Ten Guns, Two Roses
Chapter 6 - Truth in all the Lies
Author's Note: You know, I've realized that the longer I go on with this fic, the more it sucks. Damn it! Why can't I write consistently? And with good grammar? Yeargh! ::sweatdrops:: Oh, well... at least I know the clever use of symbolism... I wonder if you'll pick up on it too. Anyway, please read it even if it does suck? Thanks. And don't forget to write a review too.

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Two and a half weeks later, Midvalley and Wolfwood entered the town the dark-haired priest had been told to tell Vash his brother was in. Neither man knew if it was true or only a trap, but it had been the best lead either of them could have come up with, so they had gone. So they had bought a couple of second hand motorcycles which were, in Wolfwood's opinion, 'not even close to being as nice as Angelina was'. But as good as the priest's former motorcycle or not, they had gotten the two to Berd, and that was all that mattered. Now, there was the little matter of confronting Knives... and Nick had already decided that it would be best to wait until the morning after they had both gotten a good night's sleep. So now they were both sitting at a table in the two-man room they had rented, playing a game of chess to kill the time - Wolfwood on the white side, Midvalley on the black.

"Your move," the black-clad priest said absently, his eyes glued to the board in near exhaustion.

"Yeah, I know," Midvalley mumbled back. He wasn't quite as tired as Nick, but chess had never been his thing, and he was getting bored with losing (which he was) rather quickly. Reaching for one of the few pawns he had left, he pushed it forward so now it rested on the seventh square; one more and he would have his queen back.

Wolfwood saw this and moved his own bishop to capture the pawn, and suddenly the dark-haired sax player was fighting back a temper tantrum. But instead of exploding he said simply, "Look, Nick... I'm tired. Think we can turn in?"

"I was thinking the same thing," the priest admitted.

Midvalley nodded, pushing his chair back from the table he had been sitting at so he could stand up. Moving towards the bed he had claimed as his own, he laid down on it and watched his companion flop onto the room's other single bed. There was silence between both men for a moment, and then the dark-haired sax player heard the faint beginnings of a snore coming from Nick's bed. Offering a wistful smile to no one at the thought that Wolfwood could fall asleep so easily knowing full well what the morning would bring, the sax player stared at the ceiling, wide awake.

Toying with the buttons on his shirt, he considered sneaking down to get a drink to ease his mind before turning in for real. It wasn't like Nick would miss him, and if he could get to sleep after a whiskey or two he'd be more levelheaded in the morning. A nod to himself and Midvalley was up, moving towards the door that would lead him down to the bar on the first floor.

*

"Another whiskey," the dark-haired sax player said softly, resting his arms on the relatively clean bartop. The drink he had just ordered would be his second of the night and his last, or so he swore. Reaching for the drink as it was brought to him, Midvalley took a couple of sips before putting it down. True, you weren't supposed to sip hard liquor... but the dark-haired male really didn't care what most people did. He was his own person. He did what he wanted... not what others expected...

* Is that so, Midvalley-kun? *

Chocolate-colored eyes widened in terror. That was Legato's voice, and that meant only one thing. The blue-haired telepath was somewhere near-by. Glancing over his shoulder, Midvalley attempted to find the human-hater in the thinning crowd of people. And when the sax-player couldn't find him, his uneasiness rose. Where was Legato?

* Outside. By the door. *

Midvalley stood and moved towards the door, responding to the unspoken command from his superior. Pushing the swinging doors aside, he stepped out into the cool desert night and found the telepath right where he said he would be. The golden-eyed male was leaning against the wall of the bar, his eyes closed but a cold smirk on his face. For a moment neither male moved, the sax player too wrapped up in fear and the telepath engrossed by something else. And then Legato pushed himself away from the wall and moved to stand before the Gung-Ho Gun.

"Knives-sama wonders why you haven't been reporting on a regular basis."

Pushing down the fear and putting on a cool facade, Midvalley raised his mental defenses so Legato couldn't glean too much from him. When you lived around someone with powers like the golden-eyed male's for long enough, you learned to block some of their influence. "Don't you think Chapel would notice if I snuck away every night to meet with you?"

"Perhaps, but there are other ways of getting in touch," Legato replied, malice shining in his eyes. Then, he continued, "Our master forgives you this time. Right now He is more interested in how the deception of the traitor goes."

"Not well," Midvalley began, but that was all the farther he got before pain exploded in the base of his neck. Falling to his knees, the sax player clutched the back of his head knowing exactly what was going on. Knives was not pleased with his answer, so Legato was making him pay.

"That is -not- acceptable," Legato hissed, confirming the dark-haired male's suspicions. "He must believe you genuinely wish to help him so that when the time comes to betray him, he will destroy himself knowing that his two best friends have abandoned him. A fitting punishment for betraying Him."

Midvalley fought back a whimper as the pain intensified. "If you'll give me a few more days, I'm sure I can get him to trust me fully."

"A few more days," Legato repeated, and suddenly the agony the sax player was in stopped. "That's all you have before he destroys you and Chapel, Hornfreak." His white jacket whipping around his as he turned, the telepath glanced over his shoulder, "Don't fail." And then Legato was gone, slipping back into whatever darkness he had come from.

Midvalley on the other hand continued to sit on his knees, leaning into the ground as he remembered the pain. Nothing was worth this. Not the betrayal of a good friend. Not his life. So maybe he really did want out of the Gung-Ho Guns after all. And maybe when he got Nick to trust him again, it wouldn't be some sick charade... it'd be because he needed a friend on the outside.

Funny how what he thought was a lie was turning out to be the truth.