Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Night's End ❯ Mirror, Mirror ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: _______________________________________________.

This chapter is dedicated to the fine people at Hermiston Foods, and the owners of the Reser's 'Big Burrito,' without which I would never have survived the grueling nights it took to finish this.

z------------------z


This room had once been a haven among the stars for life. It had been a self-contained unit, a system of air, water, and life that defied the vacuum of the heavens in order to land upon this dusty world.

Only one day ago, this place had felt dead. Deserted by those who had captained it, it had been abandoned for a better tomorrow, one might say. And then... SHE had come. SHE had started a process, deep within the bowels of the machine. The machine, vast and terrifying as it was, was only a cog in the following processes, a cog and a focus.

Within the room, a glowing console numbered the various planetary statistics, measuring such commonplace things as temperature and humidity next to undecipherable script. Meryl wouldn't have known what it all meant, but Vash would've had an idea. He would have seen the console and immediately moved over to the section that pertained to them most, the countdown. Second by second, the time flowed in even sweeps, marking the time till the change.

Tick. One second down.

Tock. Another gone, never to return.

It is said that time stands still for no man. And indeed, the time remaining for Stage 2 had dropped from 25:00:00 to a mere 3:00:00. And still the clock marched on.

Tick.

Deep within the realm of his dreams, Vash the Stampede let out a ragged breath as Millie watched on. Outside, the area where the plant had been still flared up occasionally, sending the locals into a panic.

"What just happened?" she asked no one in particular. Biting her lip nervously, she wondered how she could feel so alone in the middle of the city. Even more so, how could she feel alone when Mr. Vash was not two feet from her.

He had no answers, and she sat silently within the dark room, listening to Vash breathe quietly, as she awaited her partner's return.

Tock.

z-----------------z

"What was that?!" Excited voices raised in the hallway outside of the room came through the walls. Footsteps pounded past the door as panicked residents fled the safety of their homes to discover what had knocked out the electricity and caused the explosion.

"It came from the Plant!" One of the voices yelled, starting waves of speculation as of what was going on. Somewhere nearby, a child was crying while confused adults discussed what the situation was. Scatters of conversation flickered through the room, vague and indistinct.

"Uhhhh," the man before Meryl groaned, a patch of darkness before her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Meryl croaked shakily. After the explosion had ended, she had been thrown against some piece of furniture, indistinguishable from the others in the dark. "Where's the door?"

"Near you." The man groaned again. "Look, could you open it and come here and help me out? I think I'm pinned under the couch." As Meryl felt around for the door, he chuckled hoarsely, "It looks like our little 'discussion,' was a day late and a dollar short."

There. That was the doorknob. Turning it, Meryl propped the door open to the hallway beyond, letting the light flood into the room. Her companion was indeed caught under the couch, and after a few moments of wrestling with it, she managed to free him from his prison.

"What do you mean?" She panted, after righting the couch and following him out into the hallway.

"First, let's go outside. It's too dark in here." So saying, he closed and locked the door, pocketing his keys.

Outside, the night was filled with the sounds of people everywhere. Screaming, crying, speaking comfortingly...every emotion that Meryl had ever seen was displayed for public viewing. "What's going on? What happened here?" she asked, her eyes scanning the buildings around her. There was a harsh glow against the city's skyline, and smoke boiled above the buildings in angry clouds of ash and soot. Interspersed with the smoke there were lightning flashes of blue and red emanating from the remains of the Plant.

"The Plant--" her companion whispered, "Look, it's...gone."

Once before, in her travels with the Humanoid Typhoon, Meryl had been witness to a Plant that everyone had thought was going to explode. Vash had stopped it in time, so she had not been privy to the aftermath of a Plant malfunction...but this...

Somewhere to her left, a person cried out in pain, the unfortunate recipient of a piece of shrapnel. In the darkness in front of her, a child was screaming endlessly for his parents. How much pain had this caused the occupants of this city? How much--

"This gives us even less time than I'd imagined," her companion interrupted her thoughts, his voice taking on a forced business-like air. "Come on, let's get away from these people, there are some things you need to know. We'll talk while we walk." She nodded, her eyes tired, as she turned away from the scene of destruction.

"First off, my name is Tom Baker. I know Vash from his arrival on my ship. He helped me set up a new life on this planet after I was declared 'unhealthily violent,' by the shipfolk and exiled to this world."

"Ship? Shipfolk? What are you talking about?"

"I used to live on single SEED ship that still works. It travels in the middle of a storm--"

"SEED?"

"It," he sighed impatiently, gesturing wildly with his hands, "It's not important. I only told you that so that you would understand how I knew Vash. I'm not a bounty hunter, and I'm not with the Feds. I'm just someone from his past...of sorts." Stopping at a nearby bench, he sat down heavily, inviting her to a seat next to him. "That's not important though. What I need to know is, what did you do on that ship in the desert?"

"What?" Meryl was startled. How did he know?

"Don't look at me like that. Vash told me that he found you near a ship. He didn't know what the ship was, didn't recognize the type it was, but he could see that much."

"Oh." So Vash had known. It was amazing he had recognized anything at all in the state he had been in. "The ship? I don't know. I don't know what was going on there, and I don't know what I did."

"So you DID do something?"

"Yes."

He looked up at the sky, his eyes trailing over the stars. "Well, I guess that answers some of my questions." Looking over at her he continued, "I have one question though. Why? Why did you do it, not knowing what it was?"

She felt very small. Of all the scenarios that she'd imagined herself in, explaining her actions aboard that ship...this had never been one of them. Describing to a stranger the intense feeling of-- She had no words to describe what she had felt then, only that it had been addictively powerful. "I--I thought that it was something that could help this world." She pictured the hologram of the green world within her mind's eye. Even now, that image of life still brought a chill to her spine.

"But you didn't know what it did. Or do you?"

She shook her head. "Not really." And with those words, she began the story of what had happened on that ship. He was silent mostly, intermittently stopping her to ask key questions. When she had finished, he gave her a long look before looking away at the smoke billowing above the buildings.

The fires were dying down by now and most of the panicked citizens had found places to be, other than the city streets that is. A few people still lingered, gawking at the destruction caused by the explosion of the Plant, but these few were nothing compared to the crowds before.

"You know...since yesterday, four Plants in cities across the world have gone offline. Two Plants, ours included, have overloaded, resulting in mass destruction. Weather experts across the planet are reporting an increase in wind speed and sudden changes in the directions. Heck...there are even some rumors that this Planet has changed polarities. All within the last day or so." He stopped, then looked meaningfully at her.

"I--I see," she stuttered, trying not to think of the probable cause of all of this. She had done the right thing...hadn't she?

"I'm not trying to make you feel worse about what you've done...only time will tell if it was the right decision or not. What I am trying to say is that we may not survive the transition if this keeps up."

She nodded. "I know, and since it is my fault, I'll go out and try to stop it. You need to see if you can get Vash out of the state he's in...I think I'm going to need his help before all of this is through. He's forgotten far more about the lost technologies than I've ever known."

Tom Baker, once a member of the technological elite, now a doctor in a small town, shook her hand as she left to go saddle her thomas. "Ms. Stryfe, it has been a definite pleasure to meet you. You are a definite keeper, and I hope that he realizes this before it's too late." That said, he strode towards their hotel in hopes of raising yet another Typhoon to add to their list of growing disasters.

Meryl watched him as he walked away, the last words ringing in her ears. Meryl...don't read too much into what he said. He doesn't know you...just stop what you're thinking right now. Looking away, she turned towards the stables to fetch her thomas. She still had a lot of work to do.

Z--------------------z

Vash stopped at the top of a rise, his sides heaving in an attempt to catch his breath. A glance at his twin made him frown, "You're not even red, Knives. I thought that I was supposed to be the travel-hardened one."

Knives looked at him sideways. Despite his best efforts, a corner of his mouth twitched up in amusement. "Maybe you are, maybe you are not. In any case, this--splintering is weakening you, which might explain your inability to keep up with this slow pace."

"Slow pace?!" Vash squawked indignantly. "Okay, so maybe it's not as fast as normal...but that doesn't make it slow!! And besides, who's the one who's been fighting off every single 'splinter-self,' we come across? Me, that's who." Calming down from his outrage for a moment he asked, "What are we even doing?" The back of his throat hurt. He needed a drink. Now. Even though it seemed impossible to need such a physical thing in what Knives was claiming was an unreal world, experience had taught him not to ignore his feelings. Added to the list of woes that lack of water had caused him in the last few days alone, and he was definitely ready for a drink.

Knives considered his question for a moment before answering, "We're looking for a way out." His voice was quiet.

Vash snorted, causing Knives to actually turn towards him. At the curious gaze that his sibling had settled upon him, Vash looked up from his wheezing with a wry grin, "What? Are you expecting some sort of doorway or something? Of course it would have to be labelled 'Exit,' or something, or we just might miss it--"

"A doorway," Knives mused, his expression thoughtful.

"Yeah." Vash stopped his rambling suddenly as he felt himself splinter once more. It was happening more frequently now, and every time it happened he was forced to muddle through the disorientation and weakness all over again. Added to that, they had encountered several more Vash's along the way, and it required serious effort on his part to stop them. It was no wonder then that he was seriously tired right now. He had every right to be.

"Knives," he grated, "Have you even splintered yet?" His knuckles were white, clenched around his knees. Knives looked at him concernedly.

"Yes," he replied simply, "Three times." He paused, "Is it getting worse?"

"Y-yes." Vash gritted once more, forcing his thoughts back into his head. "Will we--have t-to fight any of you?" A mental snap later, and his thoughts were once again his own. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't think so. I think any splinter emotions will be directed at humans." Placing a hand on Vash's shoulder, he helped his brother to stand upright. "In any case, I don't think there are any humans here anyway."

"I hate to say this, " Vash sighed heavily, "but for once, that's a good thing." Knives nodded absently, apparently still thinking.

"A doorway," he considered carefully, tasting the words and seeing what images they conjured. But whatever thought it was that he was seeking, he still couldn't grasp it.

"Are you still thinking about that? Come on, we won't get any answers by just sitting here. Maybe we'll find your doorway if we keep moving." Knives nodded slowly and followed as Vash took the lead.

"A door--" he began before being interrupted by a shout from his brother.

"KNIVES, LOOK OUT!!!!" As Knives whirled, he was struck from behind by a splinter Vash.

I can't take much more of this. Vash thought wearily, before using his mind like a cannon as Rem had shown him. When he opened his eyes again, Knives was picking himself off of the ground.

And that's when he saw it. He had a feeling that part of him that he had just fought had been a distraction, something used to weaken him while the rest of his selves got into position. Which he was...and they were, so in essence, their plan had worked out perfectly.

He lay before himself... Every rip...every single tear that his soul had ever experienced, every fragmented mirror that he had ever produced... They had Knives and him surrounded. Vash had a feeling that he had been tracked by his splinters, and their proximity had caused him to fragment even more...thus increasing their strength... It was a win-win situation for them.

There must have been twenty of them, each different in his own way. Or different in my own way, if I prefer to think of it that way. Some were wearing the red coat that was Rem's legacy. Some wore ordinary clothes. Some had long hair, some short. Some were scarred...some not.

"Knives," he rasped.

With a startled gasp, Knives turned around from surveying the countryside and saw the army gathered before them. "We have to find this doorway fast. This looks to be the end."

Vash nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead silently. He gathered his thoughts carefully, calculating who to strike first. After a moment of this, he stopped, putting one gloved hand to his head with a grimace of pain. "Knives, I just can't do it. There's too many of them." Knives frowned, and Vash continued, "And what's more, they are all gathering into one."

"What...gathering into one?" He paused as he drew back from the crowded slopes. "Vash, what's going on?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw his Vash fall to the ground, clutching his head.

"Too...many..."

The others had begun merging, emerging into one singular Vash at the base of the hill. His coat was the color of clotted blood, his eyes were those of the killer that so many had come to fear. A silver gun was in his hands, the barrel of it smoking over as the Vash stood upright, letting the wind catch his coat.

"KNIVES." The voice of that thing wasn't was his brother's voice. Not more than a whisper, the power behind that voice was enough to make Knives jump slightly. Nervous? He chided himself silently.

"Stay away from--

me--

--him," the creature warned darkly. "I'll deal with you later."

"No," his Vash whispered, his shoulders shaking. "No."

"Vash, focus on Rem," internally, Knives shuddered at the thought of using that name to save his brother. But she had an unusual effect on him... So it just might work. He looked at the core Vash, "Vash think of her." That Vash shivered once at the mention of her name and went still, his eyes trained on the other.

The other frowned at Knives, "How dare you invoke her name, murderer." It smirked, a shadow hanging behind its eyes. "It won't work though. His--

my--

power," he gestured at the core Vash," is nothing without us and any advice she can give him--

--me

is useless. Face it. It's over."

Knives forced himself up. "No," he stated flatly. Something was about to happen, he was sure of it. That something would most likely result in his sibling's untimely demise...but not if he could help it. "No!" he repeated, staggering towards the two. During the course of the conversation, the other seemed to have made his way up the slope to where the weakened core lay. Knives had to stop this. Now.

Two sets of eyes bored into him. One pair, the sad blue-green of the man known as Vash the Stampede, looked defeated and apologetic. "Vash--" he began as he ran towards them. The mirror Vash's eyes were hard. They were the eyes of one who has lived too long and seen too much...and Knives feared that his own eyes were frighteningly similar to them. They were dead inside, angry outside, and full of too much hatred to belong to his beloved brother. His eyes gleamed slightly, still giving the vague impression of glowing. And Knives understood.

"Diablo."

The devil in red with his silver revolver. The silver revolver that Knives himself had made for his brother, to be used as a weapon against the humans...and now-- Focus on the task at hand. Ignore the possibilities.

After a moment of silence, the other Vash--

No, he is not Vash...he is the Diablo.--

reached out and touched the shoulder of the man on the ground. While it seemed a tender gesture, Knives' eyes, trained at spotting power moves and plays, could see the last of the core's willpower and strength being used up. Then, with a slight bubbling in the space around him, the core was absorbed into the fractured mirror-self.

Knives stopped cold at the sight. He had been too late.

The mirror stood silently for a moment. He was profiled against the sun, his eyes closed, a slight smile upon his face. Knives shivered. "What now?" He was running out of options and out of time. How could he save his brother and get them out of this place before it killed them? His reverie was shattered by his brother's voice coming from that monster.

"You know, this is Earth. A version of it anyway."

Knives nodded after a moment. "Yes. I knew." And he had...somewhere in the back of his mind. It made sense that this would be the only other planet that was known to have life.

Well...not the 'only.' He amended silently.

"This is Earth," the splinter-being laughed bitterly. "She spent the remainder of her life missing that planet...and you, her murderer... You get to experience what she never did."

Knives' eyes narrowed. If this devil was spouting Rem, then the chances of him getting irrationally angry at Knives were much higher. And gauging by the route the conversation was taking--he might already be at the point of no return. He swallowed nervously, before realizing that the other was waiting for an acknowledgement of his statement.

"Yes. I did." Knives reviewed the possible responses to this answer slowly, not liking any of them.

"You feel no remorse for your actions. This is not surprising...for sorrow is a human emotion. You are not human. You are a monster. It is best for this world...if I just remove you from it." Smiling slightly, he drew his weapon and faced Knives. Then he paused as if considering something. Raising one finger in front of him to stop Knives from moving, he fished around in hispockets for a few moments. Knives waited, hoping that Vash would return to take control. After a minute of rooting, he emerged triumphant with a pair of yellow sunglasses, which he carefully put on. His smirk grew. "Now, I'm ready," the other said mockingly, cracking the knuckles on one hand slowly.

Knives tensed.

The other smiled.

Knives' eyes focused on the hand with the gun, waiting for the inevitable twitch of the finger.

The other's sunglasses glinted, and his Cheshire smile widened.

One heartbeat.

Stillness.

Two heartbeats.

Stillness.

Three heartbeats.

Vash squeezed off three shots in rapid succession. As Knives ducked to avoid them, two flew by, one so close that he felt the wind of its wake on his cheek. The third buried itself in his shoulder, blowing him onto the ground.

"Knives, Knives..." the other laughed lightly, "How can you possibly have survived this long if you can't even dodge bullets?" Knives winced, trying to get himself off of the ground before Vash could finish him off.

z---------------------z

>>FLASH<<
He was drowning.

Silence. Caught at the base of the pool. Enveloped in the cold dark of forever, he sat and watched his own reflection from the depths. It was a peace of the sort one only finds within the eye of the storm. Peace...and solitude that he'd spent his whole life searching for, it had eluded him until this very moment. He could just sit here forever if he wished, something deep within him whispered. Just sit here and watch the stars spin by in their lonely paths. Except...where were the stars?

His reflection stared back at him without answering. It's eyes were devoid of any readable emotions...and it hurt to look at it.

Wait a minute...that's not a reflection...that's me... But how?

At this thought, the reflection smiled back at him, sending a chill down his spine.

>>FLASH<<

z----------------------z

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Knives rolled to one side as another shot buried itself into the ground where he had been lying a moment before. "You're killing yourself as well as me! Vash, take control of him!"

"Monster! You killed Rem, you bastard! You of all people deserve to die for the pain you've caused others!" That... Thing that wore his brother's guise--

Face it Knives, deep down, he too is your brother.--

spun acrobatically, using his brother's natural grace to catch Knives across the jaw with a kick. Knives heard something crack and a few hot drops of blood stained his ship uniform. Coughing violently, he wiped his mouth, ignoring the metallic taste that lingered on his teeth. "Vash?" he questioned softly, trying to reach behind the mask.

"I AM VASH!!" The monster screamed at him. Sometime during the fight he had lost his glasses, and it was because of this that Knives could see what the hatred had triggered in the splinter-Vash. His power had become so concentrated that it was beginning to overflow. This Vash's eyes glowed brightly, the electric light casting harsh shadows across his face. Knives swallowed once before trying to reach his brother once more.

z--------------------------z

>>FLASH<<< br>
There it was again, that faint hint of someone calling his name. This one was a different voice though.

He listened harder and it went silent. He was alone again. Alone...in the dark.

How did he get here? Vash couldn't rightly remember, instead only recalling being lost in the desert for days.

>vash<

A whisper again.

No, that wasn't true, he decided, he could remember more.

A face, framed in black. A nervous look quickly concealed by angry glares.

Oh yes...he could remember more.

>Vash<

He had to escape here. He didn't know where 'here' was, but he knew it wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Where was that though?

>VASH<

He couldn't remember.

"VASH!"

The mental screams had gradually gotten louder and louder until he actually had heard them as vocalizations.

He whirled around, his trenchcoat wrapping around his legs. And there she stood...long hair flowing...the heady scent of fresh-cut flowers hanging on the breeze...

"Rem..." he whispered.

"Vash," she smiled sweetly at him. "I wasn't the one calling you. My time is over. Someone else needs you now. Trust your brother." He nodded slowly, watching her fade.

"VASH!" the scream was edged with desperation this time.

"I can't answer you, whoever you are," he whispered mournfully as he sank to the ground once more. "I can't even help--" And he stopped there, considering it. Something in what he had just done was the key.

He started. Sank. That was the key.

Memories flooded over him in the next instant, threatening to wash him away from his newfound past. ...The weakness... the desert... Millie... drinking... Knives... the ship...Meryl...

'I did not call you,' Rem's voice echoed through his memory. 'She called you.'

Meryl. Thank you.

Memories now intact, he realized where he must be. This was him. The reflection he had seen earlier was also him. But how could he escape himself?

Vash grinned as he realized the simplicity of the answer. If he had sunk to these depths...surely he could rise back to the surface? The splinter persona was distracted right now, that much he could sense. Maybe if he was careful...

z-------------------z

Knives received a kick to the gut, doubling him over. Gasping for air, his eyes watering, he wondered if this would be the end of him. To die at his brother's hands? Such an unthinkable concept was soon to be a reality.

And then Vash stopped. Wondering if the core personality had gained control, Knives looked up to see the sadistic grin gone from his brother's face. For a moment his spirits lifted, hoping that this insanity was finally over. Until his brother spoke, that was.

"Time to die," Vash levelled his gun at Knives for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day.

The light came then. He knew that light, his brain thought numbly as the Angel Arm transformation began. At this range, the only outcome for him was death...unless he could stop the blast. There WAS a way, he knew, but he didn't have his gun with him.

Or did he? While the light grew, his brain feverishly attempted to contact his body---his REAL body.

Nothing happened.

>>Knives, this place doesn't exist. The gun is not the trigger here. Use your instincts.<<

A voice he hadn't heard in one hundred years spoke to his mind. A voice he hadn't thought he'd ever hear again...

>>Knives, take care of Vash.<<

That was carefully reworded from that fateful day, he noted dryly as he tried his best to follow her advice.

The gun is not a trigger here.

Focus.

Ignore the gun.

Focus.

>>Trust Vash to break through.<<

This broke his concentration momentarily. Ignoring the near-complete Angel Arm that of his brother's, he called once more upon the reserves of power that he knew were there...

And broke through the barrier.

As he did, time slowed down for him. He watched carefully as his transformation occurred like quicksilver, readying his weapon in a moment's time.

He watched as the eyes of his opponent suddenly changed, gaining a depth that had been missing while the splinter-Vash had been in control.

He watched Vash nod in understanding, and wink at him.

Then time sped up immeasurably fast...far too fast for him to follow in any sort of logical order.

Twin beams of light raced towards each other, scattering the darkness and destroying the ground upon which they stood. Followed by the cataclysm of light was the sound of something tearing. Then all was silent.

z-------------------z

Silence, followed by heavy breathing. Although the effort cost him, Knives lifted his head to survey his surrounding. There was now a crater surrounding himself and his brother...and between them there lay a rip in reality.

"Knives?" It was Vash's voice, weak but recognizably his.

"Yes?"

"Good thinking."

"Thank you." He paused, considering not letting the truth out before relenting, "Rem led me to it." He listened as his brother's breath stopped for a moment before continuing on.

"Thanks anyway," his brother grunted as he forced himself off of the ground. Limping over to Knives, he offered a hand to help him up which Knives accepted gratefully. Before Knives could react to such a human gesture, Vash enveloped him in a fierce bear hug. After a few seconds of this, he released his brother and smiled at him. "Well, I've got a world to save. I'll see you on the other side." Smiling openly at his twin, Vash waved jauntily before stepping through the rip and disappearing.

Knives stayed silent for a moment before replying. "I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about when we do meet again." This said, he looked over this false Earth once more. "It's a pity, this is a fascinating place. I almost wish I could stay." But wishes were useless if impossible, and so he stepped through the tear.

It closed up behind him.

z---------------------z

Millie was asleep when Vash awoke, sweet dreams of sugarplums and dark haired priests dancing through her head. One minute, she was lying with her head nestled comfortably between Mr. Vash's pillow and the headboard, her mouth slightly open so as to let out an excess of saliva... The next she was thrown to the floor, blinking in sleepy surprise at Vash, who had jumped out of bed and was standing in the middle of the room with a stunned look on his face.

After a few seconds of her staring blankly at him and him examining himself to see if he was really there, she broke the silence with a yawning exclamation. "Oh! Mr. Vash, you're awake! Senpai will be so happy." As he looked at her disbelievingly, she gave him a sunny smile.

"Where's Meryl?" Millie blinked at the use of her Senpai's name. Mr. Vash didn't do that often.

"She went to check on that ship in the desert. She thinks it's causing all of the problems." Millie smiled at him, before yawning again.

"Problems?"

"Well...um...some Plants have exploded...there are some big storms starting...and um..." Millie paused, trying to think of more disasters that could befall this world. "She wanted me to stay here and make sure that you were okay. That doctor guy is contacting the other towns right now, and Senpai--"

"Is going to need my help," Vash finished her sentence as he flew across the room, gathering up his necessary items. After a few minutes of fighting futilely with the varied and asundry buckles on his coat and bodysuit, he threw it down in frustration and buckled his gun around his pajamas.

"I'm going after her. We've got to stop that ship from doing whatever it's doing. You stay here...it might be dangerous." With that, he ran out the door, leaving a very surprised Millie Thompson lying in a heap on the floor.

A minute after he'd left, she smiled brightly once more. "Hey! Since I can't go anywhere while they're gone, I think I'll go to the bar!!"

She left the room soon after, twirling the company credit card in her hands.

Z--------------------z

Author's note: Okay, long delay between chapters. But, like I promised, this is a longer chapter (much longer...probably should be two, but I can't divide it until I find a good place to do so). Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm nearly done with this, so you can believe me now when I claim to have a plot in mind.

P.S. Oh, and Millie was sleeping in a chair with her head on the bed...not in the bed with Vash...just to make that abundantly clear.