Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Shooting Blanks. Enjoy the 1600-word chapter. I don't own Black Lagoon; Rei Hiroe and a few others do.

Andros kept his tone level as he spoke. He wanted to place a blade into this man's throat, but he was not someone who took life on a limb. There was also the matter of the fact that he wanted him to speak.

He also wanted to know if he was worth the dagger. Andros was well aware of the fact that Alexis also had plenty of reason to twist the knife so to speak.

"You both may leave," Andros ordered and stared at the two soldiers at the door. "Tell me something… This letter? It was not to be placed near me, was it? You had told me nothing since her and the unit's exile." Andros said while he crossed his arms.

His friend stayed silent. There was no betrayal, no desire to lie and manipulate his friend. There was still no sign of his friend in the man's eyes. Andros was well aware of the fact that neither noticed the other's plans at the end of the day.

Still? If this man was who he said he was? Then he realized the fact that Andros was no fool. Alexis was not a stupid man. If he was? Then this talk was in no way happening and he'd be fine to simply accept this talk and leave.

'He knows I am not stupid. He is starting to predict what to say.' Andros thought as he frowned to himself.

"It was the last letter that she had sent to command," Alexis stated as Andros frowned. "What did you plan on doing? Would you chase her? Throw all of what she wanted away because you missed her? There are plenty of choices in life that need to be decided. The mission comes first, it's part of training." Alexis stated while he started to shake his head.

His friend said nothing as he waited for the chance to speak. Alexis was still not telling him all of it even with the admission that he had given. Alexis glared at him with a scowl that almost seemed to burn metal.

"This is what a few years of friendship do?" Alexis heard as his friend uncrossed his arms. "So much work for nothing in return. It is so sad to see it when it happens. I trusted you… And you admit to this?" Alexis heard before he frowned and sighed to himself

"And what happened if I didn't say or do something?" Andros heard from the soldier as he rolled his eyes. "This is more than either of us." Andros heard while he frowned to himself with anger clear in his face.

"I wouldn't hate you as I do, old friend," Andros said as he pointed a finger towards the soldier in question. "There's plenty of things I can say or do. The betrayal. The constant yanking of his chain. I'm a soldier at the moment and a husband second. It still doesn't give anyone the right to treat me as a fool while I'm like this." Andros said before he started to speak once more.

"The number of people who have sed used our people? It has been equal to a small army at the moment." Andros said while he frowned to himself rather than his old friend. "Do you expect trust when you cannot trust me? You tricked me into thinking that my wife may or may not be dead. You expect me to trust you when it comes down to it?" Andros asked himself while he shook his head.

He was well aware of the fact that he was at odds with his soldiers. He didn't plan on killing Alexis at all when it came down to it and there were a few reasons he didn't want to.

He would destroy morale if the soldiers knew he had killed his friend over a petty squabble.

There was a loss of capable officers for their rebellion and the death of Alexis? All it would do is further cripple their organization before they did something before, they started to do something important.

Andros didn't kill anyone without a decent reason. He was enraged when it came down to it.

"We will be done with this and cross paths never once more," Andros said while he frowned. "We are not friends after this. I trusted you, I did not once insult you or treat you as an idiot or a fool. You stab me in the back by not even allowing me to know if my wife is alive or not? The one woman I wish to fight for? Who I sacrificed for?" Andros asked as his friend fell silent.

Andros crossed his arms. Alexis was a smart man and he at the least accepted the fact the men came first. It did NOT excuse this move and he knew there were more details to this plot.

"We need to ensure the rebels can survive first," Alexis said while Andros rolled his eyes.

"I know," Andros said before he pointed out the door. "Inspire them. We both know why you wanted me here and we both know I'll only stay for the sake of these soldiers in the rest of the rebellion." Andros added while he sighed to himself.

Alexis said nothing while he crossed his arms. There were still cards he needed to play. He didn't want to play them and yet? He'd do what needed to do when it came down to it.

"There are plenty of problems that needed to be done before this is all said and done," Alexis stated while he frowned to himself. "We can sit here and kill each other, or we can rip each other after this is done and, in the past," Alexis added to which his friend was silent.

"Or I can shoot you now and be done with this," Andros added while he frowned to himself. "The lies? I can forgive that at the end of the day. You had to drag one of the few things when it came down to it." Andros stated while he frowned to himself.

"And you think the only person who had suffered was you? You think it's so easy to do when it comes down to it?" Alexis asked while Andros rolled his eyes at the soldier at the end of the day.

"No. Yet none of the soldiers here have used my wife as an incentive for me to do my job. That was what my bosses did and we both hated them more than anything." Andros added with annoyance at his old friend for daring this.

The anger in his face must have shown as he simply prepared to do next when it came to his plans. The more he struggled with his plans? The harder it was for the soldiers here to fight and defend the area. Alexis wasn't helping their defenses by trying to force him to defend against his will. He was ready to snap and his former second in command hadn't the gall to do more than assign more problems to their issues.

"Get in my way and I'll slice your head from your shoulders for the loyalists and save the trouble," Andros stated before he slowly leaned in his chair with annoyance. "We aren't friends anymore. I don't know what the hell we are at this moment if I'm entirely honest. Why did you do this? There was nothing to be gained at the end of the day and nothing that it helps. It comes off less as if you wanted me focused and more as if you had wanted to betray me. Is that what this is about? Force me to be the leader since there's nobody left in this damned army to do so when it comes down to it." Andros added before slowly rolling the chair around.

He felt far more annoyance than he considered it possible for him to garner inside his body. This was so damn annoying and off in his mind. Why had things been this way? Why in the blasted world did he need to deal with his friend hiding this? What else was he probably hiding from either of them? What else had been on their mind?

He felt as if he needed a drink or something to wash down the hell that he felt pulled into. This place was rather off as to how to handle business and it wasn't something he honestly wished to be around. He still wasn't at all willing to handle this sort of business anytime soon.

How did one even handle something of this manner when it was so clear it wasn't at all what they wished to discuss? He didn't want to care yet he had to. It had been a wound that he didn't expect to heal anytime soon…. If it, he hadn't once pardoned the fact as he did so. He was honestly ready to snap when it came down to it.

There was simply too little to do as of now.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I apologize for the chapter is short. I plan to try and create another longer story as of now. The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show the start of the real plot. The next chapter will be 900-6500 words and such and will hopefully be better than this. Lighting Wolf as of now.