Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Midvalley's Serenade ❯ Closer ( Chapter 17 )

Closer

I went to Nick's room and knocked on the door a little after we returned to our quarters. I was still feeling embarrassed by my body's betrayal, and felt the need to clear the air with Nick. When I told him not to let Legato's interference get to him, there was something about his reply that left me uneasy. Nick had seemed troubled. He met me at the door wearing a bath towel around his waist. His hair was wet and tangled. He looked preoccupied and moody. He stood blocking the door and his eyes never met mine. That wasn't a good sign.

"Is this a bad time, Nick?"

"What do you want, Midvalley?" he asked.

"Are you going to invite me in?"

He stepped out of the way, turned his back to me and walked back towards the bathroom. I entered his apartment and closed the door behind me, my heart growing heavier by the minute. Nick stopped to fish a cigarette out his jacket which was draped over a chair back. There were two chairs by the table. I sank down into one of them with a sigh. I was nervous and upset and when I felt for Nick's emotions through our link, I found he had closed himself off. Things were beginning to look worse.

Nick lit a cigarette and took a drag.

"Can I bum a cigarette off you?" I asked him. "I could really use one now."

He pulled another out of his jacket pocket and lit it for me. Then he sighed and sat down in the chair across the table from me.

Í smoked in silence with him for a while, waiting for the nicotine to kick in. Finally, I let out a deep breath and said,

"What's bothering you, Nick?

"Don't get coy with me. You know what's bothering me. It's what bothered me twice."

"I thought you were over that. I thought you weren't going to let it get to you."

"I said I'd try. But the images keep coming back in my mind. Excuse me if I seem a little confused right now. Your kiss said you love me, but your cock was telling me that Legato turns you on. You have to admit it's a hell of a mixed message. What am I supposed to think? Tell me, Midvalley."

"You're playing into his hands. He wants to break us up. Listen to me, Nick. I am not turned on by Legato. When I told you he was messing with my mind, I should have made it clear, he's messing with my body, too."

"I want to believe you, Midvalley," he said. "But it hurt."

"I knew you were hurting and I was hurting just as much. I feel what you feel or have you forgotten that? What did you think that kiss was for in front of God and everybody? I kissed you until I felt the pain was gone."

Nick turned away from me, looked out the window and took a puff of his cigarette. He didn't speak for a moment.

"I feel…" he began to say and broke off. "How do I put this? It isn't easy for me to trust people and I've trusted you more than most…"

"Do you think it's any easier for me," I interrupted with some heat, "with the life I've led?"

"Probably not. But you've told me a lot of things…"

"More than you've told me, " I interrupted again.

"You told you had a history. You told me there'd be expectations. You told me I was naïve, and Lord knows, that was the truth. You told me you have feelings for Legato and today I saw just how deep they run. Or is he "just for sex" like Lenny," Nicks voice dripped sarcasm, "and me," he finished bitterly.

"That's not fair, Nick. There's been nothing between Legato and me for years and I didn't ask for this. Do you think it doesn't hurt me that you doubt my love…when I do love you." These last words came out as an agonized whisper. "Believe me. Look in my eyes, the truth is there."

Nick's anguished eyes met mine and he searched them for the longest time until finally he seemed satisfied with what he found there, and then with a small sigh, he closed his eyes, slid his hand across the table and rested it on mine. I felt a small shock as our skins touched and the link between us slowly opened. I turned my palm upward and our fingers intertwined.

"I'm sorry, Midvalley," he said.

Such a simple apology and he could have no idea what it did to my heart. It did much to ease the ache that had lodged there since I walked in.

Nick stood up, walked behind me, put his hands on my shoulders for a moment, then slid his arms down under my arms and around my chest until he had encircled me in a hug and his mouth was close to my ear.

"I won't doubt you again," he murmured, then moved his lips and kissed the back of my neck.

I was reassured by his words, touched by the affection of the gesture and then aroused as his hands found their way into my lap and began to stroke and explore what they found there. I turned in the chair and saw that his erection had poked the towel out at a jaunty angle. I had to smile.

Nick was chuckling, his eyes hooded. Then his laughter lessened until he was wearing a faint grin of anticipation, his tongue showing between parted lips.

"I am Nicholas the Blade," he announced in a voice that managed to sound funny and sexy at the same time. "I will unsheathe my sword," he said suggestively, " and challenge you to a duel." He shifted the towel around his waist until his cock was exposed. "Unsheathe your katana, Midvalley the Hornfreak," he commanded in his mock serious voice.

I stood and turned to him, with my arousal pushing against the confines of my trousers. I matched his playful manner and said, "This isn't a katana, Nicholas the Blade. It's my demon sax and it's for blowing," I let go a laugh as I said the words.

Nick nudged me towards his bed, unbuttoning as we went and then he laid me back on the bed and proceeded to blow me. He fingered my cock and sucked it as if it were a real sax. He must have been taking notes as he watched me play Silvia. I had to give him points for imagination and technique. I gave myself over to the sensual feelings Nick's actions sparked in me until they boiled over and I groaned with pleasure as I came in a hot burst of ecstasy.

"Nicholas the Hornfreak hopes you enjoyed the concert," said Nick in a seductive voice.

"I thought you were `Nicholas the Blade?"

"I have many talents."

"That's no lie, samurai. But I see your blade is still unsheathed. Show me your kata."

"You want to see my kata?" Nick's breathing was shallow. He knelt between my legs, lifted my ass and penetrated me with the slick head of his shaft. The suddenness of his movement widened my eyes and left me breathless. For a few moments, Nick shuddered as he stretched and pushed himself into me as far as he could go. He was very hard. I could not give words to the feelings that came to me from him through our link. The strangeness of the sensations lent a heightened eroticism to the act. I arched back and he softly tongued the red seam of the cut on my throat. My skin was so sensitive there that I got hard again though I had just come. I moved my head forward, found his tongue with my mouth and we kissed-hot, wet, long and deep. The passion he felt made him lose control and Nick began to move in me with a wild and abandoned, animal energy that he had never shown before, as if he were desperate for release.

I opened myself as fully as I could to him and as he stroked, his opened himself more to me and I found hidden depths revealed. There were wounds and scars there; I touched them with my small healing ability and soothed the pain of his memories. His rape by Mazarov's gang and the death of Charlie were scars I already knew. At this new level of intimacy, I found deeper hurts. In his mind I saw an image of a young woman with long dark hair, deep blue eyes and a face like an angel. Then I saw another image of her lying dead on a dusty street in a blood stained print dress. Nick thrust harder into me, sweat beaded on his forehead and a single tear rolled down his cheek. I touched his painful memories surrounding this woman and knew I had succeeded in easing his distress.

He sighed deeply and paused a moment to lock his eyes with mine. The tenderness of his gaze pierced me through and then he closed his eyes, took my lips and crushed them softly with his. He opened his eyes again, meshed them with mine, and resumed his fevered thrusting until with a tortured exhalation, he came. His pleasure pleasured me. In that moment I found he had allowed me into a deeper level and my mind was flooded with images of children, smiling, laughing, and playing. I heard their high-pitched voices calling his name with affection. Then the images faded. He pulled out of me, gave me one last kiss, then lay beside me with his hand on mine. I felt a quiet sense of wonder within him through our link. We had never been this close before. My heart lurched. I was drunk with the feelings of love that flooded my heart.

"Mmmm, that was delicious," sighed a languid voice that was satin and velvet in my mind. "Let's do it again soon."

"Legato!" I muttered angrily, and sat bolt upright in bed.

"What's the matter, Midvalley," asked Nick getting up to sit beside me.

"It's just what I thought would happen. He was there for the whole thing. He felt it all. He used us! I told you this would happen and it did!"

"Crashed our party, did he?" said Nick and he put his arm around my shoulder.

"How can you be so calm about this?"

"I told you I love you and I didn't care who knows it. Would you rather not have felt what we felt just now? I think it was worth it. I've tried going without you and to me, this is better."

"You didn't hear him gloating. I did. Not one half-hour ago, you were jealous as could be, and now you're okay with his voyeurism?"

"You don't love him. You love me, and I know it. It makes a big difference. Anyone who'd do what he's doing-think about it, why would he do it?"

"Because he can?"

"It's kind of sad really. I know what it's like to feel lonely and frustrated. I think he is."

And he has a lover who mistreats him I thought to myself.

"I was able to shut him out the other night, Nick. Today he held back from the link just enough to be undetected."

"Let it go, Midvalley. Let it go. Feel what I'm feeling," he said and he placed my hand over his heart, pressed his lips against mine and kissed me until my anger dissolved and what remained in its place was a peaceful feeling of being loved and cherished. I dozed off in the comfort of his embrace and woke up some minutes later when I heard Nick laughing softly to himself.

"What's so funny, Nick," I asked.

"The look on E.G. Mine's face when he saw that kiss-he looked like he couldn't make up his mind whether to throw up or take notes."

"It was classic. Fascinated nausea. Did you see the expression on Ned Pitts's face?"

"The look of shocked recognition, you mean. "They're in love." That was a mouthful for him. If anyone would know about being in love, it's Pitts and Caine, the way they've been face sucking."

"Hey, be nice, Nick. We owe Caine and Pitts a debt of gratitude, for last night anyway."

"The biggest surprise for me was seeing Grey Nine Lives blush. I didn't know he or it was capable of it. Now that shows he was paying attention for once. Just get the one that was blushing to take the strategy and tactics test and I think you'll earn yourself that bonus, Midvalley."

"Thanks for the tip, Nick. I'll do that."

"Are you hungry, Midvalley?"

"I could eat."

"I'm starved. I didn't have lunch today and its spaghetti night at the dining facility. If we head over there soon, we may get there before all the sauce is gone."

"Let's throw some clothes on and go."

There was plenty of meat sauce left, and over spaghetti and garlic bread, we discussed the events of the day.

"So tell me about the `explosion', Nick. I heard you `coulda been killed.'"

"Ah, you know students. They like a drama. It wasn't that big a deal. I was training with the rocket launchers and everyone was going to be able to take a couple of shots or so. They were supposed to wait for me to supervise before shooting them, but you know how cocky Zazie is. I was keeping a close eye on Grey at the time. He finished so I turned around to get the next student in line and I saw Zazie and said, `shit'. That rocket launcher was damned near as big as he was and even though the recoil is fairly low with that weapon, I could tell because of his size and weight that the recoil was gonna dump him on his ass. It did and the rocket went roving. It got really near the wagon that had the dynamite on it. Thank God those missiles move so slowly. I was able to blow it up with the .50 cal before it got too close to the truck, so everyone is still alive. I think he was embarrassed by what happened out at the range, so he's pissed off at me again."

"He's pissed off? You have no idea how satisfying it was to slap that little fucker. He's been asking for it since we got here. But pissed off as Zazie was, I think you've got a bit of a convert in Mine. Or at least had. I don't know how he's gonna act towards you after witnessing the kiss, but at least earlier, I overheard the two of them talking today and here's a quote, `When it comes to traditional weapons, Chapel really knows his shit." Oh and best of all he claims he wants to master more weapons systems."

"That's good news as far as the bonus goes and I think I'm close to solving the Ben Evans' problem. Would you believe it could be his eyes? It turns out he never was tested on that part of the intake physical that new students get. Some kind of mix-up with his paperwork that day. If he just needs glasses, there's a really good chance he'll pass and I'll get my bonus. He's going in tomorrow for an eyetest. And I gave instructions to get him the glasses the same day if that's the problem."

"Well, if anyone deserves a bonus, it's you, Nick."

"Caine was out training Ned Pitts again. They are quite the pair. There hasn't been a sniper candidate this strong since Caine. I think Pitts is every bit as good as Caine. They were way out to hell and gone today. Caine was teaching speed drills and those bottles kept pinging. There were about 30 bottles set up. They had to have been at least three miles away. I've never seen such speed and accuracy from that distance."

"So, did you get any more evidence?" I asked. I was still curious.

"Evidence?"

"Is she a he or is he a she? Did you see her cop a squat or take a whiz? Come on, you see more of Caine than I do."

"Sorry, Midvalley. The physical evidence is inconclusive. All I know is that Bernie Welch, Jake Berkiss, and Ben Evans all swear up and down that Ned Pitts is straight and Dominique says Caine's a woman. But I'm not going to feel him up just to satisfy my curiosity."

"I'm surprised nobody else has yet, Nick."

"What did you think of Rai-dei's exhibition, Midvalley? I was pretty impressed myself ," said Nick.

"You looked indifferent as if you could care less. I was impressed too, but I confess, I was more impressed with the kata of Nicholas the Blade than with Rai-dei the Blade's," I said with a laugh.

"Speak of the devil," I murmured as I saw Rai-dei get in the cafeteria line. He got the spaghetti dinner and his eyes scanned the room. He was looking for a place to sit. He saw me and headed over to our table.

"May I join you," he asked.

"Sure," I said.

"I've got no objections," said Nick.

"Thank you.

Rai-dei dug into his plate of pasta with gusto, handling the difficult noodles and ungainly meatballs, remarkably well with chopsticks.

"So," I said to Rai-dei to break the ice, "how did your assessment of Zazie go?"

"Well, he is remarkable. I have never met another with a demon talent like his."

"What exactly is his talent?" Nick asked with a curious tone. "I always wondered."

"As it turns out, Zazie the Beast embodies the collective consciousness of the insect kingdom."

"Oh, that explains it then," said Nick.

"Explains what?" asked Rai-dei.

"Why he bugs the shit out of me."

I laughed and Rai-dei asked, "Was that a joke?"

I nodded.

"How did the teaching go, Rai-dei," I asked him.

Rai-dei chewed thoughtfully on his garlic bread and then said, "It is hard to teach someone who already knows everything. As we like to say at the Jigenzan school, `his cup is full.'

"Oh, so you picked up on that," said Nick.

"I tried to teach him some bladework, but he only wanted to practice his quick draw. I gave up on him for the day and decided to help his friend, E.G. the E.G. Mine. He was wearing a weapon suit with spikes that shoot out. I think he wanted to impress me. It was very impressive. But I noticed a couple of design flaws and told him that a really quick opponent could disable his triggering mechanism and body armor."

"I told him the same thing, but he didn't take it well," said Nick.

"He didn't seem to take it well from me either. He called me a…"

"Chickenshit?" suggested Nick.

"Yes!" exclaimed Rai-dei. "Immediately I went to Legato-sama to ask if I could challenge E.G. the E.G. Mine to shi-ai, but he said no. This is very different from the Jigenzan school. Two students who already know everything. I confess it also puzzles me how he is able to relieve himself safely."

Nick and I exchanged looks and sniggered.

"Ah, not very well," said Rai-dei.

"What did you think of Zazie's quick draw?" I asked.

"He is lightning fast. His reflexes are second to none. None but you, Chapel. I understood from E.G. the E.G. Mine that you beat him. The Masters of Itto instructed me in the Way of the Demon's Path. The path you trained in must be very powerful. In what Path were you trained, Chapel?"

"I was trained by Chapel the Evergreen in the Path of the Average Guy who practices a lot."

I smiled and shook my head at that.

"Is that another joke?" asked Rai-dei.

"Not really," said Nick. "When I was Zazie's age, I practiced a lot. I guess I still do."

"The Masters of Itto put great emphasis on practice, so perhaps Zazie is doing the right thing."

"You suppose right, Rai-dei. The teaching contest hinges on who wins the Quick Draw contest."

"I did not know that. Legato-sama did not mention anything about a reward for winning the teaching contest. Is it just for glory or is there a financial reward?"

"Don't tell me you need money too?" I chuckled.

"Well, it helps us make our way through this world," said Rai-dei.

"Well, Rai-dei, even if Zazie or Mine aren't interested in learning bladework, I'd like to take some classes from you. What weapons do you teach?" I asked him.

"The katana, the short sword, shuriken, throwing knives, axes, spears, long and short…"

"I know I'm your teaching rival, thanks to Legato," said Nick, "but I'll learn from you, Rai-dei, if you've no objections."

"I cannot teach you the Demon's way, but I can show you what I have learned."

Rai-dei mopped the last of the spaghetti sauce off his plate with a piece of garlic bread and finished his dinner.

Midvalley the Hornfreak," he said, "I hope I am not too forward but I am a great fan of your music."

"Really?"

He reached into his tunic and pulled out a copy of "Hornfreak Gold, handed it to me and asked, "Could you please autograph this for me?"

"With pleasure. What should I write?"

"To my friend, Rai-dei the Blade."

I signed it, "To my very good friend, Rai-dei the Blade, Midvalley the Hornfreak."

When I handed him back the mini album and he held it in his hands and looked at what I wrote, I could see he was excited. He got up and bowed to me.

"Thank you very much, Midvalley the Hornfreak," he said.

"Whatever else," said Nick, "you have great taste in music. I'll grant you that."

"I saw flyers at the sand steamer depot, Master Midvalley," said Rai-dei. "You will be playing here live, it said."

"Yeah, if nobody kills me first," I laughed.

"What?" said Rai-dei. "Oh. That was another joke."

"We do have a dangerous profession," said Nick.

"Yes we do," agreed Rai-dei.

We spent the next half-hour talking shop. Five minutes in, Nick and I realized we were dealing with a total professional who had learned the ropes the hard way. We respected his experience.

Some fifteen minutes into the conversation, Nick said, "It's obvious that you know your job, Rai-dei. Why have you come to Evergreen's Academy. The Masters of Itto have trained you well."

"I have mastered the art of the Demon Blade, but I have not yet mastered bushido, and while bushido is my master, so must I serve it. And that is why I have come into the service of Master Knives."

Then Nick said something that struck me.

"If you truly want to master bushido, you should probably be looking to measure yourself against the one who put Master Knives in the condition he's in."

Rai-dei nodded his head. "That is my wish," he said. "Sometimes I think that Master Legato is the strongest of them all, but he has a fatal weakness."

Nick and I looked at each other and then at Rai-dei.

"He is as loyal as a dog," said Rai-dei.

There was a long uncomfortable silence after this remark which Rai-dei finally broke. "Well, I saw some spumoni ice cream when I got my spaghetti. I think I will get a bowl for dessert."

"Good-bye, Rai-dei," said Nick. "I'll see you about the blade lessons soon."

I added my good-byes and left with Nick.

On the way back to our quarters Nick said, "I'm turning in early tonight. I'm giving Bernie Welch his fourth quick-draw class tomorrow morning. I gave him an hour's worth today before the rest of the class showed up.

"How do you rate his chances?"

"Hard to say, Midvalley. If enthusiasm could win a quick-draw contest, Welch would take it hands-down. He's got talent, but nowhere near as much as Zazie. Zazie's a natural, but even a natural can benefit from teaching. My father taught me and he is a good teacher, I have to say, but very hard to please. For the longest time all I wanted was to make him proud of me, but I always fell short. Except for the Drake hit.

Teaching out at the range," Nick continued, "I'm remembering a lot. I practically lived out there. There wasn't a weapon system I didn't want to master. I couldn't begin to tell you how many practice rounds I squeezed off. I ate, drank, breathed and dreamed firearms. It's an ingrained reflex now."

"The Way of the Average Man Who Practices a Lot?"

"That's right, Midvalley, and I think it's the only chance that Bernie Welch has."

We walked up the steps to our quarters.

"Did you want to spend the night, Nick?"

"I would, but you'll want to do some composing, I think."

"I do. But one thing. When we were linked today, I saw the image of a woman in your mind. She had long black hair, blue eyes and the face of an angel. Who was she?"

"My mother," said Nick.

"I thought so. What was her name?"

"I don't remember," Nick said.

"Those children, who were they?"

"Just some kids I met at the orphanage. Goodnight, Midvalley."

I was still working on my songs hours later when I heard a knock on my door. It was Nick.

"I'm heading out for the weapon range now. Get some sleep, Midvalley," he said and gave me a peck on the forehead.

I took his advice, crawled into bed and slept like a baby.