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Guided Steps	By : ctsama Category: +S to Z > Trigun Views: 4840 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
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It took Vash a while to realize that the man currently
wrapped around him had fallen asleep.� He�d
known it was inevitable once Wolfwood put his head on his shoulder and sighed
softly.� Vash just continued stroking his
hair, breathing in his scent and trying make sense of things.

Something of monumental import had just happened.� He knew that much, but he wasn�t quite sure
what it all meant.� After several minutes
of staring at Wolfwood�s peacefully sleeping face he smiled.� He would have plenty of time to figure it all
out.

His gaze dropped lower, coming to rest on those bloody
bandages once more and his smile vanished.

What followed was � as Jenk would later describe it � a
royal freak-out session.

**************************************************************************************

It was an introduction Jenk would never forget.

He was just sitting in his study, enjoying the quiet and
reading over an old book.� A cube of ice
cracked and clinked against the side of the glass in the scotch on his
desk.� �Can�t beat that sound on a hot
day,� he sighed happily.

Then a noise startled him so badly he almost toppled out of
his chair.� It took him a second to
realize that the half-naked man who�d just crashed into his study was the same
one who had been lying comatose in his home for days.� He was bloody and shouting incomprehensibly,
and Jenk could only blink up at him in astonishment.

Thank goodness Calito was out with Jacob, looting that stalled-out
car they found.� As a doctor�s son the
boy had seen many things, but this probably would�ve broken his little brain.

Jacob�s brother calmed slightly at seeing an old medical
license framed on the wall, just enough to take a deep breath a form a coherent
sentence.� �I need help.� Please.�

It had been a while since he�d had a regular practice, but
he had his supplies handy from patching up this previously injured man just
days before so he grabbed his pack and headed off upstairs after him.

As if the dramatic entrance hadn�t shocked him enough Jenk
now had to deal with the sight that greeted him as he rounded the corner.� He approached the man on the bed and was
immediately horrified by the source of the blood on Vash as well as the
unmistakable evidence of what they�d been up to.

The doctor in him was completely incensed.� �Are you insane?!� You don�t screw badly wounded people!�

�I�m sorry!� I didn�t
know he was this bad!� He never said
anything��

�Oh, sure.� Blame the victim!� Jenk muttered while carefully untaping
the front bandage.

Vash was too terrified to give any thought to Jenk�s
assumptions.� �Well?� he demanded.� �How bad is it?�

�I�ll tell you in a minute.�
Now be quiet and let me concentrate, for crying out loud!�

Jenk got the bandage free, expecting the worst.� He threw the bloodied piece away from him carelessly,
already reaching for another from his bag.�
�There�s so much blood�� He splashed
it quickly in alcohol and pressed it hard to the wound.� �There now.�
At least I�ll be able to see what I�m up against�� He pulled back on the gauze slowly.� The wound was a large one, as he�d
anticipated.� It had already been stuck
together once with some kind of bonding agent he�d never seen before, and he
could see where it had ripped halfway open.

His eyebrows drew together in confusion and Vash began
demanding answers, which further irritated the crap out of him.

�No, why don�t you
tell me what�s going on here!� This doesn�t make any sense.� I�ve never seen anyone live with this many
signs of severe blood loss.� But look
here.� He�s stopped bleeding.� Short of his heart no longer pumping, there�s
no reason for that to happen.� How the
hell did he make it this far in this condition in the first place?� Why isn�t this man dead?!�

Vash felt his knees turning to water.� ��Dead?��
He let himself slide down to the floor, not bothering to try and steady
himself.�

��just let me go.�

�Oh Nick, you stubborn, self-destructive�� Part of him wanted to cry.� The other part wanted to shake Wolfwood awake
and yell some sense into him.� �Things
don�t have to get this bad before you say
something to me!� This can�t happen
again.�

Jenk ignored him and continued his work, clearing excess
blood from the wound and redressing it.�
When he finished in the front he rolled Wolfwood carefully onto his side,
clucking at the second bandage he found there.�
�Unbelievable.� I�ll bet�
yep.� Same damned thing,� he said when
he�d gotten the soiled bandage off.� �No
more bleeding here either.� Either this
is the luckiest son-of-a-bitch in creation or I�m really missing something
here.� Don�t suppose you could enlighten
me?�

�No,� Vash said with an apologetic shrug.� �I know he heals a lot faster than most, but
that�s all I can tell you.� I� really didn�t
know it was this bad.� He never says
anything��

�Don�t give me that crap!�
You took advantage this man, plain and simple!�� Jenk grunted and continued taping on a fresh
gauze pad.

He was finishing up when he realized the blue-eyed man had
moved close enough to take the other�s hand in his own.� The other hand brushed his forehead with
gentle fingers and he looked for all the world as if he wanted to do more, but
was afraid of accidentally causing further harm.� Even in sleep the newcomer sighed and leaned
into the touch, forcing Jenk to cast off his earlier assessment of had happened
here.

An alternate explanation formed in his head and sent the
hardened doctor spiraling into pity.�

�He�s no abuser.� He�s
just stupid in love.� They probably both are.�� He huffed, scratched his head and decided to
start over.� �Ah, hell,� he
murmured.�� Sorry for laying into ya
like that, son.� Some people ain�t
inclined to complain even when they�re bleeding to death; I guess he�s one of
�em.� So what�s your name, anyway?� Your brother never would say.�� He saw Vash hesitating and chuckled.� �Probably wanted to give you the chance to
lie, but you might as well tell the truth.�

�I suppose I owe you that much at least.� My name� is Vash.�

Jenk�s eyes widened.�
�Vash?� As in��

�Yeah.� The Stampede.� And in addition to the usual bounty hunters
after me, I�d guess the Earth forces are after me too by now.� If anyone found out I was here, things would
get very bad, very fast.� By taking us in
you could be risking your life.�

�Right now nobody knows you�re here, so don�t go borrowing
trouble.� You let me worry about what I
want to risk.� So� you were bad off
yourself when your brother Jacob brought you here.� He says you single-handedly stopped
Knives.� That true?�

�Not single-handedly,� Vash said with a small smile.� �Let�s just say it was a group effort.�

�Well Vash the Stampede, I�m Jenk.� I�ve got a son named Calito.� I�m sure he�s off running circles around Jacob.� He was pretty broken up when he showed up
here with you.� Calito took a shine to
him right away, took to caring for him without me asking.� Hell, your brother talks to the kid more than
me sometimes.�� Jenk frowned at Vash�s
expression.� �That odd or somethin�?�

It took Vash a moment to realize his jaw had dropped wide
open and he rushed to shut it.� �It�s
nothing, sorry.� I just didn�t know my
brother� liked kids, that�s all.�

Jenk rose and went outside the room for a moment, coming
back with a large, heavy blanket.� He
shoved part of it at Vash who quickly got the message, helping him to get it
spread over Wolfwood.� �If things were
different I�d tell ya to get him into a big city hospital so they could at
least try a transfusion, but since that ain�t likely to happen all we can do is
keep him warm and let him alone.� He
seems to be healing up just fine now for some reason, so stop worrying that you
did him harm. �If you do, I�ll tell ya
something��

Jenk looked around, then leaned in close and motioned for
Vash to do the same. ��My late wife got
herself caught in a May City shootout once,� he whispered.� �I just knew she was dead.� I got to town fast as I could and found her
in the hospital.� She had a gunshot
through her shoulder and a bullet still in her leg, but she was alive.� She looked at me an� I looked at her, and
that was all it took for us both to lose our minds.� Two traumatized nurses later they threw me
out into the street with my pants still down around my ankles, but the damage
was done.� Calito was born nine months to
the day later.� So quit feeling guilty.� You aren�t the first person to jump your mate
at an inappropriate time and place!��
Jenk patted Vash on the shoulder, cackling at his wide-eyed
expression.� �Come on down to see your
brother when you�re ready.� I�m sure
he�ll be thrilled.�

Jenk closed the door behind him when he left and Vash
laughed softly, running his fingers lightly over Wolfwood�s brow.� �It looks like you have another crazy person
to deal with, Nick.�

It was all he could do to keep his laughter quiet when
Wolfwood frowned and grumbled in his sleep.

**************************************************************************************

Knives wasn�t sure how he�d ended up on babysitting detail
for the afternoon.� It wasn�t that he was
a difficult child. Calito was a sweet kid, but his kindness, his genuine and unobtrusive
interest continually drove home just how much of a monster he had been.� It was even enough to dampen his considerable
joy at seeing Vash up and around again.

When Vash had walked into the room and he saw his brother
he�d been on his feet and moving forward before he could think about it.� At the last second his brain had kicked in
and he�d stopped two feet short.

�I haunted his steps, made him walk through hell.�
What if he only saved me just to tell me� that he hates me�?�

But Vash had no such hesitation.� He�d just smiled, said �Hello, brother,� and
opened his arms.� That was all it took
for him to break down, rushing into that welcoming embrace that he knew he
didn�t deserve.� He�d broken down into wracking
sobs, uncaring of the weakness he was showing to the two humans looking on with
relieved and happy smiles.

�At least Calito is asleep for now,� he thought, using the
quiet time to sort through some old boxes of things taken from the nearby ghost
town.� Some things were useful, some
weren�t and the process of separating the two into neat piles had a calming
effect on Knives� mind.

A heavier step than Calito�s interrupted his work and he
swallowed hard, wishing he warranted better luck.� �Two days of him being asleep, two days of Vash
practically hovering over him.� Then as
soon as Jenk forces him out of the house, he
wakes up when I�m the only adult in the house.�

He wanted to run away and not look back.� Instead he gathered his courage, stood slowly
and turned around.

The unwilling pawn, easily kept in line through vigilance, threats,
and pain, or so he�d thought.� Who could
have known this would be the one to fight his way to the other side of the
chessboard?

Wolfwood just stood in the doorway, watching him
intently.� The silence dragged on for the
better part of a minute before Knives couldn�t take it anymore.� Just as he opened his mouth though, Wolfwood
finally spoke.

�So?�

Knives just blinked widely.�
�So� what?�

�So where�s Vash?�

�Oh, right.� He�s out
with Jenk � Calito�s father, I mean.� They
do pretty well growing their own food but they still need whatever they can
scrounge.� Not much left in the local
town so they had to make an emergency run into the city.� They should be back soon.�

With all his information imparted silence descended once
more and Wolfwood was still staring into him� looking for something.� �Are
you, ah�� he gestured toward the other�s stomach.

Wolfwood�s eyes narrowed and Knives could actually feel the
aura of malice coming off him in waves.�
�I�ll live.� That�s more than I
can say for your attack dog.�

Knives� mouth suddenly felt dry.� Of course.�
Wolfwood was alive, and that could mean only one thing.� �Legato is��

�Decomposing in the desert somewhere.� Yeah.��
Wolfwood�s sharp eyes were focused on him and apparently saw something
he didn�t like.� �What?� Upset that I broke your favorite tool?� My apologies,� he drawled lazily, crossing
his arms and leaning up against the doorframe.�
�I thought you were done with it.�

Knives turned and knelt to his task once again, trying to
give himself time to either wait out Wolfwood�s interest or find the words to
answer him.� By the time he�d emptied the
last box neither had happened and if anything Wolfwood�s scrutiny had
intensified.� �I don�t know what you want
me to say,� he finally bit out in frustration.�
�He was just a tool to
me.� I didn�t treat him the way I should
have and I� I think that saddens me.�

�You expect me to believe you�re in mourning for that monster?�
Try again, and this time leave out the bullshit.�

�Maybe that�s not right, I don�t know!� Knives exclaimed, standing
and whirling to face him.� �I just wish I
had turned him a different way, that�s all!�
If I had he might have had a chance to be something better�� Ah, this is pointless!�� Knives turned away, gritting his teeth.� His thoughts were chaotic and he was falling
further and further into frustrated confusion.�
Finally anger stopped the process.�
�What does he want from me?�
Doesn�t he know I�m trying?�

Those sharp eyes on him didn�t miss a thing.� �What are you so angry about, Knives?� If a simple conversation gets you this riled
up how the hell do you expect to live around humans and not turn into what you
were before?�

A harsh laugh burst out of him.� �There�s nothing simple about this
conversation.� For over a century
everything has been so clear, and now it�s all complicated and confusing!�

�Why?� What did Vash
do to you?�

�That�s� hard to explain.�

Wolfwood just cocked an eyebrow at him.� �Take your time.� I�ve got all day.�

Knives grimaced because he knew Wolfwood would just wait him
out no matter how long it took.� �When
Vash and I were children we found out something terrible.� We had an older sister, the very first
independent plant.�� His lip curled into
a sneer at the memory even now.� �Human
scientists took her.� They ran
experiments on her.� Dissected her.� And she trusted them to the very end.� It was terrible.� We found what was left of her� just pieces
and parts floating in jars,� he spat.�
Even after everything that had happened, thinking about it still made
him sick.� �Only one woman stood between
us and our her fate, and it was the same woman who had lacked the courage to
stop our sister�s torture.�

�Sounds like someone determined not to make the same mistake
twice,� Wolfwood said quietly.

Knives closed his eyes as Wolfwood�s words caused a fresh
wave of pain to pass over him.� �I see
that now.� But back then I didn�t see it
that way and neither did Vash at first. �He got suicidal.� I decided it was us or you, so you all had to
die.� But genocide is difficult when you
still have the capacity for human emotion so I just� locked away my ability to
feel anything I considered to be a weakness.�

�And Vash changed that somehow.�

�Yes.� When we fought he
went into my mind and undid all my work, bringing it all back.� So now� I am drowning in so many emotions
that I have no idea how to name them all, let alone deal with them.� When I look around nothing is the same
anymore; it�s as if I�ve awoken from a nightmare.� These people who saved Vash and me� they�re
just two of those whose lives have been shattered because of what I did.� Every time I see them, talk to them I want
to� to scream, to cry, hell, I don�t know.�

He stopped, feeling tired and drained.� A bitter chuckle burst out of him.� �Calito said it wasn�t enough to feel bad,
that you have to make up for what you did wrong.� Well, how am I supposed to think of a way to do
something that impossible when I can�t even get through a single day without
having a breakdown?!� If only I
understood all these feelings I could��

Knives stopped talking and Wolfwood just watched him, trying
to see the loved, redeemable brother that Vash saw when he looked at this
person.� Try as he might, he couldn�t see
it. �Oh, he had changed, no doubt about
that.� But now instead of murderous
hatred Wolfwood sensed a kind of directionless instability.� It was a combination that could still lead to
disaster.�

Seconds ticked by in silence and Knives turned to him
slowly, suddenly calm.� Warning bells
went off in Wolfwood�s head and he took a reflexive step backward.

Knives didn�t notice his apprehension.� He�d thought of a way out of the endless
spiral of misery that had kept him trapped, and he was focused on it.� The key was right in front of him, the
connections already formed and ready for him to use.� He pushed against them and dormant, well-worn
paths flared back to life.� It would be a
simple matter, far simpler than trying this with anyone else.� He knew Wolfwood�s mind, knew exactly where
to go to get the information he needed.�
And if he used a gentle touch he wouldn�t cause any damage.� Surely there could be nothing wrong with that.

Wolfwood felt a familiar sensation of pressure at the base
of his skull that he never thought he�d have to experience again.� It was then he realized Knives intended to
dig through his head in order to learn about his own emotions.

�Just relax.� This
won�t hurt at all.�

�Relax.�� If the
situation had been different Wolfwood would have laughed.� �No fucking way.� You don�t get to do this to me again.�

Through the numerous times Knives had invaded his mind in
the past, Wolfwood had very subtly found ways of resisting.� Now he stripped all the subtlety away and
fought with every trick he�d learned.� Instead
of relaxing he ran a constant barrage of every useless thing he could think of through
his mind.� He recited inane songs,
thought of hot sand and his irrational hatred of lima beans, anything he could
think of.� It wouldn�t stop Knives�
invasion, but it would seriously slow him down for a few precious moments while
he tried to get out of this.

He remembered that he�d dressed in the same clothes he�d
traveled in and an idea took hold.� It
was risky, but it just might work.� He issued
an order to his hand which bent to his will after a few tense seconds, heading
in fits and starts to the front left pocket of his jeans. �The effort broke his concentration and Knives
immediately noticed, pushing harder than he had before.

There wasn�t much time.�
Knives hadn�t expected him to have any success at resisting and was
beginning to get angry.� Sweat rolled
down his hairline in fat drops and he bit his lip so hard it bled.� As his fingers pushed inside his pocket Knives
almost had him.

At another time Wolfwood would have bitten through his own
tongue just to make sure Knives didn�t get what he was after.� Now, though� things were different.

The tips of his fingers brushed their goal and another
connection roared to life.

**************************************************************************************

Five hours alone with Jenk.�
Five.

It had taken five long hours to complete the trip to the
nearest city and back, and while Jenk was a good man � no question there � he
had an incredibly odd sense of humor.�
And a very, very dirty mind, but not in a good way.

Jenk began to cackle once more and Vash snapped himself to
attention long enough to laugh absently.�
Out of self defense he�d stopped listening to Jenk�s horrible toilet humor
half an hour ago.� At least they were
finally back, and they�d scrounged up a decent amount of canned goods and other
necessities.� �I�m sending Wolfwood next
time though,� he thought.� He hopped out
of the old truck as soon as Jenk pulled it to a stop.

He stepped out of the truck and immediately had an odd sense
of falling.� He grabbed at the door to
steady himself, but missed it all together when Wolfwood�s panic went tearing
through � through�? � his head.� His back hit the ground but he didn�t feel
it.� Words came riding a frantic sense of
urgency.� He�s trying to get back in, don�t let him Vash what are you waiting
for!?� Get him OUT OF MY HEAD!

Vash was confused, but only until Knives� unmistakable
presence bled through and made sense of Wolfwood�s cry.

By now Jenk had realized something was wrong.� He knelt with his hand on Vash�s shoulder and
he looked so worried Vash wanted to explain what was happening, but he had
something far more important to attend to.

Vash stood, managing what he hoped was a reassuring smile
before slowly making his way into the house by feel and memory because all his
attentions were entirely focused on the one who had called to him in the first
place.

However the hell Wolfwood had managed to forge a connection
to him, it was a strong one and he took full advantage.� He pressed in and felt the fight his guide
was putting up to try and stall his brother.�
He�d thought he could just shove Knives out as he�d done before, but
Wolfwood had been catatonic then.� Now
his mind was too intertwined with Knives� for that kind of action.� If he pushed his twin out now, something of
Wolfwood might go with him.� There was
nothing Vash could do except ask Wolfwood to do something entirely against his
nature.

Nick, you have to stop
fighting him.� Move aside and let me
handle this.

It was a tall order and Vash was prepared to have to do some
convincing, but the argument never came.�
There was a brief pause in Wolfwood�s resistance, and then to Vash�s
utter shock he just fell away into complete passivity.� After that it was an easy task to identify
the foreign presence in that beloved mind, stop it and drive it out where it belonged.

Even though he pulled back on the amount of power he used, he
was in his full protective glory and the mental blow that hit Knives was enough
to send him flying backward.� He hit the wall
and dropped to the floor with a cry.�
Wolfwood wobbled and Vash got there just in time to cushion his fall
even though he was still completely immersed in his guide�s mind.

Once Knives was gone Vash felt a nearly overwhelming sense
of relief and gratitude before Wolfwood actually communicated the word thanks.�
The depth of it was nothing short of incredible, and fascinating because
of what it implied.� Wolfwood seemed to
think in intangible terms, like senses, feelings, and emotions.� Vash could easily tell that Wolfwood was tacking
on words for his benefit alone.

Are you all right?

Anger and fear hit him first.� Then, Yeah.� He didn�t get in, but�� It was too close.� Are you sure about this?� If he hurts anyone else it will be on us.

No, it would be on me,
Vash returned.� It won�t come to that, though.� I
know he can turn back around, even though he�s got a lot to learn.

Ya think? rode a
wave of wry, dark amusement.

That is so neat.� Wolfwood�s way of thinking was too
distracting.� Try as he might Vash just
couldn�t concentrate on anything else.

Confusion came first, then What�s neat?

The way you
think.� I�m not sure how to explain it�� An idea formed and it was just too
tempting.� He had to do it.� I love
you, Nick.

The response was immediate and so strong he very nearly got lost
in it.� Unconditional warmth and trust
that were wholly without boundaries rolled over him in a great wave.� There was an �I love you too� in there somewhere, but it was completely superfluous.

When Vash could communicate again it was understandably
garbled.� Wow, Nick, you� I mean�� Wow.

This time a cross between fondness and irritation enveloped
him.� If
you�re going to make less sense than usual go do it somewhere else.� Out.� Now.

Okay, I�m going, but�
I really like this.� Seriously.� I might just move in.

His next words would have been harsh if not for the pleasure
and embarrassment that preceded them.� Yeah, well I guess this beats having teeth
pulled.� Now out!

With a laugh Vash crossed easily back into his own mind, and
felt it when Wolfwood closed down the link between them.� He immediately missed the closeness, but to
relive it he had only to remember the gift Wolfwood had given him.� It had been so profound he could feel the cool
touch of tears on his cheeks.

Deft fingers wiped those tears from his cheeks and Vash
opened his eyes and looked down to stare into the dark, concerned gaze of the
man in his arms.

�What�s wrong?�

�Nothing at all.�� A
smile slowly formed and Wolfwood chuckled in understanding.� �How did you manage to call me like that?�

Vash watched him first squirm, then turn a little pink.� �Just check my front left pocket.�� He did as he was told and pulled out a soft,
silvery feather.� �When I touched it before
it opened some kinda connection between us.�
Figured it might work again.�

He looked at it, puzzled until he recognized when and where
Wolfwood could have gotten it.� �You kept
it this long?� Why, Nick?�

�Because I figured as long as you were shedding the damn
things I could collect them and make myself a nice feather pillow.�� Vash was all set to tease him about lying
when he stopped and sighed.� �Because I
loved you so damn much it hurt and having that just made it easier to think
maybe you felt the same, okay?�

Vash knew he was grinning like an idiot but couldn�t seem to
stop himself.� �You love me, you really,
really do.�

Before Wolfwood could give in to the temptation and punch
Vash right in the nose a noise broke the moment between them.� They both turned to its source to see Knives
groaning, struggling to rise to consciousness and Vash heard a low growl come
from Wolfwood�s throat.� That was all the
warning he needed and his lightning reflexes kicked in, allowing him to grab
the furious priest mid-attack in a full nelson and pull him back.

Wolfwood wasn�t up to full strength yet, but even so Vash
had a hell of a time holding on to him.� �Get
your hands off me, Vash!� This bastard
tried to fuck my head again!� I have to
kill him!�

�This isn�t the way, trust me!�

Wolfwood alternated between disbelief and indignant
anger.� �He can get inside my mind
whenever he wants and if he gets serious there�s nothing I can do to stop him!� If I still have to live with that kind of
fear hanging over me I should have just blown my brains out after I killed
Legato!�

�Leave him to me.� Let
me deal with him and I give you my word that I will never let him do it again.� �Wolfwood�s
struggles slowed, and finally ceased.� �You
don�t have to be afraid of him.� I know
exactly what it was that he did to you, and if I thought for a second I
couldn�t stop him from doing it again I would kill him myself.�

He could feel Wolfwood fighting with himself and after a few
moments he let his arms drop and leaned back, just looking at Knives laying
there on the floor. �Vash had waylaid him
pretty hard and he was most likely defenseless right now. �There were a lot of heavy, blunt things around
the room.� It would be pretty simple to
just grab one and bring it right down on Knives� skull.� Hell, he could do it with his bare
hands.� One hit with all his strength would
be enough, and if he did it fast enough Vash wouldn�t be able to stop him.

Vash�s arm wrapped around him and pulled him tight against
his warmth.� Mentally he cursed the man�s
ability to make him feel safe. �It tended
to diffuse him and make him run at the mouth.�
It was strange though� that prospect didn�t bother him the way it used
to.� Vash even liked it when he did, so
maybe it wasn�t such a bad thing after all.

He drew in a shaky breath and spoke slowly.� �If you�re wrong and he gets into my mind
again it�s over for me.� I�m human, with
a human brain and I don�t know how much longer it can fight what he does to it.� �Everybody�s
got a breaking point and I�m damned close to mine.� So don�t fuck this up or I can�t promise I�ll
be around to tell you what an idiot you can be.�� He slipped away from Vash and left without a
backward glance.

Vash watched him go, completely astonished that Wolfwood had
told him what he was going through before reaching a crisis point.� �Thank you,� he whispered shakily to the now
empty space.� �So that�s what changed,�
he thought.

Knives finally fought his way back to consciousness, holding
his head and groaning in pain.� Vash
watched him, feeling an even greater sense of responsibility than ever before.� �Nick trusts me to protect him from you.� I won�t let him down.�� Knives started to question him, upset no
doubt at being �attacked� but Vash was in no mood to listen to him.

�We need to have a little talk.�

**************

I love the chessboard analogy.� I see Rem as Vash�s original queen, and it�s
fun assigning the other pieces to the various characters.� Yeah, I reeeeeally put too much thought into
this manga�� ~_^

To B: Good writing is nothing without great readers, and you
my dear are definitely one of the best!�
Sometimes I second guess myself on the amount of detail I put into the
story, and now I know I�m making good decisions on that front, so thank you for
that!� And thank for the well wishes, I
was so happy to see that.� I hope you are
having a wonderful start to the New Year as well!� :)

To Senna-chan: I totally understand your frustration; that�s
why I mostly stick to writing in the realms of completed works, just for folks
like you.� :)� I�m glad you found/like the story!

To PrettyArbitrary: I knew it!� Heh, heh!�
And thank you all the same because you didn�t have to review.� I, on the other hand, have no choice in
writing this story.� If I try to stop, my
life will become a cautionary tale titled �Why you should never say �no� to
vicious plot bunnies!�� :)
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Guided Steps