A little girl ran by the small house, chasing a black cat. She wore a delicate blue dress and white shoes, and her long blond hair was tied back in a pair of pigtails which bounced against her back as she ran. Giggling, she stopped and watched as the cat scrambled to escape beneath the porch of the house. A pair of yellow eyes blinked at her from the darkness.
"Here kitty," the girl said, crouching down and extending one hand.
"Mreow," came the indignant reply.
"You lost your friend, huh?" said the man who crouching down beside the girl. She started, and looked at him apprehensively.
"Wow mister, you sure are quiet! I didn't even hear you," she said. The man smiled, and she smiled back.
"So people tell me," he responded, and stood up, wiping the sand from the knees of his black pants. "What's your name?" he asked, affectionately placing his hand on the top of the girl's head and ruffling her hair a little.
"Jessica," she replied, and grabbed the man's hand. "You seem nice. Wanna come play with me and my friends? We've got dolls and tea and everything!"
"Oh, is that where you were off to? Well Jessica, I'm afraid that today I don't have any spare time to have tea with you... But the next time I'm in town I'll be sure to write you into my schedule, how does that sound?" Jessica grinned at him.
"Ok! What's your name, mister?" The man smiled, and looked off into the distance. Jessica waited patiently.
"I was wondering if you'd seen any strangers in town lately, Jessica," the man said, and she pouted, not having acquired his name.
"I guess," she responded. "You're a stranger! But you're a nice stranger, not like some of the men who come through. Lots of them carry guns and are mean to me and the other kids."
"I'm sorry to hear that," the man said sadly. "People should really learn to be nicer to children. But the man I'm looking for would have been very nice to you. He has blond hair, and green eyes, and is kind of silly sometimes. He likes eating donuts, and maybe he had a big red coat on. Have you seen anyone like that?" Jessica didn't even have to stop to think.
"I know someone like that, only he doesn't wear a red coat. He and two ladies live just outside of town, and they come shopping here all the time. One of the ladies works for the sheriff and the other one is a waitress, but I don't think I've ever seen Eriks working." The man's head snapped around, and Jessica wondered if she had said something wrong. His dark eyes were wide and he looked very surprised.
"Eriks? Did you say Eriks?"
"Well... Yes, that's what he told us his name was. He comes and plays with us sometimes." Jessica played with one of her pigtails. "He had tea with me once. I like him." She looked at him hopefully. "Maybe once you find him, you'll both come and have tea with me? I would like that."
"Maybe..." the man said, and pulled a cigarette out of his jacket. He lit it with a match and tossed the used stick to one side. "Can you show me where they live?" Jessica noticed that the hand he was holding the cigarette with was shaking.
"Well sure, but I can't leave town. My Mom would ground me if I did. I can point out the road they live down for you, though."
"That'll be fine, Jessica," the man said, but he sounded distracted. "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with your mother."
"Alright then, follow me..." she paused, hoping that the nice man would finally tell her his name.
"Oh," he said, and shook his head. "Sorry. My name is Nicholas. Nicholas D. Wolfwood."
* * *
"Could you leave us alone for awhile, Meryl?" Vash asked, never taking his eyes from his brother. Knives appeared relaxed, but Vash had learned from long experience that it was at times like this when he could be his most dangerous.
"Sure," Meryl replied uncertainly, eying Knives with suspicion and fear. "I... I'll just be outside. With Millie." The door closed softly behind her, and Vash relaxed a little. Now that she was out of danger, he could risk asking Knives some questions. Even if he didn't have a gun, Vash didn't trust his brother in the same room with Meryl, and especially not if he got annoyed with some of the questions Vash was about to ask him.
"Do you know where you are?" he asked Knives, who struggled to sit up. Vash leaned forward and put his hand behind his brother's back, helping him into a sitting position. He then sat down on the edge of the mattress and waited.
"No," Knives replied after a moment. "But you're here, so I guess it must be someplace safe."
"Do you remember what happened at... at the oasis?" Vash pressed on. He tried to read his brother's emotions, but those cold blue eyes gave him as much information as ice.
"I remember all of it. But I don't understand what you did, Vash." Knives turned his piercing eyes to his brother, and Vash looked down at his hands.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You should have killed me. You know it. I know it. And yet you didn't. Why?"
"You know the answer to that, Knives."
The injured man leaned back carefully against the wall and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. "Yes. I suppose I do, don't I. Rem." Vash nodded. "But after all that I've done to you, after all that I've made you do, I don't understand how you could have forgiven me enough to let me live. For all you know, as soon as I'm healed I'll try to kill you again. Or maybe that girl, the one who looks like Rem." Vash stiffened, and Knives opened one eye to look at him. "You see? That's what I mean. What could possibly be worth taking that chance, Vash?"
Vash paused. There was something different about Knives. He seemed more... stable, somehow. More capable of seeing things the way Vash had always wished he would. But only if he played his cards right. He only had one chance at this, he sensed that, and if he made a mistake now, his brother might be lost to him forever.
"You're right, Knives, it was a big chance. But I wanted my brother back." Knives sat up and met Vash's eyes. There was a sadness, a longing there, that Vash had seen before. One that he himself had felt for over a hundred years. "That's all I've ever wanted, Knives. You said once that we should act like brothers, that we should be side by side, and there's nothing that I would like more than that. But not as killers. Not as murderers of innocents. I've missed you, Knives, even more so as I've watched my friends age and die while I stay exactly the same. But if you continue with this quest of yours to annihilate humankind, I'll have to stop you again. And you'll force us to be enemies. I'm asking you to make a choice, Knives. Which is more important to you - the destruction of humans, or having your brother by your side? It's your decision, and you know what the outcomes will be. I can only hope that you'll make the right choice."
Knives stared at his brother, his face blank and emotionless. "You want me to choose between the world, and you," he finally said.
"Yes."
Knives sighed. "You always were impossible," he said, then rested one hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'll agree to your terms for now, Vash. As long as you admit one thing to me."
"What?"
"That you're in love with that girl outside the door," Knives said with a grin. Vash fell off the bed with a crash, and Meryl, her ear pressed to the door, blushed a crimson red.
"Here kitty," the girl said, crouching down and extending one hand.
"Mreow," came the indignant reply.
"You lost your friend, huh?" said the man who crouching down beside the girl. She started, and looked at him apprehensively.
"Wow mister, you sure are quiet! I didn't even hear you," she said. The man smiled, and she smiled back.
"So people tell me," he responded, and stood up, wiping the sand from the knees of his black pants. "What's your name?" he asked, affectionately placing his hand on the top of the girl's head and ruffling her hair a little.
"Jessica," she replied, and grabbed the man's hand. "You seem nice. Wanna come play with me and my friends? We've got dolls and tea and everything!"
"Oh, is that where you were off to? Well Jessica, I'm afraid that today I don't have any spare time to have tea with you... But the next time I'm in town I'll be sure to write you into my schedule, how does that sound?" Jessica grinned at him.
"Ok! What's your name, mister?" The man smiled, and looked off into the distance. Jessica waited patiently.
"I was wondering if you'd seen any strangers in town lately, Jessica," the man said, and she pouted, not having acquired his name.
"I guess," she responded. "You're a stranger! But you're a nice stranger, not like some of the men who come through. Lots of them carry guns and are mean to me and the other kids."
"I'm sorry to hear that," the man said sadly. "People should really learn to be nicer to children. But the man I'm looking for would have been very nice to you. He has blond hair, and green eyes, and is kind of silly sometimes. He likes eating donuts, and maybe he had a big red coat on. Have you seen anyone like that?" Jessica didn't even have to stop to think.
"I know someone like that, only he doesn't wear a red coat. He and two ladies live just outside of town, and they come shopping here all the time. One of the ladies works for the sheriff and the other one is a waitress, but I don't think I've ever seen Eriks working." The man's head snapped around, and Jessica wondered if she had said something wrong. His dark eyes were wide and he looked very surprised.
"Eriks? Did you say Eriks?"
"Well... Yes, that's what he told us his name was. He comes and plays with us sometimes." Jessica played with one of her pigtails. "He had tea with me once. I like him." She looked at him hopefully. "Maybe once you find him, you'll both come and have tea with me? I would like that."
"Maybe..." the man said, and pulled a cigarette out of his jacket. He lit it with a match and tossed the used stick to one side. "Can you show me where they live?" Jessica noticed that the hand he was holding the cigarette with was shaking.
"Well sure, but I can't leave town. My Mom would ground me if I did. I can point out the road they live down for you, though."
"That'll be fine, Jessica," the man said, but he sounded distracted. "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with your mother."
"Alright then, follow me..." she paused, hoping that the nice man would finally tell her his name.
"Oh," he said, and shook his head. "Sorry. My name is Nicholas. Nicholas D. Wolfwood."
* * *
"Could you leave us alone for awhile, Meryl?" Vash asked, never taking his eyes from his brother. Knives appeared relaxed, but Vash had learned from long experience that it was at times like this when he could be his most dangerous.
"Sure," Meryl replied uncertainly, eying Knives with suspicion and fear. "I... I'll just be outside. With Millie." The door closed softly behind her, and Vash relaxed a little. Now that she was out of danger, he could risk asking Knives some questions. Even if he didn't have a gun, Vash didn't trust his brother in the same room with Meryl, and especially not if he got annoyed with some of the questions Vash was about to ask him.
"Do you know where you are?" he asked Knives, who struggled to sit up. Vash leaned forward and put his hand behind his brother's back, helping him into a sitting position. He then sat down on the edge of the mattress and waited.
"No," Knives replied after a moment. "But you're here, so I guess it must be someplace safe."
"Do you remember what happened at... at the oasis?" Vash pressed on. He tried to read his brother's emotions, but those cold blue eyes gave him as much information as ice.
"I remember all of it. But I don't understand what you did, Vash." Knives turned his piercing eyes to his brother, and Vash looked down at his hands.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You should have killed me. You know it. I know it. And yet you didn't. Why?"
"You know the answer to that, Knives."
The injured man leaned back carefully against the wall and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. "Yes. I suppose I do, don't I. Rem." Vash nodded. "But after all that I've done to you, after all that I've made you do, I don't understand how you could have forgiven me enough to let me live. For all you know, as soon as I'm healed I'll try to kill you again. Or maybe that girl, the one who looks like Rem." Vash stiffened, and Knives opened one eye to look at him. "You see? That's what I mean. What could possibly be worth taking that chance, Vash?"
Vash paused. There was something different about Knives. He seemed more... stable, somehow. More capable of seeing things the way Vash had always wished he would. But only if he played his cards right. He only had one chance at this, he sensed that, and if he made a mistake now, his brother might be lost to him forever.
"You're right, Knives, it was a big chance. But I wanted my brother back." Knives sat up and met Vash's eyes. There was a sadness, a longing there, that Vash had seen before. One that he himself had felt for over a hundred years. "That's all I've ever wanted, Knives. You said once that we should act like brothers, that we should be side by side, and there's nothing that I would like more than that. But not as killers. Not as murderers of innocents. I've missed you, Knives, even more so as I've watched my friends age and die while I stay exactly the same. But if you continue with this quest of yours to annihilate humankind, I'll have to stop you again. And you'll force us to be enemies. I'm asking you to make a choice, Knives. Which is more important to you - the destruction of humans, or having your brother by your side? It's your decision, and you know what the outcomes will be. I can only hope that you'll make the right choice."
Knives stared at his brother, his face blank and emotionless. "You want me to choose between the world, and you," he finally said.
"Yes."
Knives sighed. "You always were impossible," he said, then rested one hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'll agree to your terms for now, Vash. As long as you admit one thing to me."
"What?"
"That you're in love with that girl outside the door," Knives said with a grin. Vash fell off the bed with a crash, and Meryl, her ear pressed to the door, blushed a crimson red.