A/N: Hey! I'm SORRY! (begs) PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I AM A BAD, UNTIMELY PERSON! This is a hard fan fiction to get inspiration for...poo it. Oh--if there's spelling/grammar mistakes...I didn't have time to look over it ten or twenty times this time 'cause...'cause...as you continue through a story, you start to lack the activeness or perfection of it; more of the content and how you can make people enjoy it, so...

I DON'T own Trigun, as sad as that makes me

And thank you to everyone who gave out their opinion:D Love ya!

Never Make the Same Mistake

Knives had ordered that Staccato would stay, to her disappointment or hope, not even Staccato, herself, could tell. Butterflies had spontaneously generated in her stomach, but with what purpose, she could not discover it.

Without question, she agreed; and then followed Legato out of the room to watch him leave.

"I won't be gone for too long, Staccato…" With a dark smile, he rested his hand on top of her head. "Master Knives will be able to help you with your powers as he has helped me with mine."

"But he—uh…" She lowered her gaze to the floor, her hands red with blood from his arm. "Master Knives is scary…"

"He will not hurt you, Staccato. Despite his temper, he can be a very patient being," Legato kneeled down in front of her, resting his large hands on her small shoulders. "I want you to be careful, though, alright? Not many of the Gung-Ho are friendly." He smiled as she cocked her head to one side in confusion, but her eyes grew dull at the thought.

"…'kay…" She mumbled, following him to the huge front doors. Most of the gang members had retired to their rooms. The only ones she could see still present were Midvalley, Wolfwood, and Dominique. Midvalley was tuning and playing his saxophone, Wolfwood had fallen asleep on the couch; and Dominique was sitting at a table cleaning up her gun. Staccato watched them warily before turning back to Legato.

"Master…Legato…What will I do here if I get into trouble?"

"I'm sure you won't make any trouble," The girl shook her head violently to emphasize his words, "But if you happen to fall into a problem, either tell Master Knives, or solve it yourself."

"Uh—?" She sucked in a breath and gaped up at him. "Y-You mean…Use my powers?"

Legato grinned, his golden eyes glowing. "Exactly."

"…" Graywinters sighed heavily, lowering her head, staring at the dirt floor before looking back up, a small smile on her face. "H-Have fun, Legato,"

Her master nodded his thanks before standing up straight, turning to leave, closing the huge doors with a heavy thud behind him.

After she heard the sound of the skull-headed vehicle driving off, she moved her head slowly, glancing at the other three in the room. The Hornfreak had stopped playing his instrument, and Wolfwood looked like he was craving something as he sat up drowsily from the sofa; food or drink, or maybe a cigarette like all the adults Staccato knew wanted. Dominique, on the other hand, was heading for her room, and closed it within moments of Legato's departure.

"You might want to toss that limb there, kid," Midvalley said, his hoarse voice echoing throughout the large chamber. Staccato winced a bit, but then looked up angrily at him, her eyes filled with hurt.

"No! It's Master Legato's, and Master Knives said that I should keep it."

"Ugh…That's appetizing," Wolfwood laughed warmly, trying to lift the gloomy atmosphere of the whole place, glancing at Midvalley. "Don't make her angry—haven't you noticed that she follows our leaders like a puppy? She probably means a lot to one of them,"

"Heh. I don't think she's worth much of anything." With that, the Hornfreak turned away and strolled to his own room. "God, I hate kids,"

Staccato gasped inward, her mouth slightly open; her grip on the bloody arm tightening slowly in both offense and security. Wolfwood frowned as he watched his comrade stalk off, and looked down at the Razorsense. "Hey, don't concern yourself with him, alright? He's just a bastard like that."

"…Mm-hmm…" She nodded sadly, numbly; slowly looking up at the priest. It seemed to surprise him that she didn't mind his cursing.

"Staccato," The two of them turned as the voice came from a door across the room from the Gung-Ho chambers. Knives stood there, his hands clutching the doorway. "I want you to come over here."

"Uh—nh…" Taking one last glance at Wolfwood, who nodded a little, she quickly stepped forward and approached Knives.

With one swift movement, he ushered her into the room and shut the door.

"Give me the arm."

She gave it up without complaint, and he took it into one hand, slowly lowering it into a large vat of thick, translucent green liquid. Almost as if on cue, a bunch of black and blue wires came up from the bottom, attaching themselves to the various veins dangling out of Legato's arm.

Staccato watched in amazement, her eyes wide, the arm soon regaining color and, what looked like, life. A small amount of blood escaped from the wires, which gave a conclusion that it was filled with blood.

"H-How does it work like that, Master Knives?" Turning her head, she looked up at the Plant, his icy blue eyes staring down at her.

"This is ancient technology; most everything we have here is. Anyway, those tubes act as veins, arteries, capillaries, anything necessarily representing a tube or pipe." Knives glanced down at her with a small smirk. "However…that is not why I have you here."

Blinking, Staccato turned away from the large container, looking up at the tall, graceful being.

"You remember my saying that your powers could rival Legato's?"

A nod was the reply, her silver eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.

"It's true. Your high senses are unbelievable and dangerous to yourself—but there is a way to use such senses against your enemies—our foes, the spiders."

"R-Really?" She lifted her head. "Would I be able to do what Master Legato did to April City?"

"Possibly, once you become strong enough." He raises an eyebrow, almost shocked by the thrill he detected in her voice. It seemed to scar her at first, when she first realized all those cursed spiders had died—but now…

Knives smirked a bit, shaking his head of the thought. The Plant leaned forward as he spoke. "Your senses, Staccato…They are so strong that it's almost unbearable, right?"

"…Y-yes…" A nod was added to accent the point.

"Have you ever been driven to enough agony," He paused as she flinched at the word; pain was not her favorite subject. "that you somehow transferred it to another person?"

For a long moment, Staccato looked up at the glacier-like hue of his sharp, penetrating eyes; the starlight of hers shimmering with confusion. "You—You mean…hurt someone else?"

He only stared down at her, somewhat disappointed by her reaction. Apparently she simply let herself get beaten; as if she had no hope of defending herself, and so let others stomp all over her as they wished.

Just like…

With a disgusted snort at the thought, he stood up straight, towering over the child, making her shrink back from his height.

Vulnerability would not be tolerated. If she were to become like…him, then Knives would never forgive himself for allowing it. If she were to become weak, if she were to allow others to just beat her at their pleasure, or give them the chance to exploit her young age and lack of strength…

It would end up with Staccato being a smiley, wandering, no-killing, good-deeding, human-saving moron.

Just like Vash…Exactly like his rather sorry excuse for a brother.

Like Knives, Vash was supposed to be strong; invincible, especially against the human race. However, as that pacifist, Rem Saverem had tried to teach both of them and only succeeded in preaching one, it diluted his thought-process into a pitying love for the weak race.

Staring down at Staccato, Knives frowned, unknowingly forcing her to flinch in fright. It would not happen. He would rot and die before he allowed her to let anyone take advantage of just how frail she was.

As the girl called out his name softly, he was kicked out of his thoughts, this time, now, looking straight at her.

"M-Master Knives…u-um…Legato said that-that you're going to teach me how to use my powers…"

"That's right."

"Uh—w-will that…will that be soon?" Her eyes shined with anticipation, as if she were waiting forever to be able to control what abilities she had.

So she wanted to be stronger than she was…Stronger than those who wanted to cause her harm.

"Yes…" Knives smirked and watched the silver of her eyes glitter and the expression of her face turning to that of a comfortable excitement, her hands clenching a bit as if tempted to embrace him. "Yes, we will start once the rest of the Gung-Ho Guns have finished resting from their travels."

Staccato's smile widened, her eyes closing as if keeping them open would allow her suddenly flourishing happiness to escape her body. The Plant lifted her up from under her arms and held her in front of him, allowing her to lean against his broad chest.

"You and I, Staccato…as well as Legato…will make sure that we never lose you to frailty and the love of humans, like how I lost my brother."

The girl turned her head in surprise, hearing sorrow, maybe even depression in his voice. Here was a man—er—Plant—that had lost his brother to a cause that even she had given up on; and he, as cold-hearted as he seemed, was willing to save her from the fate of it.

Resting her small hands on his long fingers, some of Legato's blood smearing onto them, she leaned back against his chest and smiled warmly, comfortingly. "Don't worry…Master Knives…I won't…let you down…"

Knives watched her eyes droop, and then close, her mouth remaining slightly open as she fell asleep, once again, in his arms.

"…Hm." He smiled, walking to another door—a larger one, similar to the Gung-Ho Guns' chamber doors, only cleaner and well-kept. "If only you had been born a Plant, Staccato Greywinters,"

If only she had…

Slowly, he rested her on top of his bed, then sat down at a chair by a desk, watching her as she slept.

If only she had.

Before he could stop himself, Knives, also, had drifted off into sleep.

(just a quick question to pose--as the readers--not my choice, I am here to type a fanfiction and please you lovely people who read these--but, as the readers, what would YOU, again, not me, want to happen next? Review!)