| Chapter 5 |
"I won't forget everything you've taught me, Rem. And I will take care of Knives from now on. There is a way to change him . . . if only he had listened to you before you die. If only he believed in you. But you're gone now and there's no way to bring you back. So I want to say 'thank you' for every lesson you taught me. I won't kill, I won't take revenge, and I will always love you and Knives. . ."
* * *
Vash woke up. He panted loudly and put his hand on his head from the headache, "Rem?" He sat up and looked around the room. It was in the middle of the night. Knives was fast asleep on the floor. Everything was casual.
He peeked over to see how Knives was doing. He could see him breath and fidget a little. Vash smiled. In the morning, he's going to Marianne's hometown to meet her father. It must be a dangerous mission. So dangerous that she has to ask him to go with her.
"Probably, because she saw how good I was the last time we met. Then she fell for me." He fell back in bed. "We're going to have a swell time together. Just us two, alone. . ."
He slowly went back to a slumber. Ten seconds later, he awoke again. His eyes wide open. He turned over to look at his brother.
"Damn! I can't go leaving Knives here with Meryl and Millie! He'll kill them. I can't take that chance." He hopped out of bed and put his coat on. He ran over to the cupboard and opened the last drawer, "Now where's my lucky gun?" He dug through it until he saw his collage. It was messed up and was thrown everywhere.
Vash picked up a piece. It was the last piece he had written on. He stopped and stared at the paper for a long while. Then took his hand touch the last sentence. It was written in red. Could it be blood? "Who wrote this?"
The last sentence was not his own writing. It does seem like blood. The bloodstains dried up. It was hard to read, but Vash could make it out. He wanted to cry, but held his breath.
A tear escaped and fell down on the note. A second followed and fell down leaving a small mark. The sentence looked as if it came to life. The last line said: "I'm sorry Rem died. I'm sorry I killed her. Please forgive me."
"Knives. . ." Vash whispered. He dropped the note and collapse to the floor. He began to cry.
* * *
In the morning, Meryl walked up to Vash's door. She knocked gently on it, "Vash? Knives? Are you two awake?" Vash opened the door momentarily. He didn't say anything to her but walked passed. Meryl watched him leave. She sighed. "He just doesn't understand."
Without daring to peek inside Vash's room, she followed him to the kitchen.
Vash sat on the table, his head resting on his hands. Millie stared at him while setting his breakfast down, "Vash? Are you okay? Your eyes are red." Vash didn't answered. He didn't even look at his breakfast.
Meryl walked in and set a comforting hand on his shoulders, "Hey, what's wrong? You and Knives had a fight or something?" Vash shook his head slowly. Meryl grinned, "Don't be like that Vash. Remember, you're meeting with Marianne later."
He took a deep breath and still didn't eat his food. Moments later, Knives came in. He also didn't say anything, but took a look at his brother.
"What did you do to him?" Meryl asked. Knives frowned at her, "I didn't do anything." Meryl frowned back. He was becoming her enemy too. "You leave Vash alone!"
"What did I do to him?" Knives shouted back. "I don't know," Meryl said sarcastically. "You tell me!"
Millie watched both of them shout back and forth at eachother. She began to laugh. "Look at them, Vash. They look like brothers and sisters!" Vash turned and watched too. He began to smile.
Knives and Meryl looked at him. The room was silent. Vash sat up and walked to the door. "Well, I better be off," he said, waving at them. "I got a date with a chick." With that he closed the door behind him.
Everyone stood still. Knives got angry with his brother for leaving him there. "What am I suppose to do with these humans?" he muttered under his breath. Meryl turned to him, "What did you say?"
"Here we go again," Millie sighed.
Vash opened the door. "Oh, and I forgot! You're coming with me, Knives." He grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him outside.
* * *
When they were outside, Knives pulled his arm back. "What do you think you're doing?!" Vash looked at his brother calmly, "You're hiding it."
"Hiding what?" Knives asked. Vash stared at the cloudy sky, ". . .Nothing." He smiled at his brother. He wanted Knives to admit it by himself, when he's ready. Knives tilted his head, "What are you talking about?"
He narrowed his eyes at his brother. Vash continued to smile, "You can shoot me now if you like. Go ahead." He stood still. Knives didn't do anything, "What are you plotting?"
"Kill me now or never!"
Knives kept still, "Is this what you were talking about? Is this why you wanted me out here?" Vash shook his head, "Nope. I just can't leave you alone with my friends. I can't risk anything happening to them."
Knives observed his brother carefully; "I can kill you anytime I want. I don't need a special time." He reached into his holder and took out the gun. Then aimed it at Vash. Vash waved at him, "Anytime now, slowpoke!"
"You better not waste any bullets on him," a voice said. Vash turned around to find Marianne standing calmly behind him. "He's Vash the Stampede. A man who can dodge every bullet." She winked at Knives.
Knives dropped it while staring at her. Then quickly picked it up again. She walked beside Vash, a serious look on her face, "You're ready?" Vash nodded, "Yeah, but can I bring him along? He gets out of control when he's not supervised by me."
"What? I can control myself," Knives retorted. "Okay, okay," Vash said.
He puts his hand in his pocket as they walked. Knives observed Marianne as she kept her attention on the road. "Doesn't she recognized me?" he thought.
Vash played around with the note in his pocket. He was glad Knives understood how he felt. He was glad Knives was sorry.
* * *
"Rem, Knives may not show he cares, but he really do. As I read those words he had written, nothing in my whole life ever made me that happy. Is it true that he's changing? Is it true that he understood you? I still don't know what caused him to understand all of this, but one thing's for sure, I will find out. Knives will be my brother I've always wanted. . ."
"I won't forget everything you've taught me, Rem. And I will take care of Knives from now on. There is a way to change him . . . if only he had listened to you before you die. If only he believed in you. But you're gone now and there's no way to bring you back. So I want to say 'thank you' for every lesson you taught me. I won't kill, I won't take revenge, and I will always love you and Knives. . ."
* * *
Vash woke up. He panted loudly and put his hand on his head from the headache, "Rem?" He sat up and looked around the room. It was in the middle of the night. Knives was fast asleep on the floor. Everything was casual.
He peeked over to see how Knives was doing. He could see him breath and fidget a little. Vash smiled. In the morning, he's going to Marianne's hometown to meet her father. It must be a dangerous mission. So dangerous that she has to ask him to go with her.
"Probably, because she saw how good I was the last time we met. Then she fell for me." He fell back in bed. "We're going to have a swell time together. Just us two, alone. . ."
He slowly went back to a slumber. Ten seconds later, he awoke again. His eyes wide open. He turned over to look at his brother.
"Damn! I can't go leaving Knives here with Meryl and Millie! He'll kill them. I can't take that chance." He hopped out of bed and put his coat on. He ran over to the cupboard and opened the last drawer, "Now where's my lucky gun?" He dug through it until he saw his collage. It was messed up and was thrown everywhere.
Vash picked up a piece. It was the last piece he had written on. He stopped and stared at the paper for a long while. Then took his hand touch the last sentence. It was written in red. Could it be blood? "Who wrote this?"
The last sentence was not his own writing. It does seem like blood. The bloodstains dried up. It was hard to read, but Vash could make it out. He wanted to cry, but held his breath.
A tear escaped and fell down on the note. A second followed and fell down leaving a small mark. The sentence looked as if it came to life. The last line said: "I'm sorry Rem died. I'm sorry I killed her. Please forgive me."
"Knives. . ." Vash whispered. He dropped the note and collapse to the floor. He began to cry.
* * *
In the morning, Meryl walked up to Vash's door. She knocked gently on it, "Vash? Knives? Are you two awake?" Vash opened the door momentarily. He didn't say anything to her but walked passed. Meryl watched him leave. She sighed. "He just doesn't understand."
Without daring to peek inside Vash's room, she followed him to the kitchen.
Vash sat on the table, his head resting on his hands. Millie stared at him while setting his breakfast down, "Vash? Are you okay? Your eyes are red." Vash didn't answered. He didn't even look at his breakfast.
Meryl walked in and set a comforting hand on his shoulders, "Hey, what's wrong? You and Knives had a fight or something?" Vash shook his head slowly. Meryl grinned, "Don't be like that Vash. Remember, you're meeting with Marianne later."
He took a deep breath and still didn't eat his food. Moments later, Knives came in. He also didn't say anything, but took a look at his brother.
"What did you do to him?" Meryl asked. Knives frowned at her, "I didn't do anything." Meryl frowned back. He was becoming her enemy too. "You leave Vash alone!"
"What did I do to him?" Knives shouted back. "I don't know," Meryl said sarcastically. "You tell me!"
Millie watched both of them shout back and forth at eachother. She began to laugh. "Look at them, Vash. They look like brothers and sisters!" Vash turned and watched too. He began to smile.
Knives and Meryl looked at him. The room was silent. Vash sat up and walked to the door. "Well, I better be off," he said, waving at them. "I got a date with a chick." With that he closed the door behind him.
Everyone stood still. Knives got angry with his brother for leaving him there. "What am I suppose to do with these humans?" he muttered under his breath. Meryl turned to him, "What did you say?"
"Here we go again," Millie sighed.
Vash opened the door. "Oh, and I forgot! You're coming with me, Knives." He grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him outside.
* * *
When they were outside, Knives pulled his arm back. "What do you think you're doing?!" Vash looked at his brother calmly, "You're hiding it."
"Hiding what?" Knives asked. Vash stared at the cloudy sky, ". . .Nothing." He smiled at his brother. He wanted Knives to admit it by himself, when he's ready. Knives tilted his head, "What are you talking about?"
He narrowed his eyes at his brother. Vash continued to smile, "You can shoot me now if you like. Go ahead." He stood still. Knives didn't do anything, "What are you plotting?"
"Kill me now or never!"
Knives kept still, "Is this what you were talking about? Is this why you wanted me out here?" Vash shook his head, "Nope. I just can't leave you alone with my friends. I can't risk anything happening to them."
Knives observed his brother carefully; "I can kill you anytime I want. I don't need a special time." He reached into his holder and took out the gun. Then aimed it at Vash. Vash waved at him, "Anytime now, slowpoke!"
"You better not waste any bullets on him," a voice said. Vash turned around to find Marianne standing calmly behind him. "He's Vash the Stampede. A man who can dodge every bullet." She winked at Knives.
Knives dropped it while staring at her. Then quickly picked it up again. She walked beside Vash, a serious look on her face, "You're ready?" Vash nodded, "Yeah, but can I bring him along? He gets out of control when he's not supervised by me."
"What? I can control myself," Knives retorted. "Okay, okay," Vash said.
He puts his hand in his pocket as they walked. Knives observed Marianne as she kept her attention on the road. "Doesn't she recognized me?" he thought.
Vash played around with the note in his pocket. He was glad Knives understood how he felt. He was glad Knives was sorry.
* * *
"Rem, Knives may not show he cares, but he really do. As I read those words he had written, nothing in my whole life ever made me that happy. Is it true that he's changing? Is it true that he understood you? I still don't know what caused him to understand all of this, but one thing's for sure, I will find out. Knives will be my brother I've always wanted. . ."