Woo! No more sickliness! AND, was just at a Good Charlotted/Simple Plan concert on monday! Sorry for the lack of updatey-ness...whole bunch of crap happening at once...

Update on Sean...he did have his amputations (I believe it was his left leg below the knee, his right foot, his right hand, and fingers on his left hand). Right now he's grouchy but MUCH MUCH better. He's asking for chocolate and all sorts of stuff that kids love, butfrom last I heard, he can stomach crushed ice. But his progress is coming along very nicely. Please keep him in your prayers.

On a much sadder note, there was a school shooting at an elementary school parking lot nearby. Not like Columbine, but it scared the crap out of everyone. It was a domestic dispute between a mother and her boyfriend. Apparently the boyfriend shot her and then shot himself. It is very sad...so please pray for the child of the mother, who is in kindergarten, and for everyone around the area who are mourning and need comfort.

Now for some thanks!
Miko Miko Nurse1: So sorry that that last chapter wasn't as long, I thought that it would just be crappy to try to write more instead of stopping at a good point. But I'll promise to try and make them longer, unless I feel the need not to!
Ms.Critic:...Wow...yeah, might want to lay off Cops...But I'll tell you right now, everyone, that Milly will not be going out with Knives. She was loyal to Nicky-poo and Nicky-poo only! Besides, she's pregnant now with his child, remember? So, sorry all of you MillyxKnives fans, but t'ain't gonna happen!
Pailay:Oh, don't worry, things will lighten up...hopefully! Heheh, I really don't want to give away anything...except I just did above...eep...oh well, not like it'll spoil the story. Yeah, the whole thing with Sean was heart-breaking, yet creepy for me because I had already decided the fate of Knives's lovely legs beforehand...coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences...but this was just creepy...thanks for reading though!

Now, for the story!


The entire group was exhausted. The grief that took hold of each of them continued to strangle their minds in the hours that came after. Knives was once again asleep in Vash's bed, and had been so since dawn. Everyone spent the early hours of the morning at Doc's place until Knives had finally fallen asleep in Vash's arms. He had been throwing any object within his grasp at anyone who came within throwing distance. He damned everything and everyone. He screamed and cried, Vash could hear his brother's cries in his head and almost had a fit himself. But Vash kept a cool head and just embraced his brother until Knives completely broke down and sobbed into Vash's already tear-stained shirt. The two sat there for hours until Knives was fast asleep. When Vash was sure he was out cold, he untangled himself from his brother's grip and talked to Doc. Doc said maybe it would be best if Knives stayed there. Vash only shook his head and said no thank you, he had troubled him enough,picked up his brother'ssleeping formand quietly motioned for the girls to follow. Silently, they made their way back to their room. Knives slept soundly in Vash's bed, but everyone else sat around the table. No words were spoken.

Vash had downed three bottles of whiskey,which thebartender had given him the day before for stopping a bar brawl, and hiccuped softly. Tear stains left a salty path against his cheeks. The two insurance girls sat motionlessly and just watched the poor man drink. As he finished the last few drops, he gazed drunkenly at them and smiled sadly.

"You two shoul' ge' some sleep..." he slurred as Milly yawned. She nodded and walked back to her bed, but Meryl stayed put.

"You'll be alright, won't you, Vash?" she asked timidly. He nodded slowly. She gave him a quick hug and the lightest kiss on his cheek before she climbed under the covers next to Milly. She gazed sleepily at Vash as he gazed out the window at the last setting moon. Just as it fell out of sight, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Vash continued to look out the window until Meryl's soft snores reached his ears. He gazed at her small face, sadly wondering if she would stick with him through all the things they must now go through. Their small income was still as small as ever, and Knives would complicate things to a whole new level. Not to mention, the insurance girls had their jobs at Bernardelli on the line. Vash knew that Meryl would stay up late every once in a while to write reports to the company, but he never heard the typewriter click more than half a paragraph. Vash's "hazardous activities" haven't happened and now they no longer could lie as to why he was a problem to society because society has not cried out to the insurance company. So they knew that at any time now they could receive a letter calling them back. Vash could only hope that they would refuse...

The suns rose drowsily and tomas squawked sleepily as the light flooded the town. Vash's eyelids felt heavy. He rested his head in his arms and slowly drifted to sleep.

"Vash...it's me, Vash..."

The golden blonde found himself lying in a familiar place. A sky so blue surrounded him and he had the strangest sensation of flying while at the same time he could feel a solid floor beneath him. He blinked and looked over to his left. Just inches from his side sat a beautiful woman with jet-black hair and a most welcoming smile.

"Rem..."

"Hello, Vash."

"Rem, why-I mean-"

"Hmm," she sighed. "You wanted to know why I'm visiting you when you said you wanted to follow your own path, am I right?"

"Well...yeah."

"Oh, Vash. You are going through tough times. And we both know that things will get harder. For you and Knives both, and even Meryl and Milly. I have always been watching you, ever since the Fall. And I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you."

"Rem..."

"I've always thought of you two as my sons. Even though Knives has done horrible things, I still love him as my own. I am so thankful you chose to keep him alive. Though I know that it was hard for you to do that. Either way would have saved lives, butit isn't about overcoming an enemy. It's about changing the one who caused the suffering so that there is more good in the world instead of getting rid of the bad. The bad will always be there, no one can change that. But the amount of good depends on who takes the initiative to make the world a better place for everyone. Do you understand, Vash?"

"Yes, Rem," Vash said with an appreciative grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Vash. You wanted to stick by your own morals and here I go again, preaching to you," Rem giggled.

"No, no, it's alright. In fact, I knew that all the time. It's just a comfort to hear someone else say it. Even more so from you."

Rem wrapped her arms around her adopted son. "Oh, Vash. You've grown so big. But you'll always be the little baby I've grown to love," she grinned as she ruffled his spiky hair.

"Hey, stop that!" Vash laughed. They both sighed and gazed at the sky that surrounded them.

"I'm so proud of you, Vash," Rem breathed.

"Hm?"

"You have created some true good upon that sandy planet. Even though you have made hard decisions, sometimes so hard that it meant you had to-to go against what you were taught, you have always done the right thing. I just hope you can save Knives and help him to see," she said softly and closed her eyes. Vash looked away, knowing she almost mentioned the time Legato forced him to pull the trigger.

"Rem?"

"Yes?"

"...Thanks. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome Vash," she said and hugged him once more. "So...on the first evening a pebble...from somewhere out of nowhere drops upon the dreaming world..."

Vash closed his eyes as he listened to the song. It was almost like he was drifting back to sleep, yet he could feel the hot desert air dance around his face. He drifted back to consciousness. Pale eyelids opened to reveal pools of marine-colored eyes. Vash blinked a few times, and sat up. There was no noise in the room, except a small muffled sound that was hardly audible. Vash turned toward the source of the sound and his eyes met the weeping sky blue orbs that belonged to his brother.