Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own these characters. They are from the mind of the Creator of Trigun –bows to him- Praise! Ahem...In any case, let the show go on.

Chapter 2: The ticket to the future is always open

Days passed as Vash waited for his brother's recovery so he could talk to him. He walked to the cliff, which he'd sat at for so many hours, just thinking and looking at the sunset. Then one day, as he walked back into town, he felt a peculiar presence about his new home, not fear, no.... it was something more sinister. Suddenly it came to him: KNIVES!

He ran back to the house, instinctively reaching for his pistol; the one which he had left with Wolfwood's Cross Punisher back in Demitree. He stopped and felt around for it, at first not realizing he didn't have it, and then realizing Knives also had no weapon, he continued to the house.

He entered and immediately saw Meryl sitting on the other side of the room as Knives slowly regained consciousness. She turned and set her eyes upon Vash.

"Vash, he just started moving...and..." A hint of fear was in her voice from what Vash had told her.

"Well, can you make him some soup, please?" His tone gave her reassurance, and her fear quickly faded.

"Oh, sure. Coming right up" She flashed a smile and got to work as Vash sat on the bed, adjacent to his brother.

"Knives?"

"Vash...I.... Why didn't you kill me? I knew you couldn't do it! Coward!"

Vash turned to Meryl

"Meryl, can you step out of the room for awhile? I think Milly should be back soon...The walk shouldn't be that far..."

"Yeah, besides...she took Wolfwood's bike..."

"Oh, she must've found something interesting along the way... "

"Yeah, Well...I'm going to go for a walk now, bye" She waved and quickly left the room to the brothers.

"Couldn't stand to let her see you, little brother? Are we going to have a fight?" A hint of mockery in his voice.

"Knives, this is between us, no need to get others involved..."

"Right, right... You've always been against harming those pathetic wor-"

"That's enough! Knives... You've been swayed with all your notions of what humans are... Steve was the one who started this... If I would've thought this would happen...I would've..."

"You would've what? Stopped him? Killed him, Vash?" His tone became more condescending at each passing moment

"Knives, not all humans are like that! You can't just go around killing whenever you feel the impulse!"

"Oh, can't I?"

"Drop it, you can't. Why do you have to keep killing all of them? Haven't you shed enough blood? When will it be over? When you finally take all of them to their graves? When you are all alone in this world? Because, I will not accompany you to this paradise you wish to create, Knives. If there is such a place, I will not let it be just to us alone. I'd kill myself before that."

"Wasn't it you who said, oh so boldly, little brother 'I disapprove of suicide more than anything'?"

"Yes, I did."

"You're a hypocrite"

"You just refuse to believe what the obvious truth is."

"I haven't been wrong all this time! It was you who were wrong! Trying to save those worthless pieces of garbage who will inevitably lead to their own annihilation!"

"Perhaps they will, perhaps they won't. In any case, I give them a choice, Knives. I won't take their lives, but I let them see what they're doing to themselves. If they choose, they can create their own paradise for everyone, if not, then they choose to suffer...in any case I'm always here to help them and always will be."

"Let them decide, you say...they have decided! They've locked themselves in their own fate! You cannot save them every time!"

"No, you're right...I can't... But I'm willing to try... I'm willing to give them as many chances as I can."

"But why!"

"Because, Knives...the ticket to the future is always open...you can change no matter how much evil you've done, or how much good. You always have that power, Knives."

"If the ticket to the future is always open, as you say, then you'd let me have my second chance if I had decided to change my ways, according to your logic."

"If I wouldn't give to a second chance, would I have brought you back all the way here, where those I love are?"

"You know I could kill every person here, still... I could kill your precious Meryl, this Milly you speak of, and every other townsperson here"

"I don't believe you will"

"What makes you so sure that you'd put everyone and everything you love on the line?"

"Because, if you did that, you'd have nothing left. You'd maybe go to your own personal paradise, but what good is paradise alone? You'd might as well dig a hole and make that your paradise for all it's worth. Without humans you kill, you'd go mad. Without anyone to talk to, you'd kill yourself. I know you would. So why bring yourself to that? Why be lonely? Why not give up killing all the people and just see what it's like to live with them? Take up my path, brother."

"Vash... You fool...you damn fool...." Knives sighed and lied back on his bed, exhausted and his wounds now beginning to throb with intense pain as he finally paid attention to his body.

"Rest, Knives...rest and soon you'll be able to decide what to do..."

"What ever you say, Vash...Whatever you say..." With that, he drifted off into a deep sleep, the crevices of his mind being filled with only his thoughts...his body finally relaxing.

End of Chapter 2. Read and review, please.

-Vash