A/N: Did ya'll think that was the end to The End?
The End
By Alicia Maxwell
It had already been ten years since the end of Knives' reign of terror. Seven years ago, the Thompson family had moved into the freshly-restored city of July. There were the two brothers - Knives and Vash Thompson (they stole Millie's last name) - and their families. Vash had his wife Meryl, who was still a "daughter of thunder"[1] though she had settled down considerably. Then there was Knives' family. He had Millie, his precious wife, and his daughter Morgan.
"She doesn't look a thing like either of you," Vash said to Knives honestly on the day Morgan was born. "She looks like your old servant Legato."
He was correct. Morgan turned out to be livelier than a hyperactive puppy but she had Legato's looks all the same. Her hair was the same shade of blue and her eyes were the dulled gold that had expressed Legato's broken dreams when that bullet finally went through his head that one fateful day. Sometimes looking at the girl made Vash sad, even if his dear niece was making him happy at the same time. It was rather ironic to feel so happy and yet so sorrowful at once… but sometimes Vash did.
Things were going pretty well for the Thompsons, needless to say. It seemed as if the past had been choked out by their blissful existence. However, a reminder of the black days of old was coming… in the form of a young girl with a large cross embroidered on her shirt.
Iris Dokonokuminomonjawaresumakinishiteshizumekakora Wolfwood. She was in her late-20s and she had waist length blond hair and solemn blue eyes. She walked into town on a hot day in late June, a duffle bag slung over her one shoulder. As soon as Iris got into town, she walked immediately to the bar.
Vash was sitting around with the other bar regulars drowning out the dark shadows from his past that continued to haunt him with alcohol. He was chugging down his fifth beer, listening to a new story of "Shakespeare's." "Shakespeare" was the nickname they had given this one regular because he could make up just about any story imaginable and tell it perfectly. As "Shakespeare" was telling another tale of his character Gai's crazy adventures, the saloon door was flung open and Iris stepped inside.
"Ooh, a woman," one of the others remarked. "Don't see too many of them in here."
"Except Vash's wife! Bloody hell, she's in here every other night at closing time trying to drag him off that damn chair!" 'Shakespeare' laughed. "Ain't that right, Vash?"
"Guess I don't know when to give up," Vash laughed nervously. His laugh was cut short by a sudden slam of strong yet feminine fists on the table right in front of him. It was Iris.
"You! You're Vash the Stampede aren't you!?" she growled.
"Yes, yes I am. Why do you ask?" Vash blinked. What had he done to this stranger?
"YOU BASTARD! MY BROTHER IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!" she screamed, grabbing his throat and pushing him to the wall. The other men tried to pull her off Vash but she seemed too determined to be overpowered.
"I don't believe in killing others ma'am! I didn't kill your brother! I swear it!" Vash gasped for air.
"Of course you didn't! You just led to his death! Nick was a good man! How could you let him die like that?" she demanded.
"Nick? Nicholas… D. … Wolfwood?" he blinked.
"Damn straight! I can't believe he died because of a lousy drunkard like you! You aren't worth my time!" Iris threw Vash aside.
"I-I'm sorry… I never meant for anything to happen to Wolfwood. We split up and…"
"Don't you think I know? Don't you think I went to every single person I could find who recognized the name Nicholas Wolfwood and asked them for everything they knew?" she said sadly. "I've been trying to catch up with him for thirteen years. I finally found him… but there was a gap of six feet I just couldn't bridge." Iris began to cry.
Vash sat her down in a secluded corner and sat down beside her. The darkness of his past had returned. Could Vash truly face it?
[1] Sorry… too much time spent on Aramaic in the Bible in Religion class. For anyone who didn't get it, "still a 'daughter of thunder'" means Meryl still tends to be a hot-head.