Disclaimer: Same old same old, I don't own Trigun, or LotR. Happy now?

Den: Trying week, ne Legacy-san? :dodges a size 10 boot:

Legacy: Shut it.

Den: It's only Wednsday though! :dodges another boot:

Legacy: What part of "Shut it." Don't you understand?!

Den: Eep. :zoom:

Rating: Same as chapters previous.

:Milleara POV:

Nicholas was the first of us to react. He grabbed Regina, and practically carried her to another room, and then he moved Vash to the couch in the living room. Finally, he moved past Merylynn and myself, and checked for some sign that Knivesu and Legacy were all right.

Merylynn shook her head and moved into the room as well, pushing Nicholas aside. "You're checking as though they're still mortal...out of here. Now."

Nicholas's steely blue eyes narrowed.

Merylynn ignored him and began checking Legacy's pendant, and Knivesu's medallion.

She stood up and sighed a little, "They're both still functioning...but for some reason, the bloodstones are a different color than they were before..." She shook her head and left the room, and Nicholas went to check on Vash.

I knew I was shaken by what I had seen, but I still didn't understand what had happened...not fully anyways...I'd ask Regina later...once she'd calmed down a lot, and was willing to explain.

:Merylynn POV:

As I headed for the door, Nicholas turned to me after checking on his friend. "The balcony?"

I nodded, and then exited the apartment. I needed time to think, and I could tell Nicholas needed a smoke, even though he was trying to quit. He and I had an agreement. He would continue working on quitting, and I would help him through it, as I was also trying to quit.

As I sat on the balcony outside the apartment, I realized I was fumbling around in my coat for a cigarette.

Nicholas's hand stopped mine, and he offered me a piece of gum. Quitting together...and actually trying...Nicholas and I had become instant friends, but I could tell his heart belonged to someone else, which was fine by me...I had eyes for only one Vamp...and he didn't even seem to know...I hoped.

Nicholas leaned against the wall and sighed a little.

"Thinking deep thoughts?" I teased, gently.

Nicholas nodded a little and glanced up towards the darkening sky.

"I remember...when I arrived, I was near death...but Vash...he wasn't injured at all...and from what I remember of him before I left...he was in great health...a little on the loony side...but still..." he shrugged, searching his pockets for a toothpick.

"Regina wondered about that too...when you first told her about your friend...but right now, she's not exactly able to explain anything...she's still innocent enough that the sight of so much bloodshed concentrated between friends...well...you saw what happened...I'll be surprised if she insists on returning to work tomorrow..."

Nicholas nodded a little, having found a toothpick, "She's tough though...she reminds me a lot of this one girl I knew...back before..."

I tilted my head, "Milly?"

He nodded again, sighing, "At times...I wish I were still there...and then there are times I wish she were here...so we could be together...and so I could apologize for making her cry...I hated seeing her cry..."

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Vash: Times change, people change, and sometimes, even the little decisions can have a big impact. Regina explained what had happened, not only to Legacy and Knivesu, but also to herself... at the time, I didn't fully understand...

Sometimes, the past can come back to haunt us...in ways we don't expect, or in the way people remind us of someone else who we have loved in the past. Sometimes, this world that I dwell in can match the world I once dwelt in perfectly, or it can be a completely different place.

Will those whom I care about the most survive in this strange place? Or are they destined to be destroyed, like those cared about when I was younger?

Wolfwood: that's deep...even for you.

Vash: Hey! I had a lot on my mind!

Wolfwood: Suuuuuure...dodges a fwap on the head from Vash

I'm mega-happy now...my beta has her internet back! :hugs Magnet-Rose: I missed you soo much! :Hugs till MR's head pops: ... oops...

Reviewer Responses:

Tasuki No Miko4: Glad you liked the story so far! Sometimes though, when I'm writing a multiple POV fic, which this is only my second one, I tend to lose focus a little bit…so it's easier for me to switch characters. I don't' think I'll write another chapter of this story in 3rd person POV for awhile…

To the rest of my loyal fan base, REVIEW!