Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Baccano! material.

Chapter 1

1940 (New York): Firo

It's been four weeks that we've searched for Warren. I don't see how we're going to find him. We've attained many men who fit his description, yet Kayla and Lalette just shake their heads. How hard should it be to find this man when we have so many people? But if Maiza asked us to look, then we will. Hey! On the bright side, at least the weather is looking good today, and I'm about to see Ennis after this round. I can't remember the last time the sun shone so brightly on our turf. I guess I'll just stroll along for one more hour and call it a day. But you have to admire the determination with which those three are looking for Warren. I will look even harder.

"Stop it! Please! Somebody help me! WHY WON'T YOU DIE?"

There is a girl screaming in agony nearby. The terror in her voice is blood-curdling. I'm running as fast as I can, but I'm afraid I might be too late. Her screams are getting fainter, yet the distance between us should be getting smaller. The man hovering over the limp body of the girl is covered in blood. I know what he is. He is quickly regaining the flesh that the girl cut off. No. The cuts aren't smooth. He is quickly regaining the flesh that the girl tried to claw off.

"You bastard. How could you do that to her?" Her body is beyond recognition now. Had I randomly passed by her, I would not have noticed that she were human. No. I would have recognized the smell, the blood.

"What do you want? You want to be next? Too bad I'm not interested in shrimpy boys. If you know what's good for you, you'd walk away by the time I get to the count of three," taunted the burly man.

"Not interested in me? I see you're only interested in small girls. Today is your unlucky day."

"You will—" Before he can finish his sentence, I throw the first punch. The man has quick reflexes. He definitely fits the description that Maiza gave us. He has to be Warren. All the training with Maiza has not gone to waste; my reflexes are faster than this man's. It is painfully clear that this man is only used to fighting girls; he aims for parts of my body that other men would not aim for. Not only that but he leaves many easy openings. There. He doesn't guard his neck at all. I suppose most girls cannot reach there. One more minute and I'll have him down, right after he tries to knock out my jaw again. He's done it, and I land the blow. This man is different than the others that we've attained. This man is definitely an immortal. He's already healing the cuts that I've given him. I must haul him back to the others now. The girl.

I slowly walk over to her and brush away the hair from her face. I think she was pretty once. Her hair is that soft strawberry color that makes you want to nestle your face in, and her eyes are that light green color that makes you look twice. Blood is on my hand now, except this blood won't leave on its own. This blood stays. Her face is rigid now. Forever will her face be set in terror. Her eyes are abnormally enlarged, even with the swelling impeding their opening. I was too late. I want to eat Warren now to make sure that he cannot do this to another human being again, but I can't. Not yet. I have to take him back to the others.

"Firo…" Ennis emerges from around the corner. She puts a hand on my shoulder. I forget how comforting her touch can be. She closes the eyelid of the girl. "Firo, that is Warren, isn't it?"

"He has to be. He fits the descriptions perfectly. I didn't have the chance to ask him. I was too angry over the girl to think."

"I know. Why don't we take him back to Maiza now? There is nothing that we can do for this girl." Not even Ennis will look at the girl now. I can see the corners of her eyes twitching—even she is afraid.

"You're right. Will you bring the car around so I can throw his body into the trunk?" Without answering she gives me a light kiss and goes back. So sweet at such a bitter moment.

All the lights are on at Maiza's. They are waiting. Right when we park, the door slams open. Two women rush out with Maiza. Kayla is ahead. I drop Warren on the ground—not because I thought to but because Kayla startled me. The anger in her eyes. This girl, I've never seen her so emotional. In these past few weeks that I've interacted with her, she's always been so composed. Even while she interrogated those other men, even while their blood was mangled in her eyes and hair, she never lost her calm. But now, she is crying.

"YOU. Finally. It is you," within three seconds she has reached us. She starts to kick Warren in the face. Perhaps it is his broken nose that makes him stir.

"…Kayla? Oh fuck—" Before he could utter another word, Lalette kicks him in the jaw. The jaw unhinges. Maiza looks at me and nods. I nod back. I know that he is thankful that I finally found Warren. Suddenly he tries to grab Lalette.

"Lalette, don't! You'll regret eating him. We can take care of him in other ways. This is not a good idea, he—" Maiza stops talking because Kayla has now reached Warren. She puts her hand on his head and closes her eyes. I know what she must be going through now. The images, the memories, she will absorb them all. She collapses and Maiza instantly catches her. She is crying and he with her. I've never seen him cry. I can see it in his eyes—this girl has seared herself through his heart. Through and through.

1711 (aboard Advenna Avis): Lalette

"Where is Kayla?" Fiore is pacing in circles. Her nervous habits are back; her mouth is suddenly crooked, and she starts to smooth out her dress.

"Don't be so nervous. Maybe she changed her mind and doesn't want to be around Maiza and this alchemy. You know how she is about alchemy." It's been so many years, but she's still weary of it all—even when Maiza is the one doing it. He is the best at alchemy right now. I don't understand what Kayla is so nervous about; Maiza is perfect. I take a quick glance at him; he is nervously flipping through his book and drawing the lines for the summoning. All of this is so exciting. I can't remember the last time I was so excited. Finally, we might get to taste eternal youth!

"Lalette is right. We shouldn't bother waiting for her. I don't think she'll show up," coos Warren as he strokes Fiore's cheek. She smiles at him. I smile too. They'll be happy together forever after all of this.

"I'm sure she'll show up. She said she would. We made a pact, remember? Forever means forever. How can one of us not do this when the other two are?" Fiore is so sure of herself at the moment that even I start to get nervous about Kayla's absence.

"Oh, she's probably off brushing her hair somewhere. She's always so concerned about her looks," I laugh. Fiore and Warren laugh with me. It's true, though. Kayla is the most self-centered and vain of the three of us. We like to call her "princess" since she never gets her hands dirty and constantly brushes her hair and twirls her skirts.

"I'm glad you guys are still in the mood to laugh," chuckles Maiza halfheartedly as he walks over. His laugh tightens my chest. I hope he doesn't notice.

"Why not? What's there to be so nervous about? We trust you completely. Don't be so nervous about this. You'll succeed and summon him," I say shyly as I take out my handkerchief to wipe his brow. He smiles at me and wipes his sweat with his sleeve.

"Best not dirty your handkerchief now, Lalette. I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm starting."

We all chime in with our words of encouragement, and he leaves with a lighter step in his toes. A solemn silence envelopes the ship as Maiza proceeds with his alchemy. Fiore takes my hand into hers, and I give her hand a squeeze. This is it.

"I should go find Kayla," she whispers urgently into my ear. But Warren puts a hand on her shoulder and shakes his head.

"She'll come when she's ready. You shouldn't rush her into things," he retorts with an aggressive air. Fiore slowly nods and we watch Maiza. After what seemed like a decade of impatience and staggered breathing, a bone-chilling voice appears. My grip on Fiore's hand tightens, and we wait. Warren is practically about to spring towards Maiza and the voice now that the elixir is within our reach.

"I don't think it'll work…" starts Fiore. This did seem too good to be real, but I trust Maiza.

My eyes widen in alarm. The demon attacked Szilard. Was it a bad idea to summon such a thing? No! He is getting up. I squeal with excitement. I can feel Fiore shaking; her whole body seems ready to fold over.

"You two wait here, I'll bring elixir back to us. You won't be able to squeeze past these men," shouts Warren as he pushes into the crowd. It's true though. Warren is almost twice our size. Not only was he tall, but he was built. Years of handling the ropes on the ship have done his body well. When he returns, he lets Fiore take the first sip as his eyes glimmer with eagerness, "I want you to have the first sip so that your forever will always be longer than mine." The amount that he cares for her is so touching. She looks as if she is about to cry. After we all finish it, we pause. Nothing felt different. Am I immortal now? Someone pushes past me, and I practically fall on top of Fiore.

"Kayla!" shrieks Fiore. But her wide smile quickly collapses into horror as we take in her appearance. She's never looked so disheveled. Her dress, it is all torn up. Her face, it is painful to watch. What happened to her? There is blood. It's obvious that she tried to clean it off, but there are remnants. And the smell, you can't get rid of that.

Kayla doesn't stop storming towards Maiza and the elixir and violently shakes off Fiore when she tries to take her hand. The determination carved into her face stopped me from even trying to approach her. The raw anger with which she drank the elixir makes me regret getting on this ship and embarking on this eternal youth.