UPDATE!! Alright, this chapter is slightly more upbeat than the last, I guess. Haha.

THANK YOU ROCKERBABY!! The only reason I even continue this story is because of your encouragement.

Radia: Umm, sorry if you find the character relationships too complex, but I'm a slightly complex person with very complex friends. I find it boring to have a simple relationship! lol Wow.u read this story in one sitting?!?!? Purely amazing! Thank you!

Jeril Dragonsoul: I think Xavier is spiffy too! -_^

Kamazova: Did you really think I'd kill Knives?? Haha

hello_lola - Keep writing? Will do.

The song that Stormie sings is off the 'Kingdom Come' soundtrack - it's a cool song and the chorus is really pretty. Yeah, so, in short, I do not own it.

~~~~~

Stormie opened the car door for Mitayo, bowing down low and gesturing with her arm in such a way that she looked like a servant beckoning him into his awaiting carriage. When he climbed in, giving her no attention, she shut the door and giggled, hopping into the driver's seat herself and gunning up the engine to roar off across the sand. "This weekend is going to be a prism of torture for me!" she called over the wind as they drove away, waving over her shoulder to Faith and Eleven, who stood in the doorway of the house.

"Why?" demanded Mitayo, speaking before he could remember to ignore her.

"Because my friends are just as melancholy as you. No one is going to laugh at my jokes all day. Gosh, I can't wait until their wedding. I have the king of all capers going down for that one. I'm not telling you though. You'd pry relate it right back to them!"

"They're getting married then?"

"In about three months, yes. You'd never know by looking at them though. They act so sad all the time, even with each other. Once Naoshi is gone, I'm sure they'll be much better though. Gosh, I HATE how I'm the only one able to keep up a good attitude around here!"

Mitayo knitted his brow. Melancholy lovebirds. A grouchy Stormie. Some visit this was going to be.

~~~~~

Knives ice blue eyes shot open, wavering in silent horror. It was early morning, the sunlight spilling into his face from where he lay in his bed, and the filmy haze of the dust rising in the room made his vision all the more bleary in his panicked state. Naoshi's words floated back to him.

*I know what it's like to be a plant's child, and I won't let my daughter suffer that!*

Knives stumbled out of bed, feet sliding uselessly against the sheets as he crashed to the hard, wooden floor. "Vash!" he cried out hoarsely. "Vash!"

His brother appeared from the bathroom, a toothbrush hanging loosely from his mouth and a towel in left hand, cup of water in the other. "Hmm?" he hummed in surprise, unable to speak around the foamy toothpaste threatening to spill from his lips.

"Vash! Do you know where Stormie lives?!"

He held up a finger, disappeared back into the bathroom, and spit out the toothpaste. Then, while Knives waited impatiently, he washed out his mouth, finally answering, "No. Why?"

"Do you know where she and that man were going?! Tell me, Vash! It's important!"

"Umm..." He scratched his head, the honey blonde strands drooping lazily over his green eyes. "Yeah. I think she said Grayfall and Oriole's place."

Knives was obviously aggravated, ready to explode in anger. His hands clutched at a pillow to keep from leaping up and strangling his twin. "WHERE IS THAT?!"

"I think she said it's..."

"TAKE ME THERE NOW! WE HAVE TO CATCH THEM!"

Vash sighed, deciding to wait until the car ride to question his brother. In the state he was currently in, it would not do to make him wait any further for his demand. Walking over, he helped Knives to his feet, handed him his own trench coat, figuring that since Knives had worn it thus far, he might as well let him continue to do so. With that, the brothers made their way out the door.

"Ok, Knives, start talking."

~~~~~

Stormie whistled to the tune on the radio, singing with the bittersweet words whenever she knew enough to. Mitayo, frankly, hated rap and anything remotely close, so he hated the song. Very much. Slumped in his seat, arms crossed, he kept an eye on the rearview mirror, kicking himself each time they passed a patch of soft ground with the thought, 'there went my perfect opportunity to jump out of this death-mobile!'

"Yesterday got a page said my daddy died, but I couldn't cry," crooned Stormie, flipping her long, blonde hair over her shoulder, face lifted skyward to accept the warmth of the sun. "We had a fight long time ago, by the liquor store, said I didn't wanna see his face no mo'. I know that pops was just a man, but how you hurt someone you love I don't understand..."

Mitayo turned to look at her, thinking that, despite how foolish she was, she was actually very pretty with her long, straight hair streaming in the wind and her clear, blue eyes dancing and full lips moving in synchronization to the song, dainty nose slightly turned upwards. Almost disgusted with her for making him even think such a thought, he snapped, "Hey! Will you shut up? Don't you ever get tired of making an idiot of yourself?!"

Stormie glanced at him briefly, all the while continuing to sing, "Heaven can you hear me, Father can you help me? On my knees I'm praying 'please come through'. My world is slowly dying, but Lord I'm really trying - it's been a while since I last talked to you. Mama said God never makes mistakes; if that's the truth than I really need to see His face, so I know it's gonna be ok..."

He growled low in his throat and then averted his gaze and tried to close his ears - but have you ever really tried to close you ears? It's physically impossible, and he continued to be subjected to the horrible sounds of Stormie singing her heart out. Just then, though, he caught a glimpse of something odd in the rearview mirror... Another jeep was following them. The people in the front looked downright crazy too, one driving like mad while the other screamed his head off. Mitayo slammed his hand down on the radio knob, turning it off, and commanded, "Look behind us. Are those psychos back there friends of yours, or are we being stalked?"

Stormie looked and paled. "We're being stalked," she joked weakly, slowing down the vehicle and slouching over almost in dread. Her hair fell into her eyes as she jerked to a stop, and she raised her hands to cover her face, breathing in deeply and rubbing at her eyes. "Great," she murmured.

Mitayo looked back to see one of the men jumping out of the jeep, quickly followed by the other. They actually looked very much alike, save one had green eyes and the other blue, the latter with a bull cut instead of the golden spikes of his partner. That was the one that scared Mitayo - the one with blue eyes and shorter hair. There was something akin to insanity in that one's expression.

Tromping up to the car, the man stopped by the driver's side, breathing heavily, and nearly screamed, "Stormie! Where is your daughter?!"

She lifted her head, forcing a smile. From between closed lips she was able to mumble, "Hello to you too, Knives."

Mitayo looked back and forth between all present parties, completely lost.

Knives had had enough of being questioned, of not being taken seriously, and of being made to wait for his request of the utmost urgency to be fulfilled. He was doing this not for himself, but for Stormie and her daughter, so why wouldn't anyone listen to him?! "WHERE IS SHE, STORMIE?!"

Alarmed, Stormie shrunk away, gaze suspiciously darting back and forth between Knives and Vash. "I - I left her at home with her friend," she stuttered. "Why? What's wrong?"

Knives swore and punched the side of the jeep, teeth gritted. "Naoshi is after her!" He shook his head in anger, gulping down a deep breath of air. "He's going to come for her! We NEED to go back NOW!"

Stormie drew in a sharp breath and fumbled to twist the key in the ignition. Knives knew the talking part was over - she'd been given all the explanation she needed - now came time for action. As the female plant drove away, tires spitting up a shower of sand on Knives and the stone- silent Vash, the brothers quickly turned and went back to their own car, planning to follow.

~~~~~

In front of Stormie's humble house, all seemed to be calm. There were no signs of forced entry, no noise to alert them to a struggle, and not even so much as a footprint in the dusty yard. But the moment that both vehicles arrived, virtually at the same time, the plants were all tumbling out in a panic, struggling to be the first to the door. But when they got there...

No one wanted to open it.

In the end, Knives was the one who did, and for a few moments he just stood there, his figure blocking the view of the inside from everyone else. After a few moments, however, he was able to break out of his frozen state and move aside, eyes still wide and horrified.

Stormie immediately shouldered her way in to see for herself what he had gazed upon and screamed, hands flying to cover her mouth.

In the center of the floor, drenched in his own blood, lay the broken, sprawled out figure of a little boy, long, platinum hair splayed beneath his head. His slender limbs were draped over one another, thin body rolled onto its side, facing the doorway, the trail of scarlet fluid behind him suggesting he had dragged his injured self quite a ways. Skin pale, eyes closed, peaceful frown frozen on his lips, he was immediately taken for dead by everyone looking on.

Mitayo was the last to push his way in to see what was wrong, and when he did realize what was spread out before him, his eyes widened in terror and he jerked back. An imploring look, the expression of a child begging to be told everything was going to be alright, dawned upon his face and he reached out to the motionless form, a faint, trembling whisper escaping his lips.

"Eleven...?"

~~~~~

I'm evil, aren't I?? Better review...Eleven's fate hangs in the balance.