Author's Notes: Trying really hard to wrap this story up before I head to college in August. I'm going to try for a chapter a week. –crosses fingers- Here's to hoping that works!

The inn was a quiet place that was just as bland and beige as the desert outside. Fang wasn't complaining about the boring atmosphere though since it was the first time in a long time that they were under a safe roof. Fang found himself sparing a glance over to Zelos who was asleep across from him on one of the two hotel beds placed in their room.

He watched the redhead shake with snores and resounding shudders of pain before his eyes wandered down from Zelos's face down to the small brown bag that held the mysterious note Zelos had received at the cantina.

Fang lifted himself off his own bed to slip over to where Zelos was sleeping. Looking him over, Fang was irritated to find that he couldn't gage just how deep the sleep was due to Zelos's long fire-truck hued hair curtaining his face. Reluctantly, he turned his gaze back down to the little leather satchel.

Shutting his eyes, he made use of his mutation and became invisible at Zelos's side. Steadily, he reached out and took the bag slowly from Zelos's belt. The Tethe'allan groaned in pain, rocking away from Fang slightly.

Fang couldn't afford to get discouraged by that though. He quickly took initiative and snatched the bag into his callused hands. He backed away from Zelos into the shadows so he could look at whatever was on the note in a more secure area. Zelos hadn't awoken or stirred other than the groan, so he decided he was safe.

Nimble fingers untied the leather string that knotted up in a secure manner so nothing spilled out when Zelos was doing anything of the physical. Peering inside, Fang realized that he had never held the small bag before this very moment. He had never previously seen what was inside.

He turned, placing his back against the wall(a habit now after being with Zelos for so long and being kidnapped more times than he liked to remember) and he dug around to find the note. There came a small chink of jewelry inside and Fang paused. He lifted the tiny ring up into his hand, looking it over with curious speculation.

It was a woman's ring, made of the purest gold and embedded with the most flawless of diamonds. If Fang ever saw a ring of this caliber on a woman, he would step back and let her have the right of way immediately. There would be no taunting a woman who wore a ring so beautiful. The way that the diamonds went all the way around the golden band, making a circular endless path to the huge gem on the top of the ring, made it very clear that the woman who wore the ring was greatly loved by a man who would give her anything and defend her to the death.

Fang turned the delicacy over in his hands, looking over the details to see that, inside the ring, there was an engraving.

"To my favorite Banshee XOXO Zelos".

"Banshee?" Fang questioned under his breath, turning the ring over a few more times in his hands. The sound of rustling fabric whispered into the quiet of the previously calm room, causing Fang to turn his attention away from the accessory.

Zelos was upright, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

"What do you think you're doing, Fang?" Zelos inquired, his tone tired and irritated all at once in a manner that was uniquely Zelos.

"I was just seeing if you had any money in here," Fang quickly replied, hiding his discomfort by straightening up taller. "I was going to go back out to grab some food."

"It's too late for food, Fang," Zelos evenly said. "None of the shops are going to be open. Just suck it up until morning." He held out his gloved hand for the bag and Fang quickly put the ring inside before walking over and gently placing it into his companion's palm.

"Find anything you like?" Zelos patronized, knowing very well what Fang had found.

"No money, so I'm gonna have to say that I didn't," Fang said, smiling as he took a seat back on his own bed.

"How are you feeling?" He was quick to change the subject, hoping Zelos would take the bait. "You practically passed out when we got our room."

"I'm fine," Zelos fastened the bag to his belt. He turned his gaze to Fang and locked eyes with the teenager.

Fang motioned to the bed, "So the beds are acceptable?" His tone was teasing in more hopes that Zelos would cheer up.

"Better than the ground," Zelos shrugged, sinking down into the covers.

"What's the significance of goor goor?" Fang leaned against the intricately carved, but obviously old and worn, headboard of his bed, and he tilted his head to the left as he awaited Zelos's response.

Zelos stared up at the ceiling, "I was wondering when you would start riding my ass about that." He shut his eyes and his lips drew together in a thin line while he thought.

"Zelos." Fang sat up, pushing up and off the headboard with a slight exertion of his wrists while his large dark brown wings stretched out behind him to adjust to the new position. "What the hell is goor goor and why does it mean anything to anybody here?"

"It's tea, silly," Zelos replied, smiling at his own wit.

"I'm serious," Fang snarled.

"So am I." The redhead hoisted himself up and pressed his back against the wall that supported the greater length of his bed was rested against.

"It's a code, right?"

"You were looking for that note, huh."

There was no question in neither Zelos's demeanor, nor in his tone when he accused Fang. The teenager took in Zelos's stern gaze and decided to stop lying.

"Yeah. I saw you put it in your bag," he admitted. "We've been traveling together for so long now, Zelos. Why don't you trust me yet? I feel like you still feel the same about me as you did the first day we met and that's bullshit because you owe me a lot more by now."

"Because I wake up during instances where you aren't on your guard and I catch you doing shit like digging through my things." Zelos's tone was dead serious and it matched the narrowed blue orbs that locked indefinitely onto Fang's brown eyed gaze. "Who the hell knows what you're doing when I'm not paying attention."

Fang found his confidence faltering. He looked down at the ground for a moment while he adjusted in his seat and tried to think of a good reply to that.

"I don't have a problem with you, Fang. I just don't trust you completely," Zelos continued. "You should know by now that I have an extreme case of paranoia given how my life has been for the past year."

"I get that, man. Yeah, I get that completely." Fang nodded a few times as his head rose once more to survey his partner. "But this is why we're here, right?" His gaze dropped again while he continued adjusting in his spot on the bed, suddenly very restless. "To get information. You got something too, but you decided you would hide it from me even though it affects us the same-"

"It does not affect us the same at all, Fang."

Fang froze and slowly lifted his eyes back to stare into the blue fire that resided in Zelos's scrutiny .

The redhead got up suddenly from the bed like he had been launched solely by the power that his anger gave him. "This situation is not the same for you as it is for me. Don't even start bullshitting me and acting righteous, as though you have any idea about anything about the pre-face to this execrable war you've managed to stumble upon." Zelos's body was pacing back and forth quickly now. "Because you don't, Fang! You don't fucking get to say that we are in the same boat because I'm not in a boat! I'm in a life-raft with no supplies and I'm on the verge of drowning and you're just here." His head reeled while his feet carried him forward, and suddenly the two men were inches apart. Zelos's hot breath was coming down on Fang's face like blasts from a furnace.

"You just get to be here. You're not in this," Zelos hissed. He slowly recoiled away from Fang, still glaring down at the teenager. "No. Not like I am."

The avian-hybrid didn't know what to say or what to do. He just gaped as Zelos walked slowly back to his bed and eased his body onto the hard mattress. "The note dictates that there is rebellion leader here. Somebody I thought had died." Fang was surprised to hear Zelos's voice calm now, although it was a little exhausted from the sudden strain he had place upon his own body.

"Oh," Fang gently breathed. Zelos reclined onto his back and rolled away from Fang so the boy couldn't see his face.

"We'll meet with him tomorrow night. I planned on telling you when we got here, but I fell asleep," Zelos's voice said to the wall.

"Oh…"

Fang was about to say more, but Zelos reached out and covered his ears with his pillow to show the conversation was now terminated.

"We both die if this doesn't work," Fang spoke up.

"What?" Zelos twisted around to look over his shoulder at him.

"You said that this doesn't affect us equally." Fang's straightened up confidently. "It does if we lose. We both get killed."

Zelos smiled tiredly. "I thought you said that failure wasn't an option, hot-shot."

Fang smiled back, "It's not. I just wanted to make sure you remembered that."

"Stupid kid," Zelos scoffed, turning away once more. "Of course I remember. I graduated at the top of my class for a reason."

"Don't lie to impress me," Fang laughed.

"I was," Zelos grumbled under his breath as he drifted off to sleep, "I'll prove it when this is all over. Just you wait."