All right, now the plot is going to start getting away from me. Follow close and give advise.

**

That morning found Vash outside his house, painting the shutters he had just finished fixing. He had just put the brush down when a sudden breeze came up. He wobbled, frantically waving his arms in an attempt not to fall. A futile attempt. The four boys walked up only to find him face down in a small puddle of mud.

"Figures," Wolfwood snorted, "we spend half the morning looking for this idiot and we find him at his best."

Vash rolled over, coming to a sitting position. His eyes played over the three boys he could see from his position. "Oh, hey! You're that kid from yesterday, right?"

Zazie nodded uncertainly before turning to Legato. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" The blue haired boy nodded, stepping from behind the others to help Vash to his feet.

The blonde stared at the boy offering his hand. The resemblance really was uncanny. Legato bowed his head slightly. "We need to speak with you, Vash the Stampede."

"Vash-san? Are you all right?"

All eyes turned to the voice in the doorway. Wolfwood stumbled forward without even thinking about it. "Millie," he whispered. He forgot about all the eyes trained on him and broke into a run. He wrapped Millie in a tight hug and showed no signs of ever letting go. "Big Girl,  I missed you."

Vash heard the whisper and turned his eyes back to the boy in front of him. "Legato?"

The blue-haired boy turned back to him, Vash's voice bringing his attention away from the couple on the porch. Suddenly he didn't think this was as good an idea as he thought this morning. Zazie walked up to Vash, a solemn expression on his face. "In the imortal words of Erique, you aren't going to believe what we have to tell you."

**

The amazing tale was told in the living room of Vash's home with Millie and Meryl listening carefully. Above them, Knives leaned against the railing of the stairs, unnoticed by those below him. When Zazie had finished relating what had happened to them, it was Vash's turn to fill them in on what they'd missed, including his fights with each of them and his fight with Knives.

When everything had been told, everyone sat quietly, absorbing everything they'd just heard. Finally, Vash was the first to find his voice. "So, you guys are here, what are you doing?"

"Chapel's got a job at some resturaunt and I'm helping out at a bar until I can get my sax. Then I'll start bringing in the real bucks, and the chicks, too."

Wolfwood growled slightly from his seat beside Millie. "Nick! Not Chapel, Nick!" Millie kissed the angry preist and Midvalley could be heard growling himself. Wolfwood smirked. "Jealous?"

"Shut up!"

"I have a great idea!" Millie suddenly chimed. "You guys should all stay for lunch! We can cook something really good for everyone. Make this a real celebration!"

Everyone agreed and quickly went about preparing for the meal. Wolfwood joined Millie and Vash in the kitchen while the others upturned boxes and moved tables to make enough seats.

Through the chaos, Legato went to the stairs. He climbed slowly with a certain dread in his stomach. He had to see Knives. He was surprised to find his former master waiting for him in the hallway. "Wel, well. Look what the wind blew in."

Legato tensed, stepping instictively back towards the stairs. Knives smiled sadistically and took three steps forward, bringing him within arms length. "Having fun with your new spider friends?" Legato still didn't speak. He took another step back, putting his heals right on the edge of the top stair. "Or have you come back to beg forgiveness?"

Finally Legato found his voice. "I have done nothing to ask forgiveness for. At least nothing you can forgive."

"Really? Well, what have you done that I couldn't forgive?"

Legato looked away in shame. "I've caused so much death. All because of you." There was true hatred in his voice as he spoke. "You got what you deserved, and you can never hurt anyone again."

Knives laughed softly and stepped forward again. "You mean to tell me that you think you don't have to answer to me any more?"

Legato looked up again, rage flowing through his eyes. "That's right. You no longer control me, you monster."

Knives sobered instantly, moving until their bodies nearly touched. "Remember this, spider, I will always control you. You. Are. Mine."

Legato gulped, all courage faded like a dream. He took another step back, away from the monster before him. He tumbled half a dozen steps before catching himself and hurrying the rest of the way down and out the door for some much needed air.

A short time later, Vash stepped out onto the porch. "There you are, Legato. Lunch is ready. Come on in and dish up."

Legato smiled and went inside and to the kitchen. He was the last to get his food, but there was more than enough. His plate loaded almost to overflowing, he stepped into the main room where the table had been set up. He paused, looking at the others already seated. Wolfwood was, of course, next to Millie, and Vash was on one side of Knives. The only open seat was on the other side of Knives.

Seeing his distress, Wolfwood quickly stood. "Here, you can sit here, Legato."

"Oh, how brave of you to leave your woman to sit beside the monster," Knives drolled, a rather amused tone to his voice. There was a soft thunk and Knives let out a strangled cry, glaring at Vash. The legendary outlaw had, aparently, kicked the other man's shin.

Lunch went on in a friendly fashion, everyone chatting happily. The conversation stayed carefully focused on the present, not daring to dip into the past. Legato stayed fairly quiet throughout the celebration, keeping his eyes on his meal the whole time.

/Scared?/ Legato raised his eyes slightly to see Knives smirking at him. Suddenly, the plant flashed an image in Legato's mind of a dead family. Legato choked on his food, caughing frantically. He reached over, grabbing his water and downing most of the glass.

"Woah, you okay man?" Midvalley reached over, patting the blue haired boy on the back. Legato didn't respond, staring at Knives instead.

The blonde smirked, clearly having fun. /You used to be so proud of it./  He flashed a few more images into Legato's mind, smile growing with each one.

Legato stood abruptly, dropping his glass and drowning the rest of his lunch. He hurried away from the table, outside onto the porch. Holding his head with one hand, he sat there in the sun, fighting back a lifetime of bad memories.

"Legato?" Vash poked his head out from around the doorway, a worried look on his face. "Are you all right? What happened in there?"

Legato curled in on himself, burying his head in his knees. "You wouldn't understand."

"Did my brother do something? Legato, talk to me." Legato shook his head, answering that he didn't want to talk about it. Vash walked over to the boy and sat beside him. He wrapped Legato in a hug from behind, stroking his hair gently. "Whatever it is, it will be all right. I swear it."

"Shut up, you don't know that. You don't know anything about it!"

"I would if you'd tell me."

There was a long pause, filled only by Legato's ragged breathing. Finally he took in a deep shuderring breath. "I don't want this gift, Vash. I don't want to understand."

"What gift?"

"Angel. When I awoke, she," he paused, trying to think how to say it. "She . . . cleared my mind of Master's influence. But I don't want it, I don't want to know all the horrors that I'm responsible for." He hugged his knees more tightly, rocking slightly.

Vash hugged the boy again. "It's all right. It's going to be all right. I'm here for you."

**

Legato lay in bed, staring at the cold ceiling of the pitifully small house. He was thinking about his life, everything he'd done for Knives and everything he'd seen Knives do. He couldn't stop thinking about all the lives they'd ended or destroyed. Finally, he sat up, casting a glance at Midvalley in the bed next to his. The moonlight glinted across the gun lying on the bedside table.

Legato sneered, thinking of Wolfwood handing out those guns. When he'd asked where his was, Wolfwood had frowned. "You don't get one until I'm sure you won't use it on yourself." But it wasn't himself that Legato was thinking of.

Midvalley's gun firmly in his hand, Legato hurried from the house. The cold desert night lashed at his skin, tossing his hair and shirt about wildly. Legato didn't notice the cold. He reached the house he'd spent the day at and climbed onto the porch. He entered, careful not to wake Vash who was on the couch, bed given up to the reunited lovebirds that decided to stay the night together.

Legato climbed the stairs, sure to avoid the two that had squeaked that afternoon. He hesitated in the hall, but moved to the first door and inched it open. Luck was with him as the room was revealed to be the one where Knives slept. Legato checked the gun, making sure it was loaded, and crept over to the bed.

He held the gun up, aiming at the blonde in a shaking hand. He reached over, steadying one hand with the other and moved closer. He paused, thinking clearly enough to double back and shut the door, locking it securely. then returned to the bed and lay the gun lightly against Knives' temple.

The blonde's eyes flew open at the pressure. Legato jumped, but pressed the barrel more securely in place. "Don't move!" He whispered sternly. "Not a sound, no mind tricks."

Knives held his tongue, regaining control of his rapid breathing. Silently, he reached out his mind. /Vash! Get your ass up here!/ Legato licked his dry lips, finger tightening on the trigger. Knives focused on him. "You don't want to do this."

"How the hell would you know what I want? You never cared about that! Just used me like a tool."

"That isn't rue, Legato. You were far more than some tool to me."

"You're right, I was your slave." He shoved the gun into the side of Knives' head, forcing the blonde to press into the pillow.

There was a thunk on the door and Legato started, turning his attention there. Seeing his chance, Knives reached out, grabbing the gun and pointing it, and Legato's now trapped arm, skyward. A shot rang out, crashing through the ceiling and Vash's voice echoed through the door. "Knives! Are you all right? Knives!" He could be heard trying to get the door open.

Knives wrestled with Legato, twisting his arm around until he dropped the gun. Legato struggled, pulling vainly to get away. Knives twisted his arm further and Legato cried out softly, sinking to the floor in pain. Vash screamed again through the doorway.

Knives sneered down at the boy he still held captive. "So you were going to shoot me?"

"You deserve it. More than any of the people you slaughtered!" Knives twisted his arm further and Legato whimpered and struggled a little more.

There was a gunshot and Vash slammed the door open. He took in the scene and ran to the bed. "Knives! Let go of him!"

"He was going to shoot me, idiot!" Vash grabbed his brother's arms, forcing him to let go of Legato who sank completely to the floor.

"That's no reason to break his arm!"

Legato blinked at the gun that lay just inches away from him. He lifted it clumsily in his left hand and stood, pointing the piece of metal once again at his target. Knives saw him and froze. His arms still trapped by Vash, Knives looked like he didn't know what to do for the first time in a long time. He looked at Legato, silent.

Vash stared at the boy in front of them. "Please," he whispered.

Legato seemed frozen in time. His hand began shaking slightly, then harder. He dropped the gun and sank to the floor again in tears. Vash was suddenly beside him. He helped the shorter boy up and hurried from the room. Wolfwood, Meryl and Millie stood in the hallway, concerned faces each asking the same question. Vash pasted on a smile. "It's okay, just a misunderstanding. I'm going to walk Legato back to his house, all right?"

He handed the gun to Wolfwood who nodded and took it. "I guess I'll go with you then." He turned to Millie and kissed her breifly. "I'll see you later, Big Girl."

The three walked through the night air in silence. About halfway to the house, Zazie and Midvalley came running around a corner. "Vash! You have to help. Legato's gone and Midvalley can't find his gun!" Zazie paused as he recognized Legato. "Uh . . ."

Wolfwood held the sax player's gun out to them. "It's all right. Nothing happened, we're just headed back home."

"Don't leave just yet." A sunny voice sounded across the street and the five men turned to see Angel standing there, a bright smile on her face.

Vash froze, eyes huge. "Rem?" he whispered, barely audible.

The angel floated forward, arms open. "Yes, Vash-chan. I've missed you." The two embraced tightly.

Wolfwood stared for a moment before supressing a giggle. "Vash-chan?"

The blonde gunman focused on his friend. "This is Rem. I, you? You did this, didn't you?" Rem smiled and nodded only to get another hug.

"Vash-chan. I'm so happy to get to see you, but I'm here on business." Reluctantly, Vash let go and Rem turned to the others. "I'm sorry to bring bad news to you all, but I'm afraid your new lease on life has a couple of rules."

She held up four strips of cloth, two black, two white. "A condition of you keeping these bodies is that you must earn them. Simply put, you must do good. Help someone, help the world, be a friend. Three deeds each in the time of a month."

Midvalley frowned. "Just three good deeds and we're good to go? Easy!"

"Not as easy as it sounds. You must do good for its own sake, not your own."

Zazie stared at her and scratched his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means that if you do something just to have one less deed to do, it will not work. You will each be given one of these." She held up the cloth strips again. "When you do something worthy of life, they will change color. They start out black. Then white, red, and finally blue. If, in one month when I see you all again, they are not blue," she paused, looking sad for a moment, "I'm afraid I'll have to take you back with me."

No one moved for a moment, taking in what they'd just heard. Slowly, each boy nodded. Rem stepped forward, fastening the two black cloths onto Zazie and Midvalley's wrists. The strips closed seemlessly, tightening so they could not fall off. The white cloths were given to Legato and Wolfwood.

"Hey, hang on a second," Midvalley interrupted. "Those two have already gotten one done? What the heck did Chapel do?"

Wolfwood opened his mouth to reply, must likely unkindly, but Rem thankfully replied first. "I'm afraid his good is my little secret."

Legato was staring at his wrist sadly. "Did you give me someone else's? What could I possibly have done to make it change white?"

Rem smiled, bending down and wrapping Legato in a hug. "You did good tonight, Legato-chan." She pulled back to look into his eyes. "No one has the right to take the life of another, no matter how justified it may seem."

"But, everything I did before . . . One man's life can't possibly erase all that."

Vash laid a hand on Legato's shoulder. "The past doesn't matter as long as you don't dwell on it."

Rem nodded. "That's right, Legato-chan. Your ticket to the futre is always blank." She reached around him to brush Vash's ungelled hair back gently. "You will help them, won't you?" Vash nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek. Rem bent forward and kissed it away. "I'm so proud of you." And then she was gone.

The five stood in silence for a while. Finally, they drifted down the street. Vash smiled at the others and waved. "I suppose I need to get back. I'll see you later."

Zazie nodded. "Vash? Can I ask a favor? Later, sometime, would you tell us about Rem? What she's like?"

Vash smiled, another tear slipping from his eye. "In life she was exactly the same. She's always been an angel." He smiled and turned to go home.

**

Longer chappie this time. It's all good, right? All right. This is where I need your help. The good deeds, of course ^_^ (by the way, sorry for the clichee, but it was the best plot device I could come up with) So, some of their deeds are already set, but I'm having trouble thinking of the less significant ones. So, if you write in and tell me what you want to see, I'll write it up and credit you for the idea ^_^ Thank you!