Warning: Mild spoilers for the series' end.

Choice by Draco

Vash couldn't remember the details of the days that he spent with Wolfwood. They blended together like a stack of newspaper that had gotten wet--each page soaked through to the next until you couldn't read any of it.

But he remembered the smell of cigarettes and the long sideway glances and the dry heat of Wolfwood's hand.

He remembered the time when they were by a fire and Vash had asked Wolfwood why he had jumped after him over the cliff when Wolfwood didn't know about the floating ship. He couldn't remember where they were, only the fire and the words themselves.

The ever present black cat had been sleeping too close to the fire and when one of the sparks flew toward it, the black cat had made a loud mewing noise and jumped away and hid behind Wolfwood.

Vash had asked him the question then. It had suddenly occurred to him that Wolfwood thought that Vash was committing suicide when he leaped over the cliff, but Wolfwood had jumped after him anyway. He wanted to tease Wolfwood about it--it wasn't like Wolfwood would have been able to rescue him by jumping after him...

Wolfwood clasped his hand on Vash's knee and Vash stopped talking. Vash could feel the heat emanating from Wolfwood's hand and he realized that he wasn't sitting close enough to the fire.

I was given a choice a long time ago, Wolfwood said, between life and death.

What did you choose, Vash had asked because he was stupid.

Vash couldn't remember what they did next. Not precisely. But Nekkie was still standing in front of him right now and asking him what kind of person her father was. Mother spent less time with him than you did, Nekkie had said.

He had a very big cross, Vash had said at first because he was trying to remember. He was trying to find the words.

He did carry a very large cross, Nekkie said and she meant it in a much deeper sense than Vash had meant. And Vash thought about how odd it was that he couldn't see Milly in her when she was serious, only Wolfwood.

He called me names, Vash said.

He loved you, didn't he, Nekkie said. He chose you.

I was given a choice a long time ago between life and death, Wolfwood had said.