Chapter Two
Eve flew at Train and slashed off a long knife with another knife, just as the rope was about to go taut, and the blade flew at the rope and slashed it just in the nick of time. Eve sighed, but she had been so focused on saving Train, that her transformation had reversed. She was now wingless and fifty feet in the air. Such a fall would hurt even Train if he was unprepared for it.
Somehow, Train managed to reverse his momentum in midair and caught Eve, landing on his back, smashing through several crates and falling to the ground. Finally, Eve dared to open her eyes, and she saw Train lying on his back, his eyes closed and bleeding, and assumed the worst.
"TRAIN!! No!! Please, don't die!! Please don't die, Train!! You can't leave me!" she screamed, shaking him until she heard a moan out of his mouth. Slowly sitting up and shaking his head.
"Man! That was quite a fall. What are you doing here, Little Princess? Did my rope snap? I didn't realize I was gaining so much weight!"
"Train…" Eve began, astonished. "Y-you don't… remember jumping t-to save me?" she asked, her eyes wide with shock.
"Save………… you?" and then it hit him like the proverbial sack of bricks. "EVE!! Are you alright? Are you hurt!? Did you get any splinters!?"
Eve looked at Train, her crimson eyes filled with hurt, tears now flowing freely from them. This was the second time that she had cried in one day.
"St-stupid…" she said. "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she shrieked, punching him over and over again, not caring that he wasn't fighting back. As he sat there and took the punches, he was sure that he would be feeling them later, but it was nothing he couldn't explain away by saying that he was being reckless, which was technically true. Finally, she stopped and hugged him tightly, grasping at him like she never expected to see him again. He sighed and hugged her back, just sitting there among the splintered crates for a few moments, hoping that nobody came to check them out. Fortunately, the crates had been empty. Had they been full, they would have been swimming in fish or something disgusting like that. Eve hated fish. She had once bought some salted fish for Train as a gift, because she made the connection that cats like fish. But other than that, she tried to stay away from fish. They smelled funky, and they were slimy and ate worms.
She looked at Train expectantly, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't immediately speak, her eyes narrowed. For a moment, they stayed that way, but when he still didn't speak, she decided to break the silence.
"Train, I don't think I could live without you. You probably think that I don't like you because of the things that I used to say to you, but that's not true. I care very much about you, and more than that, even… I-I love you. I need you around, Train."
"Princess…" Train started. He was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. He didn't really know what to say to that. Nobody had ever told him that they loved him before. Even Saya had only ever seen him as a friend, maybe only as someone she needed to guide to the right path.
"Princess, that's very nice. Thank you, but… I don't deserve to be loved. Too much blood stains my hands, and I can never atone for the crimes that I committed," Train said morosely. Eve stared at him sympathetically for a moment, and then spoke.
"Train, is this what's been bothering you this past week or so? Are you feeling guilty about your life as an eraser?" she asked, hugging Train close to her, cradling his head in her left hand while holding the small of his back in her right.
"Train, you aren't that person anymore. Do you think that Saya would want you to dwell on the past like this?"
"Saya is dead, and it's my fault. Don't talk to me about what Saya would or wouldn't want."
"It is not your fault! How could you have known that Creed would kill her?"
"But I should have known! I should have killed Creed immediately when I realized how dangerous he was!" Train said urgently, looking at Eve with a look that almost seemed to go right through her.
"Train, I can't make you forgive yourself for Saya's death. But I can tell you that nobody hates you for what you used to do. I love you, Train. I'd do anything to help you. But you have to want to be helped…" Eve replied, kissing Train on the cheek and then standing up. There wasn't much more that she could do. She was about to leave when Train stopped her by taking her arm gently in his hand.
"Princess, c-could you… stay with me f-for a little while?" he asked quietly, blushing as he posed the question. Eve smiled and nodded, sitting back down next to him and hugging him again. They stayed that way until the sun rose high in the sky, and then they walked back to their house together, hand in hand, ready to face Train's worries together as a proper couple.
