Behind Your Back

Rated: T

Characters: Sephiria and Train

Plot: Train and Sephiria's love is like the moon. Not always apparent, not always seen, but it's always there. However, in the midst of their love, a new crisis is growing. Can their love survive the ultimate test? The test of time…

A/N: By the way, this is slightly Alternate Universe, where I give Sephiria a longer past, Wilzark is featured more often, Train doesn't kill Creed, etc… I apologize if a lot of my fics are AUs… However, with more info, I can make a more meaningful story…. Please enjoy!

-X-

Chapter One: The Trickster Called Time

It wasn't like Sephiria wasn't used to not understanding what was going on around her, the gossip behind her back and such, the under the table deals with certain people, and the like. She knew, but chose to ignore it. Not so much the dirty deals, of course, she had a reputation to crack down on that hard and fast, the problem being solved with a simple smash of her hand on a table. There. Done. Simple. But it was the rumors that she did not regulate. Even more regulations on Chronos' extremely limited freedoms would breed even more dissent. With an organization that massive, that was something Sephiria knew she could not afford. Wilzark had taught her well. The old man had a softer heart than he normally portrayed, she thought with a smile. In that way, they were both alike. Master and Pupil. Both donning masks that the world wanted them to see. Even now, as she was pensively looking out toward the ocean, she could still remember Wilzark's only command before they departed for Creed's island. His amethyst eyes bored into her more deeply than she could have believed possible, and she had instinctively put her shields up as she braced for the nonexistent onslaught.

"Sephiria, I trust you know what to do..." That was all. With a simple flick of a switch, her mentor was gone to be immediately replaced by the screen of black. Quite surprising really, most of the time, Wilzark would reproach her for some action here or there, but not this time. He knew she knew he knew she knew what was required of this mission. She was grateful for that trust; after all, it had been the first gift of amity she had ever received since the Taoist War.

"Sephiria." Jenos' voice was quiet as he scooted closer to her on the boat. "What are you going to do once we get there?"

She could remember the catcalls of death on the final battle's heart wrenching close, the ravens singing raucously in the trees as the red moon above highlighted them in an eerie glow. She recalled anxiously looking for survivors as she struggled to remain conscious despite her near fatal injuries. Sephiria never looked at the word 'Tao' the same after that day. Never again. The word seemed to embody everything that had been lost, all based on the people who manipulated its ego. Vengeance had been the first words out of Mason's mouth when she had found him underneath a corpse, too weak to move, but unfortunately not feeble enough to speak. Vengeance for the Fallen.

Vengeance on whom, may I ask? Her voice was tired as she respectfully removed the corpse that was on top of him.

The Survivors, Sephiria. I saw you let two children go. Mason's eyes glittered dangerously, but he did not reprimand her more than that. He leaned on her light frame heavily as he struggled to walk toward the awaiting chopper. One day, those dogs will come back to bite us.

She regretted her hint of mercy that day, everyone who knew her involvement had expressed that profound regret. Mason. Wilzark. Kin. Shin. Everyone who was anyone from that time. Her answer should have been to 'utterly annihilate the Apostles of the Star so the power of the Tao may never again rise up from the ashes.' However, the little voice inside her head choked down the response. As she felt the eyes of the four Numbers accompanying her, she turned to face them all, her eyes nostalgic as she remembered something someone once said to her. His voice seemed to be entwined with hers as she replied sadly, her azure eyes distant as she looked away.

"I suppose… I suppose I'll do everything in my own time."

"Well," Baldor muttered impatiently, "is that time now?"

Her eyes stared off into the distance as she saw explosions being emitted from Creed's domineering castle, and she thought of him for a moment before she replied contemplatively. "Why don't we find out?"

-X-

"I knew I should have stayed in bed!" Sven shouted over the din of Creed's Imagine Blade going any which way in the White Snake Room's confined walls. He was clutching his midsection in pain as he managed to duck the incoming blade. Train fired another bullet into Creed's shoulder, picking Sven off the ground as he swayed precariously. His mind was reeling as that fact Creed revealed was echoing in his mind. They needed to break his sword, which was the only way to solve the problem without killing him.

We're losing, he thought desperately, after plopping Sven onto a more secure location before rejoining the fray, this time to pry Eve from Creed's clutches.

"Train! That WITCH made you like this! Why won't you at least try to kill me?" Creed's taunting voice spread throughout the room, inciting his old wound in his heart, but he forced it down as he readied Hades. He had one shot to make it happen, one shot.

"I don't need to kill you Creed, even with your immortal body. Did you know that's the weaknesses of Gods?" He silently prayed that this would work. "They're weak because they think too much. If I really wanted to punish you, I would allow you to live forever, and experience the hardships of immortality. It's more of a curse than a gift; watch everything you love grow old around you, while you remain youthful. Watch life becoming nothing more than a stale loaf of bread forgotten over the years. Go on!" He gestured for Eve to help the wounded Sven, while aiming for Creed's shoulder. He shot a bullet that Creed swung at aggressively before realizing it was ricocheting off the wall and smashed him in the shoulder. It created a neat hold in his left shoulder, blood gushing out of it profusely as he let out a cry like a wounded animal.

"You use a cheap trick like that witch to hit me? Why not at least aim for the brain you fool? WHY!" Creed screamed in outrage as he tried to pursue Train's escape to the roof. Train grinned cheekily as he raced up the wall, smashing a hole as he took flight to the open area. At least he was leading the fight away from Sven and Eve. He could already see out of the corner of his eye their easy escape.

"You can run Train, but you cannot hide!" Creed called, as he slowly came out to the roof. His expression was priceless as Train swiped the air with his orichalcon claws, flawlessly performing the Black Cross on Creed's sword. The mark of his attack was visible in the air for a moment, before it disappeared, fading away.

He felt the sting of strain on his arm, wincing slightly as he turned around to see what happened. To his utter amazement, Creed's sword was unharmed by his assault. His surprise must have shown because Creed's laughter echoed through the still frosty air.

"I told you before!" he cackled maniacally. "Nothing, not even orichalcon could even nick my blade! No one can stop me! Not even the unstoppable Black Cat!" Train felt desperation creep up his being, but he shook it away. He couldn't fail Saya now, however, he was weakening by the second with every blow he had with Creed. Each blow was more vigorous than the last, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and give in.

As Creed slammed his imagine blade against Hades, Train felt his knees crumple underneath him. He was going to die… Unless a miracle graced him now. He didn't want to die with Creed's lunatic laughter echoing in his mind as he went to Hell.

And the miracle came. Just in the nick of time. For a moment, Train believed it was an angel, with her long blonde hair flowing behind her as she looked out at the scene encircling the castle, those azure eyes filled with some emotion she couldn't explain.

Creed was surprised enough to halt his onslaught long enough to allow Train to take a closer look at the angel. His eyes lit up eagerly as he saw his savior.

"Sephiria!" he said to this pleasant surprise. "Thank God!" Train never had been so relieved to see her, alive and well, in front of him.

"This place is pretty up here, isn't it?" she inquired, not even turning to look at him. "It's nostalgic…"

"You!" Creed raced toward her with such speed that Train had difficulty in keeping up with his movement, yet all his sword caught was the after image Sephiria left in her wake. "You! You're no better than those three toads of Chronos! I ought to-"

He was cut off when Sephiria relentlessly twisted his sword out of his hand. Her eyes glowed with a bright flame that Train had never seen in her eyes as she watched the sword go off the roof before she turned to Train. "Are you alright, Heartnet?"

"I've been better," he grinned back, taking her offer for a hand up. "You're just in time for the party."

"Mmm," she replied absently, yet her eyes were still trained on Creed.

He was laughing, that perhaps was the scariest part. A shrill, humorless laugh that seemed to become a layer in the air, the icing on a cake that was too sweet. "You're everything I hoped for you to be, Captain. Your speed making up for your feeble strength, while your swordsmanship is flawless, even I am your second in that respect. Fascinating… Why don't we concentrate our powers into the last blow, mmm? To up the ante, perhaps? One blow wins all? No dodging, only head on attacks."

"Very well," Sephiria nodded agreeably as Christ shimmered dangerously in the winter sunlight. Train tried to hold her back; however, she slipped out of his grip before he could stop her. He could tell she was prepared to unleash her ultimate attack, Train could read that much in her eyes, that certain resigned sentiment that resounded throughout the air.

Creed, on the other hand, transformed his sword into an even more terrifying form, charging boldly forward. Sephiria's Mekkai World Destroyer was far too fast for him to catch; however, when the light of the God that shone so brightly faded, all that was left before him was Sephiria's lone form. Her stance disclosed that she was in more pain than imaginable; the rumors that had surrounded her most powerful attack were true then. It did inflict terrible pain and damage to the user than imaginable. For a moment, Train believed that everything was over, everything was about to fall back into place when Creed burst up out of the ground. Train fired some bullets at him, but it did not faze Creed at all.

He saw Sephiria's form falling to the floor as Creed inflicted four diagonal cuts to Sephiria's body, leaving her in a pool of her own blood. Train gave a guttural roar as he tried to fire the one thing he knew was powerful enough to destroy Creed's sword. He concentrated on forcing his cells to discharge electricity, on firing the railgun at full power at Creed's Imagine Blade. However, Creed merely sidestepped out of the way.

He smiled as his sword split into two, one of the halves wrapping around Train's struggling figure. "I can't let you get in the way of justice, now can I?" He grinned devilishly, as he stepped even closer to Sephiria.

"Cheater," she muttered her azure eyes resentful. "You dodged."

"You really thought I'd play by the rules? How naïve Sephiria, how naïve. Nevertheless, in return for your honesty, I will destroy you at full power. No shame in that." His sword became huge as it filled the sky with a beam of light, his smile never wavering. "Ta ta Sephiria Arks. Enjoy Hell for me, will you?"

"NO!" Train tried to struggle against his bonds, but it was no use. There was no way he could defeat Creed at this rate, and he could feel his body and mind giving in.

Sephiria's eyes seemed to be more focused as she heard his scream. The flame still hadn't dimmed in her eyes; rather it intensified so it hurt for Train to even look into her eyes. As Creed tried to bring down his sword, she flipped out of the way, her blood spattering the pavement of the roof with crimson. Her voice never even revealed a slightest hint of doubt as she stared at him coolly. "Wilzark, it seems I understand what you mean by that now. I never thought I'd have to use this again… It's still in the experimental stage, but know this Creed..."

"It will never miss."

"A little confident, aren't you?" Creed thought fascinated, she's confident that she will kill me! Interesting! Let's see what she has…

To Train's surprise, she threw away Christ, the sword's scattering on the ground causing a harsh sound to emanate on the roof. "I don't need this anymore," she gave Train a sad look; smiling as she pulled out a dagger he had never seen him use. He could smell the blood on it; it was a tainted weapon that had sinned many times over. It was something, an instrument, which had taken so many lives with its blade. As she kissed the dagger tenderly, Creed charged at her, his Imagine Blade even more dangerous because of its immense size.

She hardly even acknowledged him as her form began to glow with a golden light encircling itself around her. It was the light that caught Creed's sword in mid swing, throwing him to the ground with a sickening thud. Sephiria growled dangerously as he noticed her eyes held a golden hue, rather than her customary azure. Her glowing form approached Creed with such velocity that the silver haired man had the wind knocked out of him, and her assault never stopped as her attack became more violent, more like Creed's with every passing second.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Train called out, grabbing her waist in desperation as her form neared him. She gave a start of surprise as she looked at him with those golden eyes. "I won't let either of you kill each other!" he said determinedly, "I promise that much, Sephiria." In that instance, they saw something pass through their gaze, something that reminded of him almost the looks he and Saya had once shared. However, it was broken by Sephiria's pained cry as Creed's other sword half stabbed her in the midsection. Train found himself crying out as he tried to help her, but Sephiria's eyes seemed to tell she had it under control. Her eyebrows rose as she smiled like she was above this petty dispute.

"Creed, do you know why this never misses? Because I sacrifice a bit of my soul to guide it." Her face was paling as she struggled to remain upright, the damage seeming to be more than her body could bear. Yet, those eyes continued to be a beacon of hope, never stopping as she gave Creed one last scathing look. "Remember, I am Chrono Number I. I refuse to bow down and allow the world to be dominated by you!" Again, for a second time, the sky was lit up, but this time, the light seemed to expand, reaching out like to embrace the sky and earth. For a moment, the sky and earth met and time stood still. With a deafening bang like thunder, the light cleared away, and silence fell upon the island. And all was quiet on the rooftop.

-X-

Mason smiled as he saw the light fill the sky and gave a mighty chuckle as it receded. Belze gave a quiet, inquiring look, which Mason responded to as he laughed jubilantly. "She used that move again. I'm surprised she did, but I'm glad, for some reason I am relieved."

Belze looked at him strangely, but gave no argument as he continued on.

Mason gave a small smile as he glanced at the disappearing light, remembering Sephiria as a child using that move to strike terror into her enemies. The orichalcon dagger and her becoming legends on the battle field, the devil child that feared no one and no one would live to see. Not a single survivor could even bear the brunt of her lightning that infiltrated the cells, virtually overriding the brain's commands, destroying the body from a loss of control. Quite ironic because Sephiria herself seemed to receive that in order to perform it. Every time she used it, something seemed to be slowly killing her from the inside, the emotion in her eyes almost dying. It was no wonder that she swore she wouldn't use it again unless in a time of great need; the strain had seemed to be quite a chip in her shoulder. Her hair was already tinged with strands of white hidden inside the golden tresses.

The child was fascinating, nothing more, and nothing less. A child that was affected by warfare, yet so untouched by it. But she wasn't as enigmatic as she was alluring. The tone of confidence, the air of power clinging to her every step, she had control over situations that Mason struggled with. It was no surprise that she became Chrono Number I over all the possible candidates. Besides, being Wilzark's protégé did increase her chances immensely, yet even without that she would have become Captain. He had to admit that she was Chronos' age old plan finally blooming into a flower, a flower with a fire imbued inside that would not die. The mask of perfection she had always donned was only testimony to the plan's success-an individual not too reckless, not too devoid of personality, a person with controlled power and impeccable empathy. At last, an individual had become what they had needed. A leader comparable to no other.

"You're worried about Sephiria and the others," Mason noted as Belze continued to stare at him. "Don't worry, have faith in Sephiria, she knows what she must do. Perhaps, the Black Cat will help her. Whatever the consequences, today a victor shall emerge, and a loser will rise. That much is clear."

"I know. That's why I'm worried." Belze's gray eyes were troubled as the light completely vanished. "I don't know what Chronos or the Elders would do without her. I don't know what I would do without her." On a normal day, Mason would have made a joke to that last statement, but today was not a day of the present. It was a day of the past.

Mason could see all the fallen faces of his comrades, the casualties of the Taoist War flashing before his eyes. He only shook his head as he turned his gaze to the earth, back to the realities of this war, his mind away from the possibilities of the sky. "We move on, we forget them. That's just something humans always do."

-X-

The shards of Creed's Imagine Blade were raining down on them. By them, he meant all three of them, Creed, Sephiria, and himself. The rain of shards broke on the roof, breaking into sparkles that seemed to brighten up the dreary scene. Train was clutching Sephiria's swaying form, bringing a comforting hand to her bloodstained cheek. "You broke his sword Seph, you did it!"

Her gaze narrowed as she tried to focus on his face. "Heartnet," she whispered weakly, "he's not dead, is he…"

"No." The response came naturally as he cupped her face in his hands. "You destroyed his mind; he'll never trouble Chronos again."

She struggled to try to get closer to Creed's rocking outline. "I have…to finish…this… I cannot make it end up like last time."

"It's over, Sephiria. His organization's gone, the original Taoists are dead, and his army is being extinguished by Chronos. Let him go, if anything, for me. Please Sephiria." He gave her his best 'homeless stray cat look,' praying she would agree.

Her head rested tiredly on his chest, her breaths faint as he felt her steady breaths. "Fine. Only because you asked." He almost smiled, but Sephiria's body gave a sudden lurch as she fell sideways onto the roof, nearly going off the edge. Train only managed to catch her head and pull her back up with his remaining strength, gripping her with a death grip. She seemed so delicate now, a dying flower whose petals were scattering the floor. He wanted to be the one to hold her, the one that she would run to when she needed a hug. Her fragility only added the protective feelings he harbored for her.

"Sorry," she managed faintly. Train ran his hands up her side, gripping her waist reassuringly, and he gave a purr of satisfaction as her hands found their way wrap themselves around his shoulder.

"Don't be," he murmured, brushing her cheek with his lips, causing her to moan slightly (though whether because of his touch or wounds, Train didn't know).

"Am I disturbing something?" Leon's voice was curious as they instantly broke apart, blushing furiously. The blue-haired boy was riding the wind and carrying Creed's unconscious form, his eyes wide as he watched their embarrassed faces with great interest.

Train helped Sephiria up as he looked to the sky, up at the boy standing underneath a helicopter he knew was sent by Chronos. "No Leon, you're not. If you could excuse us, I believe we have a helicopter to catch."

-X-

I hoped you enjoyed! Please Read and Review! Any Comments are welcome!