She walked into the dark room slowly.

"Vash?" she called out tentatively. She took no note as the door slid silently closed behind her. She looked around. It was definitely his room. She saw his duffle bag in one of the corners and the counter was littered with donut boxes and a few empty liquor bottles. She walked over to the counter and picked up one of the empty bottles. "What are you doing to yourself?" She stood there a moment before gathering up the trash and throwing it into the waste bin. Then she realized what she was doing and stopped herself from doing any more cleaning. Vash was a big boy and he could take care of himself. Plus, if she straightened up the room, he might notice she'd been there. Then again, he might not. Then again, he might just start whining.

"But insurance girl, I was SAVING that empty donut box!"

She sighed and turned to leave. She hit the door control panel, but it didn't open. She hit it a few more times before sighing exasperatedly. It still didn't respond. "Probably locked from the outside," she muttered to herself. This was just her luck. Vash had basically told her not to come around. Now he would come back to his room and she would be the first thing he saw.

She walked into the living area and sat on the couch in the darkness. She suddenly found herself mad at him. What was he thinking telling her not to come around! Didn't he know her at all? She was an INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR. Nosiness wasn't just an annoying personality defect for her. It was a way of life.

She leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. What was she going to say to him when he showed up? How was she going to come out of this situation looking anything other than stalker-ish?

"…"

What did she care? She had a reason! This was her job! This was her job. This was her job.

Maybe some day, she would manage to convince herself.

She gasped as she felt a sudden sensation around her leg. She looked down to see a black cat trying to get attention. She laughed a little at herself for being so frightened.

"Hey there, little guy," she said as she bent down to pet it. "What are you doing here?"

"What a good question," said a man's voice from another room.

Meryl tried to snap her head up, but she found that she couldn't. Her body felt stuck. She started to panic. That could only be… That could only be… By sheer determination alone, she forced her head up to look towards the voice.

Her eyes confirmed her worst fears.

Vash's legs pounded against the floor. He was running as fast as he could. He could hear Knives voice clearly in his head.

"So…you've come looking for Vash, have you? I thought he told you filth to stay away…"

Vash's lungs felt like they were going to explode. He had to get there fast.

"Oh well. His loss. Look what I found in my room today. Do you know what this is, spider? It's…a listening device."

He cursed his legs for not going faster.

"Do you know why he left it here? Hmm? It's because…he doesn't trust me anymore."

His heart was pounding in his chest.

"Do you know why he doesn't trust me, spider? It's because of you miserable creatures. You've turned him against me."

He almost ripped his ear ring out.

"I seem to recognize you. You're the one, aren't you? The one who did this to me. Isn't it ironic that instead of using the arms I was born with to kill you, I'll be using arms made by the hands of your kind to do the same? Even though you went through all the trouble of trying to stop me, you're still going to die by my hand, even if it is a fake one."

The floor seemed to fall out from under him, but he kept running anyway.

"Do you have any last words for Vash before I kill you? He's been listening, you know… HAVEN'T YOU, VASH! I want you to hear the last breaths of the pathetic weakling you tried to protect…the filth you place above even your own brother."

He heard a gasp as Meryl got control of her vocal cords again. "I…I…" Her speech was labored. "I'd do it again," she growled. "In a heartbeat." A pause. "I'm…sorry…Vash."

He would have screamed if his voice worked.

"I want you to listen hard, brother."

He heard a quiet pounding noise in his head. It sounded totally erratic. It began to slow to a steadier rhythm. It sounded so familiar…

Like a heartbeat.

It was way too slow.

Knives looked Meryl in the eyes. He pressed the pen against her chest as his other hand gripped her neck. Her panicked eyes were rolling into the back of her head. A few more seconds and she'd be unconscious, another three minutes and she'd be brain-dead. He was fascinated with the feel of her slowing pulse under his new hand. He could feel everything, every little imperfection in her skin, every muscle that struggled against him, every blood cell that tried to push through his grip. He focused on the new sensations. He lost concentration enough that she was able to move her arms. She reached up in an attempt to push him away, but she only managed to lightly brush her hands against his neck as she lost consciousness completely.

At the moment she touched him, Knives saw something he wasn't expecting: an image of a young man in a space suit with crazed eyes and bloody knuckles. It took him a moment to realize that he was seeing himself. It was just after the Great Fall…but how could this human…

Though his arms were incredibly powerful instruments, they were only as good as the brain they were connected to, and at this moment, Knives' brain was a little side-tracked. His grip loosened just enough for her to get some much needed oxygen. Her body automatically inhaled what it could.

He tried to block the memory that followed, but he couldn't. He saw Vash lying in front of him, a bruise on his cheek, his eyes poring out sadness and disbelief. Vash hadn't ever accepted that what he'd done was necessary for the two of them to be safe. Even Rem…even she chose the humans over them… They couldn't even trust her.

He heard the door slide open and he saw his brother's face, but it was hard to separate reality from the memory. Vash had the exact same look in his eyes. Knives blinked, trying to gather his wits, attempting to crush the human's trachea with his new hand, but in no time, Vash had crossed the room and punched Knives in the face. Blood from his newly broken nose sprayed across the wall as he fell. He felt a sharp, dizzying pain in his side as his brother kicked him in the kidney.

Vash lifted him by his neck so that his feet barely touched the ground. The look in Vash's eyes was suddenly completely different: they were hardened with righteous fury. Vash squeezed Knives' throat slowly, giving his twin a taste of his own medicine. He lost track of himself, squeezing more tightly little by little. Knives was trying to speak, but there wasn't enough air in his lungs to push any words out. Vash suddenly realized what he was doing, but he just couldn't stop himself. He wanted his brother to suffer. He wanted Knives to feel the anguish he'd felt. He wanted Knives to know what it felt like to never be able to touch another living thing without having fear course through his veins. He wanted Knives to know what it was like to have a brother who wouldn't bat an eye over killing even him. He was so tired of feeling weak and helpless and indecisive and cowardly. He wanted Knives to fear him. He wanted Knives to feel pain, the same pain he'd caused Meryl, the same pain he'd caused him, the same pain he'd caused --

A small cough distracted him and he let go of his brother's neck. Knives crumpled to the ground gasping for breath. He looked at his hands, slightly horrified. Another cough brought him back to reality and he realized he needed to get Meryl out of there. He picked her up carefully and held her close to him. She was unconscious and shaking. He walked outside of the room and sank against the wall until he was on the floor with her in his lap. He knew he should have taken her to Doc or even to Milly, but all he could do at the moment was listen to her breathe.

It felt like some kind of…earth quake… It seemed like she was lying on uneven ground. The shaking didn't stop. Rocks were jabbing into her side. She tried to roll into a more comfortable position, but she realized she was pinned by something. The shaking stopped. She slowly opened her eyes.

She saw a shoulder. She was leaning against somebody's chest.

She looked up and saw Vash's face. He was arguing with someone. He'd been crying. Of course. She looked around and saw a group of people surrounding her, all of them looking very worried. She tried to say something, but the sudden realization of the raw, throbbing pain along her throat caused a sudden memory of Knives' attempt on her life.

She started freaking out. Was he here? Was he watching? Did Vash know where he was? She started to scream and to push away from Vash. He looked at her with bewilderment in his eyes. His hold on her loosened and another pair of hands grabbed at her, lifting her up. She tried to swing at whoever it was, but she was immediately enveloped in a strong, warm, familiar embrace. She looked up.

Was that face…Milly's? It was hard to tell. Meryl had never seen her look so angry before. A moment later, all doubt was cast out of her mind as Milly looked down at her and carefully touched her sore neck. Milly's chin trembled with pure sympathy for a moment before she stared daggers at Vash one more time and turned to leave. Meryl realized she was being carried and a small part of her brain told her she should be feeling some kind of embarrassment over this, but the overwhelming majority of her brain cells were celebrating the fact that she was finally somewhere where she could feel safe. She looked over Milly's shoulder as Milly's long strides carried her farther and farther away. Doc knelt down as Vash hugged himself and began to rock back and forth.

Meryl closed her eyes. She just couldn't watch anymore.

A/N: what is this! ANOTHER UPDATE! i am officially on a roll!

thanks for the reviews! give me more:)