"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cannon asked. Eleesa merely nodded. She looked at her friend, his graying hair pulled back into a tight pony-tail. His eyes were worn and tired, but still held the crinkle and sparkle of years of laughter.

"You don't have to leave, you know," remarked Shawna. Eleesa looked around the city that had become like a prison to her in the last several years. People avoided the trio, walking wide circles around them, and whispering.

"Yes, I do. You saw me Shawna. The only thing that stopped me from putting Gall through that wall today was you. I can't handle it anymore. Having people inside my head was bad enough when I actually cared about all of them, but now…." Eleesa let the sentence drift off.

Cannon put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. He didn't want her to go, but at the same time he knew that she needed to. Just like the others knew as well. Mac and Shawna had thought that once things got figured out, it would make everything better, but it hadn't. If anything, it had made matters worse.

"Where will you go?" he asked.

"Anywhere. Nowhere. I don't know," she answered. "I think I'll just travel for a while. It's time that someone actually started doing exactly what we came to this planet to do."

Cannon and Shawna laughed.

"So you're going to become Johnny Appleseed now, huh?"

"No," Eleesa shook her head with a wry smile. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'Eli the Plant Girl!'"

Without warning, Cannon grabbed Eleesa, crushing her into him and burying his face in her hair. Eleesa stiffened, fighting back the urge to scream and push him away. Cannon either didn't notice, or chose to ignore it. Eleesa couldn't say which, but after a few more seconds he finally released her. She could see tears glistening in the back of his eyes.

"You play it safe out there. It's a dangerous place and we still haven't had a chance to fully explore every aspect of it yet," he remarked. Eleesa raised an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"We're living on a planet that somebody named after an old western TV show and you think I need warned about the dangers? All I can say is that I shall forever find comfort in knowing that I'm not the only crazy person on this damnable sand-pit."

Cannon and Shawna chuckled in response.

"Mac will be upset if you leave without saying goodbye, you know," Shawna mentioned casually, as she tried to keep the mood light.

"I know," Eleesa smiled. "I'm planning on stopping by to see him before I head over to visit Jack and Pat."

"You're gonna come back and visit right?" Cannon asked.

"Of course I will," Eleesa nodded. "I have to. I owe him that much." Her eyes drifted past the city limits to the graveyard that stood on the sand-dune beyond. Two of her friends now rested in that cemetery, Pat having died of cancer several years before. Though it was Jack's grave that was of interest to her. She had made it a point to visit the grave every six months, making this the first time she had ever changed that routine.

"Anyway, I better get going." Eleesa gave her friends one last hug goodbye and turned to leave. The others stood to watch her go.

She was a full block away when Cannon turned and kicked the wall in frustration.

"Dammit!" he cried. "It's like a bad joke, and I just keep waiting for the punchline."

"Not a bad joke," Shawna replied, without taking her eyes off of Eleesa's retreating form. "It's like she said. It's like a nightmare. I just hope that she wakes up from it before it's too late…."

"So are you heading to New Maine as well, or going on to Brandville?" Lagur asked Millie casually.

"New Maine," Millie smiled innocently. "We have a friend there that were going to go see. What about you?"

"I'm going to see my brother-in-law and my niece," Lagur replied, adding a touch of sadness to his voice. "My sister died a few years back, after a long and painful illness, and I haven't seen any of them since then. So I thought it was time to push past the pain and give them a visit." He dabbed at his eyes for dramatic effect.

Lagur was very good at story-telling and had even once thought of becoming a performer for a traveling show. It was a dream quickly cut in two when he met the Grant brothers and found his true calling in robbery. He watched to see if he was still as good as he thought he was and sure enough Millie's mouth curled up in a small frown as tears well-up in her eyes.

"Oh, that's so sad!" she cried. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through something so tragic! When Grandma Thompson died, I was a wreck. None of my brothers or sisters could console me." She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting bear-hug, nearly crushing his body.

"You can cry on my shoulder if you need to," she added.

"Thanks," Lagur gasped as she let him go. He panted for a moment. "I think I'm feeling better now."

"Still, it must be hard for you," Millie said. "I know that if I ever lost any of my brothers or sisters, I would cry for a very long time."

"Well, I did love my sister, but I just keep reminding myself that she's in a better place now."

"That's good," Millie commented.

"So what about this friend of yours?" Lagur pried. "He must be very important for your friend there to want to go see her that desperately." Lagur emphasized the word her, in the hopes that Millie would be more open to trusting him. It was a shot in the dark, but it usually worked. People generally caught on fast if you suddenly knew things about things that you weren't suppose to know, even if it was something small, like the gender of a friend. Since Millie had not mentioned that the friend they were going to see was a man, Lagur decided it was in his best interest to "assume" that it was a girl. The bet paid off as Millie laughed.

"Oh yes, but our friend is a he. His name is Vash and he is a very important person to Meryl." Millie dropped her smile as she looked at her friend and co-worker, asleep next to her. "She's missed him very badly these past few months and has been extremely worried."

"Worried? Why would she have to be worried about him?"

"Well, you see, he's been having trouble with his family lately and … oh, you don't want to hear this. It's really nothing, just Meryl being Meryl. I'm sure she'll be fine as soon as she sees him."

Lagur looked between the two girls and felt the first pang of guilt he had felt in a very long time. Millie really was a very sweet girl and he really didn't want to do anything to hurt her, but he had to keep reminding himself that this was a job after all. Besides, after they were done, he stood to get a good portion of that Sixty Million Double Dollar reward, and that made it worth it.

The pair continued to talk and eat as the night wore on. Millie offered her new friend a pudding in return for the sandwich, while she had one herself. It was several hours before they both fell into an exhausted, yet satisfied sleep, both of them smiling, though for completely different reasons.

Vash the Stampede was pacing back and forth in his room. He was worried. They were out there, he knew, but he wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

He had never come across a group so ruthless before. Everywhere he went, they were there. Every time he turned around, another one showed up. For the past four days he had not gotten a single moment alone. They were monsters of the most horrific kind, and he knew that the moment he stepped from the room, he would, once again, be in their clutches.

He paused in his steps to look out the window. Sure enough, they were still there. Word had gotten around rather quickly and now he was stuck. One of the younger ones saw him staring out of the window and yelled for him to come out.

Closing the curtain hurriedly, he sighed. There was no use for it. He would have to go out there and face them. No matter how tired or hungry he was, he had no other choice. Taking a deep breath, Vash the Stampede opened the door prepared to face his demise.

Much to his surprise, Kalla stood there, holding up a brown paper bag.

"I brought you some donuts to eat before we start playing again," she smiled.

Vash opened the bag to look in and immediately fell to his knees, crying. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "You're a life-safer!"

From that point on, Kallawas going to makesure that she would bring donuts for him every morning. Mainly because his reaction always made her laugh, and it was good to start the day off with a laugh.

"Where is it Kable? We've been going around in circles for the last day and a half and I am not happy about it." Kreeker pulled a long drag off his cigarette and glared at his younger brother.

"I don't know. This fucking thing is useless!" Kable threw the compass down into the sand.

"The problem is that the terrain keeps changing on us boss. That ain't Kable's fault," Hoigt remarked. Kreeker turned around and grabbed Hoigt by the scruff of the neck hauling him up into the air in a fit of anger.

"Did I say it was his fault?" Kreeker asked in a low, snarling voice.

"No…." Hoigt winced. Kable sighed and put his hand on his brother's hands.

"Put him down, Kreek. You're not made at him anymore then you are at me."

For a moment Kable wasn't sure that his brother was going to let the man down, but he finally half dropped, half threw the small, pudgy man to the ground.

"Damnit!" he exclaimed. "I want that reward Kable. No matter what."

"And we'll get it Kreek," Kable replied. He noted that while Hoigt pushed himself away, Joist backed slightly away as well. Envers though paid no attention. Kable had set him to scanning the horizon with the binoculars, and he was smart enough not to stop when the ruckus had started.

It was rare for Kreeker to start taking his anger out on members of the gang, but on the few occasions that he did, it was only Kable that kept him calmed down. All the others could do was to stay out of the line of fire.

"I see something!" Envers called out.

"What?" Kable rushed over to his friends side.

"Looks like a water plant." Envers handed the binoculars over to Kable for confirmation.

"Too right it is," Kable smiled. "Which means that we aren't so far out after all."

"Good," sneered Kreeker. "Cause I'm just itching to get my hands on that sweet reward money."

Eleesa wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she took a momentary break from tending the garden. Looking over she saw Knives casually watering the plants from his seat. He held the watering can with one hand, while the other kept a firm grip on the book he was reading. He was extremely content and happy at the moment. Which could only mean one thing, he had gotten to one of the more vicious parts of the book.

As if on cue, he chuckled quietly at the book. While Eleesa would not have initially recommended the book for Knives reading enjoyment, she did have to admit to herself that it helped her to gain a little more insight into the causes behind his emotional and mental depravities. It showed her that she was definitely going to have to take more drastic measures.

There weren't many people in the world could stand to get cut and merely laugh it off as amusement, and somehow, the fact that he had not immediately tried to go for her throat had made her feel both secure and a little worried. Secure in that he was more concerned with turning her to his way of thinking rather then with killing her, but worried in that he did shrug it off so easily. It meant that she wasn't quite cutting into him deep enough yet.

Of course, it did help relax him a touch in that he finally felt as though he had made progress with getting at her, and to Eleesa that was fine. Anything to help bring down his defenses. One of Knives biggest problems was his over-sized ego. If he thought he was getting at her, chances are he wouldn't notice her sneak in and essentially strike the more deadly move until it was almost too late.

She had made the initial crack when he started thinking about Steve again, and that was good, but forcing that crack open more might prove to be a bit more challenging, really. Every chance she got, Eleesa tried to push a small emotional pin into Knives defenses, widening the crack just slightly more, yet it wasn't enough. She needed more.

She viewed it as though she were preparing to breakdown an entire mountain. You couldn't just put dynamite in one spot and blow it up. No, you had to put the dynamite in several spots along a fissure or crack and detonate them all at once. This was what she was planning on doing with Knives.

She knew he was thinking more and more about his time on the ship and the man that had started him on his fall into insanity. That was more then agreeable to her as she knew Knives felt it a weakness on his part, and as with any sign of weakness, the more he tried to push it back, the bigger it became.

Oh, he still tried to maintain outward appearances of having a cool-head and not being upset or disturbed by any of this, but she knew better. That was one of the blessings of being an empath. Nothing gets by you, at least not where emotions are involved.

Deciding that she was done for the moment, Eleesa wiped her hands on her knees and pushed herself up before she walked over to him. It was time to be ruthless.

Knives sat in the chair he had brought out from the kitchen and flipped through the book while watering the vegetation around him. He needed something to take his mind off of his growing irritation with himself. He had found himself thinking of that man again and it was almost enough to drive him insane.

He would much rather immerse himself into the wonderful world of reading (one of the few things that humans might have actually done right), or dealing with Eleesa. He smiled slightly at the memory of blood dripping from their arms in unison. Yes, that was how life should be. Two bodies, two souls in total sync with each other. So much so that when one bleeds, so does the other. When falls, so does the other. When one dies ….

'Well, then one dies.' He laughed quietly at the thought. It had been a good day yesterday, considering that he couldn't read her or her damnable, cool, body language. He had always been able to play on people's fears and reactions before. It had been simple enough for him to learn to read people's body language, especially since they had the unfortunate habit of 'wearing their hearts on their sleeves' so to speak. With Eleesa though, it was almost as if she had no fears or concerns of what might happen.

He supposed that he could try getting into her head in the same way that he had done with Rowen and Mary on the Seed Ship, but his instincts told him that that wouldn't work with Eleesa.

Then she had cut him, along with herself. She had done it without thought, without worry and most of all, without regret. It had given him a new sense of purpose. He could get to her and he would.

Knives smiled and refocused his attention on the book in front of him. Where had he left off again? Oh yes, Simon and the beast. Knives chuckled. He liked this beast, this Lord of the Flies as it were. It reminded him of himself.

"Still reading that, huh?" Eleesa asked as she walked up to Knives.

"What can I say, it's a good book," he smirked.

"Or maybe your just looking for pointers on the whole "destroy the world" campaign your on?"

"Perhaps. Or maybe I just identify with the characters. There's something about the sport of the hunt and the fresh kill that makes my heart cry out in pure, unadulterated joy. And with this book, I can enjoy it two-fold. Why, reading about it in such fine detail is almost as good as partaking in it."

"Yes, all that blood and lack of mercy, I suppose for you it is." Eleesa shook her head. "You know, I have to say, the words sick and twisted, just somehow don't seem to even begin to cover what you are."

"Well, I am the Beast after all," Knives waved the battered book around, smiling enigmatically.

"No, you're not." Eleesa looked down at him, her eyes filled with something close to pity. "You're Simon. You may see the beast and talk to it. Heck you may even let it control you and your life, but when all is said and done; when you finally achieve your goal and you find yourself standing on the barren wasteland of this planet, all alone, Vash gone, humanity gone, even your beloved plants gone, you will find that you are nothing more then a husked out corpse of a boy that was thrown off a cliff years ago by a man who never even deserved to have that kind of power over you."

"More's the pity actually," she continued sadly. "Because I think that I could have been friends with that boy."

"Well thankfully, as you so put it, that boy is dead." Knives waved her comment off, though it was easy to tell that she had upset him a touch.

"Oh I didn't say he's dead now. I said he will be. Do you honestly think that there will be anyone or anything left on this planet that will care for or about you, once you kill off all the humans? Do honestly think that Vash will stand by your side? Or any of the other plants? Those that don't die in your mad scheme will hate you."

Knives hands gripped the side of his chair, threatening to break it as he tried to retain his cool while Eleesa continued with her barrage in an overly calm and detached voice.

"You'll be nothing. More then you are nothing now."

"I'm me."

"You're an assassin sent by the fears of the little boy hiding inside of you, to destroy the big, bad world that he's afraid to face."

The punch stopped an inch away from Eleesa's face, though she didn't even so much as flinch. The veins in Knives neck stood out and the chair he had been sitting in had landed several feet behind him. His face was contorted with anger, but even so, Eleesa took note of the small tear that had begun to creep from his eye.

He began to laugh bitterly at the realization that she had managed to get to him so thoroughly. Hatred mixed with fear welled up inside of him. Hatred of her, hatred of himself and hatred of the world in general. For the first time since waking, Millions Knives realized beyond a shadow of a doubt, that whatever was going on here, in this desert oasis, he was not the one pulling the final strings.

Eleesa looked at him, her eyes filled with an odd sadness he had never seen before. Without another word, she turned and walked back into the house.

"Hey Vash, catch!" screamed one of the kids that Vash was playing with, as a big, red ball bounded toward him. Vash missed though, as a sudden cold feeling surged through his body, making his stomach drop out from under him.

"Mr. Vash?" another kid started tugging on his sleeve. "Are you okay?"

He remained crouched, arms outstretched and ready to catch the ball, unable to move. He couldn't breath. His very soul seemed drenched in unknown fear. After a moment the initial feeling passed, leaving behind only a quesy, uneasiness to his stomach.

"I… I'm sorry," he laughed nervously, the spell broken. "But I have to go back to the hotel for a few minutes. There'd something I need to take care off."

"Oh that," smiled the toe-headed child next to him. "My mom says that can happen when you eat too many sweets." To emphasis the matter, the young boy looked over at the boxes of donuts behind Vash.

Vash laughed again and ruffled the boy's hair. "I'll try to remember that," he said before dashing off to the hotel.

The truth was though that there was only one thought on his mind right now and that thought was Knives.

"You're good," Knives commented as he walked into the sitting room, where Eleesa was drinking a cup of coffee. "You knew just how to strike and you did it without apprehension. You truly are amazing."

"What can I say?" Eleesa replied without any real emotion in her voice. "I like to put my all into everything I do."

"So what are you anyway?" Knives asked. "You're not human, that much I know. Humans can't do the things you can do. Even Legato never had the skill to control me or Vash. No, humans don't even begin to compare to you."

He sat down in the other chair and continued.

"Yet you're not a plant either. At least you don't give off the feelings of being a plant. So what is it that you are?"

"Well, since you asked so politely, I'll tell you. Though I am rather surprised you haven't figured it out already." Eleesa put her cup down and stared straight at Knives. "As you have already surmised, I'm neither human, nor plant. Yet at the same time, I'm both."

"You're half-plant," Knives breathed admiringly.

"Bingo." Eleesa poked her nose a couple of times. "You hit it on the head."

"I didn't even notice," he remarked, more to himself then to her.

"That's your problem, Knives. You're so wrapped up in your own delusions that when it comes to the really important things, you don't even notice them. You think you're the only person whose ever suffered a traumatic past and therefore the only one who has a right to be ruthless and unconscionable."

"Well it has gotten me this far, hasn't it?" he laughed sardonically.

"Yes, but how much further do you truly think you can ride on it?"

Their eyes locked. Knives felt that helpless feeling start to swallow him up again. He didn't like this game anymore. He was losing and he knew it. She was making him think. Think about the past and about the future and about things he didn't want to think about. Did he really want to end up totally alone? That was not what his ultimate goal was when he had started out. There was always the thought of Vash by his side, as well as their brothers and sisters. But would any of them really be there? Would any of them really ever see things the way he did?

He wanted to answer Eleesa. A part of him wanted to cry out for her help, her comfort, while the other part of him sneered and fought to beat down those urges. It was that part of him, the part filled with hate and rage that won out. He was about to make a biting retort when the phone rang. Eleesa stood up and went into the kitchen to answer it with Knives trailing behind her.

"Hey Jake," she said automatically into the phone. "Oh, Vash. Sorry I didn't know it was you. Usually Jake is the only one that ever calls."

"Knives? Yeah he's right here. I'll let you talk to him." Eleesa looked confused as she handed the phone to Knives. "It's your brother, for you. He sounds … strange."

Knives took a deep breath to collect himself before taking the receiver.

"Brother dear! How are you?" He filled his voice with mocking sincerity.

"Knives, you're okay," Vash sounded relieved.

"Well, I'd be even better if I had a few human heads on a platter, brother, but yes, I am okay." As if everything else that had happened wasn't bad enough, now he had to deal with his brother's strange behavior. It was a very confusing day for Knives.

"I just," Vash paused, collecting his thoughts. "I just had a bad feeling that something might be wrong with you … or Miss Eleesa."

Knives chuckled darkly. Was his brother honestly concerned about him? Did Vash really think he was that weak?

'Weren't you a few minutes ago, though?' The thought rose unbidden to the forefront of his mind and Knives quickly pushed it back.

"Well everything is fine and you don't have anything to worry about. In fact, we're getting along so well, that I may never leave."

"Oh," Vash said, a little taken aback. He had somehow missed the sarcasm emanating from his brother's voice at the last statement.

Knives let lose a low growl. It was bad enough that he had shown weakness to Eleesa. He was not about to show it to his brother or anyone else that he happened upon. He definitely didn't want to stand around and listen to Vash's simpering drabble when all it did was remind him of that weakness.

"Listen, Brother, I really don't have time to sit here and chat about your worries or fears. Why don't you talk to Eleesa about that? She seems to have that subject all wrapped up." Without waiting for a reply, he handed the phone back to Eleesa and left the room.

"Hi, Vash," she said in her normal, upbeat voice, to let him know she was on the phone.

"Uh, Miss Eleesa, hi. Um. Is Knives really okay?"

"Oh don't worry about Knives. He's just upset because I beat him at a game of chess."

"Oh, okay." Eleesa could tell that Vash wasn't quite convinced that that was the only thing wrong, but before she could say anything else, Knives poked his head around the corner, a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, honey," he said in more mocking tones. "We have company headed our way."

"What?" Eleesa turned, surprised.

"Company. Some big mean looking men in a big mean looking truck. Headed our way. Thought you should know."

"Vash?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to have to go now. Seems we have visitors."

"Oh."

"We'll talk to you some other time, okay?"

"Okay."

Eleesa hung up the phone and walked back into the sitting room. Pulling back the curtain, she saw a jeep heading towards the house filled with four or five men. Her jaw tightened at the sight.

"Damn," she whispered out loud. She should have felt them if they were that close. The fact that she didn't meant that she hadn't realized just how much energy she was expanding on Knives. Energy that she couldn't exactly stop using either, which meant that she would have to be a bit more careful then usual.

"Well," she sighed. "I guess I'd better go see what they want."

Knives smiled as he watched her go. He had seen the look on her face and she had been anything but happy at the prospect of having people come by. He could definitely work with this. Knives slowly made his way upstairs to grab Eleesa's gun for her. This was going to be fun.

Eleesa stood out on the front porch and waited as the jeep approached. When it was within shouting distance she stepped off the porch and made her way toward it. The jeep came to a halt about fifteen feet from her and she saw that there were five men in the truck.

"May I help you?" Eleesa asked. Her guard was up. Though they tried to look pleasant enough, she could tell now that they were closer that they were dangerous. Even the youngest, with his boyish good looks and bright, cheerful smile, was cold and ruthless on the inside. In some ways, he seemed even worse then the one she took to be the leader.

At least, that's what she had determined from the amount of respect that she felt them feeling for the taller, more rugged looking man. It was to him that she had directed her question.

"Name's Kreeker. And missy, you can help me anytime," he sniggered.

Eleesa let her mind push forward just a bit. They were looking for something, though what that something was, she couldn't tell. At least not without taking the restraints off of Knives and that was not going to happen.

"If that's all you came for …" she turned to leave just as Knives came out of the house, his right hand behind his back.

The youngest outlaw quickly nudged his boss and nodded toward the blonde killer.

"Actually," the leader conceded. "We were just going to ask you if you had seen anyone by the name of Vash around here. Heard he was in New Maine and thought he might have come by here."

Eleesa stopped in mid-stride. She studied the outlaws for a moment.

"Vash the Stampede?" she asked.

"Why, yes," Kreeker leaned over the steering wheel of the jeep, his mouth spread into a wide grin.

"Sorry," Eleesa shook her head. "Can't help you."

"Can't or won't?" he asked.

Knives finally reached the group, an evil smile on his face.

"Well, well, well," he remarked casually. "What's going on here?"

"These mean are looking for Vash the Stampede." Eleesa replied. "But they're just leaving now."

"Oh," Knives muttered scornfully. "And here I went through all the trouble to get your gun because I thought we were going to have some fun." He pulled the gun out from behind his back to show it off, before folding his arms in front. He made sure that when he did so, the gun remained in full view.

Eleesa was about to tell him to cut it out, but decided better of it. If the outlaws did cause trouble, which she was getting the impression that they would, then she might need that gun.

"I never said I was leaving missy," Kreeker interjected, as if he had read her mind. "And your little gun doesn't scare me in the least. Vash the Stampede."

"You think he's Vash?" Eleesa laughed. Then she stopped abruptly. "Believe me, he is no Vash."

"Then you know Vash?" asked the younger outlaw casually.

"Possibly," Knives smirked.

"It doesn't matter if we do or don't," interrupted Eleesa. "You're not going to find him here and I have no intention of directing you to him. Now why don't you just leave?"

"Sorry ma'am. No can do," Kreeker lowered his head mournfully. When he pulled it back up, it was with an almost insane grin. He waved a large gun that was gripped in his hand. "You see, I want that Sixty Million double dollar reward and with this beauty, I intend to get it."

All pretense of joviality left Knives as he looked at the gun in the man's hand. His gun. This imbecile had his gun! And he was planning on hunting Vash down with it? Rage began to build in Knives as he gripped the gun in his own hand even tighter.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kreeker snarled. He pointed the gun directly at Knives head.

"Now," he continued, cocking the gun for emphasis. "If he isn't Vash the Stampede, then you just tell me where New Maine and Vash the Stampede are and we'll be on our way."