AN: Final chapter. Knives is a cold hearted bastard in these last two chapters, which is strange for me to portray him this way, but I assume he had to be this way to turn Legato into the impassive killer that he came to be. You cant be that heartless without being severely traumatized. This entire chapter was written while listening to 'Moonlight Sonata' and 'Appassionata' by Ludwig van Beethoven. It seemed kind of fitting for the last chapter. Especially MS.

Legato, Part V

When Legato returned, on time, with the head of the boy whose body had been burnt Knives turned away in utter disgust. The head only had a faint image of what a head ought to look like. Matted burnt hair, darkened black skin, open sockets... not even the flesh on the head had decomposed completely. And the smell... Knives found he had no taste for the smell of burnt flesh. Legato didn't seem to take notice in his Master's disgust, not that it would have mattered. There would be no getting rid of the head. Even if he had to die for it.

"If you insist on keeping it, put it away." Knives commanded still facing away from the head. Legato silently put it in a dense bush and walked around to face Knives.

"I have returned within the allotted time frame." He said calmly, eerily.

Knives studied the young man before him. He still had his boyish looks but his face, if possible, looked less emotional than it already had. Knives eyed where the head of the decapitated and burnt boy rest before turning back to his servant.

"So you have... Legato, I'm going to tell you about my brother..." Knives watched as Legato sat himself against the tree gazing up at him, wanting him to continue.

"I never have for good reasons, but now...things have changed and time is finally catching up. His name is Vash, but in this day and age of humans he is known as Vash the Stampede. A rather ridiculous name among many other nicknames. The Outlaw, the Humanoid Typhoon, they all tie to my brother. It is I who have helped him to acquire such names. For Vash, the bumbling idiot, wouldn't hurt a damn fly. But I'm a little ahead of what I mean to tell you. Remember that month that I left you?"

Legato nodded slowly.

"In that month I completed a series of phases that have lead up to this moment..."

FLASHBACK

Knives had just left his servant in a state of despair, not that he cared in the least. He hadn't told him his true intentions. Legato probably figured he had left him for his disobedience. As if such a thing would really annoy him that much. But let him believe what he wanted. It would only strengthen Legato's bond to him.

The real reason he left was because it was time. Vash had finally been able to locate Rem's relative and was on his way now to talk with him. Knives was just a few moments ahead of his brother. He entered the mans office and pointed his gun, not even giving the man an explanation or even time to react.

He sat patiently on the dead mans desk, waiting for his brother to come. And come Vash did. His look, priceless. It filled Knives' cold heart with the butterflies he adored. He had gotten the reaction he had wanted. After no communication with his twin for so many years and after the betrayal Vash had Knives suffer, he was only too happy to repay the debt. The blood had spattered and a few droplets had landed on his hand.

He licked the blood away, waiting for Vash's further reaction. His brother was shaking in disbelief. He couldn't believe that this was how he and his brother would be reunited.

Knives feigned a smile for his other half who looked so stricken. "Hey Vash." His brother had not responded well. A few unmemorable words were exchanged. And then Vash...trying to shoot him again, trying his best not to activate the glorious gift he had given him, the angel arm.

In Knives' own anger at Vash's attempt to shoot him his thoughts whirled in anger. 'Are we not even?ཀ Why would he try something like this?', he shot off Vash's arm which only activated the angel arm.

And then, the destruction of July.

In all the rubble of the mess, and severe pain he felt from the blow afterwards it was difficult for Knives to find his brother, and he hadn't been able too, but he had found an interesting thing, Vash's shot off arm.

Legato's mind, in the matter of power rather than intellect, had not matured as Knives had thought it would. Surely the power of this arm, a plant arm, would initiate the deep buried powers in the boy. So he had taken it, leaving Vash with the mess of the city of July to weigh him down.

Over the next few weeks Knives began to hear the rumors of his brother and what he "done". He smiled and let the rumors of human imagination run wild. The stories would keep his brother at bay until he was ready to deal with him again. Because now Vash had insulted him by not accepting the power he had given him, and there was the little matter that Vash had aimed his gun at him.

END OF FLASHBACK

Knives held out the decapitated arm of his brother, Legato eyed it with, what seemed to be, little interest.

"It'll be as close as you can come to being what I am." Knives said softly.

Legato's golden eyes sparked as he took the gift his Master had brought to him. Through all these years of training with his Master, with all the devotion he gave him, his Master never returned it. He had found himself hating his being human more than he hated anything. His humanity made him unimportant in Knives' eyes and that tore at him. But now for the first time ever his Master offered him a gift? One to be more like him?

As he gazed at the blade something crossed his controlled mind. 'How?'

How would he use this arm? How could he gain access to its unbelievable power, and then Knives had dropped something on the sandy ground. A short, brilliant gleaming blade.

"If the pain of cutting off one of your arms doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger."

Legato hesitated as he looked at the sharp blade.

"Of course you don't have to use the arm. I could give it back to my brother."

Knives smiled at the apparent jealousy that formed in his servants eyes, turning away as Legato slowly picked up the blade. Knives walked leisurely into the desert, not letting the suppressed screams of pain from Legato teeter his thinking. Every last bit of his plan was falling into place. Legato couldn't have been a better servant, if he had made one himself. He was finally pleased with the outcome of Legato's mind.

Though he could still sense the times when Legato retracted himself in order to form his own thoughts, and as Knives read them he saw they were pointless. Pleas to be accepted by him no less. To be seen as an equal to him, and loathing what he was, human.

When the sounds of pain had stopped, and after seeing a faint light coming from the direction of the oasis, Knives headed back. Knowing the arm had accepted its new owner.

Knives looked down at Legato's fainted body, he was swimming in a pool of his own blood his detached arm to the side, with the new arm attaching itself to the human nerves, as if it were regenerating itself. Knives picked up Legato's human arm. He wouldn't be needing it anymore.

At the time Legato rose he was surprised to see a group of people with their backs to him. He looked closely at his surroundings to be sure he was still in the oasis. He was. Then he remembered...the armཀ He glanced down at his new body part, moving it and its new fingers. It acted like its original, and when he remembered his original he saw that it was nowhere to be found.

As he was about to stand, to find out who these intruders were, his mind was suddenly swamped with their names and information.

Monev the Gale
Dominique the Psyclops
Midvalley the Hornfreak
E.G. Mine
Rai Dei the Blade
Leonof the Puppetmaster
Gray the Ninelives
Hoppered the Gauntlet
Zazie the Beast
Caine the Longshot
Chapel the Evergreen
Nicholas D. Wolfwood

"Your Gung Ho Guns, Legato." Legato stood at the sound of his Master's voice. The group of 12 turned to face him, and the stares didn't throw him off so much as the new armor that covered his body. A white coat with spikes on one shoulder and the skull of his former infatuation on the other.

"What do you think?" Knives asked, walking towards him, the Gung Ho's allowing him to pass by.

"Of...what, Master?"

"Why, everything. The new armor, your new gang? I picked out the most vile humans to serve under me, but to do as you command."

Legato looked over this new gang that was supposedly his. His mind wouldn't stop whirling with facts and useless information on each one. 'What's wrong with me?' He wondered.

"The arm." Knives answered. "The arm increases your mental power, you can do so much more with it. You'll be able to test out what soon, but not right now. Right now..." Knives turned to walk back to the front of his devoted audience.

"Right now, my dear Legato, you shall be filled in on the newest steps to defeat my brother."

The plan was simple enough, and Legato was entrusted to be the leader and no one else. Knives refused to socialize with the others than was more than necessary. Knives would give the orders to Legato, and it was up to Legato to determine how that simple order should be laid out.

Over the next few weeks Legato did what was told of him and worked on making his Master's twins life a living hell. Helping to cause him pain in the form Knives saw fit.

In the process, he had the opportunity to meet Vash, the only person it seemed his Master truly cared about. Yes, his Master was out to hurt his brother, but he wouldn't go through the trouble of tormenting someone unless he loved them. And even with the powers of the plant arm attached to him, he gazed at it constantly. Wishing for its power to spread through his entire body, yet for it to disappear.

Knives would never see him in the same way that he saw his brother. It only made Legato want to hurt Vash all the more. Legato's hatred for Vash grew from his likeness to Knives, something he could never become. He despised how Knives spent so much time and energy with all things concerned with his twin, and how Vash didn't respond in a positive fashion.

'How could Vash the Stampede not understand? Why isnt he willing to take what the Master has to offer? Foolish man.' He thought often.

He sent his Gung Ho Guns in one by one to do their best to defeat Vash. Of course he knew none of them would be able to. They weren't sent to kill him, in Legato and Knives' eyes, they were sent as constant warnings to Vash, that the end was near.

After the fifth moon incident, Legato had been severely punished. He had intended on having Vash die there. Unfortunately that is not what his Master wanted at all. Knives' anger didn't hesitate to turn ten fold on him as he bent Legato's human arm, nearly breaking it.

"But I thought you wanted him gone Master." Legato had said quietly as he nursed his wound.

Knives was fiercely pacing around, but when Legato spoke he stopped to stare at his servant. He walked over silently and cupped Legato's chin in his hand, making sure his eyes didn't waver from his own.

"This is your first, last and only warning concerning my brother Legato. Never attempt to kill my brother ever again." Knives' voice was the epitome of calm as he released Legato's chin and turned away.

The subject was closed.

"You're prepared to die aren't you Legato?"

"Of course Master, I know I must die, I need to die, I wouldn't want my human imperfections to taint the world you're creating."

"Good, have Vash kill you. I want my brother to experience eternal pain, I do not care how you get him to do it, just make sure its done."

Legato stood and gave a deep bow. Before Vash could kill him, the other Gung Ho's still had their own missions to carry out and Legato waited patiently for them to do so, making his appearance to Vash every so often. When the day came that all the Gung Ho's were slain by accidents, each other, whatever, Legato made his way back to the oasis before confronting Vash.

It probably wasn't a good idea, but he knew he would die today, and a large part of him felt he ought to say some sort of goodbye to his Master. He found Knives sitting casually at the oasis, facing him.

"Why are you here Legato? Did you not understand my orders?"

Legato shook his head, and thought of what to say, but Knives had already read his thoughts.

"Don't get the wrong impression Legato, you were raised for this day, and this day alone. You knew these were to be your intentions. To make my brother betray that pacifist woman is all I wanted you for. And you have done a fair job. Is it closure you want with me?"

Legato said nothing.

"Then goodbye Legato, now stop stalling and be on your way. Vash and I have our future to look to and you are not in it."

Legato gave his final bow and left, not daring to look back at his Master whose eyes were piercing his back.

He walked through the vengeful desert to the town Vash would be waiting for him. In his last private moments it seemed Knives was allowing Legato free reign over his thoughts. He was allowed to look back at his life, his childhood if he wanted too, but his thoughts were only consumed with his Master and the last thing he would do for him. He never thought of his past life, or his former infatuation, even though the skull was still attached.

When the time came he knelt down across from Vash, with the silver gun pointed at him. Legato gave Vash his most winning smile as he talked the poor plant down. Vash was crying, it was sweet, Legato wondered if maybe Vash didn't deserve this treatment after all. The shots rang out.

Death truly was intoxicating, even his own. As death loomed over him he was able to voice his last response to his Master and Knives received them. Knives kept Legato in his heart, for the human had done the best thing for him. Or so he had thought. The next day it was obvious that Vash may be feeling complete despair, but this was no eternal pain.

"Legato...," Knives' fists balled in fury. "You failed, now you shall die in my heart."

Even in death Legato hadn't reached the place he wanted to be. His Master hated him more than he had before, and Knives never thought of him again when he learned he had failed. Knives walked to face his brother in what would be their final battle.

Legato's damned spirit cried at his wasted life. But a small linger of hope crossed him when he saw his fellow Gung Ho Guns, waiting for him at the eternal gates of the Diablo. Together they entered, with the knowledge that someday his Master would be there with him again.

The End

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AN: I like how this story turned out. There were some moments where it wasn't for the faint of heart, but I'm very happy with it. There was a time when I wanted to put this in:

Legato: (walks out wearing his white coat, but where the spikes should be there's gaudy lace)
Midvalley: (gawks) you're not going to go out wearing that are you?
Legato: (looks down)...okay, I'll go change (he comes back out, changed)
Midvalley: I get the skull, but what's with the spikes?
Legato: (looks over his spikes) You don't think it makes me look more menacing?
Midvalley: Whatever, its good enough. :walks off playing the sax:

Hehe, obviously that doesn't fit the theme or mood of this story so I let it go. Anyway thank you Chaotic insanity, chyrssantes, iamthetruevash, DeathbyLegato, Nick's Derringer Girl and especially mangaqueen13 for reading my side project and my personal favorite story! I really appreciate it! I didn't expect any reviews because the summary seemed too old and cliche but I got some anyways. Also thanks to Lunis and Magnet-Rose, as well as iamthetruvash from Trinut for clearing up some questions I had about Legato and Company to make this story better! Thanks girls!

Faery Goddyss :)