**A/N** ^_^ Well, the second chapter is after this little prelude- I don't know why you just don't skip down to it- or maybe you do skip over this and I've written it for absolutely no reason. XD

Jess Perry- My first comment!! ^_^ Glad you're enjoying it this early on- indeed, Miss Author Lady's mind is a-ticking XD

Irin- :P Don't you bug me too much, or I promise to go reeeeeeeeeaaaally slow on this one…*giggles* Naw- bug me a little- make sure I keep it up, huh?

Magnet-Rose- Glad to hear from you again. I'm still sad about Artemis as well- I got rather attached to her. Poor Knives-y…*glomps him* He'll survive ;)

Disclaimer: The Trigun title, characters, and original plotline do not belong to me and I've no affiliation with Pioneer or the creators and producers of the manga or anime series. (Though, wouldn't that be awesome?!).  This fan-fiction is for the reading pleasure of myself and my friends and fans, and I'm making no profit from it (which bites coz I really should be making money instead of wasting my times with fan-fictions, oro?).

Claimers: ^_^ As before, any references to the New Gung Ho Guns (Shaman, Gemini, Fire Ghost) and characters Artemis Fawn and Lily Rose are owned or co-owned by me and one other person ONLY. ^_^ Thank you, have a nice day!

Chapter Two

Little October

          The rickety, rumbling bus continued down the stretch of sand, filled with now an uneasy batch of passengers due to the recent outbursts by a choice few others.  Those few others remained fairly quiet after the event of the outbursts, but their minds continued to fill with doubtful thoughts.

          While Meryl still wondered why she and Millie persisted after Vash after all that had come to pass, Millie had in depth thoughts about Ceylon Tea. However, beneath the irrelevancy of tea-time dishes, the big girl couldn't help but think that Knives Million just might become as rude as he ever was unless someone helped him.

          She sighed softly, glancing out of Meryl's window at the cacti accumulated as the bus passed, and something about the lone green plants struck her as saddening. How strange was it that those prickly floras were among the only living things able to thrive on Gunsmoke? Millie wished with her heart and soul that one day the Eden that Vash and Knives spoke of would come to be. Though…it would likely not happen in her lifetime…

          A few rows up the aisle, Nicholas D. Wolfwood sat casually sprawled in his seat, blue eyes gazing blankly at the back of the passenger's head in front of him. Of course he wasn't really staring at whoever it was- he too felt lost in his own mind's wanderings.  It seemed Meryl, Millie, and Vash weren't the only ones worried about Knives' well being.

          The priest had actually gotten used to Vash's brother being around, and had thought to have befriended the plant.

          'I guess I was wrong.' Wolfwood silently spoke, breaking the gaze to turn it upon the still knocked out form of the blond man. 'Did what happen really have that big of an impact on him? Does he blame himself for the destruction of the life he began to work for back in Demetri? It is ironic…isn't it? How…sad…but we've all lost a friend at some point in our lives…'

          Shaking his head, Wolfwood leaned back to stare at the ceiling. They had all lost a friend- he had lost one that day too, but it didn't cause him to become snappy and evil toward everyone else. Death was a part of life and it would happen to everyone eventually.

          It would happen to everyone but Vash and Knives…

          …Vash sat oddly still in his seat, a pair of headphones over his ears, eyes shut. He appeared rather peaceful, as though sleeping deeply. He was not asleep, however, only collecting the stray thoughts darting through his head. Worry for his brother settled upon his heart- worry that Knives would never again grow friendly to humans, that his anger would once again evolve into hatred and the want to destroy what he believed was a lesser race.

          'Please don't let that happen, Knives…I promised Rem that I would take care of you, and that's what I've been trying to do. You're not making it easy for me, or for anyone. Why do you think I made you leave Demetri? We have to start over again.'

           Knives never complained once to Vash about leaving the small town. In fact…he hardly said a word about it at all. Although he had helped rebuild Demetri, Knives continued his downward spiral into hurt and anger, inhibition becoming prominent within a few months.  When he yelled at people, Vash was afraid, but the gunman was more afraid when Knives remained quiet. That gave him too much time to brood and stew in whatever devious or angry thoughts he had. 

          While he understood that his brother had regressed most likely because he had lost someone close to him, Vash didn't understand the full reasons behind Knives' sudden animosity toward those he had befriended.

          'Couldn't you at least try? Couldn't you be nice to Millie, Meryl, and Wolfwood? I thought they were your friends, Knives…why should what happened change that? What did they have to do with it?'

          Vash was taken aback when Knives' voice echoed quietly in his mind.

          'Dear brother, it is not what they had to do with it…it was what they didn't have to do with it. Nobody helped her…including me. Just…leave the matter alone, Vash. It's safer for us all.'

          'Knives…' Vash tried to reason with his brother, but all in vain.

          'Speak of it no more.  Leave me in peace. I've gone along with you, and that should be enough.'

          Not wanting to really press the matter anymore, Vash sighed heavily and turned his eyes to the window. The bus had been traveling for quite some time now- too much of it had been filled either with uneasy silence or insulting words.  The gunman slumped a bit in his seat, pulling his headphones up to his ears and turned the volume up.  For now he would leave his brother alone, but eventually, Knives would just have to come around…

          *                                               *                                               *

          Quite early the following day, the rumbling bus at last pulled into the town of Little October.  With a good deal of shuffling about and groans from the children on board, everyone managed to exit in a rather disorderly fashion. 

          Once his feet hit the sand, Vash proceeded to yawn and stretch noisily, making a big show out of a simple movement. Meryl crossed her arms, arching a brow in the blonde's direction.

          "Do you have to do it like that?" she berated him, obviously cranky.

          Vash halted in mid stretch to see Knives, Millie, and Wolfwood staring at him funnily as well.

          "Aw, come on, we just got here and you're already giving me grief? It was a long ride; it feels nice to move around!"

          Meryl only groaned in exasperation, tossing up her hands. "Fine, whatever, it's too early to argue."

          Giving the woman the slightest bit of a once over, Knives turned his back on the group and started walking away from them. The remaining four gaped at the pale blond for but a moment before promptly following him.

          "What do you want?" Knives all but growled at them without so much as looking over his shoulder.

          The four halted in their steps and looked at each other for a second before Vash approached his brother.

          "Where are you going, Knives?"

          "I thought while you stayed behind to argue, I would go find a place to stay." The reply came rather flatly, Knives' blue eyes scanning the small town.

          "Gee Meryl, there seems to be an awful lot of people here. Do you think we'll find rooms to stay in?" Millie frowned, putting her forefinger upon her chin.

          "We'll have to make do with what we find, Millie. Try not to worry about it until we're sure we have nowhere to stay."

          The big girl didn't say anymore, only casting her bright blue-green eyes over the passers-by.  The town looked to be a place where everyone knew each others' business, where nobody went unnamed or unknown by another. It had all the basics of previously visited towns, such as a barber shop, a general store, a small restaurant, a bar, and of course an inn.  What floored the group was the long line formed just outside of the inn.  It practically went around the corner!

          "Well, it doesn't look like we'll be going in there anytime soon. So what do you say, needle-noggin- a round of drinks at the bar until this all clears up?" Wolfwood mused, lighting a cigarette. He hadn't gotten to smoke one at all on the bus- it was shocking that his addiction hadn't overwhelmed him in form of insanity.

          Meryl gawked. "How on earth can you have a drink this early in the morning? Besides, isn't it Sunday? The bars are closed on Sundays- or at least they are everywhere else. You of all people should know that, Mr. Wolfwood!"

          Vash pouted as he looked to his comrade. "Aw man, I think she's right, preacher man."

          Chortling, Wolfwood took a long drag from his cigarette. "Ah, I guess she is. Breakfast then…we'll have to pass the time somehow, and I don't see much of a crowd by the restaurant. I have to say, though, I don't recall this many people being on the bus with us."

          In agreement, the four began heading for the small restaurant. Knives stood behind, contemplating on whether or not to follow them. He might not enjoy the company of the others, but Vash was his brother. It took quite a while for them to be together once more and idiot or not, Knives would not lose him again. Reluctantly, the pale blond trudged forth, pocketing his hands in the rather comfortable pants he wore.

          If nothing, Knives would admit that humans did at least know a thing or two about comfort.  The suit he'd been so accustomed to wearing was never so lenient for him.

          As the five reached the restaurant, their eyes were drawn to the painted sign swinging in a light breeze overhead. In red and orange coloring and bold lettering, it read "Autumn Leaves Café". Perhaps it was quite fitting for a town named after the middle month of fall, but Vash thought it was rather ironic, seeing as how nothing but cactus seemed to grow on Gunsmoke.  There were no trees here, and therefore, no leaves.

          Before entering, something else caught five pairs of eyes, luring them to gaze beyond the top of the restaurant.  Looming at the edge of the city, behind the strip of sandstone buildings, was a sand-steamer.

          "Ooh, Meryl look! A sand-steamer," Millie cried giddily, pointing at the steel and iron way of transportation. She did all but jump up and down in her excitement.

          The raven haired shorter woman lowered her friend's arm. "I think we can all see it, Millie." Her blue-grey eyes flickered towards Wolfwood and Vash. "I guess that explains why there're so many people here. I wonder where they came from…"

          The priest shrugged, dropping his cigarette butt to the sand and stomped it out with a worn black leather shoe. "Obviously they didn't come from Demetri.  My guess is somewhere from the north, like February or maybe even Dankin Town."

          Vash glanced to Wolfwood. "Dankin Town- does that place even exist anymore? I thought after my incident there some years ago that they didn't even bother rebuilding it."

          With a dead-pan expression, Knives turned towards his brother. "It's clear you do not keep up with current events, brother. Dankin Town was finally rebuilt last year- it is inhabitable once more. Are we going inside or shall we continue to gawk at this unimpressive contraption?"

          Meryl stared at Knives disdainfully- she truly wished he'd kept the humanity he acquired while first in Demetri.  How strange what death could do to someone, she thought, even if it was the death of someone they hardly even knew.  Meryl couldn't say she'd ever seen that kind of reaction from anyone…except perhaps from Vash.

          She could suddenly recall the day that the gunman had believed to have taken the life of Legato Bluesummers.  The pain on Vash's face was immeasurable- he had murdered someone, blatantly taking his gun, pointing it to Legato's head, and fired.  The revulsion that Vash must have felt had only been displayed by his screams when he thought nobody could hear him…Meryl remembered sitting outside of his bedroom door, shaking in fear for him and his sanity as he trashed the room and wailed like a madman.

          "Meryl, are you coming in?" Millie called from the door, concern written on her kindly face.

          Snapping from the memories, Meryl realized everyone else had gone inside and left her outside.

          "I'm coming," she replied at last and forced herself to take the few steps forward to enter.

          The inside of the "Autumn Leaves Café" was nearly as packed as the inn was. People littered each section- finding a place where all five of the travelers could sit together proved to be a bit of a problem. However, after weaving between tables and avoiding bumping into customers, they discovered a lone table set in the back left corner. It would be a tight fit, but it'd have to do.

          After they were seated around the table, with Knives sitting between Vash and Wolfwood as some protection of the women from any physical outburst he may have, a waitress approached. The poor girl appeared to be rather tired.

          "Have you had a chance to look at the menu yet?" she asked warily.

          "We don't have menus," Knives spoke with little expression in his tone.

          The slight young woman pushed a hand through her brown hair. "So you don't. I'm sorry, it's been a long morning, what with the sand-steamer arriving."

          Taking no compassion for her, Knives spoke again. "We don't care for your drivel, woman, just fetch the menus."

          Vash glared at his brother, repulsed at just how cruel he had become once more. "Don't mind him, miss, he's not a morning person. Say- do you know where these people came from?"

          "They're refugees," she spoke, keeping a cautious eye upon Knives. "They came from February…apparently there was some sort of quake that way and they needed a place to go. Aside from Dankin Town, we're the next closest town."

          Meryl frowned. "An earthquake- I don't remember hearing about one."

          "It's only a rumor, ma'am, I can't say if it's true or not." The waitress replied.

          Wolfwood tilted his chin up, settling his eyes on the young woman. "The inn looks like it'll be pretty filled up. Is there another place you know of where the five of us could stay?"

          The waitress nodded, tapping her chin with a pen. "Yes- just on the outskirts of town, to the East, there's a quaint bed and breakfast called 'The Sun Rose'.  You're the first I've mentioned it to, so I'd suggest eating quickly and heading there before anyone else does."

          Before anyone could reply, the waitress turned and walked away, responding to the chef calling from the kitchen. Vash put his forefinger up, gaping.

          "Hey…our menus..?"

          It would be another half an hour before the girl would remember the small party in the back left corner of "Autumn Leaves Café"…