Disclaimer: This is so annoying. NO. I still DON'T own jack squat. And I don't own Jack or his squat. Which also means that I don't own Trigun. But I DO own Demonte and Celestia and um…other things.

Yes. I changed my summary. My friend said that it sounded too much like a religious sermon. Yeah, I can't write summaries.

BTW this question was asked (I've decided that when a question is asked, I'll post it publicly just in case someone else has the same question. ^^'): What exactly are Forbidden Magicks?

Welps, Forbidden Magicks are Magicks that are very destructive and only the Granus Alchemists have been known to use them. But Demonte and Meryl have them so… O.O we are left in suspense. The questions of what they REALLY are and how the Alchemists were able to acquire them will be answered after chapter 24.

Got a question? Concern? Accurate information? E-mail me please!

Engel: Sacrifice

Chapter Thirteen

The Traitor

"Maybe in another life

I could find you there

Pulled away before your time

I can't deal it's so unfair

And it feels

And it feels like

Heaven's so far away

And it feels

Yeah it feels like

The world has grown cold

Now that you've gone away"

-Offspring (Lyrics From Gone Away)

The Professor could feel the gruff figure turn towards the newcomer, and ask him the same question. "Did you dispose of them?"

Descartes, too, was at a loss for words. Nevertheless, he did try to speak out, in hopes that it would calm his Master. "S-Sir, we were surprised. I had the upper hand until a wench dispatched me from behind."

"From behind?" The gruff figure repeated.

"Yes, from behind. She had to have been a psychic or something that wasn't human for her to get past me without knowing that she was there."

The Professor found the words to chime in. "I also had the upper hand, until I was beaten back by a woman of unknown heraldry!"

The gruff man pondered on this for a moment. "And what of Tonis?"

"We…" Both men hung their heads in shame as Descartes answered. "We don't know sir. That man you mentioned…Demonte…he's fighting alongside them."

"WHAT!?" The gruff man flared.

"Honestly," Descartes said, clenching his fists. "We had no idea that they hoarded such power. We were under the impression that they were only city guards coming to check up on the ruins. The only other thing that we knew was that Demonte was with them." Descartes turned his head. "Failure will not perceive me next time."

"You're right," The gruff man snapped. "It WON'T." And with that, he turned and stormed from the room.

Demonte hurried faster, his heart pounding in his chest. Was Tonis still following him? Had he continued to allow himself to be deceived unknowingly?

Then the sound of gunfire reechoed throughout the sky and Demonte almost smiled. Vash had been victorious after all.

But then he was stopped short by a dark figure clouding his path.

…It was Tonis.

"You didn't honestly believe that I would fall for such a stupid trick, did you?" Tonis laughed. "You? A decoy? I'm a little more intelligent than that, Demonte. I knew Vash was behind me the whole time."

"But the gunfire…" Demonte protested and Tonis turned his head.

"Yes, the gunfire in the distance. I merely shot my gun to distract him, and lead him far away from here. You see, with you around to spoil the fun, I have no choice but to dispose of you." Tonis withdrew his gun. "Don't you agree?"

Demonte paused, unsure of the situation. But then he understood and had no choice but to reach for his own gun.

"Do you know the irritation of this, Demonte?" Tonis laughed, cocking his gun. "Our mission was only to slaughter the resistance party at the ruins. You, yourself, are a member of the Hell's Mafia. Why do you choose to ignore us and side yourself with these infidels?"

"I've never been too hot on people who move in on my orders— especially if they're my own subordinates. I warned you before to step down, but you have refused. If open gunfire is what you wish, then you shall have it."

Tonis paused, and then grinned slightly. "You are a persistent one. Very well. Have it your way." The night breeze brushed against Demonte's back roughly. He cocked his own gun and aimed its end at his enemy. His arm tightened as he pulled on the trigger.

Everything came as a blur after the first shot resounded heavily in the sky. Demonte blinked and stared ahead, only to find that his opponent was not there. Another shot was fired, but it was too late for Demonte to turn around.

The world around him was spinning, and he felt his back hit the ground. A surge of pain spread from his arm to his shoulder, and his sudden dazed state had disappeared. Grimacing, he reached for his shoulder, gasping for air, and flipped onto his belly.

Tonis stood above him, gun in hand, and Demonte could barely make out the teenager's face. All that was seen was the whites of his teeth, which glittered brightly with his wicked smile.

"Checkmate." Tonis laughed. "And YOU were what the Boss was so paranoid about? If I could beat you so easily, then…"

Demonte twisted his body, swinging his leg around to meet the back of Tonis' calf. Tonis was flung forward to the ground as Demonte rolled hastily back onto his feet, staggering a little to regain balance.

The gun was now placed at the back of Tonis' head, and Demonte groped for his injured arm. "Excuse me," Demonte started, breathing deeply. "Who's on the receiving end now?" He swung his arm back and hit the top of Tonis' head with the butt of the gun.

Tonis' body fell limp onto the ground and did not move again. Relieved, Demonte straightened his back and placed his revolver back into its holster from within his cloak. "That was too easy kid. Come back when you know the true meaning of being in the Hell's Mafia. Oh, and tell Rohgsworn that I'll offer up my position to no one, understand?"

Demonte turned on his heel, eager to get back to camp to find the others. But he was stopped short in his tracks as a large object was plummeted into his back and he was sent sailing to the ground, his face connecting with the sand.

"Oh, really?" This voice was not Tonis', but another…

The man stalked closer as the object that had hit Demonte sailed back into the figure's hand. Demonte rolled over onto his back. "Demonte, why?" Demonte knew this voice. "After all that I've done for you, you turn on me and attack your own men. How could you side with inferior beings such as them?"

"I did not side with them because it was my choice. I did it to defend my title." Demonte cleared the haziness from his head. "And what about you?" Demonte asked, spitting sand from his mouth. "What gives you the right to hand my task over to amateurs like them? Did you not trust me?"

"It was not that," Rohgsworn answered. "But the time of Roklen approaches, and you are still so far away. How can I leave things in your hands if the time draws nearer and we still have no clue as to where the Alchemists and their bodyguards lie?"

"I'll get the job done," Demonte growled as he pulled himself back onto his feet. "Trust me. I am also insinuating that Loose Ruth has informed you of Vash the Stampede's abrupt revival?"

"Indeed."

"I am trying to find a way to convince him to come to Roklen and use his stupefying powers that he is so famous for on the I.T.F. and the Alchemists."

Rohgsworn's eyes lit up and he smiled, wide. "Demonte, what a marvelous idea! It will work perfectly…Vash the Stampede working for Hell's Mafia…Ha! Granus won't even know what hit them!" He turned, facing away from Demonte. "Listen to me. I want you there the morning of the occasion. Bring Vash the Stampede…I will take care of the rest."

Demonte had the urge to implore more on the subject, but felt it best not to pry any further. Instead, he looked up and asked, "Are you going to continue with the burnings? What about handing my job over to someone else? Are you going to do that too?"

Rohgsworn held up a commanding hand. "I will not commence the burnings, nor will I be handing your task over to anyone else. This I can promise you."

Meryl stood there, by herself, quaking. Had she just done that? But by revealing…no, NO! She couldn't think of that. Looking up, she spotted two vague silhouettes heading towards her.

"Meryl!" Came the voice of Milly. "Are you all right!? Where's the Nebraska Family!?"

"It's all right now," Meryl assured as they came nearer. "I took care of them."

"Geez Mer!" BDN huffed. "That guy led us in a great big circle and by the time we knew it, he had disappeared. I'm sorry we left you…"

Meryl shook her head. "Now is not the time to be worrying about that. We have to find the others and make sure that they're okay."

"Don't worry, we are." The trio turned and smiled. Celestia waved as Ingway called out to them. "Celestia here took out Descartes all by herself."

"Descartes…" Meryl stiffened. "I remember that man…"

"You acted as a great decoy," Celestia smiled warmly. "It gave me plenty of time to use my psychic readings to maneuver my way to the back of him."

"So THAT'S how you did it!" Ingway laughed and then turned to Meryl. "How about you?"

Meryl sighed, placing a hand upon her pounding heart. "I'm okay I guess. It's definitely not something that I would like to do everyday, but the Nebraska Family did retreat."

"That was the Nebraska Family!?" Ingway glanced back and forth between Meryl and BDN. "So, it's true that these people aren't messing around after all. If the Nebraska Family is involved, then they really mean business."

"So we've noticed…" Meryl said, tiredly.

"Anyway that just leaves Dem and the broom-head," BDN chuckled. "Let's go and find them and hope that their flashy battle won't lead to the destruction of something important."

Demonte's eyes were held glued to the spot where Rohgsworn and Tonis had used to be. He knew it. He had to start shaping up and stop going on these little side-quests. Roklen was on this side of the planet anyhow. If he could somehow convince the entire party to go to Roklen…

"Vash and Meryl know each other," Demonte said, trying to put all of the pieces together. "He obviously won't leave the gang now because of the hunt for his brother, Knives. And Meryl won't leave because of her feelings towards Vash. And the others won't leave because Meryl is with Vash." And then an idea struck him. "But if I could use all of that to my advantage, then maybe I have a chance in this after all."

Demonte glanced down at his injured arm. Holding it gingerly, he closed his eyes, as a white glow came from the palm of his hand, mending the wounded flesh almost instantly.

Then he heard a voice in the distance, calling his name.

Turning his head slightly, he spotted a red clad figure with a dark cloak approaching him.

"Vash," Demonte started. "I found out where they're headed."

But Vash seemed unconcerned with such matters at the moment. "Demonte, where's Tonis? Is he okay?"

Demonte almost seemed disgusted with his sense of compassion for others—even with his enemies. Nevertheless, he had to show some truth in his words and so he nodded as he began to voice the lie he had premeditated earlier.

"He's fine. I was unaware that he had been chasing me until it was too late. I gave him chase up the hill over yonder, where his men were waiting for him. He had obviously believed that he lost me in our struggle, so I hid nearby and listened in as they mentioned something about their hideout being in the city of Roklen. They took off some time afterwards away from our camp."

Vash halted. "Roklen?"

"It's the truth," Demonte tilted his head. "And they're up to something."

"What about Knives?" Vash inquired. "Did he say anything about Knives?"

Demonte paused, choosing his words carefully. "Yes…" There's no going back now… "Knives is behind all of this."

Silence enveloped the conversation…and then Demonte could hear the thumping of a large body collapsing to the ground. And surprisingly, he heard weeping. "We will have to head to Roklen and make it there by the first of next month…" Demonte continued. "…or all hell will break loose."

"Then let us find the others and head to Roklen immediately," Vash looked up, his tear-stained face hard with determination. "I will find my brother, and end this for the last time."

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Meryl smiled as Demonte and Vash entered the camp. "We were so worried when you didn't come back."

"Are the intruders gone?" Demonte asked, not bothering to return the feelings of welfare.

"Yes," Milly spoke up. "How about your combatants?"

"Yes," Demonte nodded. "But I found out some devastating news that you all need to hear."

The warmth from the camp had disappeared faster than a flame being extinguished from a candle.

"What's the matter?" Ingway asked, a look of apprehension upon his face.

"Knives…" Vash interrupted. "He's back…but he's not alone."

"No…" BDN clenched his teeth together. "It's happening again…isn't it?"

"That can't be true!" Meryl cried. "Knives wouldn't return to the ways of before! I just know that he wouldn't!"

"That doesn't matter now," Demonte said, crossed. "When I was fighting a boy named Tonis, he fled towards the hills and I overheard him mentioning his Boss in Roklen, Knives, to his comrades. I'm only assuming that he's talking about the same man."

"Wait," Vash interrupted. "Earlier when you showed up, you shouted Tonis' name." Demonte winced. Damn, he had slipped up. "Just how did you know that the boy who had cornered me was named Tonis?"

"He told me, when I confronted him and his men on the hill." Well, that's partly true…

"That's pretty farfetched…" BDN said, suspiciously. "Wouldn't those guys have killed you had they seen you on the hill?"

"I…" Demonte started.

"And that boy just GAVE UP and fled for the hills? Wouldn't he have taken extra precaution, even after knowing that you were still out and about? Why would he and his motley crew dawdle around a campfire and talk about where they're planning their next attack or even where their hideout is?"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Demonte bit his lower lip. Don't look intimidated. You can still weasel your way out of this predicament.

"No," BDN slowly began to pace back and forth. "I'm just wondering if there's an ulterior motive…"

Demonte gave his full attention to the words 'ulterior motive'. "Ulterior motive!? Look, I–"

"That's enough!" Meryl stepped in between BDN and Demonte. "You don't have to explain yourself, Demonte." She turned towards BDN. "And as for you, stop being so wary of everything. If what Demonte says is true, then the better option would be to listen to him and give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Meryl, sometime wariness is the only way to make it in this world. Don't you understand that some of those petty little details may mean something?"

"It's not my fault that the enemy is stupid enough to frolic into the mountains and give away their secrets." Demonte spat. "Or that they didn't kill me when they had the chance. But you would've liked it if they had, wouldn't you?"

BDN reached over, as though he were going to snap Demonte into two. Meryl jerked his arm out of reach and shot him the dirtiest look she could. "BDN…" She said, sternly. "Give it a rest."

"But I don't like his attitude!" BDN protested.

"It all comes with the job," Demonte remarked, remaining neutral to the conversation. Damn, I need to work on my lying skills. If I keep going at the rate I am, they're bound to catch onto me unless I change my tactics.

All fell silent round the circle, until Milly spoke up in a quiet, muffled voice. "What should we do now?" She asked, slowly.

"We have no choice," Demonte began. "But to go to Roklen and settle the score with Knives. We have to make it there by the first of next month or something terrible will happen."

Mumbled voices were exchanged with one another about the current situation.

"Then we will." All eyes were on Meryl. "We'll go to Roklen and if it's true that Knives has indeed returned to his horrible ways, we will settle the score." Meryl closed her eyes. "But first, we must go to Mordeh."

"The Holy City, Mer?" BDN asked, calming down a bit. "What business do we have there?"

"We must confront the Head Priest and ask about these prophecies that he has foreseen. It is the only way that we can find out exactly what the Dark Ages mean and why Knives is planning on exterminating the world once again."

Demonte watched as pain began to rise in Meryl's voice. "I want to know…I want to find out…Why this is happening."

Demonte offered to take the night's shift as the lookout. While he knew that this position was no longer necessary, he just couldn't find the urge to sleep after all that had happened earlier. From somewhere deep inside, he knew that lying to his companions to get them to venture to Roklen wasn't exactly the most optimum alternative to take, but what other choice was there?

"Once Granus is gone and out of the way, things will all get better…I know it," He tried desperately to convince himself of this, but from somewhere deep inside, he knew it was wrong. I'm going to get caught in a big lie. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Why didn't I make up another excuse? Something else? Why didn't I twist the truth, even just a little? I should've taken more time to think this thing through. Demonte sighed. If Meryl hadn't have stepped in, BDN would've caught me in that lie. Whether I like it or not, I couldn't lie my way out of that situation. There's no way. Demonte shifted uncomfortably. But to lie in the first place…I'm not wrong about this, am I? "Hell's Mafia was the only way that I could go at the time. Is it wrong to try and survive?"

"To hate us forever because you can't accept our existence just shows the true cowardice that possesses itself inside of you!"

Demonte flinched. Where had that voice come from? He knew that he had heard it somewhere…somewhere long ago.

It had belonged to a little girl…

How long had it been since a man had last aimed the end of a barrel at his head? Nah, couldn't have been that long. But then again, it wasn't much of a thought that Vash the Stampede liked to reminisce about. He had laid his guns to rest in the crimson desert underneath one of the many suns that rose and set on the planet Gunsmoke.

Vash didn't like pain much anyway, so he hadn't been so nostalgic about that part of his life. He had hoped that he could let the past be the past and look towards the future. Maybe, that was what she would've wanted anyway. Clear blue skies, soft rain showers, and lots of flowers.

But Vash really didn't like to recollect old thoughts either. Because that usually ended in pain too. Anyone would've thought that his mind would've been put at ease once the score was settled with his psychopathic brother. However, time was not a merciful companion and often loved to play with his emotions.

Vash blew a lock of blonde hair from his sea-green eyes and continued down the sloven road. The wind rippled his loosely worn white shirt and dirtied his tan trousers. Reality was also not so kind to Vash the Stampede, the most wanted man on the face of the planet.

How long had he been traveling? Long enough to realize that he seldom stayed in one spot for long.

Vash's mind flickered back to the present. Well, there was another thing that he had just realized.

He was lost.

Vash hadn't known how long he had lay there, thinking back to the old times, until his flashbacks were met with an inner void as his mind surfaced back to reality. He sat up in his sleeping bag, unzipped the tent, and stepped outside, reaching for his cloak along the way. Pulling it around his shoulders, he caught sight of a black figure leaning against a nearby boulder, staring out into the night.

"You don't have to take this shift you know," Vash said, seating himself beside Demonte. "I'll take over if you're tired."

"No," Demonte answered. "I couldn't sleep anyway."

"Guess that makes two of us." Vash smiled.

The hiatus between the two began to grow and it made Vash edgy. "You don't like to talk much, do you?"

"Only when necessary. I'm not a sociable person. Please forgive me if you've taken it personally."

"Yeah," Vash forced a smile. "Neither am I." Vash shivered against the cold. "Guess that after this, there won't be much time to be sitting down and talking, will there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Vash cleared his throat. "It's going to be a nonstop trip to Roklen and after the fight with my brother, I guess that there won't be much of a reason to stick together, am I right?"

"Yeah, perhaps."

Sighing, Vash's humor disappeared and he lowered his melancholy eyes to the ground. "As strange as it may sound, I've never liked guns too much. I've always dreamed of just settling down and staring at the blue sky all day long. Not having a care in the world, but just laying on the grass and watching the clouds roll by."

"You're definitely not anything that I pictured you to be," Demonte commented and Vash smiled.

"Yeah, 'he' said the same thing too."

"He?"

"Oh, just one of my old closest friends."

Demonte peered at this man from the corner of his eye. This guy was just so unpredictable. He was nothing like the rumors and the legends had stated him to be. Could it be that this man was not the real Vash the Stampede?

No, of course he is, stupid. Everyone knows him after all.

Thinking about it, his friends must've had the same shock as Demonte had when they had first encountered him. It was rather funny actually.

"I just can't believe that history is repeating itself," Vash brought Demonte out of his thoughts. "I thought that my days of Gung-Ho Guns and bounty hunters would be over, but I guess not."

"It will be soon enough," Demonte said, sitting upright against the rock. "After all of this, it will be."

"Maybe," Vash said. "I'll be looking forward to the day when I can finally settle down."

Demonte glanced at Vash. "Don't you have a love life? A girl you can spend the rest of your life with?"

Vash almost laughed. "A girl? Hardly. In all the years I've spent traveling, I've never seemed to have found time to find the right one."

"What about that girl, Meryl?" Demonte suggested. "It seems like you and her go way back."

At first Vash's face tensed, but then softened. "Nah, I only know her because she and Milly used to stalk me a few years ago. I don't think I ever would consider Meryl as a girlfriend."

"Hmm," Demonte chuckled.

"How about you?"

"Nah," Demonte shook his head. "There's just no time. And besides, I think that my only love will be the wind and the plains in which I travel across. Nothing else seems better."

Vash smiled halfheartedly. "Even though, it does seem like a lonely life."

"Then I guess that we're in the same boat, now aren't we?"

Vash turned his head and his eyes were fixed on Demonte. "Yeah, maybe we are."

The next morning, the seven set out on the plains to Mordeh, which Meryl had said was not far off.

Demonte's mind was driven back to the conversation between him and Vash the night before. Although nothing had changed in Vash and Demonte's friendship, Demonte could not help but feel utterly lost as far as his priorities went.

"Even though, it does seem like a lonely life."

A lonely life?

Perhaps.

And Demonte began to wonder what it was about the others that intimidated him most.

Maybe it was then that Demonte was finally beginning to realize the meaning of loneliness and life's hardships. And maybe it was then that he had had a sudden doubt in the plans that were soon to come.

"I'll be happy when we finally get to somewhere where we can all rest," BDN sighed. "My feet are killing me from all of that fighting last night."

"Fighting?" Meryl snorted. "Running around lost is more like it."

"Hey, hey!" BDN protested. "That was an accident. The fog was heavy too, remember?"

"Making up excuses isn't the way to get what you want, Brilliant," Meryl glared at him. "But I'll let you off easy this time."

BDN smirked. "I guess that that makes me forever in your debt, huh, Ms. Stryfe?"

Demonte shook his head. Then again, loneliness sounded perfectly fine to him, especially when you had companions like Meryl and BDN.

Ahhhhh! This was so horrible! Points to Demonte And it's all your fault!

Demonte: Mine? What are you talking about?

You're such a horrible liar that even your lies are unrealistic. Do you know how hard it was to play your character out by making you such a bad liar and STILL come up for ways to save your butt?

Demonte: How is that my fault? You should've made me a great liar in that case.

BECAUSE! If I did THAT then I'd ruin Chapter 24…which is what I'm not going to ruin now. Lol

Demonte: (Sobbing into his hands) You are so hopeless.

Absolutely. But not only are you a horrible liar, you're also a meany. It's not nice to play your friends like fools for your own dirty work. Where's my whip? You need reprimanding!

Demonte: With physical abuse? Why don't you just sell me off to some other needy writer? I'm sure that they would treat me much better than you do. Making me sleep in the closet all the time and feeding me fat-free Tofu and–

Cuts him off ANYWAY! There aren't any new characters in this chapter so it's safe to say that I don't have to do any extra typing. Yay!

Anyway, this chapter was messed up in my opinion. But it would still be nice for anyone to R&R if they aren't feeling TOO lazy.

Until next time… (The next chapter isn't as bad as this one. I promise. Some Sky City residents are coming back. Huzzah.)

BLD