Lost Child

A Black Cat Fanfic

By Saitou Miharu

"Hey brat!" someone shouted. "Ya bump into somebody and don't even say a word?"

Sven Vollfied turned and stared down the street, where a young girl in black was being yelled at by a tall man. He watched as the man continued screaming at her.

"What happened to 'I'm sorry,' huh?"

The girl stared up at the man with big eyes. "Do you want to... play tag too?"

"What kinda nonsense are you saying?" the man said. "I'm gonna call your parents and ask for compensation money!"

Before he really knew what he was doing, Sven stepped forward and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Oh?" he whispered. "Come on and ask me..." He drew a gun and pointed it at the man's temple. "I've got nothing but lead, so... want some?"

"What?" the man stammered.

"I'm asking if you want some."

"Uh... no... no thanks..."

The man turned and tore down the street, scaring a stray cat from its perch atop a trash can. Sven watched him go with obvious disdain. "Sheesh, acting like that to a child... Nothing but idiots, every one of 'em..." The gentleman turned toward the girl and asked, "You okay?"

"I'm... the demon..."

"Playing tag?" Sven asked, recognizing her words. "A close friend of yours?"

"No." she said back. "A stranger."

What...? Sven thought. This was getting weirder by the second.

"Where am I?" she asked him.

"Hey..." he whispered. "Don't tell me... you're... a lost child?"

He was met with silence.

Sven returned to the bench on which he'd left the lost girl. She was staring all around her, as if something was wrong. He walked over, and once within earshot, called out, "What's up? Is there something unusual?" He held out an ice cream cone and added, "Here, let's eat these and decide what to do next..."

She took the cone timidly. He sat down on the bench beside her, thinking dejectedly, Someone of my reputation, having ice cream with a child in the park... ah, well... it's not as if I can abandon a lost child anyway...

"Is this something to eat?" the girl asked.

"What... you've never eaten ice cream before?" the gentleman deduced. "You're an unusual child in these times."

"It's cold..."

"Well, it's ice cream."

"But..." The girl stared into the pink surface of her ice cream. "It tastes good..."

Sven released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "By the way, what were you looking at before?"

"People... they're all people I've never seen before..." she replied. "I haven't left my home much... I didn't know the town was so full of people..."

"Hey, hey." Sven said. "Around the world, this doesn't count as full. If you go to a bigger city, it's nothing like this."

"About how many?"

"There are some places where you can look out and see nothing but people." the gentleman told her. He went on to tell her all about the many people in the world-- how many there were, who they were-- he didn't spare a single detail. He enjoyed her company, and she enjoyed his.

"Well, now... since we've eaten our ice cream, should we get going?"

"Where are we going?" the girl asked.

"Let's see..." Sven thought for a moment. "I suppose first we'll walk around and see if you recognize any scenery. If you don't recognize anything, we'll have to leave it to the police, though I don't much like going there... I don't have very much time to spare, either..."

"My uncle said the police are our enemies."

"Your uncle?" the gentleman repeated.

Suddenly, he heard the click of a car door, and as he did, a voice saying, "The signal is nearby, Master Torneo." Then a grunted response. Shock stabbed Sven dull and hard in the stomach as Torneo himself emerged from the vehicle. He's completely off guard! Sven realized. Now's my chance!

"Don't move, Torneo!" the gentleman shouted, reaching into his suit for a gun. He jerked it in the other man's direction. "I'm a sweeper, and I'm taking you in!"

"Eve!" Torneo shouted at the girl behind Sven. "Finish him!"

Sven turned in shock, then felt himself tumble backward as Eve drove her hand into his stomach. For a moment he only felt her hand, hard and small, then suddenly there was a blade protruding through his stomach and out his back. He could see tears falling from her eyes. Blood dripped to the floor-- and then he was stumbling backward, and Eve was gone.

Eve... Sven thought angrily as he pressed his hand against the wound. That was Eve...!

Right then, the gentleman promised himself to find her. He would find her, and when he did, he would offer her the chance to be free.

All Sven wanted was to set her free.