Guest Author - The Futile Existence

In the past, Vash meets up with Knives and says that Vash is still an overly-sympathetic wimp. Knives shoots Vash's arm off and electrifies Vash's gun. Knives says it's time to get rid of "this garbage" forever. Vash aims the electrified gun at Knives. The backblast it creates takes out the city - the city of July.

Head forward to Wolfwood getting off a bus and everybody else trying to get on it. Bandits have taken over the town and claim that Vash runs them. A girl, Leena, kicks the bandit and the bandit comes in to destroy the saloon. Out goes "Eriks" who looks quite like Vash with long hair and a beard. He kneels down and begs for the bandit to release him. The bandit insists he strip.

Ericks does and is covered with scars. He acts like a naked dog. The bandits prepare to shoot Vash but they see Wolfwood in the bar and leave. As they leave, though, they shoot Vash. They bring him into the hospital. Wolfwood hits Vash to wake him up and they talk. Vash says he can't remember what he did but he knows he was somehow responsible for destroying July and Augusta city and putting the crater into the moon. He also gives a name to the electrified gun-the Angel Arm.

Wolfwood gives Vash the gun, fixed, saying that Frank Marlon fixed it for free. Meanwhile Leena remembers back when they found Vash, desolate, and comforted him. Wolfwood tells Vash how six months ago an entire town's worth of people vanished - all that was left was "Knives" written on the town's central monument.

Vash realizes that even if he hides, Knives will go on killing everyone. He has to do something. Vash cries, wondering what to do and thinking about Rem. Outside he hears that Leena is in trouble. Vash and Wolfwood head out to get Leena. They walk towards a house of 200 bad guys, laughing how the odds aren't fair - to the bad guys.

The two say in unison, "Showtime." Soon it's over and granny is petting the cat. Vash tells her he has to leave. The townsfolk talk about running Vash out of town. The grandma asks Wolfwood to take care of Vash, while Leena cuts Vash's hair back to normal.