A few days later...

Four days after the bank incident, Vash was almost back up to 100%. He still stayed in bed a lot, but when no one was looking, he got up and practiced with a gun the sheriff gave him as a 'thank you' for his heroics. It wasn't near as good as his gun, but it kept him busy. The sounds of shots were pretty common around there, so no one paid them much mind when they came from Vash. Sneaking in ammo was the tricky part. He recruited a couple kids to help him, offering them lessons on how to use a gun when they got older. They eagerly agreed. Gun-slinging lessons from Vash the Stampede? Who would've refused? Naturally, the lessons focused solely on hitting non-lethal targets and included a sermon about why aiming for the head and heart was bad. Vash sometimes wondered if Wolfwood ever felt like this when he gave sermons.

The woman who loaned Vash her gun, Sasha, stuck around, despite Vash's lewd request. A come-on here and there could be ignored, she thought. Not like she didn't get them everywhere else. Besides, she'd become interested in him. Fascinated, really, though completely non-romantically. Sure, she thought he was handsome and all that, but he was just so...goofy.

At Vash's request, Sasha kept an eye on Knives. He didn't know her and it was a small town, so he probably wouldn't think too much of seeing her around. He didn't leave much anyway. Not because he was so concerned about Vash. Knives knew he'd recover. He just didn't want to be out among humans more than was absolutely necessary. Sasha informed Vash everyday that Knives hadn't killed anyone, which always made him smile.

"Maybe he's finally starting to see that there's no reason to kill people."

"I don't know," Sasha said as she brought him soup one afternoon. "I think he wants to kill someone, but no one has caught his eye as really deserving. It's only a matter of time."

"Maybe. But even so, everyday he doesn't take a life is a day toward him never taking another. That's all I can expect, I guess."

"You're wrong. He'll kill again, i'm sure."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you so sure?"

"You don't see him when he leaves to get water or food, but I do. I see the way he glares at everyone. He always looks like he's this close to mass-****. Like if he sneezes and no one says 'bless you', he'll kill everyone he sees. Your brother is a killer, Vash. He probably always will be."

"I don't wanna think of Knives as beyond reach. I want him to give up killing, so we really can be brothers again. We were so happy before...before. I want to believe we can be again."

"You're only fooling yourself. Here, drink your soup before it gets cold."

"Drink?" Vash whined. "I thought you said there'd be meat in it this time!"

"Do you have money for it?" Vash was silent. "Then drink up!"

Vash took a slurp. "Not as good as Meryls'...but still better than Millie's."