Yay! Don't own Trigun but I own Grayfall, Oriole, Stormie, Mitayo, Bailey, Xavier, Faith, AND Naoshi! Wow, that's a lot of original characters. Hmm.

Rockerbaby: Ah, I can always count on an interesting review from you! lol You make reviews very fun to read, so please, keep up what you're doing!

Sami: Yep! You hit it dead on! Just watch and see how strange it's gonna get...

hello_lola: I know! Lots of people wanted Mitayo to get beat up, but...er, I can understand the guy. Well, I should, I made him up - but anyhow, I mean, people just hate him because of how he stands in the way of Stormie and Knives. But, you see, he actually is trying to care for her, and, although he made a BIG mistake, it's a little understandable - oh, and I had to do something to get Knives in the picture ^_^ Keep reviewing and thank you so much for voicing your opinions!

R.K.: I had the funnest time imagining you throwing that huge, Vash-like fit! Yes, I like cliff-hangers...hehe

JediGal 101: Well, I'm glad you have started reading this! Hope you continue to like it!

Bluechromedragon: Well, I think I'll be finished with this story in the next few weeks. Yeah, sure, put a link from my story on your website! Thanks for reading!

Fyredra: Does that mean you liked it? lol j/j ^_^

~~~~~~

Oriole had gone to bed early, exhausted from a full day of activities in town and worn out from the extreme heat. This left Grayfall alone and, consequently, bored. Standing by the window at the kitchen, he gazed thoughtlessly into the sand, very much aware that Stormie, Mitayo, and Bailey had not come and it was well past midnight. Actually, it reminded him of the time both he and Oriole had sat out in the kitchen of Stormie's old house and waited up for her, only realizing something was wrong when the Death Song screamed full force in his ears. They had called Knives back then to rescue her, and this time around, the said plant was sitting at the kitchen table, chair tipped back, feet propped up on the table top, scowling as if the thought of going out searching for her was gnawing away at his mind.

Grayfall turned his head with a frown, looking at his part time rival, and asked, "You're worried about her, aren't you?"

Knives, chewing on the end of his sleeve, nodded his head.

A few more moments passed by in silence and then the sound of the back door opening and banging shut along with the shuffling of feet broke the tension in the air. Knives' shoulders slumped in relief and Grayfall whirled around, hurriedly walking out to greet the trio finally returning home.

Vash had beat him to it, a confused frown on his face when he looked over his shoulder to see Grayfall enter the room. Mitayo and Bailey, looking slightly guilty, stood before him. "Grayfall, get Knives," Vash murmured. "Stormie is...gone."

Knives was bounding out of the kitchen already, the infamous eavesdropper striking once more. "She's gone?!" he spat, glaring at Mitayo. "Where?!"

He looked around at the other men helplessly, sighing in exasperation. "I don't know! She told us to wait for her at the jeep and she never showed up! When we went to Desma's house to check on her, the place was full of dead plant workers. She wasn't there though, so we drove around looking for her - saw a few spots of blood, but she was long gone."

Bailey, still hugging Mitayo's coat tight to her, glanced down in shame. "It's all my fault," she whispered, and Mitayo sent her a desperate glance

"What...did you do?" whispered Knives, ice blue eyes widening.

Bailey looked at him frantically and then away again, biting her lip. "I think she might've...seen us...when we kissed. Again."

"YOU!" Knives slammed Mitayo back into the wall, hands gripping his shoulders, and came nose to nose with him, snarling in hate. "I hope you are happy, you piece of dirt! You fed her all these lies about your 'friendship kiss' and then you're bold enough to go and kiss your little friend again - right in front of her! Yeah, what kind of friends are you guys?! Friends with benefits?!"

Bailey turned away, her face red with embarrassment. Tears of shame and hurt sparkled in her eyes.

"She's been hurt before, you idiot!" continued Knives, his vision blurring and swaying in his intense anger. "Do you even understand how hard it must've been for her to trust you?! Now she's out there, hurt and alone, and all you can do is stand here and say that you did everything you could to find her! You jerk! I hate you! I HATE YOU! You never deserved her!" His fists unclenched with great effort and he stepped back, only to turn to Bailey with a spiteful expression. "And you!" he exclaimed, shaking a fist and stepping forward. "You're pretty bold to waltz into Stormie's home and then subtly THROW HER OUT OF IT! I can't believe -"

"Woah, Knives!" cried Vash, throwing his arms around his brother and yanking him back away from the couple, trying to drag him out of the room before he got violent. Knives continued to hurl insults at Bailey all the way until the younger woman burst into tears and Oriole was poking her head out of the bedroom in confusion, asking what was going on.

Grayfall got his coat and waited for Knives by the door, knowing that sooner or later they'd be out in a loosely formed search party.

~~~~~

Stormie felt very feverish, very sick. Had all her injuries brought on this illness? She sighed and tossed restlessly in the soft bed she had found herself in, never opening her eyes, not wanting to know if her seeing Naoshi was a hallucination or not. She'd been alone for such a long time, weak and not wanting to move lest she find out that something was horribly wrong with her body. Where was her rescuer? Or was he a kidnapper...?

She felt her stomach revolting and she feared she would throw up, so, not wanting to vomit all over the bed and herself, thus creating more of a mess, she dizzily sat up and looked slowly around the room, trying to steady it as well as herself. There! An open door led to a bathroom, and swinging her feet over the bed, she attempted to stand and make her way there. Her knees buckled and she crashed to the floor, pain shooting through her legs. Pitifully, on all fours, she crawled to the bathroom, swallowing hard to keep her stomach under control until her hands touched the cool tiles.

The bedroom door opened - she heard it but paid no mind. The footsteps were heavy on the wooden floor, slow and pausing just outside the door until she had finished being sick. Then, the figure continued in and knelt down beside where she was slumped over on the floor, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

"Hey," he said quietly, "get back in bed. You're very ill."

She didn't look up because she knew the voice, and if she saw the face, she wouldn't be able to accept his help, which she desperately needed in order to make it back to her bed. Her hand reached out for him, and he gently took it, lifting her up and letting her lean on him in such a way that most of her weight was transferred to him and she barely had to shuffle her feet to make it back to her sanctuary. However, when she came to be lying down, she found herself with no choice but to stare up into those calm, amethyst and blue eyes regarding her with an air of curiosity.

She smiled faintly. This was the end.

"Kill me, why don't you?" she murmured. "I don't care anymore."

He was sitting on the side of the bed, his long, white hair tied back into a loose braid. No longer was he in assassin gear, as she was so used to, but rather a pair of gray sweat pants and a black T-shirt, which caused her to notice she was now clothed in a bathrobe. Pityingly, he smiled at her, one eyebrow arching elegantly. "You're selfish, aren't you?"

Being called selfish by the plant assassin, and somehow feeling he was right, let her know she'd sunk to a new low. "What do you mean?"

"You're upset because of your boyfriend, but he will mean very little to you in the long run. Yet here you are, asking for your death because you're in pain? You haven't even given a thought to our daughter - what would she do without you? Hmm? You might want to think of these things before you ask someone to take your life next time." At her shocked look, he carefully explained, "You talk a lot in your sleep."

She stared at him in awe. "You schizophrenic?"

"Perhaps." He smiled again and stood to leave. "It's morning. Breakfast. You want some?"

How absurd, she thought, to be talking to the man who had attempted to murder her, who had raped her with seemingly no regret and then kidnapped her daughter. Never had she imagined herself here - lying in his bed with a bad case of the flu or something like it while he offered her something to eat.

"No," she said stiffly, rolling over so she wouldn't have to face him. Geesh, she wanted to drawl in a whiny voice. "Stop acting like my nurse or something!

He left after that, not saying a word.

The day passed by slowly, and Stormie found herself quickly getting over whatever ailed her, though her wounds were stiff and sore. Naoshi opened the door, stood there, and stared at her for a few moments before leaving at least ten times, probably just to make sure she hadn't died or something. It was a curious thing, how he seemed like he was actually going to let her live. She was a plant - why didn't he just kill her? Oh yeah, probably because of Faith - didn't want her to hate him more than she already did.

The next morning, she got up and tiptoed out to the kitchen, trying to find out where she was and if she recognized any landmarks. Not a one.

Naoshi was not up yet, a curious thing since she had always imagined him to be an early waker, so she began to pad back down the carpeted halls to her room, but halfway there, she was stopped by the sound of a woman's voice. It didn't sound right though - too distant and almost mechanical. Intrigued, she slipped up to a slightly ajar door and peeked inside, finding herself staring into Naoshi's bedroom.

The plant assassin was sitting cross-legged on his bed, hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and nothing else. In his left hand was a carton of fried rice, and in the other, a fork, his back to her as he focused his attention mainly on the TV screen across from him.

Stormie's eyes widened as she realized what he was watching.

Home movies.

Billy was on screen, younger and with shoulder-length black hair, gently cradling a baby in her arms as she smiled and laughed and waved the camera away. Every now and then, Naoshi, who was obviously the camera man in the film, would flip the video camera around and grin into the lens, making some sort of smart little remark or laughing or grinning or winking or something absolutely unlike the man she thought he was. The scene on the TV jostled horribly as the camera was deposited gently on the coffee table and Billy sat down on the couch, Naoshi hopping into place beside her and kissing her on the cheek as she grinned madly. Fuzz replaced any significant moments for the next few seconds and then the screen was enveloped by white. Sheets, Stormie soon realized as she heard Naoshi's taunting voice, singing for Billy to wake up. A head of black hair poked out from the covers just before they were flung back and a grouchy looking young woman emerged, swatting at the camera and causing everything to go blank. More memories caught on film followed - Naoshi trying to teach their son to walk, to plant a delicate flower in a small pot, Vincent climbing onto Naoshi as he lay exhausted in bed, an arm slung over his eyes.

Stormie pulled back, an almost eerie feeling settling into the pit of her stomach after seeing such a display. Naoshi was one very confused man, she decided - someone who wanted a family so badly yet was intent on wiping out an entire race. Quietly, she began to leave.

It was almost like how Knives had once been, she thought as she slowly turned a corner. Wanting to wipe the planet clean of any human life so he and his brother could live in peace.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around. Naoshi stared at her, all emotion gone from his eyes. "You saw?"

She bit her lip, not knowing what would upset him more, saying she had, or lying and denying it. Finally, she nodded.

He looked almost crest-fallen as he backed away, asking quietly, "Billy...her and Vincent are back with her parents?" When Stormie said nothing, he smirked. "Trust me, if I wanted to do them harm, I would've tracked them down by now. I just want to know if she's ok."

"Why?" asked Stormie warily. "You shot her..."

His eyes narrowed. "She tried to take my son and my daughter away," he growled, as if that was enough reason to pull a gun on anyone at any time.

Stormie clenched her jaw. "You took my daughter away!"

"OUR daughter," he reminded her, eyes growing steely and cold. "She's OUR daughter." He paused, placed a hand to the side of his head as if to run fingers through his hair but never carrying through with the action.

"Only your daughter too because you raped me," she countered angrily, "which I never forgave you for! You sicko-freako! You really think Faith would want to get to know you after I've told her the truth and what you did to me?!" Her voice drained away in exhaustion and she let her hands, which she had thrown up, drop down to her sides again. "Why?" she whispered. "Why'd you do what you did? You should've killed me..."

"I didn't want to kill you after that," he answered coldly. "You were too beautiful."

And before Stormie could answer, he had disappeared back into his room and shut the door.

~~~~~

"STORMIE!" Knives called, his hands cupped around the sides of his mouth as he screamed uselessly into the desert air, Grayfall off to the side of him. "STORMIE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" His throat burned and his voice had grown hoarse from constantly calling for the woman, desperate to find her.

Grayfall, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun, turned to face him, yelling out, "Knives! We're wasting our time here! Let's go to town and see if anyone has seen her!"

As much as he hated to admit it, the blonde man knew his brunette partner was right, and the two progressed slowly back to the jeep.

~~~~~

"I wonder if Knives is looking for me," Stormie pondered quietly in her room - the room Naoshi had given her. Drawing her knees to her chest, she sighed and traced abstract little patterns on the bed sheets, wondering what the plant assassin planned to do with her. He had barely spoken to her since their encounter earlier that morning, and he didn't seem to wish her harm, so what was the deal? He gave her free reign through the house, let her do as she pleased - she was a prisoner in the loosest sense of the word. "I wonder if Faith is doing alright," she sighed. Then bitterly, "I bet Mitayo hasn't even noticed I'm gone."

The door swung open and Naoshi stood there, looking very wet with hair matted to his face and liquid dripping from his body and blue swim trunks. "Wanna go for a swim?" he asked, and Stormie looked at him as if he was some psychopath - which wasn't totally untrue. "What? You don't know how?"

"Nor do I have a suit," she muttered. "And why would I be stupid enough to get in a pool with you? You'll pry drown me."

"It's not on my agenda to knock you off - or haven't you gotten the clue?" he sneered, tossing a two piece suit at her, a dark blue bikini bottom and a modest teal top. "It was Billy's. You can wear it. Meet me at the pool when you're ready." And as usual, he disappeared, fading into the shadows.

Stormie threw the suit back at the door for two reasons. One was that she hated Naoshi, and the second was that she wasn't about to put on Billy's suit when the woman was thinner, tinier, and all the way around prettier.

However, an hour passed and she grew bored, so, venturing out to the indoor pool area, she sat down on one of the lawn chairs set up and watched disinterestedly as Naoshi completed fast, steady laps around the perimeter of the swimming area, not even looking up for a good ten minutes. When he finally did, a small smile tugged at his lips. "I take it you're not coming in."

"No."

"Hmm. Too bad. Water's nice and cool - and the air conditioning is broken in the house, so..."

Stormie had to admit; it was a tad hot for her taste. But no! Nothing, not even personal discomfort, was going to make her get in that pool with Naoshi! "When can I go home?" she growled. "Faith is probably worried to death."

He frowned, brow creasing. "Soon, ok? Just try to enjoy your stay here."

"Yeah - ok, enjoy my stay here...WITH THE MAN WHO RAPED ME TWO YEARS AGO! What an ideal vacation..."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did it."

It surprised her, his calm, if not sad, answer, but she was determined not to show him the least speck of kindness. She raised a hand and wiped the sweat from her brow and cursed the heat. Why did the pool have to look so inviting?! Well, it couldn't hurt to just sit on the edge and dangle her feet in it, could it? Sitting down on the hard stone and tenderly sliding one bruised, cut leg in after the other, she kicked and splashed gently, noting Naoshi was right and the water was a great relief.

He swam over to where she had made herself comfortable, splashing her gently. "Come in."

"Not wearing the suit."

"So?"

"So?!"

With an almost feral grin he grabbed her by the knees and jerked her forward and over the edge. A scream made its way through her throat just before she was immersed fully in the water, her head going under, panic setting in. He was trying to drown her!

Maybe not.

Naoshi quickly grabbed her and brought her to the surface, and she, not knowing how to so much as dog paddle, clung to him for dear life. "NAOSHI!" she screeched, clawing at his shoulders and hugging herself tight to his bare chest, which was perhaps what he had hoped to accomplish. "I HATE YOU!"

"Too bad," he chuckled, gently kicking his legs out and spreading out to float on his back with her lying on top, using him as a raft. "Cuz you're stuck with me. Just relax - I'm a very good swimmer."

She whimpered, hating the circumstances. "This isn't funny!" she cried.

Ignoring her complaints, he began to sing under his breath, and the song all but stopped her heart. "Only in dreams, we see what it means..." he murmured, not even noticing how her eyes widened considerably. "Reach out our hands, hold onto hers...but when we wake, it's all been erased...and so it seems - only in dreams..."

"My song..." she gasped, recalling the last time she had sang it, back in the kitchen with Knives. "You...you know my song!"

He raised his eyebrow at her in surprise, replying calmly, "It's your favorite too?"

"Ugh! Now I REALLY hate you!" She pounded a fist on his chest, causing him to sputter and momentarily sink, which also caused panic on her part. When both rose to the surface again, she started to frantically try to reach for the edge of the pool, not liking how her feet touched nothing but open, open water.

Noashi, still catching his breath, weakly swam to the side, dragging her along. "Next time," he wheezed, "I suggest you NOT try to knock the wind out of the person keeping you afloat!"

"You're just full of suggestions, aren't ya'?" she shot back, her hands gripping the edge of the pool wall thankfully as she felt her heart return to a somewhat normal beat. Beginning to pull her sopping wet self out, she found herself weighed down heavily by both her soaking robe and Naoshi, who had attached himself to her waist and was patiently waiting for her to discover that he wasn't letting go. "What are you DOING?!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes. She didn't like this - not at all.

Ironically, her words seemed to snap him out of a daze, as if he was just now realizing what his actions were. He moved his hands slowly, instead placing them on either side of her shoulders and trapping her against the wall with his long, lean body, staring into her eyes with his own two, so beautiful and bedazzling, wasted on a killer like himself. "I don't know," he said quietly, and leaned in hesitantly as if to kiss her.

Quickly, sharply, she turned her head and closed her eyes. He stopped just short of his lips touching her slick cheek, and she felt his warm breath on her wet skin. Then, he pulled away, looked at her with a sigh, and lifted her quickly to deposit her on dry ground, next climbing out himself. "Towels are by the door," he informed the woman as he exited the room.

She didn't move. The shock was still very fresh. The fact that he'd almost kissed her wasn't even what was scaring her - it was the suspicion that she regretted turning away.

~~~~~

Xavier sat in the corner of Faith's room, curled up in a ball with head tucked to drawn up legs and arms encircling himself. He had said nothing, but heard everything. Both children had. The whole argument between Knives and Mitayo had been loud enough for just about everyone to pick up on. Silently, the child cried into his knees.

Faith sat at his side, tenderly rubbing his back, trying to comfort him. Ironic how she was the one with a mother who had disappeared yet he was the one taking it so hard. "She'll come back, Xavier," she said confidently. "Mom always does."

He raised his head, staring with bleary, red eyes straight ahead. His long blonde hair, usually tied back in a ponytail, had come loose and was sticking to his tear-stained face and cascading about his shoulders. "I'm upset," he sniffled, "because of what my dad did to your mom."

Faith's face fell. She had to admit, she didn't like Mitayo very much anymore.

"I mean," he continued softly, "I really liked your mom - she was sort of like my mother too, and I was happy they started to like each other. But then my real mom came back, and I thought I liked her too, but I ALWAYS liked Stormie better and now I just don't know what to think of my parents! How could they do something like this...?"

His female companion's expression grew tense. "I don't know what to think either."

"Should I be mad, Faith?"

"I dunno - I mean, he IS your dad..."

"But how could he do this?! And my mother - she keeps trying to talk to me but I just don't feel comfortable with her anymore. They really hurt Stormie. They just...it was so wrong, Faith. I trusted my dad and he let me down too." He opened his mouth to say more, but Mitayo passed by the doorway just then, stepping in and causing silence to fall.

"Eleven," he said gently, kneeling by his son and touching his cheek, "why won't you talk to your mother? She's very hurt that you refuse to speak to her."

Xavier slapped his father's hand away, spitting out, "My name is Xavier! I've told you a million times! A number isn't a name. And she is NOT my mother! I hate her! Look at what she did to Stormie!"

Mitayo was taken back by gentle Xavier's rebuke. "Xavier, we made a mistake. We're very sorry. We're doing all we can to find Stormie - and she IS your mother, and she loves you very much. Please, give her a chance."

Xavier leapt to his feet, glaring at the man in front of him, pouring out all his anger and hate and pain in one solitary moment. "You told her you loved her!" he cried. "You lied to Stormie and you lied to me! I can NEVER forgive you! Stormie was more my parent than you or Bailey will ever be! You couldn't even come to see me when I was hurt! You - you just sat out in the kitchen and kept away! Stormie was the one who took care of me and sat up all night with me! Not you! You don't want me and neither does Bailey! And I don't want you either." With that said, he pushed past and stalked away.

Mitayo turned to Faith, who still sat in the corner, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I suppose you hate me too?" he asked tiredly.

She glanced up at him, then back down, and shrugged her thin shoulders. "Yeah," she whispered. "You...I really thought you'd be different."

But, she added quietly to herself, I should've known better. It's always the same.

~~~~~~

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