Author's Note: Hey, thanks for reviewing Chapter 1 (anissa32 and Shadowgoddess03). Good to hear from you again!

Warnings: Uh, angst, language, and sexual innuendos... for this chapter anyway...

Night Wind

Part I – See the Sunlight Fading... Fading...

Chapter Two: Dreaming of Horses

"Is that my new house?"

Yokaze holds the door open as her passenger slithers down from the back seat of the rented car. "That's it, Kylie," she replies. The little girl hesitates, leaning back against the side of the seat and preventing Yokaze from closing the door. She watches as Kylie attempts the stretch the sleeves of her new sweater over her hands in a nervous gesture. Yokaze is about to move around the door and crouch in front of her for a little reassuring one-on-one, but her partner steps up and takes the point position.

Silently, Trowa leans against the fender beside her and stretches out a hand. A shy smile erases the anxiety on the girl's features and one of Kylie's hands emerges from beneath the cable-knit cuffs. Yokaze watches as her delicate fingers are carefully enfolded in Trowa's hand.

"It's a pretty house, isn't it, Kite?" he asks quietly.

Yokaze feels a constricting pressure in her throat at the sound of the tough little girl's pet name. She remembers the day Trowa had gifted her with it. They'd gone to the local orphanage to interview the children there in an attempt to uncover their pasts. She and Trowa had already talked to Kylie several weeks earlier and were still searching for her family. Yokaze had been feeling rather despondent about the lack of progress. All of the other children from C555 had been placed in good homes... all except Kylie.

Upon seeing Yokaze and Trowa, she'd rushed up to them and shyly asked if they'd found her a home yet. Trowa had crouched down and told her not to worry. They weren't going to find her just any old home. They were going to make sure it was perfect.

Yokaze had just watched, soul aching for that little girl, for Trowa, for the unfairness of life... Suddenly remembering that the orphanage director had requested a moment with her before they left, Yokaze had ducked into the woman's office. A moment had turned into a half an hour but Yokaze hadn't minded. She'd needed the opportunity to get herself together. But the sight that had greeted her when she'd stepped outside...

Trowa had stood on the lush lawn, carefully reeling in a cheap, plastic kite. Yokaze even recognized it as one of the odd items he'd bought on a whim during a trip to the grocery store. The entire stock of summer toys had been on sale and he'd tossed a few – seemingly random – items into the cart. This kite had been among them. She'd wondered why he'd left those toys in the trunk of their car...

Yokaze had leaned on the porch railing and watched as he showed Kylie how to launch it into the air by herself. She'd watched and she'd ached. Just like now.

Kylie glances back at the house then looks up at Trowa. "I guess..." she says in response to his inquiry. "It looks kinda... boring."

Trowa raises a brow at her critical assessment. "How so?"

"Well... it's white, Mr. Trowa," she replies.

"What color would you paint it?"

"Green," she tells him without hesitation.

"Aren't you afraid it'd get lost in the grass and you wouldn't be able to find it?"

She smiles, liking the idea. Trowa smiles, too. Still holding her hand, he straightens away from the car and starts to move her toward the house in question. "I thought yellow was your favorite color," he comments softly.

"I changed my mind," Kylie informs him.

"Why is that?"

She wraps her other hand around Trowa's and looks up at him. "Because I like the color of Mr. Trowa's eyes better."

Yokaze quietly shuts the car door and leans back against it for a moment. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, wishing for this day to be over with. As happy as she is to have found Kylie's family... as happy as she is to finally be sharing her "missions" with Trowa... Yokaze bites back the pressure swelling beneath her sternum and wishes she could just open her eyes and find herself in the middle of a hot shower in their new apartment.

If wishes were horses...

Yokaze draws in a breath, filling her lungs to the point of discomfort, and opens her eyes. She pushes herself away from the car and dons her professional façade as she follows the other half of her soul up the walk. To any passersby, Yokaze Yuy would appear to be in perfect control. But then, perfection is well-traversed territory for her.

She glides past Trowa and Kylie to ring the bell beside the door. As she waits for a response, she hears the sound of Kylie's laughter and glances over her shoulder. She hadn't heard what had been said. She doesn't need to. Kylie has one hand clutched around the kite pendant now hanging from her neck. Yokaze had spent hours searching the Internet for it and Trowa had taken it around to half a dozen jewelry stores until he found one that would engrave his contact number on the opposite side. Eyes tearing, Kylie snuggles against Trowa's kneeling form, throwing her arms tight around his neck. Yokaze watches as his hands rise to her shoulders and he hugs her back.

"Thank you, Mr. Trowa," Kylie says. Then she leans back and kisses him on the cheek.

His gaze jerks up in surprise and Yokaze finds herself locked in a moment with him. She stares at him. He stares at her. And the most beautiful expression of tenderness and longing softens his features. He smiles. Yokaze attempts to smile back, but the throbbing ache of her heart makes the simple gesture a challenge.

She's saved by the sound of the front door opening. Yokaze turns quickly and, with relief, allows her customary mask to slide into place. She extends her hand and begins the process of reuniting a family.

A family.

The one thing she, with all of her skills and talents, cannot create. The one thing she cannot share with Trowa. The one thing she's fairly certain he desperately wants someday. The one thing she would wish for if given the chance.

If wishes were horses...

Her polite smile remains firmly in place.

...beggars would ride.

...ooo...

"And the headless horseman rides at midnight through the woodland road even 'til this very day."

A moment of silence follows Bisho's dark whisper.

And then Wufei breaks the moment with a derisive snort. "Whatever," he states, getting to his feet to pour out the dregs of his tea.

Duo's gaze follows him for a moment before returning to his sister. With an expression that's halfway between amused and pissed off, he asks curiously, "What are you trying to accomplish, Bisho? Traumatize Quatre for life?"

Quatre mock glares at Duo. "It's just a story," he replies defensively and returns to scooping out the stringy, orange innards of the large pumpkin on the table.

Duo grins at the sight of Mr. CEO with his silk shirt rolled up to his biceps and his forearms covered in pumpkin goo. "Suure. You just keep telling yourself that," Duo drawls. Not getting a response from Quatre, he turns to the story's intended audience. "So what do you think, Jas? You really think there's a headless horseman out there somewhere?"

Jaspien arcs a brow, looking far too sage for his years. "You can't live without your head," he says matter-of-factly.

"But the headless horseman isn't alive," Bisho corrects, separating the pumpkin seeds for toasting. "He's a ghost."

The young boy frowns. "Ghosts can't hurt you."

Bisho smiles. "But you can't kill a ghost, either..."

Duo says, "Now you're trying to scare Jaspien."

She laughs. "It takes more than that! Besides, it'll give him a good excuse to spend the night with Heero because you know as soon as he gets here Jas is going to—"

A loud slam! from somewhere on the second floor of the villa causes everyone to pause. Wufei, having finished washing his tea mug, listens to the sounds of heavy footsteps slogging down the stairs. Everyone watches as Taki sweeps past the kitchen doorway, ignoring the presence of the others, carrying an odd collection of items in her arms. Interest piqued, Jaspien silently follows her out of the room.

"Wufei..." Duo begins hesitantly after hearing the front door close with a bang! "Where is Taki going with a can of turpentine and a pile of underwear?"

Wufei smirks. "Are you sure you want to know, Maxwell?"

"Uhm... yes?"

With a small sigh that almost sounds martyred, Wufei says, "Very well. A few months ago Taki changed my voice mail recording at the office without my knowledge. You know I'm not one to let a challenge go unanswered, so I changed her artist's profile photograph on her Earth Sphere Artists' Guild biography page online." A corner of his mouth twitches. "And it seems as if she's just found out about it."

Quatre reaches for a paper towel. "What sort of recording did she leave on your voice mail?"

With as much dignity as he can manage, considering the words he's about to say, Wufei informs him, "She informed everyone that I was for rent."

Duo has to bite his lip and hold his breath to keep from laughing out loud.

Wufei continues, a sadistic gleam in his eyes, "So I replaced her profile photo with the picture of her in those pajamas with the little children all over them."

Humor suddenly vanishing, Duo cries, "Oh, shit! Wufei! Tell me you didn't!"

Wufei says nothing.

"God damn it, man! I took that picture. She'll think that I—"

Duo's semi-hysteric rampage is cut off by the sound of an explosion somewhere in the front yard. Everyone turns to the large, bay windows in time to see a large fireball rage toward the sky.

Suddenly pale, Duo leaps to his feet. "Jaspien!" He races out of the kitchen and down the hall, tumbles his way past the front steps and sprints to the small figure standing close to the towering inferno. Grasping the boy's shoulders, Duo pulls him back.

"Jaspien! Jaspien? Are you okay?"

Jaspien calmly looks away from the fire and meets Duo's eyes. He nods once, then returns his gaze to the fire. With a glance in Taki's direction, he informs her, "Bigger."

Taki grins. "I like you, kid. You know that, right?"

Realizing that Jaspien is indeed all in one piece and still in possession of both pale eyebrows, Duo releases his hold on the boy's shoulders. Seeing that he's not needed by Jaspien and that it's probably in his best interests not to further irritate Taki, Duo backs off. And a glimpse of an unremarkable rental car coming up the long drive provides him with the excuse to get the hell out of there.

He's still several paces away when Trowa and Yokaze emerge from the vehicle. He watches as Trowa frowns in the direction of the bonfire and the two figures silhouetted before it. But Yokaze manages to catch his eye and slowly shake her head, indicating that it would not be wise for Trowa to investigate any further.

"Hey, guys! What kept you?"

"Hello, Duo," Trowa greets.

"Heya, babe. Are we the last ones here?"

"Just about," Duo tells them. "Wufei's hiding from Taki's wrath inside, Quatre and Bisho are carving a jack o' lantern, and Cathy and George went into town with the NW boys this morning."

At the mention of Yokaze's former band members, Trowa glances in her direction to judge her reaction. She'd said that she'd been ready for a change, that she doesn't regret quitting. Still, he remembers watching her sing, listening to her play, studying her figure as she curls up in the corner of the couch with her music journal to compose. Oddly enough, Trowa –and not Yokaze – seems to be the one who misses those moments the most.

Yokaze nods. "So it's just my brother left then," she observes. "Ever fashionably late."

"Yeah, well, you know that's the only kind of fashion sense he does have." Duo thinks back to Heero's eternal green tank top, black spandex shorts, and ugly yellow high-top sneakers with a defeated sigh. "Fashionably late," he repeats, getting his thoughts back on track. "That's him all right. He just loves to squeak in right under the wire," Duo agrees.

"Well, he better squeak his butt over here before seven tonight or I'll be a nudist for the party."

Duo grins. "Won't get any complaints from me, but I think Tro might get a little jealous."

Trowa's brows lift in quiet, mock disbelief. "Me? Jealous?"

Behind his back, Yokaze nods emphatically and employs great, all encompassing gestures trying to convey the gigantic proportions of Trowa's possessive nature. Perhaps sensing this, Trowa turns quickly and catches her in the act.

She grins and improvises, "I shit you not Duo; when those tight jeans of his come off, that man is this big!"

Duo blinks, snorts, grins, then – taking in Trowa's blush – laughs out loud. Gasping for breath, Duo is compelled to comment, "Defying the laws of physics in every way possible, eh, Tro?"

"Oh, yeah," Yokaze replies for him with a lecherous grin.

Trowa crosses his arms over his chest and intones, "Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet."

Duo arcs a brow and a mischievous smile comes out to play across his lips. "No," he replies, eyeing Trowa's size twelves. "What do they say about guys with big feet, Tro? That most... socks are a tight fit?"

Yokaze coughs out a laugh.

"How'd you guess?" Trowa deadpans.

Duo smirks. "Just following through logically." He then glances in Yokaze's direction before inquiring, "How long does it take to wear out... a pair?"

Yokaze crosses her arms over her chest and regards Duo with raised brows. "He wouldn't know. It's never happened," Yokaze haughtily informs him.

In reply, Trowa glances over his shoulder and a small, evil grin tugs at his mouth as an unspoken challenge vibrates in the air between them. He then turns back to Duo and says flatly, "Mission accepted."

End of Chapter Two