Hey! This is my third story! :3 Now, I feel I've been relatively decent with remembering to post, so I started this Black Cat fic. I love Black Cat, and felt that I just had to do this! :3 So yeah, here it is :3

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Two men sat at their usual shop, and were being attended to by the owner.

Train and Sven had come to Annette's shop often. Though it was usually for information, the two had just come for drinks at the moment, while Eve was out on a walk. However, Annette had told them she wanted to talk, so they started a conversation.

"So, Annette," Train said, stretching; the bell around the brunette's neck chimed as he did so, "what did you want to talk to us about?" He laid his head on the bar, intently looking up at Annette. "I'll be honest when I say you've gotten me interested, now."

"Well," Annette said, Train noting a half-worried tone, "Really, this is more something I want Train to know, rather than Sven. But I think it's good for the both of you to hear this." She paused, and took a deep breath. "You see," she said, looking like she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell or keep quiet, then decided to tell, "if the rumors are true, Chronos has found a new number thirteen."

At that, Train automatically sat straight, making the tattoo of a roman numeral thirteen on his chest visible. "A new thirteen?" he asked, looking at Annette, curiously. The look he gave practically begged for more information on the subject.

"Yes," Annette said, "They're just rumors, but I don't want to doubt them, just yet. It's best to wait and see." She started polishing bottles, not sure if she wanted to continue. There was an uncomfortable silence that dragged on for at least a minute before she spoke up again. "From the rumors he's oriental," she said, "from some far eastern country. I also heard concerning rumors about his age."

"His age?" Sven asked, now curious, lighting another cigarette as he asked, "What about his age?" He looked towards Annette, who sighed, now a bit curious himself.

"From the rumors," she replied, "he's close to fifteen." She paused again, looking at the men's shocked faces. She decided not to say anymore and continued working around the shop.

"That's a little too young to be an Eraser," Sven commented. He jumped as train raised up, obviously angry, now.

"A little!?" Train said, anger in his voice, "That's way too young to be an Eraser! Let alone a Chrono Number! What has gotten into Chronos!? Letting someone that young join! He's still just a ked!"

"I think we've had enough conversation," Sven said, getting up, "Train, let's go back now. Eve's probably home waiting for us to get back." He sighed when Train shook his head.

"You go back, Sven," Train said, "I'm going to take a walk of my own. I need to clear my head right now." He then left the shop, both the bell on the door and around his neck chimed as he walked out. He walked the streets for a while, then found that it didn't help him at all. So, he jumped onto a nearby roof and laid down. "This should cool my head," he said, falling asleep. He stayed asleep for a while, until dark.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When Train woke up, he was still on the roof. It was night, and dark. It was late enough so that many of the lights were already off. He looked around, seeing a boy that looked around fifteen sitting nearby, apparently surveying the city, from what Train saw. His hair was long and black, and he had fair skin. That was all Train could take note of from his vantage in that dark. He looked at the boy, wondering if he would say something, or look back.

The boy did look back at Train, allowing Train to take note of the chocolate brown eyes, as well. When scooting a little closer, Train could make out a tattoo on the side of his neck, but he couldn't make out what it was. The boy then looked back over the city without giving Train a second glance.

Train was intrigued, now. He walked up to the boy, gesturing next to him. "Do you mind?" he asked, asking to sit down next to the boy. This let him examine the boy a little more closely. From the looks of things, he probably wasn't a people-person. An interesting blade was strapped across his back. It looked more like two swords with their hilts connected, each blade curving in the opposite direction.

"I don't," the boy replied with a shrug, "but then again, I don't see why you couldn't stay seated either. He looked up at Train, glancing up and down as if surveying. Train could have sworn he saw a smile cross the boy's features for a second. Then he started to look down, giving Train the ability to see what he wanted. The tattoo on the boy's neck was of a roman numeral thirteen.

Train smiled, sitting down next to the boy. "I'm Train, by the way," he said. He held out his hand to the boy, to be friendly. He didn't expect the boy's reply at all.

"I'm Shin," the boy said, shaking Train's hand, "It's nice to meet my predecessor, Black Cat. You've certainly set the bar high for me, you know?" A small smirk tugged at the boy's face at Train's shocked expression. "You're not the only one who can figure things out on their own, Black Cat," he said with a smile, "I have a knack for it, myself."

Train smiled. "You're a sharp one," he said. He looked at the weapon on the boy's back. "That's some blade," he said, "I've never seen anything like it. He was shocked when Shin smiled and took the blade off of his back, pulling on the hilts and allowing the blade to turn into two swords!

"It's specially made," Shin said, re-connecting the two hilts to form one blade again, "I can disconnect and re-connect the hilt. That makes me able to use this as one dual-bladed sword, or two single-bladed ones. It's something special, alright." He unsheathed one of the blades after disconnecting the hilt, and ran his finger along it. "Made of Orichalcon, with roman numeral thirteen etched on each blade. This sword is just as important to me as your Hades is to you, Black Cat."

Train smiled, then looked to Shin. "Hey, can I ask you something?" he asked, looking at Shin now.

"That depends on what you want to ask," Shin stated, re-connecting the hilts and strapping the weapon back on his back.

"Why would someone you age join Chronos? Become a Chrono Number?" He looked at the boy, disappointed when Shin shook his head.

"That's something for another day," Shin replied, "We're still practically strangers, after all. Maybe when we get to know each other a little better, Black Cat." At that he smiled and left, leaving Train by himself.

"I wish he'd stop calling me that," Train said. He had no desire to be called his old name. The name he was called by when he was in Chronos. "Well, I should get going, before I get bickered at by Sven. Well, bickered at more than I'm already bound to be bickered at." And with that, Train left the roof, still thinking about the boy he had just talked to. Shin, Cronos's new number thirteen.