Hey everyone! I'm being a very strange individual and writing a sequel to my story 'Manipulate.' before it's finished, heh heh... but that's okay cause I know how it's going to end! I just have to write the in between parts.. (shifty eyes) but if you read it how it is now, you should be able to figure out things pretty well in this story! Anyway's enjoy!

Trigun (c) Nightow

I loved warm fall days. With the leaves falling, there was a crisp smell to the air, but it was still warm enough to go without a jacket. This was by far my favorite season.

I sauntered down the walk that lead to my dorm room. The walk would be unbearable once winter came with the icy gusts, but right now I could enjoy the beautiful campus.

I had just come from a concert rehearsal in the music department. The juniors and seniors were practicing for their yearly autumn performance. This year it was Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Even though I was just a junior, I had been honored with the position of the violin soloist. I enjoyed it immensely and did rather well, but it was unnerving dealing with the grumbling of the seniors, as that honor had always fallen to one of them.

As I walked, my thoughts wandered from the performance. I idly fingered a charm on the bracelet Ed had given me. Even though it had been five years since I had come home, I still remembered everything vividly. More than once I had caught myself staring at my roommate's anime posters, wondering if Ed and Al were doing well.

My roommate, Erin, had replaced my sister Maggie as the person who tried to pester me into liking manga and anime. Maggie had long since given up, but Erin was still determined to open my eyes to their wonders. I often wondered what she would say if I told her the Edward Elric had given me the charm bracelet she adored so.

Every morning when I woke up, I would turn over and see three posters of Fullmetal Alchemist, Trigun, and Naruto. Erin also had a wide collection of keychains rattling off her backpack. She had given me one of a small creature she called a Monoka. I had to agree it was adorable and kept it happily, but politely refused to watch the corresponding anime. But whether or not I wanted it, my head was still filled with completely random facts about different animes. One could not completely block out Erin when she went on one of her happy babbles.

I paused briefly to watch some boys tossing around a football on the green. One of them saw me and waved. I chuckled as he almost got hit by the football and waved back. Suddenly raging pain shot through my head. I gasped and clamped a hand to either temple. This had not been the first time this had happened, indeed these headaches had been occurring with greater frequencey over the past few days, but it was much stronger and sharper than normal. I saw the football heading in my direction, but it disappeared as black quickly clouded my vision. I felt myself slump to the ground, faintly aware of my violin case poking into my ribs as I fell unconscious. My last thought before I completely blacked out was; "My.. this feel familiar..."

An acridly sweet smell seemed to be coating my nose. I kept my eyes closed as I slowly re-entered the world of the conscious. As feeling surged into my limbs I could feel that my violin case was still digging into my ribs. My messenger bag was pressed against my leg, but I could feel other things poking into me that could not me accounted for by my bags or by the sidewalk I was on.

Still keeping my eyes closed, I felt around with one hand, trying to figure out where I was. Under my fingertips, I could feel the rough edges of rubble. I frowned. I hadn't been laying on a damaged section of the sidewalk and I was most certainly not heavy enough to cause it by falling. Suddenly my fingertips brushed against something slightly warm and soft. As I moved my hand up this, my index finger hit against a slippery warmth. I opened my eyes, the world slowly coming into focus.

Staring me in the face was a man's corpse. He had a shocked look on his face and blood flowed sluggishly from his nose, mouth and ears, the edges drying slowly. I shrieked and shot backward in a sitting position. I hit what used to be a wall with a resounding thump. Something brushed against my cheek. I shrieked again, even louder when I turned my head and saw an arm hanging over the edge, swinging limply from my contact with it. Still screaming, I tottered to my feet and ran, stumbling over rubble, still holding my messenger bag and violin case in a tight grip, determined to get away from the corpses.

As I ran, I saw only what could be called a massacre. People of every age and gender lay about a now ruined city. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, making me nauseous. I looked up and saw on a hill not so far away the shadows of a small group of people. I changed my course and ran for them, perfectly aware that they may have caused what I was seeing. At this point I didn't care; I only wanted to see life.

Knives POV

I looked over the scene of mass destruction with dispassionate eyes. Sinners everyone of them, all guilty of killing my siblings with their insatiable greed.

My thoughts were abruptly disturbed by an ear piercing shriek coming from the midst of the rubble. It was followed a few moments later by a second, this one lasting longer than the first. My eyes flickered over to Midvalley.

"You missed one," I said shortly.

He looked back at me. I was satisfied to see fear in his eyes although he was suppressing it.

"I assure you Knives-sama, I disposed of all I saw."

My eyes flickered to my other side where Legato was, encased in his sarcophagus of sorts, still carted about by the giant whose gender I had yet to discover.

"As did I, Master."

I watched the destroyed city for a few moments, not answering.

"We shall go and find it, Master," said Legato, uneasy with my lack of response.

I was silent for awhile still, eyes roving over every ruined building. I sensed Midvalley shift uncomfortably to my right.

"No need," I finally said. "It comes to us." I gestured carelessly at the small figure struggling in our direction. Midvalley leaned forward as if to try to get a better look. Legato was silent.

As the figure came closer, I saw it was a female human, approximately 20 years old. A bag was slung over one shoulder and her right hand tightly grasped the handle of a case of sorts. Tendrils of dark hair escaped her bun and flew about her face. Her eye were dark as well and wide with fright. She stopped 15 or 20 feet infront of us, huffing slightly for breath.

I gazed at her coldly. I was slightly shocked and angry when she met my gaze, not breaking it even though she was still obviously frightened. I sniffed, lip curling in disgust.

"Kill it."