Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Midvalley's Serenade ❯ Blue Funk ( Chapter 39 )

Blue Funk

With Vash the Stampede found and my assignment as Legato's aide permanent, the purpose that had driven my life these past several months was gone.

Fool that I was, I had set myself up to come crashing down, praying that just because I loved Nick so much I'd see him again. I numbed myself with alcohol that night, but the next morning, I fell into the comfort of habit and found myself at the dining facility seeking my morning coffee.

I walked to headquarters with it, determined to find some work to occupy my mind, and it only seemed natural when I began to order the files that I had pored over for so many months.

Some half hour later, Legato showed up.

"Midvalley," he greeted me in a neutral tone.

"Yes," I responded.

"You don't look well."

I said nothing in response.

Silence grew between us. Finally to end it, I said," "What do you want, Legato?"

"I don't want anything," he replied. "Master Knives has given me more instructions and I thought I would share them with you since you will be accompanying me."

I exhaled harshly when he said that. I felt a sudden surge of anger and rebellion. I was sick of being joined at the hip with a man who constantly invaded my privacy and caused me so much mental anguish through my empathic link with him.

"You're not the only one with the curse of empathy," he said, and after a moment's pause, he continued speaking.

"Master Knives wishes us to observe the activities of Vash the Stampede for a time to see how his capture might best be handled."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"At the moment very little. You did extraordinary work finding him…" he seemed to consider this, "but it will take some time for the observation teams to move into place. The goal we have worked for is within our grasp. The end is near," he said with downcast eyes.

"Get to the point, Legato," I prompted him though his somber mood chilled me.

"Your situation has been difficult over these past several months," he continued.

That was the truth.

"It has taken a toll on your health."

Also true, I thought.

"What of it?" I asked.

"I need you at full strength for what is coming," Legato said hesitantly.

"I don't want your healing," I said coldly.

He sighed lightly and said, "I know you have loose ends to tie up in Mei City, not that it really matters. Still we humans are creatures of habit. Even I have begun to put my affairs in order though I must say, it all seems a little pointless."

"I believe you own property in Mei City," he said after another pause. "We may not be back from our labors anytime soon, and it would be well for you to make provisions for its care or final disposition in your absence."

"Final disposition?"

Legato ignored the question and resumed, "I suggest that you take the steamer to Mei City, deal with your business and I will meet you there the day after tomorrow. I would leave today but Master Knives has some other last minute concerns that he wishes to address."

I stood up and moved past him to leave.

"Midvalley," he called as I pushed open the door.

I turned and looked at him.

"What?"

"I trust you will make good use of the time you have left."

I took a taxi to the station, and bought a ticket. The steamer was right on time. I spent most of the trip sitting in the café on the observation deck, thinking of the details I would have to handle when I got to Mei City. I wanted to visit a lawyer, pick up some equipment for Silvia, and also find out what I could about Nick's whereabouts if at all possible.

The steamer arrived mid-afternoon.

My first stop was Monk's Music. The bell on the door jingled when I entered the shop. The clerk recognized me. I wasn't there to browse.

"I'd like a couple of boxes of sax reeds, please," I said.

He reached under the counter and brought them up.

"Anything else?" he inquired warily.

"I need some new felt pads for my sax keys, a tube of glue, and a ream of blank sheet music, and that should do it."

He rang up my purchase and bagged it while I was pulling the double dollars out of my pocket. Then Monk came in from the store room, saw me and said, "Shit!"

"I'm getting a little tired of that reaction," I said.

"Can you blame me? The rumors about you are pretty frightening, Hornfreak. What did you expect?"

"The rumors about Skip Walker were lies."

"And the ones about how your band died?"

I sighed heavily.

"You travel in dangerous company," Monk said.

"A man can't always help the company he keeps."

"Hot Lips McCoy told me Master Knives Millions was there with Legato Bluesummers."

"He told you true, then."

"McCoy told me you'd might drop in here."

"You've seen him recently?"

"He's in town, playing at the Bedbug, and he's got a room at the Maytime Hotel."

"Thanks, Monk," I said as I turned and left the shop.

I went straight to the hotel and asked after my father's room number at the front desk. The clerk told me he was eating dinner in the hotel café.

I found my father a few minutes later.

"Good to see you, son," he said as we hugged

We sat down at his table and when the waiter came for my order, I asked for a bowl of chili and a cup of coffee.

"So Vash the Stampede's been found," said Hot Lips.

"News travels fast."

"I heard you had a lot to do with it."

I shrugged.

"Are you on special assignments?" he asked.

"Not at the moment. Legato gave me a couple of days to tie up my loose ends here and put my affairs in order."

"What are your plans?"

"Visit my lawyer and find someone to look after the house and studio."

"I think Kima would look after it for you. She needs a place to stay now that Sunny's dead and can't provide for her."

"Would you ask her? I didn't think she'd take anything from me. It's because of me that Sunny's dead."

"I explained to her what happened at the White Cat Saloon as best I could. I told her that it was an accident. She accepts that. She's grief-stricken but she has no where else to turn. Can I tell her you'd like her to watch the place?"

"It's the least I could do for her right now. I'll make arrangements with my lawyer to have paid a monthly stipend paid to her."

"Are you visiting the lawyer because you're in some kind of trouble with the law, son?" he asked me.

I shook my head, " No, I'm going to have a will drawn up," I said.

"I'm surprised, Midvalley. In our line of work? I'd have thought you'd have one by now."

"I never had anyone to be my beneficiary before, but if I do get killed, I know I'd like Nick and those orphans of his to have the money."

"Have you seen him lately?"

I gave a sigh of frustration. "I've had no news of Nick for months. I've been on a tight leash. All I know is that that Knives sent him out on a special assignment. He could be almost anywhere now," I said.

After the waiter brought my order and I took a few bites of the chili, my father said, "Most recently, your priest was seen in the vicinity of Warrens City, just a little east of September. He was visiting a gunsmith, name of Frank Marlon. I could wire my contacts for information this afternoon and might just have his location by sometime tonight, but if they come up with no leads, maybe I could get a letter to your friend."

"That could be risky," I said, but then I became preoccupied as I ate, mentally composing the letter I might send. A few minutes later I looked up and saw my father watching me with a look of concern.

"Are you all right, son?"

"I'm sorry I'm not much company."

"I can see you have a lot on your mind and time is short for you. Meet me at the Bedbug later tonight. I'm playing with that bass player, Paul and the drummer, Chris. You ought to remember them from the last time we were there. They won't be afraid to play with you if that's what you're worried about. They're both from Mouth of Gabriel. We'll jam just like old times."

"Sounds good, dad," I said with the ghost of a smile.

"I hate to see you sounding so low, son. I'll go send those wires now," He reached into his pocket to leave some double dollars to pay for his meal but I waved him off.

"Let me pick up the tab," I said.

He nodded and left.

After I finished my lunch, I went to my lawyer's office and arranged to have payments made to Kima. Then I had the will drawn up. I named Nick as the beneficiary of the Mei City property and the money from my bank accounts in the event of my death and then I went home.

The house was as I left it the day I had hurriedly gotten ready to take Nick on the sandsteamer to December. I went into the bedroom to find a suit to wear for the gig I would play this evening.

The first thing I saw when I opened the closet door was Nick's white shirt, the one I'd popped the buttons off in my haste to get him undressed on the sandsteamer. That reminded me of how we'd traded clothes the same day. I smiled as I recalled how handsome Nick had looked in my burgundy crushed velvet suit. I had packed it in the luggage duffel I'd brought with me and decided to wear it.

I showered and dressed. It didn't take long, and then I faced the difficult task of writing a letter to Nick.

I sat down at the table in the bedroom with a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Dear Nick," I wrote. That was the easy part.

Now my eyes wandered around the room and everywhere I glanced, I found traces of Nick. The rag he'd used to clean and oil his automatics. Matches for his cigarettes. A few meal block bars on the night stand.

These few items he had handled, my memories and the few short letters he had written me were all I had left of him. I knew each letter by heart though. I yearned to see him again, but doubted that I ever would. Though it seemed hopeless, I still wanted him to know how I felt, so I took up my pen again.

"Things have been difficult," I wrote. I thought of the deaths of my band, what Knives had done to me, the pain of my separation from Nick, and thought 'difficult' was a more than fair description.

" I think about you every day," was my next sentence. It was true and I felt it was important to let him know that, "and I miss you," was the phrase that followed.

I looked around the room as that truth sank in, and felt a weight of melancholy press down on me.

"I don't know if I'll ever see you again," I wrote with a heavy heart, "but I wanted you to know that I will always love you."

I couldn't help the few tears I shed when I finished that last sentence. I couldn't think of anything else to write, so I signed the letter, folded it, put it in an envelope and sealed it.

Despite my depression, I began to get anxious, anticipating responses to Hot Lips's wired queries, so I headed back into town with the letter tucked in my jacket pocket and Silvia's case in my hand . Twenty minutes later I walked through the swinging doors of the Bedbug tavern.

I took a seat at a table by the small bandstand and ordered a shot of bourbon from the bartender.

"Mind if I play," I asked him.

"Go right ahead," he said as he wiped up the counter top with a damp rag. "Hot Lips McCoy said you might drop by."

I tossed back the drink, unpacked Silvia, went up onto the stage and began to play.

In my melancholy frame of mind, I poured out my blues while Silvia sobbed notes that spiraled down in a minor key. I lost track of time as I let the music fill and flow through me in a soft woven chain of notes. Sometime later the drummer joined in and stroked his cymbals with the lightest of brush strokes. Then the rhythm of the bass throbbed low and mournful and the song went on and Hot Lips joined us, his trumpet weeping. The music wove around in a smoky blue labyrinth until finally we stopped. The drummer ended the piece with a final light touch of the brush on his shimmering cymbals.

I was surprised by applause. I had hardly noticed that a crowd had gradually filled the small tavern.

The four of us musicians took a break at that point and I went to the bar to get a drink.

"Nice set, Hornfreak," said the bartender and he poured me a shot on the house. Hot Lips stepped up beside me and ordered a beer. I asked for another shot.

"Any news of Nick?" I turned and asked him.

"Nothing yet," he replied.

I reached into my pocket for the letter I had written and handed it to him.

"I'll get it to him, somehow," he said and slipped it into his jacket.

Having done that, I felt a bit more at ease and went to sit at my table for the rest of the break. I swallowed another shot of bourbon hoping to take the edge off my tension and just about choked on it when Legato Bluesummers glided through the batwing doors and came over to my table.

"May I join you?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer before sitting down.

"We are just about to start our second set," I said.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. I heard him order a bottle of bourbon just as I headed up to the tiny stage.

I gave myself to the music during the second set. Chris and Paul played in a style that fit my blue mood.

Legato seemed to be listening intently. Every now and then, he knocked back a shot of bourbon I noticed.

I have never seen Legato drunk, but by the beginning of the fourth set, I started to think that maybe he was.

When the music was finished for the night and the applause died down, I packed Silvia in her case and got ready to leave. I stopped by Legato's table. I was surprised when he stood up and announced to the patrons in the room, "You will all leave now."

The patrons, drunk and sober, gathered coats and belongings and filed out of the tavern. I started after them, but Legato said, "Please stay, Midvalley, " so I took a seat and waited to hear what he wanted.

Hot Lips stopped at the table briefly to acknowledge Legato and to say, "Midvalley, I will try to get that information to you soon."

"Don't bother," Legato told him. "Master Knives is aware of your activities and he is not pleased. Have I made myself clear?"

"Perfectly," said my father. He shot me a look of regret but tapped his breast pocket as he turned to leave to signal me that he would deliver the letter. The bartender followed him out through the batwing doors and Legato and I were alone.

Legato picked up the bottle of bourbon and poured shots in two glasses at our table.

"Will you drink to our Master, Midvalley?"

I made no move to pick up the glass.

"Perhaps a beer would be more to your liking."

I made no response. After a minute of silence, Legato sighed and began to speak.

"I sense that you have been frustrated with me lately, but since we are going to be working closely together and I want your support, I thought I might try to explain a few things to you."

"When Vash the Stampede destroyed the city of July, I lost my home," began Legato. "The plant that powered the city was destroyed. As you can imagine, rioting, looting and murder broke out. I was driven into the desert with my parents and my younger sister…she was little more than a baby, I was no more than five.

We set out for Jeneora Rock on foot. My father pushed a cart loaded with what provisions that he thought might get us there alive, mostly with what little food and water we had on hand.

The sun was pitiless and by the end of the day we were exhausted. When it started to get cold, my father sent me to forage for firewood. I got lost, but when I came back I saw that men had come. They were eating…and drinking. Their mouths were wet with blood. They had done things, Midvalley--unspeakable things…to my family."

He bowed his head, clasped his arms around his chest and his hand came to rest on the small skull lashed to his sleeve and he caressed it.

I felt a deep wave of sadness flow over me.

"The men saw me. At first they did nothing but laugh. Then one of them said, 'It's time for dessert,' and two of them came at me. I knew they were going to kill me…I knew they were going to…" he couldn't continue for a moment.

His velvet voice broke, " so I killed them with my mind. " He looked at me with his face half-veiled.

I felt my sadness deepen. We were the same in so many ways.

"Master Knives, injured though he was, sensed my psychic scream from hundreds of miles away and sent Leonof and Chapel the Evergreen to find me, just as some years later, I would find you."

"Master Knives's psychic ability was still intact after his brother's assault," continued Legato, "but his body had taken great damage. His spinal column was severed. He was already in the healing stasis bath when I was brought before him for the very first time.

Though I was so very young, still I understood the evil that humans are capable of. My master explained what had happened to the city of July and what had caused it. It is true that humans killed my family but we would never have had to leave the city if Vash the Stampede had not destroyed it and our home with it. He was just as responsible for the deaths of my family as the men who ate their flesh and drank their blood."

I looked at Legato who leaned back in his chair with his eyes downcast and I knew how much he suffered as he recalled these moments from his past.

"I am truly sorry, Legato," I said.

"Master Knives promised me then that the deaths of my family would not go unpunished."

"What was the promise of a cripple worth?"

"You should not mock my master. He may have been physically crippled, but still had abilities that put mine to shame. He is the only one capable of matching his brother's powers," Legato went on. "I realized that if I wanted revenge, I would need my master's help."

"But Knives wants his brother taken alive," I pointed out.

"Of course," Legato nodded. "That is the beauty of my master's strategy. Death would end the suffering of the being who has been the source of the greatest pain in my life, the loss of my family. I want Vash the Stampede to experience a lifetime of pain as I have."

Legato paused for a time, to sip another shot, then he continued, "Master Knives' scientists found that I had many psychic talents with strong powers of telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation, but for Master Knives' sake, the one that excited them most was my healing ability. The scientists believed that talent could be magified."

I remembered how Knives had heightened my healing ability, by inflicting maximum pain to elicit the healing response and then draining me of it. Now I know what had been done to Legato all those years.

"I've seen your scars, Legato."

"You think he hates me because I'm human, but you're wrong," he said. "It's my human weaknesses he hates. That weakness for comfort, and for pleasure," he murmured and his eyes and voice dropped. I fell from his favor for your sake," he said with a glance at me that was filled with regret.

"I didn't want your healing," I said.

"You thanked me twice, as I recall," he countered.

He was right. I had.

"Just not the way you did it," I amended.

"I felt that you enjoyed it. You could have stopped when you were healed, but you wanted more. The marks of your teeth are still on my neck."

I blushed with shame.

"But it wasn't love," I said. It wasn't what I felt with Nick.

"I've heard it said that humans are the only animal that blushes," said Legato. "Do you suppose that's true?"

I didn't answer. I was still burning with shame over what I had done to him.

"Love," said Legato and he paused for a long moment while he seemed to consider the word that I had said. "I have felt what the priest feels for you."

"And do you covet that love for yourself?"

"You misunderstand. I believe that my master has that kind of love for me, but he won't allow me to feel it yet."

"Yes, you only feel his hatred."

"He's testing me, hoping I can rise above my human nature."

"You're wrong. I see that he is jealous, but I don't think it's love. It's possession. He can't stand the thought of either of us exercising free will."

"Freedom? Will?"

Legato closed his eyes and laughed softly.

"No, he's been testing me, but I've been too weak. I would give my life for him, but fear holds me back and I fail him."

"I don't think he wants your life," I said. "He wants your death."

"Maybe that is what it will take, but one day he will know his true feelings. I'm wearing him down. I know it," Legato said with wistful conviction. He swallowed another shot and set down the small glass and stroked his fingers around the rim.

Some few moments later, he said, "Knives tried to win his brother's love but his brother judged him harshly and punished him cruelly. I have never judged my master. I can forgive him anything." he said with more intensity than I had ever seen him show.

"If you love him so much then why do you dirty yourself with me?"

I saw his lower lip tremble when I said that. He had no response as I got up to leave, but I heard him murmur as I exited the doors, "Because you're the only one who understands."

To Be Continued