ugly as hell.” Zazie throws him a snarky tongue. Legato tries to wrangle them with his power, but Zazie disperses into a cloud of worms with a laugh and perches somewhere higher.

“Quiet, you two,” Nai finishes his play with a high note. He turns around, Wolfwoof still sitting snugly in his lap. “I did not call you here to bicker like children.”

“My deepest apology, Master Knives.” Legato immediately bows his head, fist clenched tightly around his heart. Zazie rolls their eyes and jumps down, landing next to him.

“Is there any news of Vash’s whereabouts?”

“Yes, we have received reports that the Humanoid Typhoon is seen near a collapsed mine. He has been staying there for almost three weeks now, helping the townspeople in a nearby town.”

“Mingling with those parasites again, I see.” Nai sighs. Wolfwood looks at his pained expression and slaps his palm against Nai’s core, trying to mimic the calming motion Nai always gives him whenever he’s upset. Nai doesn’t stop him. “Keep a close eye on him, make sure to report to me if anything happens.”

“As you wish, Master—” Legato’s words were cut off when he heard a loud crash. He looks up to see Wolfwood on the floor, rubbing his shoulders and sobbing. It seems he slipped out of the chair while trying to tuck himself inside Nai’s robe. 

Zazie chuckles and flies closer, jeering at Wolfwood’s face. “Aww, is the big fledgling gonna cry?”

Wolfwood sobs, lips pursed into a thin line, moments away from crying out loud. Zazie was about to dish another mean line when they see Nai bending down, pulling Wolfwood up with the gentleness of a mother and cradling him by his arms. He gives Wolfwood’s arm a few gentle rubs, calming him down before he tucks him closer to his chest. Wolfwood immediately purrs, his core resonating with Nai’s own.

“Don’t edge him on, I refuse to hear another cry from his dirty mouth.” Nai says, glaring at Zazie.

Oh Zazie understands now. This is the reason why Legato was so jealous of the fledgling. Even now, he can feel the blue-haired man seething from where he stands, fuming like a bomb. With a shrug, Zazie flies away, bidding them goodbye as he walks out of the door with Legato. 

Now that he’s alone, Nai can finally relax. He looks down at Wolfwood, poking at his chubby cheeks with a difficult expression. Wolfwood eyes the finger and grabs it, instinctively suckling on it with his baby fangs. The doctor told him Wolfwood will grow into an adult in no time, and it seems he’s right; Nai can already feel the fangs growing sharp, larger than it was yesterday.

“What a disgusting thing you are,” Nai grumbles. “Nothing but a drooling, useless thing. I wonder if you could even grow into the weapon you’re made to be.”

Wolfwood lets his finger go and tilts his head to the side, not understanding what Nai said. Though he seems to be fluent in speaking Plant, Wolfwood is still unable to speak with human words. He’ll just have to ask the doctor on how to properly teach him then. There’s no use bringing him up as a spy if he can’t speak his target’s language.

[Mama.]

Wolfwood reaches out to Nai’s face, smiling wide. Nai leans down, letting Wolfwood touch him to his heart’s content. The petals growing out of his back hug Nai’s face, caressing him in a gentle embrace.

[I love you.]

Nai’s lips thins into a line, a grimace falling upon his face. He tries not to show any emotions and quickly swallows the bittersweet feelings down his throat, cringing as it burns him down to the chest. 

[Sleep, little one.]

He says that instead, holding Wolfwood even tighter in his arms. Wolfwood nuzzles their noses together, his skin alight with the same patterns that adorn Nai’s glowing body, a gentle smile upon his face.

[And tomorrow, I shall teach you everything you need to know about the world.]

Chapter Text

Nai hates this useless, slobbering thing currently sitting snug in his lap. 

He hates him with his whole core. 

And yet, he can’t stop looking at him, poking at his disgustingly soft cheeks and hearing his laugh. It must be witchcraft, Nai concludes, the same kind of thing that lured Vash and made him attached to Rem like a persistent bacteria. 

Yes, that’s right. 

Humans truly are nothing but a cursed being.

“Disgusting vermin.” Nai hisses, lifting Wolfwood up into the air. Wolfwood just laughs, limbs flailing happily. “Have you no sense of fear whatsoever?”

Wolfwood tilts his head to the side, making a cute “buh” sound at him. Nai lowers him and lifts him up into the air once more, and Wolfwood laughs again, his voice a symphony of tinkling glass bells that reminds him of Vash when he’s small. Heavens above, this little thing will be the death of him someday.

“Master Knives,” A voice snaps him out of his reverie. Nai drops Wolfwood to his open arms and turns around, seeing Conrad by the doorway. “We’ve made progress on the project. Would you like to see it?”

Nai looks down at Wolfwood, then back up to Conrad. He can’t afford to leave this thing here—he’ll undoubtedly cry, and then Nai will have to calm him down again. So he adjusts Wolfwood into a more comfortable position and carries him along. “Show me what progress you’ve made, doctor.”

Conrad quirks both of his brows up, a little surprised to see his faulty creation tagging along, but makes no attempt to question Nai. He knows better not to question his self-made god’s judgment. “Right this way, Master Knives.”

They walk through a series of lonely hallways and arrive at the Plant room, housing Nai’s sisters. As Conrad and Nai discuss their future projects, Wolfwood keeps his eyes locked onto the arrays of Plants lining the wall, fascinated. Like him, they sing too, welcoming him and Nai with a gentle hum. He reaches his hands out to them, eager to interact with the mysterious beings that sing to him.

“What’s wrong?” Nai stops after a while, noticing Wolfwood’s frantic struggling. Wolfwood looks at him and makes a “buh” sound, hands motioning towards the Plants. 

Confused, Nai just puts him down on the floor, and Wolfwood begins to crawl, one baby steps at a time, towards the nearest healthy Plant. Wolfwood slams his palms against the glass, making a weird, cooing sound while he looks up at the Plant, as if expecting something out of it.

And then the Plant begins to unfurl before their eyes, her face peeking from over her petals, looking at Wolfwood with wonders in her eyes.

Wolfwood claps his hands happily and smothers his face against the glass, his body alight with the same patterns that adorns her body. The Plant floats closer and tilts her head, making a quiet chime to communicate with him.

[Such a precious thing.]

[Who are you, little one?]

Wolfwood blinks at her confusedly before turning to Nai, asking him to elaborate. Nai walks closer to the tank and leans forward, greeting his sister with an equally gentle chime.

[He is a pale imitation of us.]

[Do not pay him any mind.]

The Plant doesn’t show any emotions in her face, but Nai can feel the sadness in her voice. 

[Is that so?]

[But you do like him, don’t you, brother?]

Nai bites the inside of his mouth, tasting copper. Wolfwood tugs at his cloak, looking up at him with expectant eyes. Heavens, he reminds him a lot of his own little brother, how he would also look at him with the same gentle, loving eyes, so warm and kind and Nai melts right then and there.

[I don’t hate him.]

He settles for that instead. It’s good enough for Wolfwood it seems, and he preens at the praise, body glowing even more brightly. The Plant makes a soft cooing sound, a declaration of goodbye, before it floats up, retracting back into its petal form. Just before the Plant falls back to slumber, Wolfwood opens his mouth—

And lets out a chaotic cacophony of screeching metal and broken trumpets.

The Plant flinches, peeking through her half-formed petals to coo at Wolfwood, admiring his attempt at saying goodbye. Conrad clears his throat, disturbed but did not dare to say anything at all. Nai puts his hand over Wolfwood’s mouth, grimacing as he gives his sister an apologetic smile. 

[Forgive me.]

The Plant seems to laugh then, her voice like the twinkling of piano keys, a sound Nai hasn’t heard in years.

[He has a kind heart, brother.] 

[Please keep him safe.]

Nai gulps, tightening his grip on Wolfwood.

[I’ll try.]

Once the Plant retracts back to her petal state, Nai lifts Wolfwood up with a huff, scowling at him. “We’ll have to teach you how to properly sing.”

Wolfwood blows raspberries at his face, seemingly upset, but when Nai tucks him back into his arms, Wolfwood immediately latches onto his chest, digging his face through the soft fabric of his cloak and purring, resonating with Nai’s core. Conrad dares to approach them then, a questioning look to his face.

“Master Knives, shall we continue?” 

Nai looks down at Wolfwood, noting his half-lidded eyes and lethargic movement. Vash is not here (and until Wolfwood is big enough to actually lead him here, he will not be knocking on his door any time soon), perhaps this can wait just a little longer. They have plenty of time, surely.

“We’ll discuss this tomorrow.” Nai declares. “Go and finish all the things you’re lacking first, doctor.”

Conrad bows his body as Nai walks away, a little surprised by Nai’s sudden kindness but thankful for it nonetheless. “As you wish, Master Knives.”

Instead of going to the piano room, Nai goes straight into his private chamber, away from view. It’s a place he runs off to whenever things are a little too hectic for his liking, a place where he can just sit and enjoy the calm all alone, a safe haven for him, and him alone.

Now, he’s sharing this sacred place with someone else.

Nai places Wolfwood on his bed, and the baby just plops into the soft mattress without any fight left in him. He yawns widely, showing Nai a line of baby fangs before he crashes to one of Nai’s pillows, cooing softly. Nai disperses his cloak, letting it melt into his body before he climbs to the bed, settling next to Wolfwood.

The baby is looking at him through half-lidded eyes, a small “buh” slipping out of his lips as he reaches his arms out, trying to reach Nai.

[Mama…]

Nai hums, leaning closer and letting Wolfwood touch his face. Wolfwood’s petals curl up, caressing his face with the gentleness Nai often feels in his sweetest dreams. He’s glowing again, and through the faint connection they share, Nai can feel Wolfwood’s true emotions laid bare before him, a trickle of warmth slipping through.

[Love you, Mama.]

Nai bites his lips, fists clenching up so tightly his knuckles turn white. He hates Wolfwood—hates this drooling, useless thing that manages to flay him naked each passing second, turning him weak and useless and emotional . 

He hates him because deep down, Nai can see himself in Wolfwood’s eyes—see the ghost of his own past self lingering there, hurting and crying and alone.

[I am not your mother.]

[My name is Nai, remember that.]

Wolfwood tilts his head to the side, not understanding what Nai meant. It takes a while, but Wolfwood seems to finally understand then, his gaze turning softer.

“Nyai?” Wolfwood says it with his own mouth, surprising Nai. “Buh, Nyai?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Nai smiles unconsciously. He feels like a big brother again, teaching his little brother about things he needs to know. “Good boy.”

Wolfwood laughs, his body glowing a little brighter, and the weight of the words Nai said finally catches up to him. Nai stops himself then, his expression growing somber. Wolfwood notices the change in his emotions and gives their shared connection a tug, silently asking Nai if he’s alright.

“No, I’m…” A distant memory plays in his mind, of someone smiling sweetly at him, of their hand as they gently pat him on the head, of a witch with sunlight shining behind her head. “I’m not—”

“Good boy, Nai.”

Wolfwood’s petals smack his cheeks, hard enough to bring him back to reality. The baby is pouting at him, a soft, rattling sound coming from his throat.

“Nyai!” Wolfwood smacks him again, harder. “Nnnyai!”

“Ugh, stop it!” Nai pulls away, sighing. He composes his beating heart, slowly grounding himself to reality, to the present. “I’m fine, stop pestering me.”

Wolfwood hums, settling back to his spot on the pillow and wiggles his arms at him, a quiet whisper coming from his mind.

[Stay?]

Nai sighs once again before lying down, back to his spot earlier. He can’t afford to let anyone see him being this rattled—his reputation as the cold, calculating god that he is will be ruined then. So he snuggles close to Wolfwood, letting their psychic link tangle together as he falls into pseudo-sleep, swaying between unconscious and conscious as his past memories bring him back to a geranium field under the stars.

For now, he can enjoy the peace offered to him in the cradles of his own mind.

000

A loud, growl-like sound comes from the piano room.

Elendira squeaks in fear, every hair on her body rising up. She stays still for a moment, assessing the situation, before she dares to take a few steps forward, putting her ears to the door.

A loud horn-like sound comes next, rattling the door and shaking her body from the force of it all.

From the other side, she can hear Nai making a quiet “tsk” and saying something inaudible to someone else. Elendira furrows her brows. Is Nai in trouble? Perhaps there’s someone messing with his piano! With great courage, she pushes the door to the piano room open, ready to kill whoever annoyed her precious master so much—

Only to see Wolfwood sitting on the piano seat, with Nai berating him by his side.

“For the last time, you’ll have to sing like this.” Nai hums, his voice like the choir of angels above, a beautiful symphony for the divine. 

Wolfwood blinks at him, slamming his palm against the seat in contemplation for a while before he nods, seemingly understanding him. He opens his mouth again and starts to sing—

But what comes out is a dissonance of electric guitars and crows bickering amongst each other.

Nai puts his hands over his ears and groans, looking like he just ages a hundred years older in the span of a few seconds. Elendira huffs and approaches them, not a single fear in her steps.

“You idiot! Do it right!” She spat, pointing accusing fingers at Wolfwood. “Don’t waste Master Knives’s time like this!”

With a great shout, Wolfwold starts to bicker back, conjuring a series of baby noises that oddly enough, sounds like curses. Elendira growls, moments away from dishing another mean comment when she feels Nai’s knives lifting her up and putting her a considerable distance away from Wolfwood. She blinks confusedly at him.

“Elendira, have I told you not to come here unannounced?” Nai hisses.

“F-Forgive me, Master Knives! Doctor Conrad asked me to come here and remind you of your meeting with him!” Elendira squeaks, trembling in place. “Um, he said he’s waiting for you in the Plant Room.”

Nai huffs. “That doctor, why can’t he come here on his own? No matter.” He gives Wolfwood one brief glance before walking out. “Keep an eye on him, will you?”

“Of course!” Elendira smiles wide, before realization sets in and she turns around, a bead of sweat flowing down her temple. “Wait, huh?!”

And Nai is out of view before she can properly complain about her newly ordained task.

“Master Knives! What do you mean I have to—” She turns to Wolfwood, glaring at him and his dumb face. “Ugh, you little shit, why do I have to keep an eye on you?!”

Wolfwood spits at her face. Elendira growls at him, but Wolfwood gives her a cheeky tongue, not sorry at all. A vein pops in her head. She lowers her head, a broken laughter spilling out of her lips as metallic nails appear behind her, hovering menacingly over Wolfwood’s head. 

“So, that’s how you want to play, huh?” Elendira snarls, a shred of her true nature slipping through. “Eat this!”

She rains metal nails down upon Wolfwood and the poor piano seat, the impact conjuring a cloud of smoke. Elendira gasps then, her face turning white as she realizes the weight of her action. As the dust settles, all she sees is the poor leftover of the piano seat, but no pieces of Wolfwood anywhere else. She hears a tiny laughter and looks up, seeing Wolfwood floating above her head, the petals on his back swaying gently as if being held there by wind.

Wolfwood gives her another cheeky tongue before he floats away, going straight to the door and ignoring her completely. Elendira, now more angry than scared, follows after him, waving her deadly nails. “Hey, come back here!”

They end up chasing each other in the hallway, making a mess out of the whole place and scaring the people that happen to pass by. Wolfwood floats gently through it all, easily maneuvering his way out of Elendira’s deadly nails. Eventually they reach a dead end and Wolfwood stops running, making a confused “buh” sound at himself while Elendira laughs triumphantly.

“Hah, I got you now!” She summons an array of nails, aiming them at Wolfwood. “There’s no way to run—”

But Wolfwood finds a hole in the wall small enough to let him through and slips out instead, finding himself in the outside world. A strong gust appears all of a sudden and blows Wolfwood out of the sky, making him tumble and fall straight into the street below. Thankfully his petals are strong enough to let him glide to safety, and Wolfwood lands on top of a truck filled with items, safe and sound. 

He looks up, seeing Elendira as nothing but a dot on top of the gigantic tower overlooking July, before the truck he landed on began to whir with life. A small cry slips out of his lips as he tries to fly back into the air, but his petals are crumpled and wounded after the wind tousled them, and they’re not strong enough to lift him up. Wolfwood couldn’t do anything but cry helplessly, crawling through the items in a desperate attempt to dislodge himself from the truck and falling into a box filled with clothes instead.

With the last of his strength, Wolfwood opens his mouth and screams through the link he has with Nai, hoping he can at least hear his cry for help.

[Mama!]

And Nai feels something in his chest, a growing, uneasy feeling that makes his heart ache. He stays still for a moment, gathering himself. Conrad stops rambling, finally realizing that something is wrong with Nai, but before he can ask any question, Nai is suddenly running out of the room, going straight into the piano room.

Wolfwood is not there.

Nai clicks his tongue and runs out, eyes scanning the hallway for any sign of familiar tuff of black hair, anything at all, but he couldn’t find him. He stops running at one point and closes his eyes, trying to connect to Wolfwood through their link.

[Nicholas?]

There’s no response from the other side.

Nai sucks in a deep breath, willing his shaking hands to still. That’s right, he needs to find Elendira. Surely she knows something about Wolfwood. Nai is running again, and just as he takes a corner, he sees her at the corner of the hallway, pouting at herself.

“Elendira, where is he?” Nai growls, fangs peeking underneath his thin lips. When Elendira fails to provide any answer, he summons his horde of knives, ready to tear her to shreds. “You fool! I asked you to keep an eye on him!”

“Eek! I’m sorry, Master Knives!” Elendira sobs, curling into a ball out of fear. “I-I was just playing with him, and then he’s—he’s gone!”

“Where is he?” Nai is borderline panicking now. He feels like he just lost something important. “Tell me where he is, now!”

“I don’t know!” Elendira says, accidentally biting on her tongue. “I’m so sorry, Master Knives! He fell out and I couldn’t see where he landed!”

Nai roars, whipping his knives against the walls and creating an ugly, jagged streak everywhere. Elendira closes her eyes, preparing herself for the worst—

But it never comes. 

She slowly opens her eyes to see the knives around her, inches away from touching her skin but not actually hurting her. Nai has his head lowered, shoulder hunched over, looking as if he’s crying. And then he’s suddenly chuckling, the small sound gradually becoming full-blown laughter as he throws his head back, realization dawning upon him. 

How ridiculous.

He’s about to lose his marbles about something so utterly pathetic and useless. Conrad can make him another soldier, an even better one too; why bother fussing over a faulty creation anyway? Wolfwood is nothing more than a disposable asset by his side, a pawn he’ll gladly throw out once his whole plan is done. 

“Vash will come back to me, sooner or later. I don’t need that useless, drooling thing to help me.” Nai retracts his knives back, forming them into a cloak again. Elendira shrieks when Nai walks past her, her body relaxing once she realizes he’s not planning on hurting her at all. 

Nai continues to walk, and walk, until he finds himself unconsciously being led back to his room. He looks down at his bed, at the dip in the mattress Wolfwood left yesterday, a memento of his presence here. 

He slowly lies down, hands trembling as he caresses that dip, feeling every bump of the blankets left there, imagining the shape of a bundle of warmth that he grew attached to staring back at him, smiling.

A single stray tear flows down his cheek, but Nai pretends not to notice it at all.

Chapter Text

It feels like an eternity has passed, but the truck has yet to stop. 

Tired of waiting, Wolfwood decides to curl on top of the clothes he finds himself in, hoping to catch some sleep. The weather grows hotter each passing second, and he uses his petals to shield himself from the ruthless sun, though it does little to alleviate the heat. A particularly harsh bump sends the back end of the truck into the air, and unfortunately, a few box drops out of it too, including the one housing Wolfwood.  

The box tumbles and falls into the dunes, and Wolfwood slips out of it, landing somewhere further away. He huffs, coughing out harsh sands out of his lungs before he lifts his head up, seeing the truck going further and further away from view. 

Now Wolfwood is alone in the middle of nowhere, thirsty and in the process of being burned into crisp.

He wobbles forward, crawling back into the crate out of fear. He hides under the pile of clothes, panting from the heat but he doesn’t care. Standing out there is dangerous. He would rather die out of heatstroke and be protected by a measly piece of square shaped wood than to be devoured by whatever is lurking in the desert out there. 

Wolfwood starts to make soft, clicking sounds, hoping he can catch the attention of someone, anyone kind enough to save him, but not the predator swimming under the sands. He keeps doing it, even after darkness starts to fall, and the overwhelming heat he feels starts to turn into blistering cold. 

Wolfwood sneezes, his body shaking pitifully as the frigid wind seeps into his bones. He curls underneath the pile of clothes and cocoons himself with his petals, still attempting to make the soft clicking sound to lure anyone nearby, hoping they’ll be kind enough to rescue him.

Eventually, he hears footsteps? Or is it something with claws running at him? He doesn’t know. 

Wolfwood curls into a ball and makes a pitiful coo at the bottom of his throat, begging for mercy. The box he’s in is flipped over and he yelps, afraid of whoever is messing with him. He’s expecting a big, scary monster to eat him alive at this point, but Wolfwood feels hands instead, gently lifting him away from the box and he opens his eyes—

Only to see a familiar tuff of blonde hair and blue eyes hidden underneath an orange shade, looking at him.

At that instant, Wolfwood cries openly, wiggling his arms frantically towards the man currently holding him. The man yelps, seemingly overwhelmed by the noises Wolfwood makes and attempts to hold him close to his chest, cradling him in his arms. Wolfwood immediately tucks his face there, latching onto the man’s clothes like vice, afraid to be alone again.

[Mama…]

He can feel the man tensing up above him, his arms clutching Wolfwood tightly. Wolfwood looks up, seeing the man smiling at him sadly.

[It’s alright, I’m here now.]

[Don’t cry, okay?]

The man’s sounds a little different from Nai’s; his voice is a lonely bell upon a lonely tower, a single piano note echoing in the night sky. Though he sounds different, this man looks the same as Nai, smells the same too, and Wolfwood has no doubt that this person has a kind heart, like him. 

So Wolfwood lets himself relax in the man’s arms, his core resonating easily with the man’s own and he’s glowing again, comforted by a gentle hum coming from the man’s chest. Between one sleepy blink to the next, Wolfwood finds himself drifting to sleep, dreaming of a familiar pair of blue eyes watching over him.

000

When Wolfwood wakes again, it is to the warmth of a fire in front of him and roof above his head. He blinks through the haze, seeing the same man sitting next to him, his red jacket nowhere in sight. Wolfwood looks down and oh, he’s bundled up in the man’s jacket.

“Hey there,” The man whispers, patting Wolfwood gently on the head. “Can’t sleep, little guy?”

Wolfwood makes a cooing sound at the bottom of his throat. “Nyai?”

And the man freezes then, recognition flashing through his eyes before his expression turns difficult. A beat passes and the man is smiling again, a little forced this time. “Where did you come from?”

[Big tower.]

Wolfwood tries to convey his story through the erratic motions of his arms. It does nothing to help solidify his story, but the stranger looks entertained nonetheless, his smile becoming less strict.

[I’m lost…]

Wolfwood sobs as he recalls Nai’s face, his tears pitter-pattering against the sand. Nai must be worried sick now, frantically searching for Wolfwood from top to bottom, calling for his name.

Heavens above, Wolfwood misses him.

[Mama…]

The man coos at him and lifts him up, putting him snug in his lap. He wipes Wolfwood’s tears away and hums him a song. Wolfwood recognizes it easily; it’s the song Nai would play on his piano all the time—a song of longing and love and all the emotions he couldn’t properly convey to someone he holds dear in his heart. He ends up humming along, complimenting Vash’s gentle voice with his own.

[Do you know who Nai is?]

Wolfwood takes one of the man’s fingers and holds it tightly in his tiny palms. Even their hands are almost similar too, but this man has slightly darker skin, smelling of sunlight and sand. It’s like looking at a mirror and finding a different reflection staring back at him.

[Nai is Mama.]

The man nods, his somber features highlighted by the glow of the fire.

[He’s your Mama, huh?]

[Is he…doing alright?]

Wolfwood looks up, blinking at him.

[Mama is sad.]

[Mama misses someone, a lot.]

Though Nai tries to hide it, Wolfwood can feel a hint of melancholy through their link, sometimes; a flash of long forgotten memory playing in his mind. Wolfwood couldn’t decipher what they meant or what he’s seeing, but he can feel the emotions they carry, can feel the weight of each memory on Nai’s bleeding heart.

Those burdens, even if they’re Nai’s, sometimes feel like a burden Wolfwood shares too because of their connection.

[I see…]

The man holds Wolfwood’s head closer to his chest and kisses the top of his head, keeping him warm as a cold breeze blows past them through the cracks in the walls. 

[I’ll return you back to your Mama, okay?]

[That’s a promise.]

Wolfwood hums and nuzzles against the man’s chest, seeking warmth. 

[Who are you?]

[Why do you look like Mama?]

The man opens his mouth, words stuck at the tip of his tongue. He contemplates for a moment, searching for the right thing to say, before he sighs and lets his walls down around Wolfwood.

[My name is Vash, little one.]

[And your Mama is looking for me.]

000

A sea of golden sand stretches on and on, neverending. Above them, the sky is a clear blue, reaching up to the heavens. Wolfwood stretches his arms up, trying to catch the sunlight with his hands, but they slip through his fingers. Vash notices his cute act and laughs, tutting at his nose.

“You’re so cute.” Vash says, smiling widely at him. 

Wolfwood tilts his head to the side, still confused. Nai always looks at him coldly, almost as if he didn’t care for him, but deep down, Wolfwood knows he actually cares for his well-being. Vash on the other hand, wears his emotions on his sleeves; he’ll shower Wolfwood with kisses and hugs, even when Wolfwood didn’t ask for them. Though they share the same face, the twins act completely different from each other.

It’s another wonderful thing Wolfwood learns in this wonderfully unique world. He can’t wait to get bigger and explore the world on his own two legs already.

“Bah!” He says, trying his best to say Vash’s name with his own lips. “Buh, Bah!”

“Ah, you’re so close!” Vash laughs. “Come on, say it again with me; Vash.”

“Bah?” Wolfwood tries again, tasting the syllables in his mouth. He almost got it. “Pah? Fahs…Vash?”

Vash gasps, eyes sparkling with anticipation. He jumps in place from overexcitement. “There you go! One more time please?”

“Vash!” Wolfwood claps his hands, happy with himself. “Vash! Vash!”

“Hooray!” Vash claps along, his face split with a wide grin. “Good job! You’re doing amazing!”

From a distance, he looks like an oddball (and in a way, he is), dancing across the sand with a baby strapped to his chest. Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be anyone out here, at least, not until a herd of Thomases suddenly appears in the distance, carrying a bunch of people wearing colorful clothes. They see Vash’s red coat from a distance and approach him without fear.

“Greetings, traveler.” The leader of the group, a woman with too much gold on her body and the most colorful ensemble of the bunch, speaks to him. “What are you doing out here? There’s nothing but sand that way.”

“Oh.” Vash blinks confusedly at her. He remembers having seen a town this way a long time ago, did it disappear? From the barren scenery before his eyes, it seems they’re no longer here.

“Come with us, we have a camp nearby.” The woman offers, motioning towards the west. “Rest your feet and get yourself some water. You’ll need it.”

“Thank you.” Vash smiles wide and follows after them blindly, like he always does with strangers. Wolfwood is a little wary of them, but he can’t do anything much like this, not when he’s still just a small, useless fledgling.

Thankfully, she seems to be telling the truth; a camp of gypsies lies ahead, their colorful tent crowding over a tiny water source. Vash settles in one of their smaller tents, both him and Wolfwood sighing in relief over the shade it provides. A small girl comes up to him, offering him some water in a bowl.

“Ah, thank you.” Vash drinks it in one go, sighing in relief as his throat no longer burns in the heat. Wolfwood reaches his hand out, asking for water too. “Um, can you get more? This little one wants some too.”

The little girl nods and takes the bowl away, sprinting to the water source like a lithe Thomas. Just then, the leader appears again, having discarded her ensemble and wearing a simple tunic with a few gold accessories instead. “Comfortable?”

“Yes, thank you for your kindness.” Vash smiles at her, wide and warm. “I’ll get going once this little one gets his share of water.”

“You’re quite the oddball, aren’t you? Traveling with a baby without any map in your hands.” The leader says, shaking her head. “Where are you going anyway?”

“I’m…going to July.” Vash admits, gaze casts to the ground. “This little one got separated from his parents, and I intend to bring him back.”

“I see.” The leader hums, moving slightly out of the way as the little girl returns to give Vash a bowl of fresh water. He gives it to Wolfwood, and the baby drinks it in one big gulp. “You should probably stay the night. There’s a sandstorm coming, and you don’t want to be caught in the middle of it.”

“Ah, is it okay? I don’t want to burden you anymore.”

“Well, if it’s too much for me, I won’t be offering in the first place.”

Vash smiles sheepishly at her. “Thank you, we’ll just stay in the outer tent and leave the next morning.”

“Suit yourself.” The leader grabs a spare bedroll from the saddle of her Thomas and gives it to Vash. “Make yourself comfortable, there’s going to be hell tonight.”

000

True to her words, there is hell passing through their camp once night falls.

Wolfwood and Vash stay at one of the outer tents, and all night long, Wolfwood can hear the tent barely hanging onto dear life as the wind ravages the dunes. He shivers in fear and nuzzles against Vash’s chest, the petals on his back curling up to protect him. Vash holds him close, kissing the top of his head in an effort to calm him down.

Through the storm, Wolfwood hears something.

He perks up, eyes wide in fear as he feels his gut clenching up, instinct screaming at him to hide and run. Vash seems to have noticed it too and keeps his hand over his gun, ready to strike whatever it is that lurks in the dark. There’s a shadow visible over the thin layer of their tent, slowly becoming more and more pronounced as it walks closer.

Vash gently lifts Wolfwood up, cradling him close to his chest as he stands and grabs his belongings. He never keeps his eyes off from the shadowy figure outside of the tent, the tension between them so thick Wolfwood has a hard time breathing through it. 

And then, there’s a scream.

The figure beyond the tent suddenly rushes in, revealing themself to be a gruff looking man with a gun. There’s sands all over his face, his hair and clothes a mess thanks to the sandstorm. The man aims at Vash, about to say something before recognition sparks in his eyes.

“Humanoid—”

And Vash smacks the back end of his gun to the man’s skull, knocking him unconscious. He pulls his body to the tent before running out, finding bandits littering the place. Vash turns to Wolfwood, giving him a small smile.

“You stay here, alright?” Before he runs off, leaving him alone in the dark. 

Wolfwood yells and plops forward, crawling in the sand pathetically as loud noises overwhelms his senses. He tries to stand up, forcing both of his legs to move. It takes a few attempts, but he manages to walk now, taking one shaky step after the other as he exits the tent, searching for Vash.

A bandit falls from the sky and lands in front of him, blinking a single hazy eye towards his general direction before falling unconscious. Wolfwood squeaks and runs the other way, but a few bandits see him stumbling around and picks him up, carrying him without a shred of gentleness

“Ah!” Wolfwood cries, fat tears flowing down his reddening cheeks. “Vash!”

“Got you!” Vash comes from above, kicking both of the bandits in the head and knocking them out cold. Wolfwood falls to the sand, safe from harm, and Vash picks him up before any stray bullet could hurt him. “Hold on tight, little one!”

Vash takes aim, shooting something beyond the whirling sand. A great rumble comes from a distance and Wolfwood sees something falling over, kicking more sands to the air. The bandits scatter back into the night, screaming a string of colorful curses at Vash’s direction. With a huff, Vash puts his gun away, a gentle smile across his face.

“It’s okay now, they won’t bother us again.” Vash says.

Wolfwood wiggles his hands happily. “Fak!” He mimics the thing the bandits were saying earlier.

“Wait, no, don’t say that!” Vash shushes him. “That’s a bad word!”

Wolfwood pouts, brows furrowed together cutely. “Buh…”

Before they can properly salvage the peace however, a click of a gun keeps them on their toes again. Vash jumps, hands rising up to signal his unwillingness to fight, and the fear in his eyes immediately melts into sadness when he sees familiar faces pointing their guns at him.

“So, the rumors were true; the Humanoid Typhoon is roaming this part.” The leader steps forward, looking at them with disgust. 

“Er, I guess?” Vash laughs. “I’m not here to harm anyone though! Please trust me!” 

“You don’t, but that doesn’t mean you won’t bring any with your presence here.” The leader says, her gaze softening a little. She throws Vash’s satchel to his feet. “Go, before any more of those ruffians come to us again.”

Vash looks down at his feet, silently picking up the satchel and smiling sadly at them. “Can you at least keep him safe for me?” He lifts Wolfwood up.

The leader shakes her head. “Not taking any chances buddy.”

“I see.” Vash straps Wolfwood to his chest and zips his coat up, protecting him from the storm. Wolfwood makes a confused sound at the bottom of his throat, looking up at him worryingly. “Goodbye, and thank you, for everything.”

“May fate be kinder to you, Humanoid Typhoon.” The leader bids them goodbye.

Vash turns his heel around and walks away, his stark red coat slowly disappearing beyond the brutal sandstorm. He keeps Wolfwood safe in his arms, bracing the wind like a strong pillar, slowly making his way South. Wolfwood eats a handful of sands before Vash finds a rock formation to stay for the night, keeping them safe as the wind tears everything to shreds around them.

Vash plops Wolfwood down and sits next to him, dusting the sand on his hair and clothes. Wolfwood mimics him, tongue curling out of his mouth in disgust. He can taste the sand still, a concoction of too much minerals and gritty rocks.

“I’m sorry.” Vash whispers, voice crackling like a broken radio. “I should’ve been able to keep you safe and comfortable.” He laughs then, but it sounds empty. “I’m a terrible parent, aren’t I?”

Knowing Vash is upset, Wolfwood crawls closer, nuzzling against his legs until Vash takes a proper look at him. He climbs up, settling on Vash’s stomach and hugs him, real tight, his core resonating with Vash’s own as he tries to convey his purest emotions to him.

[It’s okay.]

[I’m here.]

[Don’t cry.]

Vash smiles then, kissing the top of Wolfwood’s head and cradling him closer to his chest, keeping their shared warmth from slipping away. Vash starts to glow too, a hint of his emotions bleeding through their link.

[Thank you, little one.]

As the storm rages outside, Vash hums a song under his breath, his voice bringing calm to Wolfwood’s heart. He starts to feel sleepy, eyes slipping shut for a moment before he falls asleep for good, curling in Vash’s arms like a flower bud ready to greet winter.

Tomorrow is another day for them to brave through.

Chapter Text

Wolfwood wakes up to feeling… weird.

He stretches his body, feeling that something is not quite right. Is it his torn clothes? His hazy vision? Why does Vash look slightly smaller than before? He pushes himself off the ground, his petals swaying up to catch the gentle sunlight that peeks through the rocks, and that’s when he notices it—

His shadow has gotten taller.

Wolfwood blinks, squinting his eyes at the odd sight before he looks down at himself, finding his limbs to be longer than before, his body looking more like a skrunkly piece of wood more than anything. His clothes are torn apart, unable to contain his rapid growth. A gasp falls out of his mouth, and even his own voice is unfamiliar to his own ears.

“Vash,” He can speak much more clearly now, tongue no longer so strained and tight. It’s easier to put his words out of his head. “Vash, Humanoid Typhoon.”

“Huh?” Vash blinks to awareness, yawning like a cat before he turns to Wolfwood, the blue of his eyes going from calm to surprise real quick. He jumps away with a yelp, hand resting above his gun, ready to shoot.

“Wait, no!” Wolfwood stumbles forward and kisses the ground, unused to his newly grown limbs. The fall cuts his knees a little, and the pain makes him sob. “Uuh, Vash…”

“Oh my God…” Vash scrambles to Wolfwood, holding his (slightly) bigger body up like a kitten. “No, no, don’t cry! It’s okay! It’ll get better soon!”

Vash leans down, giving the reddening knees a quick peck to make it feel better. Wolfwood stops sobbing then, tucking his arms and legs closer to his body in an attempt to look smaller, less menacing and awkward. 

“What’s happening to me?” He asks, voice deeper than he used to know.

“Hmm, it seems you’ve entered a growth spurt!” Vash says, smiling. Wolfwood was only a few months old before, but now he looks more like a five year old, with a full set of teeth and an attitude. “Don’t worry! It’s not dangerous, I promise.”

“Okay…” Wolfwood tries to stand, wobbling in place for a moment, his petals flaring up in alarm. Eventually he manages to balance himself on his own two legs. He looks down at himself and pouts, feeling like an awkward bundle of sticks. “This is scary…”

“You’ll get used to it, eventually.” Vash gives him a piece of ragged cloak to cover himself (no use salvaging his torn clothes now) and takes Wolfwood’s hand, gently leading him out. The storm has passed by now, leaving nothing but pieces of its destruction behind. “Let’s go, we should be arriving in July soon.”

Wolfwood hums, following Vash’s large strides easily. Sunlight blinds him for a moment, casting everything in a bright white light before his vision adjusts to the change, showing him an endless sea of gold around him. Wolfwood puts one of his petals above his head to shield himself from the too-bright sunlight.

This is going to be a long, long walk to July.

000

“Are you Mama’s child too?” Wolfwood asks out of the blue. Vash chokes on his own breath and stumbles forward, moments away from eating sand. “Why do you look similar?”

“We’re twins—he’s my big brother.” Vash smiles. “In a way, he’s your big brother too? But you’re not exactly a Plant either…”

“What’s a Plant?” Wolfwood tilts his head. He heard that phrase countless times, but couldn’t really make sense of it. If he’s a Plant, why is he wandering around here, unlike the rest of his sisters?

“They’re, um, you could think of them as powerful beings. They’re the ones who help humans survive on this brren planet.” Vash explains patiently. “You’re a Plant too, in a way, but not a Plant at the same time. Maybe you’re some sort of Independent, like me?”

“Really? What about the people we met before?”

“They’re human. Unlike us, they don’t have the power to survive here on their own.”

[Can they do this?]

Wolfwood's voice echoes through their connection. Vash smiles at him.

[No, but they use tools to speak to each other over long distances too.]

“Is that why they kicked us out?” Wolfwood slows down, kicking a mountain of sand with his bare feet. The sand clings to his sweaty legs. “Because we’re different?”

Vash’s smile turns a little more somber. He licks his lips and adjusts the grip on his satchel, thinking for a while of what to say. “Humans are afraid of us, of the things we’re able to do. They only want to protect themselves, and those they love.”

“They’re mean.” Wolfwood remembers the researchers in the lab that stared at him as if he’s something dangerous, and the nomadic people who saw them as something disgusting. Those humans are all the same, but Vash and Nai are different. “I don’t like them.”

There’s a hint of something across Vash’s gaze, a foreign emotion Wolfwood couldn’t decipher—nostalgia, perhaps, or is it fear? Wolfwood doesn’t know. Vash gives him a pat to the head, a gentle smile etched to his lips. “I’m sure you’ll come to understand them in time.” He says.

Wolfwood doesn’t really understand what Vash is implying, but he nods nonetheless, keeping those words close to his heart. In the distance, he can see a tiny black dot, barely visible over the sea of gold. He turns to Vash, seeing him smiling wide.

“We’re close!”

000

They arrive at another settlement after a few hours of trekking in the middle of the desert. This town is bigger, louder, filled with enthusiastic merchants and all sorts of colorful travelers. Wolfwood sticks close to Vash, not wanting to get lost amongst the crowd and possibly lose his source of safety again. They walk through the busy market street until they arrive at a quieter residential area. 

Vash stops at the inn, booking a room for the night before he takes Wolfwood sightseeing to the slower part of the market. Wolfwood is ecstatic. Everything he sees here is new to him; be it the trinkets lining a peddler’s stand, to the people walking up and down the street, to the smell of food coming from a nearby restaurant. He makes an excited sound when Vash stops to buy some bullets for his gun.

“What’s this?” He picks one of the bullets up, rolling it in his palm. The peddler plucks it out of his hand with a tight smile.

“Don’t touch it kid, these ain’t for you.” He says. 

With a small yelp, Wolfwood runs behind Vash’s pants, hiding there. He chooses to watch the street instead, one hand clinging to Vash’s pants. After Vash is done with his bullets, he takes Wolfwood to the next peddler. 

This one has a ton of clothes to sell, from children’s pajamas to shirts and pants for adults. Vash shifts through the pile, accidentally pulling out an underwear before he finally finds suitable clothes for Wolfwood.

“Little one, come here.” Vash urges him to come closer. He quickly takes the rags off and puts on the new clothes for Wolfwood, smiling to himself. The clothes are a little big, but at least Wolfwood isn’t naked anymore. “There, it suits you.”

The peddler comes to them, smiling warmly. They chat for a bit before Vash gives him a bit of money. Wolfwood perks up, watching the exchange with curiosity in his eyes, and only dares to speak up when they’re walking away from the peddler. 

“What’s that?” When Vash gives him a confused look, Wolfwood makes a circle with his thumb and forefinger. “The round thing you gave the man earlier?”

“Oh, that’s money.” Vash pulls out a few double dollars and coins. “It’s something we trade with other people to earn something.”

“Do we really need it?” Wolfwood hums. “Mama can just ask and people will give him anything he wants.”

“That’s, um, a different case here.” Vash scratches his cheek. “We need to follow their rules to survive in this place.”

“This sucks.” Wolfwood huffs. “Why can’t you do that too? Aren’t you the same as Mama?”

At that, Vash’s face seems to shift, his gaze distant. Wolfwood closes his mouth shut then, suddenly realizing he might’ve said something he shouldn’t have. Wolfwood thought Vash would hurt him for saying something so nasty, but he only gets a pat on the head, just like before. 

“It’s…we’re different.” Vash simply says, smiling sadly at the horizon. “I don’t follow the same principles that Nai follows, so we live a completely different life from each other.”

“But…are you okay?” Wolfwood asks, quieter this time because he’s a little afraid of saying something wrong again. “Humans aren’t nice to you, you know?”

Wolfwood doesn’t understand. Vash is hurt, a lot—by nameless strangers, by the friends he made along the way, by everyone, really. And yet he stubbornly stays here, living amongst them like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, hiding his true nature and putting on such a strained smile. Why can’t he just go back to Nai and live with him? Nai is nice to Wolfwood, so he’ll surely be nice to Vash too.

Vash hums for a long while, tapping his fingers against the strap of his bag before he smiles, the sadness in his eyes melts away to reveal a spark of determination. He grabs Wolfwood’s hand and holds it as gently as he can. 

“I found my happiness here, little one.” He says, grinning so stupidly. “I adore humans—their sadness, their happiness, everything—I want to learn what it means to love one another, like they do.”

“Even if they hurt you?” Wolfwood whispers.

“Even if they hurt me, yes.” Vash repeats. “Because I believe everyone has a spark of kindness in their heart, and that kindness will surely bring a better future, for both of our kinds.”

Wolfwood nods sheepishly, not quite understanding what Vash meant, but he agrees nonetheless. Perhaps when he’s older, he’ll come to understand what Vash meant.

But for now, Wolfwood gladly spends this simple days along with Vash, navigating a world that is too big for him to hold.

000

They walk back to their inn and spend most of their time indoors, shielding themselves from the unrelenting desert sun. While Vash keeps tinkering with his prosthetic arm, Wolfwood stays by the bed, rolling around the dusty mattress like a ball, bored out of his mind. Eventually, his energy runs out, and he stops moving.

Wolfwood closes his eyes then, lulled to sleep by the little sound of Vash’s tools clinking against his prosthetic arm. By the moment Vash is done, he finds Wolfwood sleeping on their bed, his petals curling around his body like a makeshift blanket. He’s clutching at the sheet, mumbling under his breath.

“Mama…”

Vash sets his tools and prosthetic arm aside before he climbs to bed with him, holding Wolfwood close to his chest. Unconsciously, Wolfwood’s petals start to curl, wrapping around Vash’s body as if to hug him back. Vash closes his eyes, thinking of taking a quick nap for now.

Peace is something they need to savor, and Vash will use this time to rest.

000

A tiny flying worm lands on the open window, watching Wolfwood and Vash cuddling on the bed with its beaded eyes. On the other side of the world, Zazie lets out a low whistle, a mean grin plastered to their face.

“Master Knives, I got good news for you~”

000

In the middle of the night, all of the light in the town suddenly shuts down. Wolfwood wakes with a gasp, scrambling to look for Vash in the dark and only goes still when he feels Vash’s arms wrapping around his body, keeping him safe. He looks up, able to see the outline of Vash’s smile in the dark once his night vision switches on.

“I got you.” Vash opens the curtain, letting moonlight pour into the room. He looks out, seeing people gathering outside on the street, confused and worried. “Seems like the electricity is down.”

“Are we going to be okay?” Wolfwood squeaks.

“Yeah, I should ask around, see if there’s something wrong with their Plant.” Vash says. “Do you want to come with me?”

Wolfwood nods enthusiastically. The duo walks out of the room and finds the town’s mayor amongst the crowd, trying to calm the townspeople. Vash pulls him over once the mayor is alone and whispers something to him. The mayor’s eyes go wide, mouth agape as he looks at Vash from top to bottom, still in disbelief.

“Well, pardon me, but ya’ don’t look like a Plant mechanic at all!” The mayor huffs. “Are ya’ really up to the task?”

“Sure am!” Vash smiles, all sunshine. “I’ll fix the Plant in no time! Promise!”

The mayor gives Vash (and Wolfwood) one last look over before huffing, the tailend of his bushy mustache flipping over the wind. “Fine, but if I found ya’ doin’ something funny, I’m shooting yer’ ass!”

It takes another round of coaxing before Vash can even take a step inside the Plant’s bunker, and even then, the mayor insists on staying near the doorway with a gun in hand, refusing to let Vash out of his sight. Wolfwood gives the mayor his cheeky tongue when he’s not looking. 

“Come on.” Vash calls him over with a flick of his hands. He’s already climbing up the stairs. Wolfwood skips over, carefully climbing each step before he reaches the top part of the machine housing the Plant. The sight that greets Wolfwood makes him rub his head in confusion.

There’s two Plants here, but one of them is floating in a menacing red liquid. Wolfwood can hear the other one floating in calming blue water, calling out to her sister, but she never receives any response. 

[Please, save her.]

The Plant cries, desperate. Vash sighs, placing both of his hands against the glass housing his unresponsive sister. 

“She’s withering away.” Vash whispers, so quietly that Wolfwood almost didn’t catch it. “I’m going to help her. Can you be a good boy and wait for me?”

Wolfwood nods and sits by Vash’s side, looking up at him expectantly. Vash smiles and leans his head forward, his temple touching the cool glass as he takes a deep breath.

Suddenly, everything goes silent.

Wolfwood perks up, confused and a little shaken from the sudden shift in the environment, before he hears it—a gentle song coming from Vash. It’s the song Vash always hums to Wolfwood whenever he’s sleeping, the same song Nai plays on his piano day and night, possessed by the ghost of their past. He looks up, eyes wide with fascination as Vash’s body begins to glow, ethereal blue lines mapping his skin like a painting.

And then the Plant inside the tank begins to unfurl, her weary face peeking from behind her petals shyly. 

She floats closer to Vash, her hands flush against Vash’s own from beyond the glass and she leans down, thrilling a gentle string of piano notes to greet her brother. The red water surrounding her began to change then, slowly turning into the sterile blue Wolfwood is familiar with. The Plant inside looks much healthier now, a wide smile across her face.

[Thank you for saving me, brother.]

She gives them a nod before she curls back into a bud, humming happily at her sister, who is beyond ecstatic to know her sibling is back to normal. Vash pulls away with an exhausted smile, his marking fading away. Before he can say anything, Wolfwood runs up to him, hugging his legs tightly.

“How did you do that?” He looks up, eyes sparkling with newfound wonder. “You just…and then she is…” He waves his hands in the air wildly, excitement popping off in his body, and Vash recalls simpler times, back when he’s as excitable and small and so, so naive.

Back when Nai and him were still together.

“It’s nothing special, really.” Vash bops Wolfwood on the nose and he makes a funny, little grimace in return. “You can make something cool too, if you try hard enough.”

Wolfwood’s eyes go wide, his petals flaring up. He can already imagine it; glistening wings of metallic knives on his back, taking him far into the stratosphere. Perhaps he can also summon great power through his mind alone and help those in need, like Vash did. The possibilities are endless, and knowing that he also has the power to make wonders is making his heart beat faster.

Perhaps with this he can go back home to Nai, and perhaps give Vash a place to stay, to spend his days in peace with those he loves.

“Ey, yer’ done over there?” The mayor’s voice comes from somewhere in the background. Vash takes Wolfwood’s hand and leads him out, giving the mayor a thumb’s up on the way out.

“Everything is fixed now! Feel free to turn on the electricity again!”

000

The whole town throws a big feast soon after, hailing Vash (and Wolfwood) as the town’s savior.

There’s too much booze and food and there's random piano music playing in the background as the whole town celebrates in their cramped bar. Vash is thrown here and there, slung over everyone’s arms and he probably drunk enough booze to give someone a heart attack. But he’s not human, so no matter how much he drank, he’s still as chipper as he always is.

Wolfwood, on the other hand, sits by the corner, surrounded by the ladies who continue to coo and pinch his cheeks. He gets a glass of juice instead, but he’s not too keen on finishing it. His eyes follow Vash’s figure as he dances in the middle of the bar with a lady, lips pulled into a thin line.

He can imagine himself dancing next to him, holding him close and spinning him around, like the lady did. Vash is laughing, face lit up bright red as the lady smothers her whole chest to Vash’s own, winking one eye seductively. Before she can lean in and give him a kiss though, Wolfwood tugs at Vash’s pants and pouts, throwing a tantrum.

“I wanna go back!” He sniffles.

Vash gives the lady an apologetic smile before lifting Wolfwood up into his arms, carrying him like a disgruntled cat back to their inn room. Once Wolfwood is finally here, he can’t help but feel guilty about being so whiny. Vash looked like he was having fun, and Wolfwood forced him to go back because he’s being grumpy.

“Aren’t you going back?” Wolfwood asks when he sees Vash settling beside him, slinging his prosthetic and putting it away. “Those people might still be waiting for you.”

“Nah, I’m good.” Vash smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He lies down, taking a much more comfortable position and closing his eyes. “Come on, let’s sleep.”

Wolfwood huffs. He slams his whole body on top of Vash, knocking a handful of air out of his lungs. A glare is what he gives him when Vash blinks confusedly at him. “…You’re a bad liar.” He murmurs.

Vash merely gives him an apologetic smile and pat him on the head, gentle fingers caressing his scalp. The repeated motion makes him sleepy. He tries to stay up, but his body soon succumbs to the exhaustion, his muscles slowly turning more and more lax—

And he dreams about the familiar sound of whistling knives in the air.

Chapter Text

A loud scream pierces the air.

Wolfwood gasps, sitting up abruptly from his sleep. He turns his attention to the window, his senses tingling uneasily. Vash seems to have woken up as well, and from his expression, Wolfwood knows he’s not the only one feeling so out of the loop.

There’s gunshots ringing outside, metal hitting metal, and the sound of whistling knives cuts through them. There’s more screams, terror cloying in the air, and Wolfwood tastes the first bitter drop of death in his mouth.

Something is wrong.

Very wrong.

The petals on Wolfwood’s back curl into himself, shielding his trembling body. 

Vash is on his feet in an instant, tidying his bare luggage and putting on his prosthetic arm. He reloads his gun with the speed of a trained marksman and turns his gaze out, grimacing as he hears another round of bullets raining down on the other side of town.

“Little one, I need you to come with me,” Vash helps him stand, gentle despite the panic racing through his veins. “Can you run?”

“I’ll try.” Wolfwood doesn’t know if his awkward legs can keep up with Vash’s pace, but there’s no time to ponder.

“Alright, don’t let go, okay?” Vash leads him out of the room, gun in one hand and his bag in the other. “I’m going to put you somewhere safe first.”

By now, the townspeople are crowding the street, running and screaming in terror. Vash runs ahead, checking the nearby perimeter for safety before motioning at Wolfwood to follow, patiently waiting for him as he tries his best to catch up. There’s too many people here, too many legs kicking him around, but his desperation pushes him through, forcing him to move.

Eventually, Vash leads him to the outskirts of the town, away from the chaos happening inside. There’s a few people here, most of them kids and women, hiding from the approaching danger. Vash puts his bag down next to Wolfwood and smiles at the people there. 

“Please take care of him for a moment, I’ll be right back.” And he runs before anyone can even stop him.

“Wait, Vash!” Wolfwood tries to catch Vash’s fluttering red coat, but his tiny fingers couldn’t reach him in time. 

Vash runs back to town, gun loaded with bullets, not a hint of fear in his eyes. A building somewhere inside crashes to the ground, sending a wave of rolling dust at him, engulfing his figure in the blink of an eye. Wolfwood clutches a hand over his heart, fear gripping him by the heart like the talons of a beast. 

What if Vash gets hurt again? What if he dies? What will happen if Wolfwood is left all alone in this big wide world?

Wolfwood is afraid, so very afraid, but he feared the thought of being isolated more than the thought of dying in someone else’s hands.

The sound of whistling knives ring in the air, beckoning him like the bells of a distant land.

Wolfwood swallows his fear down his throat and runs, ignoring the screams and shout of the people behind him as he braves the unknown. He has to save Vash and go back to Nai, and he’ll die trying if it means making his selfish wishes come true.

In the distance, he can see Vash’s iconic red coat fluttering in the wind, barely visible under the cloud of dust covering the town. He rushes ahead, ignoring the burn and ache creeping up his legs, his lungs heaving for air. Vash is still so far, but if he keeps running, he’ll catch up to him eventually.

There’s another round of bullets ringing in the air, and then the sound of knives whipping the air, and everything goes silent once more. Wolfwood runs up a set of metallic stairs to the upper part of the town and abruptly stops when he feels something wet touching his feet.

“What—”

The gorey sight before his eyes turns his stomach upside down. 

Remains of the townspeople are scattered amongst the steps leading up; a torn piece of arm there, a head sliced in two, guts and organs decorating the ground like grotesque ribbons. Wolfwood gasps and falls backwards, shaking like a leaf. The taste of death and blood blooms all over his tongue, and he fights back the urge to throw up.

“Why…” 

He sees women and children amongst the bodies too, torn without mercy by whoever attacked the town. Everything is painted in deep, sickening red, and Wolfwood can feel his eyes burning up from the tears streaming down his face.

Nai told him humans were inferior, nothing but parasites that wrought diseases into this world, and that he should not feel any remorse hurting them, but the sight of them being massacred mindlessly like this sends shivers down his spine nonetheless. He doesn’t like humans, doesn’t like their attitude and their selfishness and everything, but this is just too much.

A single bullet slices through the silence. 

Wolfwood perks up, gaze settling into the upper part of the stairs. Vash is probably up there, wrestling with the perpetrator, and Wolfwood cannot waste any time idling around here. 

He pushes himself up despite the shakiness of his legs, stumbling over the gore and sprints up, ignoring the bitter ache pulsing in his chest and the tears streaming down his cheeks. 

“Vash!” 

Wolfwood hears another bullet piercing through the silence and hitting solid metal. He amps his pace, his vision becoming clearer and clearer as he nears the end of the stairs. 

“Vash—”

He stops at the top of the stairs, eyes blown wide at the sight of a god drenched in blood, towering over Vash’s body. Vash is gritting his teeth, his arms tied above his head by a familiar chain of metallic knives. A tiny gasp slips out of Wolfwood’s lips and the god takes notice, slowly turning his head around to greet him with a chilling smile.

“We meet again, Nicholas.”

Wolfwood could not move, could not tear his eyes away from the sight before him. Nai’s pure white cloak is coated in fresh blood, his blue eyes glowing with pure, unfiltered hunger, and Wolfwood could not recognize the person standing before him.

Is this really the Nai he knows?

[Mama…?]

He tries through their connection, hoping, praying to whoever is willing to listen that this person is not his beloved Nai—not the same person who cradled him during long, sleepless nights, not the person who secretly kisses the top of his head whenever he’s on the brink of tears. 

But the voice that echoes through his connection shatters all the hope Wolfwood has in his heart. 

[Nicholas.]

Wolfwood whimpers, falling to the ground weakly, the petals on his back curling around him to shield him from the horror clutching him by the throat. He has never felt fear in the presence of Nai—it has always been safety, protection, warmth—but as he stares into the eyes of his god, Wolfwood wants nothing more than to run, to hide from the monster wearing his beloved’s face.

He wants his precious Mama back.

“Little one, run!” Vash screams at him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Nai tightens his grip on Vash, his knives moments away from shattering his prosthetic. “Nai, don’t you dare hurt him—”

“I will not.” Nai chuckles. “You must’ve realized it too, don’t you, little brother? That child carries the blood of our kin in his veins.”

“Why do you keep doing this, Nai?” Vash’s eyes are glassy, his voice cracking. “Their lives are not something you can toy with!”

“And yet, they toy with the lives of our kin without any remorse. I’m just paying back for what they’ve done to us.” Nai huffs. 

He lifts Vash up like he weighs nothing and tosses him to the side, hard enough to render him incapacitated. Wolfwood screams, scrambling to reach for Vash, but a chain of knives picks him up off the ground, keeping him from reaching his safety. Wolfwood cries, flailing his useless limbs around as Nai takes him along to the Plant’s bunker. 

“Let me go!” Wolfwood tries to wiggle, but the knives holding him hostage cut into his mercilessly. He roars, ignoring the blooming pain across his body. His petal-like wings get torn in the process, but he doesn’t care.

He needs to save Vash, he needs to—

Nai grabs him by the face and touches their heads together, sending a wave of energy that paralyzes his entire system. Wolfwood makes a sharp gasp and falls limp in Nai’s hold, eyes empty and expression slack, like a doll. Nai hijacked his Gate and turned him obedient and pliant.

“No, Nai…” Vash tried to stand, but Nai had knocked the air out of his lungs and rendered him useless. He can’t do anything as Nai takes the Plants away, and Wolfwood along with them. “You can’t…don’t take them…away…”

Vash crawls through the ground, aiming his gun towards Nai’s disappearing figure, but even with his aim perfectly calibrated to Nai’s head, he can’t take the shot to truly hurt him.

“I shall wait for your return.” Nai says to him with a menacing smile. “The gates of paradise will always welcome you.”

“Nai!”

“Farewell, Vash.”

Nai summons a torrent of knives above the town, forming them into a mockery of an eye. Vash gasps, scrambling to reach his twin and screaming at him to stop, to spare the lives of the townspeople. Nai merely smiles ever so sweetly, and swings his hand down—

Destroying the town in the blink of an eye.

000

Wolfwood wakes to the sight of a familiar white ceiling.

He rubs at his eyes weakly and rolls around in the soft mattress, enjoying the warm sunlight that comes from the tall windows. This feels nice. How long has it been since he felt this comfortable and cozy?

Wolfwood curls his petals closer to himself—a habit he tends to do whenever he’s about to sleep—when he notices the frayed edges of his faux wings. He makes a confused noise and opens his eyes, grimacing when he sees how bad his petals look. They look as if they’ve been torn asunder by—

Memories flashes in his head, and realization chokes him raw. He pushes himself off the bed with a stuttered gasp, stumbling on his own legs and falling uselessly to the floor. 

He needs to run before that monster—

The door to his side swings open, and the devil himself walks in with a pleasant smile on his face.

Fear clutches Wolfwood’s heart with its claws and doesn’t let go.

“Nicholas, good morning.” Nai closes the door behind him and strides closer, savoring the sight of a terrified Wolfwood. “How are you feeling?”

Wolfwood could not answer. He takes a hasty step back every time Nai walks closer, and another, and another, until his back hits the window. A small, pathetic sob comes from the bottom of his throat as Nai towers over him, and he curls into a ball once again, his frayed wings shielding him from Nai’s terror.

Nai reaches out to touch him, but Wolfwood slaps his hand away and snarls at his face. “Don’t touch me, you monster!”

Something in Nai’s expression shifts.

It’s subtle, but Wolfwood can feel something is wrong in the way Nai is looking at him. He makes a pathetic whimper and tries to run away, but Nai yanks him by the wings and throws him to the bed. Wolfwood hits the mattress with a soft “oomph!”, and Nai pins him down by the arms, his knives slithering out to form wings behind him.

“I’ve saved you from those disgusting vermin and this is how you repay me?” Nai seethes, his voice dropping an octave. “It seems you have yet to learn your lesson, Nicholas.”

“No, please…” Wolfwood tries to slip out of Nai’s punishing grip, but the man above him is too strong. He can’t win against him—not like this.

“Shush, it’s alright.” Nai leans down, touching their foreheads together. A shiver runs down Wolfwood’s spine at the touch, his breath picking up as painful memories resurface. “I will guide you to the right way, as many times as I need to.”

Wolfwood shakes his head, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. “No, no, nonononono—”

And his world tips on its axis when Nai wrenches his Gate open.

000

Nai doesn’t want to do this, really.

He expected Wolfwood to hug him back, maybe grumble  and complain about being left alone in a dirty, uncivilized world for too long, and then he’ll be back to Nai’s arms in the blink of an eye, back to being his ever-so-loyal subject.

He hadn’t expected the pure, unfiltered spite Wolfwood had thrown his way, hadn’t expected the fire and poison coating his words. He sees Vash in Wolfwood’s eyes, rebellion and resistance budding so beautifully in his heart, and he can’t have that, no.

Wolfwood is his tool of war, and no one is allowed to take him away.

Opening his Gate is far too easy to do—he’ll have to teach him a thing or two about controlling it. It’s a little smaller than his own, or Vash, which makes sense considering he’s not a hundred percent Plant. Wolfwood’s Gate is merely a small, barely noticeable space in his head—nothing but a dark, cold void littered with fireflies.

Nai lets one of them land on his fingers, and a piece of memory—Wolfwood’s memory—plays in his head. It’s the memory of Vash, of their meeting in the middle of the desert. There’s more memories of him, of the people they meet, of all the things he experienced with him.

All useless.

Nai summons his knives, tearing those poor fireflies into shreds. The fireflies break into dust before his eyes, their lights fading out and swallowed by the darkness around him. Wolfwood’s memory of the times he spent with Vash disappears just like that, and Nai feels his chest swell with satisfaction.

He starts to walk, exploring the abyss to see if he can find anything more, and sees a peculiar thing popping out of the ground.

It’s flowers—blue geraniums to be exact—blooming in a small patch. They’re glowing in soft blue, reminding him of the glow-in-the-dark mushrooms he used to read on the encyclopedia as a kid. Nai touches those flowers, and a surge of memory plays in his head.

These flowers contain memories of him—pleasant ones. From the moment Wolfwood opened his eyes to the moment he got himself lost in the world, Wolfwood viewed him as someone warm and kind, a guardian who will protect him from the horrors of the world.

But then Nai feels something bitter and dark tainting those memories. It’s fear, he comes to realize, the terror of not recognizing the person who had provided you so much care in the world. He finds it familiar to the feeling he got when he realized that Rem had betrayed him and Vash—the same bitter ache of knowing the truth behind their facade.

So all along, this person is not all that they seem…

Nai sees a few rotting geraniums growing by the center—these must be the bad memories plaguing Wolfwood. He forms a knife on his hand and snips them clean, one by one, until all that remains is the healthy geraniums.

Good, now Wolfwood should be back to normal. 

Nai closes his eyes and pulls himself back to reality, closing Wolfwood’s Gate on the way out—

And when he opens his eyes again, Wolfwood is staring back at him with a vacant gaze, confusion and fear painted so clearly there that Nai can’t help but feel pity for him.

“Ma…” Wolfwood reaches his hand out, clutching at Nai’s cloak like vice. “Mama…Mama…”

“I’m here, I’m here.” Nai holds Wolfwood close, rubbing soft circles into his back. Wolfwood is sobbing quietly, not quite understanding what had happened to him. 

“I’m scared…” Wolfwood sniffles, his petals covering him like a blanket. “I had a bad dream. There’s so much blood, and you were…you were…”

“It’s alright, you’re safe now.” Nai coos. He kisses the top of Wolfwood’s head, calming him down. “You’re home.”

“Home…” Wolfwood snuggles into Nai’s chest, his core resonating with Nai’s own. He’s scared beyond belief, poor thing. “Don’t leave me, Mama…”

“I won’t.” Nai mumbles, keeping Wolfwood safe in his arms. “You’ll always be safe with me, Nicholas.”

Wolfwood nods quietly and closes his eyes, his trembling gradually stopping as Nai continues to hug him. Eventually Wolfwood is back to sleeping again, no longer haunted by his fragmented memories. Nai pokes at his chubby cheeks and smiles to himself.

Soon, Wolfwood will become his greatest masterpiece, his perfect weapon to finally put an end to humanity.

But for now, while he has plenty of time to spare, he’ll spend the rest of the day watching him sleep ever so peacefully.

000

In the middle of a desert, a lone man walks through the mountain of sand, dragging his feet in exhaustion. He opens the top few buttons of his shirt to fight the heat, but it’s useless. Any sane man would’ve keel over and die at this point, but he’s no man. After all, he is—

A car rams into his face and sends him flying, knocking him unconscious.

By the time he’s well enough to see and talk again, he’s face-to-face with a blonde—pretty blue eyes and cute face. Ah, this must be—

“Vash the Stampede.” He grins, all snark and too-sharp fangs lining his jaws. “I’m Nicholas D. Wolfwood. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

Vash smiles back, a hint of pain and sadness in his gaze. “Nice to meet you again, Wolfwood.”