Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Echo ❯ Chapter I ( Chapter 1 )

A/N I no own Trigun. ^_^

Echo

Prolog

A heartbeat. That's all he could hear in this head of his. No thoughts. No pain at the moment. Just the heart in his chest that kept his blood flowing. It was the only thing he could find similar to them, to these creatures. Although, he would rather be dead than be compared to them. There was nothing he wanted from them, nothing he desired because everything about them made him sick in one way or the other. They were so selfish, egotistical, all to a point where he was ashamed to be apart of their race.

If only he had died long ago, if he had not slowed the bullet from drilling through his head, then maybe he wouldn't still be stuck in this purgatory...

But if it was one thing he envied of these people it was something he had been missing for quite some time. It was something that was taken from him, something that had suspended him in a state like a marionette's for years. All days before this time had been in a blur, all thoughts existing only as a never-ending nightmare he could not wake from. Though now that his mind was free from the chains of a man he thought he owed his life to, he could see as clear as the night sky. In this sight of his he knew what his purpose was, why he was alive at that very moment. It was to get back his memories.

Ah yes, the very same memories that only linger in a blur to him now, slowly seeping back in painful realization of his former ways. He knew that this was only a sampling of what he could receive, and unless he got them back in full this was all he was ever going to remember. The anguishing, incomplete memories before his pursuit of Vash the Stampede would repeat themselves in his dreams, haunting him until the end of days.

And that was why he was here now, sitting there, staring on at someone he had been following for days. The bus he was on traveled along, its cooling system broken and the smell of sweat reeking the already stale air. Even in the heat and eye watering smell, however, his eyes had remained fixed, following every move a woman made. She sat three rows up and on the opposite side, her long brown hair in a low ponytail and swaying from the window to the aisle side every five minutes or so. Wringing her hands on her faded blue dress, she would swallow as she blinked in nervousness. The woman would pull out a picture every so often; a clipping from a 'Wanted' poster with the name of whom she was looking for. She wasn't after the money, though, as most with that picture would be. Instead, she was looking for answers, just as he was. But unlike him, she wanted to know about a family member that had been lost many years ago. Yes, he knew she would find her answers--but not before he retrieved his.

The bag she was carrying to her side had an encasement in it; a cylinder that held the last bit of her money. The cylinder was worthless, of course, but her last cents inside of it were worth so much more than most would think, so it was to no surprise if she ran after it. With a twitch of his hand the bag collapsed, the rusty cylinder falling out and rolling to the back of the bus. The woman gasped, jumping from her seat and running to get it. Before she could reach it, however, it smacked into his hand that was angled to the floor, picking it up and holding it to her. She stared in bewilderment for a second, no expression really riddled on her face. That was, until he smiled, taking her hand and placing it in her palm.

"Um...thank you, s-sir..." she stuttered, nodding her head shortly before turning back to her seat.

Little did she know, though, that when she got up someone who was standing had taken her place, her handbag lying on the floor with her things almost falling out. She sighed, walking over and picking it up while she stuffed the cylinder back into her bag, shaking her head as held onto the upper bar in the center of the bus.

Again did his eyes gaze on, accumulating the information he had acquired from touching her hand. Although he could read the minds of those he was around, he could only read the thoughts they were thinking at the time, not their inner subconscious as he had once been able. Another flaw to his arrogance in letting that bullet go through so far. Only when he touched them could he see into their minds, and the longer he lingered the more he could obtain. In this short time of holding her hand did he know her name, where she came from, her family linage...and this was only the tip of her memories. Though, he had come across her some time before, and he didn't even have to read her thoughts to know of her significance.

'So, you're saying that his man, this Vash, went to go speak to my father Revnunt Buskus just before the accident in July?'

The person she was looking for knew the man who took his memories, brothers to him even, and in it would be the key to getting them back. He wanted them back so badly he would do almost anything to get them, and in these thoughts he smirked.

Again did the woman shift in her paranoia that something was watching her, and indeed she was right. If only she had turned to see his amber eye staring at the back of her head, awaiting for the right time to carrying out his plan.

Chapter One

From the window on the far side of the room, streaks of light finally bended around the partly closed shutter, smearing across the blond headed man's face. He had been there for hours, taking in his fill of donuts of the morning breakfast rush and all those who had just come into town gawked in awe. The man ate as if he wasn't human--but the ironic thing was everyone in town knew he wasn't just human. He was the Legendary Humanoid Typhoon after all, and eating donuts like there was no tomorrow was his specialty. Of course, with every donut he inhaled he'd have to make up with washing five plates throughout the day. But every last millisecond of taste a donut lasted was good enough for him, even though his hands would be all pruned and red by the end of the day with no money to show for it.

He just smiled and carried on every day like he had no cares in the world. And even if an angry mob came storming in and messed up the place he would still be stuffing his face. And even if they shouted and screamed while they drew their guns from their sides he would keep a smile. And even if the leader came tromping up and aimed a nine millimeter to his head he would still keep on smiling...

Well, by then he would swivel on his stool and faced them with chubby cheeks.

"Oh, hiya fellas!" he would say gleefully, swallowing what he had remaining in his mouth with one large gulp.

"Don't cha hiya us ya big bafoon! You're the sixty billion double dollar man, ain't cha?" the leader would say, every so often pulling out one of those Wanted posters from his pocket.

"Yeah, I guess I am. You're not here for that silly reward are you?" he would grin, only to have the gun shoved onto his nose.

"Damn straight! Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way..." he would reply, a scowl on his face.

It would always end up the hard way, Vash always winning and the men always being sent to jail in LR or something for disturbing the peace. The residence got use to it after awhile, and really it wasn't too bad having Vash around when hostiles came into town not looking for him but only to stir up some trouble. This day was no different, and although he wore a smile on his face he couldn't help but notice a presence that hadn't been there before. It was dim, almost nonexistent, but it was there nevertheless.

As the rowdies came in and the locals made way for another bar fight, some people from the bus that had just entered town came in as well, which would have been a mistake on their part. Though, as Vash was approached by the leader of this small group, someone stared in awe at his being, swallowing hard as her hands began to shake anxiously with the poster at her fingertips. Her footsteps began to rewind slowly, feeling herself being drawn back to the door in her fear, but stopping as she felt a cold breath come across her neck. She stood stern, paralyzed in shock as the cool breath seeped into her skin and up her spinal cord, up into her mind where she heard a whisper.

'What are you waiting for? You came all this way, go and speak with him...' the whisper stated, her feet being pulled forward again. And then, almost as if she was being dragged against her will, her feet scuffed forward, knocking into people as she went until she finally slid in between Vash and the man drawing his gun.

Vash blinked in surprise, the woman shaking uncontrollably now as she looked up at him briefly then back to her picture. The man from the gang shouted furiously, the woman wincing with every raised syllable he made.

"Hey, whaddaya think yer doin' lady?! Don'cha know this is Vash the Stampede?! The Humanoid Typoon?! The sixty billion double dollar man?!" he yelled, the woman gazing down at her feet.

"A-are you...Vash...?" she asked, her quivering hands holding out the poster to him. Vash smirked, slowly slipping it away from her.

"Well gee, today must be my lucky day, huh? Two bounty hunters in a row-"

"I'm not here for the money, Mr. Vash..." she blurted out, clasping her hands together as she kept her head in a low bow.

Vash's expression turned puzzled, scratching the top of his head. "Then...why are you here?"

She did not reply.

"Look, lady, if yer not here to collect the reward then git out of our way!" he shouted, raising his gun to the back of her head. Yet, the woman remained, her lips trembling as if to say something important but unable to speak.

'I do not have time for this nuisance...'

"Look, I'll give ya to the count of three! One..." the man armed the gun, but barely uttered the second number before it dropped from out of his hand, firing off a shot that skimmed past the side of her face. The shocking thing was she didn't even flinch, but only stood there, shaking in fear, not even appearing to be fazed by it. The man grabbed his chest and wheezed for air, collapsing onto his knees and wallowing in pain. The other gang members carried him off quickly to get to a medic.

Vash gazed into the down turned face with wide eyes, silence drifting through the dusty barroom. The woman only stood there shivering, her hands clasped so tightly that little red drops began to appear on the wooden floor. She shook her head slowly, finally looking up at him for more than a second for the first time.

"You are...Vash the Stampede..?" she asked again, her dark green eyes beginning to fill with tears. As he nodded his head gradually, she suddenly fell to her knees, burying her face into her hands and hunching over as she began to sob. All he could do was stare on for the longest time, shocked and surprised on this woman's sudden appearance, and why she had almost gotten killed just to know if it was him or not. Snapping out of his trace like state, he kneeled over, putting a hand on her shoulder. He smiled like he always did, trying to get to her cheer up just a little.

"Let's just start with your name, okay?" he gestured, the woman controlling herself in a few moments to speak at least somewhat clearly through her tears.

"Katyenka...My name...is Katyenka Buskus...I'm...I'm here because I was told you knew my father...His name was Revnunt Buskus, and...he was last seen alive in the city of July...July 21st, stardate 01...04..." She looked up at him, blinking her watery eyes to find that the same amount of tears were rolling down his own face, his eyes narrow as if he were to fall down and start crying right along with her.

It was not tears of sorrow that filled him, however, but rather tears of hope and yet disbelief. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't comprehend it all. This...This was the daughter of Buskus...The man closest in relation to Rem, the last known bloodline to her...All these years he thought those closest to her had died off, that Knives had killed them. The words he spoke of, about 'killing off the last link between him and Rem' as he stood over the bloodied corpse of Buskus, he believed to be true for so long...And yet here she was, searching all this time to find him.

But what if she was a fraud, taking revenge on his already tender heart for things he was accused of but had not actually committed? Though, if she was a fraud why did her voice seem so sincere to him? Why did her soul seem to be ripping in two within her eyes as she continued? And how, if anything, could she have known all that she did if she had not been related to him in some way?

"What? Don't you know him? Please, you have to know something!" she began to yell in a desperate plea. "You're my last hope to finding the truth to what happened to him! Is it that you don't know who I'm talking about?! H-he was a larger man, graying on his head, he grew up in Cleveland, h-his blood type was B, he created a new plant theory! Please, Mr. Vash, you must know something! Anything!"

Vash quivered a smile of happiness, nodding his head as he spoke. "Yes...I know what happened to him..."

She bit her lip, running her hands though her hair and hunching over again, continuing to cry. This time, however, it wasn't out of dismay, but rather in relief. He patted her on the back, helping her to her feet and out of the bar, to somewhere where twenty people wouldn't be gawking in question, to where Meryl and Milly could help him out on this. The only place he could take her was back to their house, but the only problem was...

What would happen if Knives heard of it?

As they quietly made their way out, a man sitting in the shadows rose from his chair and leisurely walked out into the open barroom where people began to continue on normally. He sat down at a bar stool and raised his hand for the bartender, asking for a piece of cheesecake. The bartender did what he asked, but couldn't help but noticed the wide smirk on the man's face as he ate, chuckling every so often to himself, as if all of that had been amusing somehow...

***

A metal cup jittered on the wooden table in the quaint kitchen of Vash, Meryl, and Milly as the woman named Katyenka tried to set it down quietly but failed. Her eyes remained down at her hands, dry of tears but still narrow in slight depression. She told them a few things about her, like who she was, where she was from, why she had come, and soon enough she got her answers. Vash told her in limitation to what had become of her father, stretching the truth a little for it seemed quite enough of for her to hear of her father's death and very reason for it without hearing the whole gruesomeness of it. He dared not mention any names, and the girl's knew of it too, because if Knives was to happen to get up at that moment who knows what travesties could ensue.

"So, when I found him murdered in his office...the city went up in a great flash of light...And that was it," Vash concluded, looking up from his solemn gaze at the center of the table.

Katyenka gave a halfhearted smile, Meryl coming along with a batch of soup she had just whipped up for all of them. Milly sat across the table, her face in an innocent frown of sadness as she heard the story told. "I guess that explains why he had a bullet in the back of his head when they found him..." As Meryl placed a bowl of soup in front of her, she gasped, her eyes seeming to glaze in small sample of happiness. "Why...t-thank you! So very much!"

"There's no need to thank me, it's only soup! You act as if you hadn't seen a meal in weeks..." Meryl paused, the woman biting her lip as she pushed the bowl forward.

"I-I shouldn't take this...It's your earnings..." she began, Meryl realizing what she had done and shaking her hands.

"No, no! Please, take it! We made extra anyways!" she stated, relieved to find that the woman slowly brought it back to her and began to eat.

Her nimble fingers continued to shake in nervousness, slowly and quietly sipping on her soup as if something was going to jump out and get her if she was any noisier. A silence lingered for a moment as Meryl sat in the last chair at the table--that was, before Milly blew her noise into a tissue that probably people for three blocks could hear.

"Oh, it's all so sad! So you've been living on your own since your father died?" she asked.

"Yes...I think.." she paused for a moment, blinking as she looked up at them. "Well, I remember my life at a young age, where I lived with my grandmother when my father went to go work in July. After he died I stayed for a few years until she passed away, then..." She trailed off in thought, a set of feet scuffing in from the other room.

In moments, a man standing over six feet stood at the left side of the doorway, wearing a baggy white shirt with brown slacks that had uncountable wrinkles. He looked as if in a daze, oblivious to mostly everything around him as he ran his fingers through his shaggy blond hair, trying to get his eyes to stay open. The three of them just stared, the woman continuing to eat her soup as if not even knowing he was there. But the man standing there saw her, however, and kept his eyes narrow as he spoke in a low mumble.

"Who's she?" he asked, trudging his way over to the smell of soup still it it's pot over the iron stove.

"Oh, her?" Vash laughed timidly, waving his hand. "She's just a traveler! Yeah, she just came in and she has no place to stay so we decided to let her sleep here! That's all! Nothing important!"

"But, Mr. Vash, what about her search to find you? Don't you remember, you just told her about her father in July, after all!" Milly corrected, smiling childishly as both Meryl and Katyenka stared at him in wonder. Knives seemed to be unfazed, pouring the warm meal into a bowl he had gotten from the upper shelves. Vash mouthed for her to stop while she was ahead, but she couldn't quite take a hint. "Or am I wrong? You did say your name was Kat...Kat...Umm, what was it again?"

"Katyenka," she grinned. "But don't worry, most people have a hard time pronouncing it anywa-" she stopped, hearing a clatter and a splash coming from the stove.

They all turned to see that Knives stood frozen, the bowl now rolling on the floor with the soup splattered all over his bare feet. His eyes went wide, turning slowly with a now flushed face. Becoming distant for a moment, he seemed as if he had seen a ghost but clearly to even him she was alive. Knives shook his head slowly, turning and quickly making his way out while leaving wet footprints on the ground.

Knives had not been out of his room often, but every time he had he would at least get his fill of a meal before heading back into solitude. Yet to see him run out of the room so fast...it was strange to even Vash. Did he know of her? If he did, wouldn't he have tried to start something and not look like he was going to fall over and pass out? It was an unusual happening, but he was glad it turned out the way it did. This way he could break the news about Rem to her in a believable manner, in a way that she could understand the information about her ancestor simply. If Knives had blurted out that she was related to her, it was most likely Katyenka would become confused, not knowing what to believe from them.

In these thoughts the woman sighed, scooting her bowl forward. She remained still in thought until she reached into the bag she had at her side, pulling out a rusty cylinder and turning it until it popped open. What little change she had, about thirty cense, she held out in the palm of her hand, offering it to Vash.

"I-it's not much, but can I ask you if I can take a quick rest before I go? P-please?" she inquired, Vash soon clasping her fingers up around her last bit of money.

"Don't be silly!" he said, waving his had with the most awkward yet amusing face. "Of course you can stay here! You saved me from a whole heap of trouble back there in the bar, it's the least I can do!"

"And you can't imagine how much we have to pay in damages because of it!" Meryl said in a slight scold, glaring at Vash.

"Yes, you did save us one day of overpriced billing, after all!" Milly stated.

"Then...I c-can stay?" she smiled, all three of them nodding as if in unison. Milly stood up, saying that she'd show her to an empty room. As the woman followed, Vash stood, beginning to clean up.

Meryl continued to gaze in thought, and when the two were gone, she rose from her seat, confronting him.

"Okay, Vash, I want to know the truth from you," she proclaimed, sticking a finger in his face as he turned from putting the bowls in the sink. "Who is this woman anyways? And how come you knew about her father, huh?"

Vash sighed, leaning back against the countertop. "Do you remember...A while back when I left to find Knives?"

"Yes, but vaguely. That was over a year ago," she replied, lowering her finger.

"Remember how I told you about the man who was related to Rem? How Knives had killed him and said he killed off the rest of the links between me and her?" he questioned, a pause lingering before he continued. "Well, he didn't...She's that man's daughter, Revnunt Buskus's daughter..."

Meryl's eyes widened, realizing the situation at hand. "So you're saying...that she's Rem's last descendant?"

Vash nodded. "To what I believe yes. And I think Knives already knows..."

"Oh, Vash," she breathed, blinking slowly. At first she thought Vash had brought the girl home from out of sympathy, or that he had dropped to a new low in his standard of pretty women and decided to ask her to lunch. When she asked to stay and Vash did not refuse, Meryl, no matter how strange she found this woman to be, could only find pity for her. Along with her fragile frame, she was both coarsely tanned and sunburned, seeming like she could barely keep her eyes open she was in so much pain. Her eyes had been bloodshot and she looked like she was starving, as if she had not gotten any sleep, so how could she just turn down someone just one day's rest?

"I figured that I shouldn't have said anything about Rem, not until she got some rest at least. She looked as if she hasn't slept in weeks, and with the news of her father I knew it was better to tell her later."

"Yeah, you're right on that. She probably couldn't take in all that information at once, anyway," she said, nodding her head.

As the two continued to chat, just down the hall behind a closed door sat a man still in shock, staring up at the ceiling as he lay on his bed. It had been a year since he was brought back to the dirty human town, and since then had not been able to face his brother in any way. He had been fairly defeated in battle, so there was nothing to compete with anymore. Knives could only be ashamed and humiliated now that he had been beaten by him, that spider lover. For a time at least he could have some sort of assurance that he had made Vash suffer in the worst of ways, that he had killed off the last of Rem Saverem. It was now only a lovely faded dream, however, as he laid eyes on that woman who sat in the kitchen. Yes, he knew who she was, even though he was sure Vash was trying to keep it from him. Her life meant he had failed, and the short moments in life where those around Vash died was not a lasting intoxication of satisfaction as it used to be. It was such a kill joy, and those minimal events meant nothing compared to the biggest picture of all.

To what Vash thought, though, was incorrect. His spastic behavior was not for that reason at all, but for something else, something much worse. It wasn't something he should concern himself with, but it was something...that actually proved him wrong.

***

As the sun fell beyond the horizon and the lamps of the town were lit, Vash decided it was time to tell her the truth about her ancestry and why he went looking for her father. She still wasn't up yet, but it had been quite a few hours for her to recuperate and think. The reality was, Vash couldn't hold it in any more. He had to tell her about Rem, the facts that he had kept to himself for so long. It was time to tell the one person who deserved to hear what she had done for mankind.

Vash lit a lantern and carried on up the stairs, the floorboards quietly creaking beneath his feet. Through the open windows he could be heard on the outside, as well as the through the open window of Katyenka's place of staying. The only thing was, the window hadn't been open when she went to sleep...

In the dark, dusty room, lit only by the lights from outside, the new woman to the town slept soundly, tightly wrapped in a thick blanket. From the window, the light, pale curtains fluttered in the breeze, the wind suddenly dying down to reveal a figure standing there, staring with an ambitious amber eye and a large smirk worn on his face. With a flick of a finger the door's bolt locked, the man slowly making his way to the bedside. He stood there for a moment watching, savoring the few minutes of peace before he would take her from this room, this town, and to a place Vash the Stampede would have to travel to with his memories if he ever wanted to see her alive again. Reaching out, he almost put his hand on her forehead before he heard a knock at the door, her eyes slowly peeling open with every knock.

"Hey, Katyenka? You awake in there?" he heard Vash say, witnessing the woman open her eyes wide, beginning to stare up at him in shock

She opened her mouth as if to scream, but all the came was hushed, raspy noises from the bottom of her churning stomach. He just stood there with a wicked smile, feeling like he could laugh at how simple this was. Finally she managed a few words, not a shriek of fear as he thought she would do.

"Y-you're...t-that man...from t-the bus...Who...who a-are you?" she stammered, pulling the covers slightly over her face.

"Who I am is not relevant," he replied coolly, holding his hand over her head. From the outside, Vash could hear his voice, beginning to shout and kick at the door to get in. "But who you are is of the utmost importance." The man stretched his hand as a pulse came from it, her eyes seeming to dilate as she laid there paralyzed for a moment, falling unconscious the next.

In this the door came crashing down, Vash shouting out as he stepped through. At this time the man already had Katyenka in his arms, his back to the window with the light reflecting his shadow across the floor to Vash's feet. Vash stood there, almost terrified in doubt to how this man could be. This man was dead, he had been dead! And he should know, for he was the man who shot him...The man only grinned wider with this inkling of fear he saw in Vash.

"Hello, Vash the Stampede. Remember me? The one you thought you killed atop the cliff of LR Town...Or, at least, who you almost killed?"

Vash remained silent, his hands beginning to shake as he heard voices coming from down the hall. They were distant to him then, being blotted out by the sound of his racing heartbeat. His traumatized state was broken with the shrill gasps of both Meryl and Milly, staying behind in the doorway. How could they forget him, the man who had controlled the villagers to almost kill them, to send Vash in a position to pull that trigger as he did. But was this a ghost they were seeing, for surely he had died on that mountaintop. Was he standing before them with that vile gaze as he held Rem's last descendant in his arms? Whatever it was, nevertheless, they knew one thing was for sure...

This man was Legato Bluesummers, and he was well enough alive to be taken very seriously.

"I'm surprise you only stand there while I hold this woman in my arms. Don't you care what happens to her, the last link to your beloved Rem?" he questioned, Vash's eyes beginning to tear as he suddenly when into a furious rage, lunging for him.

"Give her back!" he shouted, reaching to throw a punch. In it Legato flicked his wrist, making Vash stop in midair and fly back as he skid across the wooden paneled floor.

"You have to try harder than that, but I can see that you are not the man you used to be since the time of fighting Millions Knives. I'll give you fifty days to regain your former strengths and come to get her. I expect you'll have what I desire."

"What?! What are you talking about?!" Vash shouted, standing up as he balled his fists.

Legato frowned, blinking slowly in sincerity. "My memories, Vash the Stampede. I desire the rest of my memories." He turned away, feeling their inquiring stares drill into the back of his skull. "Of course, you could always ask your brother. He knows of what I speak of perfectly. Come to the place where the previous relation died, and if you do not show then the last will be buried there as well."

He raced to the four by four window, Vash running after to stop him. As Legato put a foot on the windowsill, Vash saw a beam of light zoom past his eye, a bullet ricocheting off the side and Legato disappearing into the night. Vash came to a halt as he reached the end, gazing out into the street and finding no trace of either of them. He turned to face who had fired at them and risked hitting Katyenka, and it was to his surprise to find both Milly and Meryl backing away as they shivered in alarm. There stood Knives in the doorway, smoke coming from the barrel of the gun he called Ebony with a scowl on his face.

"Knives...Are you insane?! You could have hit her!" Vash raised his voice in anger, Knives lowering the gun to his side.

"It would have been better than to let him live," he replied, his eyes narrow in thought.

"What?! You mean...that was really Legato?!" Meryl shrilled.

"Of course it was. Who else could have eyes of soulless revenge like that?" he stated, looking to Vash finally.

"Then you do know what he's talking about, don't you?" Vash questioned.

"Yes, because I was the one who took them from him."

The girls gasped as Vash's eyes turned to slits, beginning to grit his teeth. "You knew, didn't you? You knew he was alive..."

Knives scratched the top of his head, shrugging with a grin. "Of course I did! But...I didn't think he'd go this far..." His expression became sober once more. "Vash, we have to find him. Whether he kills her or not, he'll never stop until he gets those thoughts of his back, and when he does...I fear that not even I will be able to stop him." The eyes of his brother turned to question, Knives continuing. "You look as if you don't understand. Why do you think I took him as one of my subordinates? His powers could have surpassed that of my own, but his inferior mind could not handle or comprehend such a task at the time when I found him. In a few years, though, all that would have been irrelevant as he realized his true potential on his own. So, I took what made him flawed and what would have made him powerful, the main part of his mind--his memories. He would forget he even had powers, and as I slowly gave back to him what was important he knew only two things. That he had a power second only to the superior race on this world, and that all humans, including himself, needed to be eradicated."

"You're...you're a monster!" Milly blurted out, forgetting who this man was for a moment.

"Don't hate me; I did you all justice by keeping those thoughts from him. Who knows what he could have done," he said.

"What was done in the past can't be taken back," Vash spoke up, stepping forward. "But it can be corrected. We're going to get that woman back..." He stopped in front of Knives, stand face to face with a stern appearance. "And you're going to help me."

Knives paused for a minute, then grinned, waving a hand as he turned and walked away. "Whatever. It's not like I want to stay in this forsaking town anyway."

The night went on, Vash making preparations to leave at sunrise as he tried to convince Meryl and Milly that they shouldn't follow him. He didn't know what danger would lay ahead, or rather what danger would be traveling right next to him, and didn't want anything to happen to them. All he could think of was that eye, that amber eye staring at him as he heard their screams, the time where they had followed and that they had almost died. He never wanted that kind of event to repeat itself and it was better to be safe than sorry. Vash made a fair case with this, and they trusted that he would come back safely.

And so as the morning came, Vash and Knives walking the dusty abandoned streets as Meryl and Milly waved goodbye. From on onlookers point of view, they would look like one in the same person, with the same brown ponchos they wore to keep from the wind and their blond hair and blue eyes, (one's hair style slightly differing from the others, however). Once again did the twins stand side by side for the first time in so many years, Ebony and Ivory carried closely by them...