Disclaimer: Don't own Trigun. Never have, never will. Depressing, isn't it?


A/N: Well here's the next chapter, delivered on time. I can hardly believe it. To be honest, I was going to have it done last night (I do all my writing at night, for some reason), but then the idea for a Cowboy Bebop fic popped in my head, and it just wouldn't be denied. So anyway, here's this chapter and I sincerly hope you enjoy. I also hope it's not getting too predictable....

(Ok, this would have been on time had ff.net not been screwed up last night! Ugh!)

R/R!


Desert Sands

By: Batbabe


Chapter 16


Vash could hear Meryl's startled gasp from across the cavern.

He wanted more than anything to call out to her, let her know everything was going to be fine, but he knew that was just the distraction that his brother was waiting for. Instead, he walked more fully into the space, in a show of determination.

A voice came into his mind. A voice that he hadn't truly heard in a hundred years, melodic and wise beyond its years.

"And Vash, in the language of the flowers, the geranium represents determination and courage..."

/I won't let you down, Rem. I promise I won't let you down again./

The gunman could feel his friend tense behind him as he strode to a spot where his twin could see him more clearly. His gun was held at his side in a nonaggressive manner, not preparing to shoot. When he spoke, his voice filled the cavern. His tone was one filled with determination and confidence.

"Knives! You wanted me here? Well here I am. It's time to let the girls go."

There was a short silence before the plant began to laugh again, only much harder than before. The killer of millions was actually amused by what his brother had said. The laughter seemed to come from all around the cave, and Vash couldn't pinpoint the source. The sound reflected in a way that the blonde had no idea where his brother was for sure. He only knew that his brother would be in a position that would afford him an excellent opportunity to possibly kill them all.

"Oh, Vash. You know better than that." He chuckled lightly, which sent a shudder through the preacher. "I wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to set this up if I was just going to let your pet vermin go."

The man in red stiffened. He had been hoping that his brother might listen to reason (granted, that was almost impossible, but he had still hoped), but it was obvious that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. They were going to have to do this the hard way....

/As it was meant to be, my brother...../ Knives' voice resounded in his head, taunting him further.

"And you brought the preacher......excellent. Now he can die as well." The sneer was more than evident in his voice. The sound of it, more than the implication, made Wolfwood livid.

"Been there, done that! And now it's your turn!" He yelled to the rafters, looking in all directions in an effort to find the maniac.

Milly chose that moment to finally wake up.

"Nicholas...is that you?" She blinked her eyes in confusion before spotting the man in black. Instantly, their eyes locked. The taller woman smiled broadly and nodded slightly, reassuring him that she was unharmed. He sighed quietly in relief, at least something was going right today.

"Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be alright, I swear." Vash didn't want to ruin the moment by reminding the man in black that he shouldn't make promises he might not be able to keep. Instead, he kept his gaze on Meryl, who had remained quiet and still during the entire exchange. He knew that she was doing so on purpose, not wanted to distract either man from their mission. To do so, she knew, might get them all killed.

But just hearing his voice again had filled her with more joy than she thought possible, given the current situation.

"Enough of this." Knives uttered disgustedly before appearing from out of the darkness behind the girls. He had the most maniacal grin that Vash had ever seen on his face, and he had seen his brother wear many of them.

/He's finally lost it...../ Vash's mouth opened slightly and his brow furrowed as his brother stepped closer and closer to the two women. Before Vash or Wolfwood could react, the plant had a gun to both of the girls' heads. The two guns had apparently been stolen from Meryl, seeing as how they were derringers. They were small and didn't have much range, but they would certainly do the job intended when pointed so closely to the back of their heads. His grin widened at the sharp intake of breath from the preacher and his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Which one should I kill first, brother?" He bore an uncanny resemblance to a snake at that moment. "If I shoot the big one, then our dear Wolfwood will get to watch as both his woman and his child dies." He paused and looked more fully at Vash. "And if I kill the loud one, you'll have to live forever without another woman that you love...."

The outlaw's jaw clenched and his eyes went wide. He couldn't help but remember the day that Rem had been killed and he had been filled with the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. He couldn't lose Meryl too, not now...not to him.

"Vash, take care of Knives....."

/I don't know if I can, Rem. I don't know if he'll let me.../

"So, brother. I'm letting you choose who gets to die. Now who will you choose?" His smile became even wider, nearly splitting his face in two.

"I can't do that, Knives! I won't!" The grin dropped from the psychopath's face, replaced with a cold glare. His back straightened as he looked down on the other men with disdain. When he spoke, it was much quieter than before and his tone was ice cold.

"Very well then. You choose to remain among this infestation.......then you can die with them as well."

As the plant cocked both of the guns, preparing to shoot, Vash instinctively raised his gun and his artificial arm. He made a silent prayer in hopes that his aim would not be off and that he wouldn't be too late....


A/N: I'm not going to make any promises about when the next chapter will be up, seeing as how it's hard for me to keep promises like that. LOL. But I do know it will be soon, since I have no desire to kill people with cliffhangers. ;)

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