Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun or any other anime - I just like making up stories…oh, and this is my second official fan fic and my first Trigun fan fic so I'll just apologize now if it sucks. Sorry!

Chapter Five: Indignation

Family is more important than anything else under the sky. My brother needed me. But I never knew he needed me like he did. I never knew that so much of his heart depended on me. We make our lifestyle decisions at such a young age, I didn't understand then. If I start over will it change him? Can a heart change overnight? Can I start over?

The once dark room was now brightly illuminated by the bulb at one end. Despite the cheery, energetic light, the two men were motionless and silent. The first man stood erect over the second man, who lay flat upon a table. The man lying moved his head slightly. The man standing winced. It's getting risky to enter his mind, he'll wake up soon. But if I don't, if I don't learn more, I might miss something important. Forgive the intrusion Knives, but I'm coming in again. Placing his hands on his brother's body, Vash the Stampede closed his eyes tightly.

Moments later Vash recognized the room he stood in. The dead body on the table that was slowly dripping blood onto the floor was the last living Severem, the last family member of Rem's. Vash shuttered at his brother seated comfortably beside it. I'm beginning to see now Knives, you didn't want anything to come between us, but you were going about it the wrong way. The door opened and Vash drew a quick breath as he stared at himself in his brother's memory. I remember this like it was yesterday. He watched the memory he knew so well replay itself. He heard the harsh words, the guns firing and saw his arm. He lifted his arm toward his brother.

"Are you pointing that at me?" Knives was screaming.

Vash closed his eyes at the sound of his own terrorized screams. In spite of everything, in spite of his torturous childhood, I just can't stand to watch him like this. The light was blinding. Vash felt the room evaporating into thin air around him. He opened his eyes again. Even now as merely an observer of the destruction, Vash cried. He saw himself fall, and his brother. Knives! It was a direct hit in the chest, anyone else would have died from such a blow but Vash witnessed his brother crumbling on the broken floor, alive, but damaged beyond anything he'd ever seen.

Vash turned to look at the preserved image of the Vash in his brothers' mind. He watched himself struggle to stand, struggle to walk. It was then that he realized how very little he had cared for Knives. I was so selfish, pulling myself together and not even checking to see if he was alive! Vash turned away from his image and back to the mess of Knives that lay bleeding and dying in the disaster. Knives?

"Are you just going to leave me like this?" a small voice whispered from the rubble.

Knives was trying to call his brother. Vash looked for himself but he had walked too far away.

"Wait!" Vash shouted for himself. "You can't just leave him here? You can't! He'll suffer if you leave him like this!"

­

The memory faded and Vash found himself sobbing onto his brothers' body once again. Knives. I didn't know, I swear I didn't! I didn't think!

Knives body stirred and Vash was on his feet in an instant.

Are you going to kill me? Knives voice rang clear in Vash's mind.

"Oh, you're awake now huh?" Vash grinned down at his brother.

Are you going to kill me? Knives repeated.

"No Knives. I'm not going to kill you." Vash said.

The man lying moved his head again.

Why are you healing me? Is it so that we can fight again then?

"No, you've got it all wrong. We're never going to fight again."

The man lying opened his eyes in a flash, revealing an icy blue glare. What do you mean we're not going to fight again? "Will you join me in a little, extermination then?" the lying man's voice softly filled the room.

"No Knives. We're not going to kill anyone. There's another way."

"HA!" the lying man laughed cruelly. "There's another way? You are all excuses Vash. They make me ill. I really thought by now you'd see your brother's point of view."

Vash smiled slowly. "Actually Knives, I do understand your point of view. More than you know. I agree that humans can be pretty evil."

Knives stared at his brother. "What does that mean? Is this a game? From you? I didn't think you were capable of thinking independently."

"You would think that, wouldn't you Knives? Games? Nope. I really couldn't be more sincere." Vash stepped forward and seated himself on the table where his brother helplessly lay. "You see Knives, I don't think I ever really took the time to relate to you, when we were growing up."

Knives continued to stare.

"I admit I was wrapped up in Rem, in humans and most importantly, in love and peace." Vash continued.

"Well?" His brother responded.

"Well, I'm sorry." Vash blinked at his brother.

"You're sorry?" Knives laughed. "Don't you think it's too late for that?" Knives attempted to lift his head but it was obvious that he had the strength of a newborn. "If I had my strength I'd kill you right now dear brother. Now, don't look at me like that! It would be for your own good. I would never want you to be unhappy and I know how silly you can be about revenge."

"Revenge?"

"Yes, these parasites have sucked the life out of us; they are evil Vash. They drove us apart, they ruined my life! I don't see why you can't see that?"

Vash stood up slowly. "I do see that Knives, I know what they did to you and to me. But is it revenge you want, really?"

"Of course, they're wasting the oxygen that we can use." Knives smiled up at his brother.

"Knives, I'm sorry that they hurt you. But I was hurt too. Now listen to me, because this is the only time I'm going to say this; you're going to stay with me. I'm not leaving you, I'm not fighting you and I'm not going to kill you. But instead, I'm going to stay with you, I'm going to help you and I'm going to love you like a brother loves a brother, like I should have from the very beginning."

Silence filled the room.

Knives looked at his brother.

"I see."

To be continued…

Alrighty chapter 5 and so far everyone seems to be in one piece. Let's see how long that lasts…hehe….