One day, it happens. She doesn't know why, and she doesn't know how, but it does. Her peaceful Saturday morning is shattered by Belze at the door, with a mission report detailing Janus's death.
She grabs the paper, scanning it carefully for any signs of forgery. There are none. This is the truth. Janus is dead.
With deathly calm, she thanks Belze for telling her. When he is gone, she closes the door and weeps. At first, she leans against the wood of the door to support her, and her sob-wracked body. But soon she finds herself curled up on the floor in front of the door, a heap of tears and anguish. There she stays, for the better part of two hours, the knowledge that Janus is gone, gone, gone going through her system like arsenic.
Train opens the door to find a blotchy-faced and teary-eyed Rinslet Walker standing there, clutching her heart charm hard enough to shatter it.
He knows something is wrong then, and brings her into the TV room. They settle on the couch, and Train asks her what is wrong.
They are the only ones in the house.
With a sob, Rinslet leaps for him, and shoves her lips on to his.
Train knows what this is, and considers telling her You can't drown them in someone else. I know, I've tried. But he can't because he knows, he's tried, and Rinslet deserves this momentary lapse in judgment and thought. Train sits idly by and lets her do what she will.
They have a ceremony of passing.
Janus is a Chrono's number and so in all actuality, not officially ever alive. The funeral of sorts is small. The Chrono's numbers show up, as well as Rinslet, squeezing Train's hand so hard his fingers go numb.
Janus isn't buried. He is burnt to ash and blown away by the individual guests. Rinslet is last, and when she has her own handful of Janus, it is all she can do to not break down sobbing there. She manages to puff the last remaining piece of Janus away, and then Train has to almost pull her immobile body back.
He takes her around the corner, and because he knows, he's tried, kisses her. The kiss is not gentle. She cannot concentrate on anything else but them and now.
Silently, Rinslet thanks Train for understanding.
Train understands this too. But he knows, he's tried. People cannot be drowned in other people.
It's their anniversary. And Train, because he's memorized all the dates, knows what's coming.
At exactly 3:04 PM, when she learned of Janus's death, Rinslet rings the doorbell. When Train opens the door, she collapses onto him. Gently, he leads her to his room.
At exactly 5:06,the drowning, the forgetting, starts. And Rinslet tries to forget Janus, and Train pretends to forget Saya. But he knows, he's tried. You can't drown someone in someone else.
They wake up on the same bed, with nothing separating themselves from each other. And drunk on Janus not being her first thought of the day, Rins kisses Train, and doesn't see green-black hair, but brown locks. It will be the first of many times.
It's been a couple of months, and she thinks it's love. He knows it's a lie. But when push comes to shove, and she needs a shoulder to cry on, he always ends up the one putting a soggy shirt in the dryer.
Train wakes up on the anniversary of the day Saya died, lying next to Rins on the same bed, with nothing separating them, and drunk on the thought of Rins being his first in the morning, kisses her. But this time, this time, when Train looks down, he doesn't see cropped hair. He sees purple, stringy hair. And Train thinks maybe Rinslet can get what she deserves. It will be the first of many times.
It is a while before Rins realizes Train is not longer the rebound boy.
It is longer still before Train realizes although you can't drown someone in someone else, you can still love another.
Eventually, they are happy.
I tragically do not own Black Cat. I don't even own the manga or some anime DVDs. I rent stuff. This is reposting cuz I realized I needed a disclaimer, and the page breaks WEREN'T in there. But now they are. YAY!