But Train was pulled from such thoughts as a gunshot rang out through the ballroom.
He turned instantly, Lia moving with him, while people screamed and started running in different directions away from the gunfire.
Another assassin-to-be (their target must have really angered a lot of people with the move he had pulled in the government) had apparently fired at the politician, only to miss when one of the politician's guards pulled the man down quickly to safety.
Several other guards were chasing the suspect as the man made to escape while firing back at the guards wildly in an attempt to dissuade them.
'Idiot!' Train thought angrily, for it was instantly clear to him that the other assassin wasn't nearly as competent as Chronos. Not the least of all because Train didn't recognize the man – and Chronos knew of all skilled assassins.
"I've got him." Lia said swiftly as she started chasing the guards and the would-be assassin.
Train instantly spun and moved for their target, trusting Lia to do her job. He began picking down their target's bodyguards as they tried to herd the politician away amidst the chaotic pandemonium in the room. Luckily for Train, the politician was yelling for his guards to take his wife away in a different direction, which meant she couldn't get in the way and complicate his mission. And though he felt a slight clench in his heart, for he knew he would in the end cause the woman to be widowed and leave her future child fatherless, Train ignored the feeling as he drew slowly closer on his target. He needed to get this done quickly before more guards could arrive from outside.
"Fire! Fire!" The politician's head guard cried when he spotted the golden-eyed male speeding towards them with clear killer intent in his cold eyes.
His men opened fire but Train easily pulled out his Hades and deflected the shots before firing six rounds of his own. Six men cried out as they were hit, falling down instantly, while Train swiftly moved out of firing range, reloaded, and rolled out to take on the guards once more.
In the vague background he could hear shouts from the other side of the room where Lia had presumably caught up to the other problem, but Train focused on his own task. Soon, the ground was littered with dead bodies as Train closed in on the target once more.
"Gah!" The man gasped, while his wife cried, "Dear!"
Train was just taking out another few guards, when he suddenly saw movement from the corner of his eye. He glanced over very briefly, surprised to see Lia already rejoining him. How she had finished and gotten so close without him noticing, Train decided he had to find out later. Sephiria had said this girl was good at covertness – but she hadn't said she was this good.
Lia, having come up from the back after knocking out the failed assassin and the guards chasing the man, almost instantly had a clear shot on the target. Even as more guards started arriving inside the ballroom, Lia was out of their direct aim as she approached from the far side of the room. And like a true Chronos eraser, it appeared she wasn't about to let the prime opportunity slip.
Firing once, Lia took out the one guard blocking her way as she hit the man in the shoulder, just low enough to ensure he couldn't get back up while also avoiding fatality, before she had her gun aimed right at the target.
Train's eyes narrowed instantly, sensing a quick end to the mission, when suddenly the target's wife screamed, "DEAR!"
The woman was suddenly in the way of Lia's shot, her arms spread wide to shield her husband even as her own stomach protruded heavily.
Train's blood went cold – he never could stand to see a woman or child die – and he lifted Hades to shoot Lia's bullet away before it could pierce the pregnant woman… but there was nothing for him to hit.
Lia's eyes had widened the second the pregnant woman got in her way, and she held back on the shot – a move that cost her.
In his surprise at Lia's hesitation, Train also missed the timing to help her as one of the guards fired on Lia. The first bullet thankfully only grazed Lia's arm, and Train reacted quickly enough to fire his own gun as the guard squeezed out another two shots.
Train's bullets hit the guards', sending them off track, as Lia jumped and landed off to the side. She instantly started firing on the bodyguards aiming at her, taking them out and Train saw an opening in the cover Lia had provided whether intentionally or not.
Leaping into the air to avoid a bullet aimed his way, Train fired once on the one guard remaining between him and the target. And as soon as the man was down, Train flipped over in the air to gain a clear shot on their target.
The man just spotted Train before Black Cat fired, killing the politician instantly as the bullet went straight through his brain.
"DEAR!" The wife screamed while Lia looked up, startled, by Train's quick kill.
Lia then took out another guard while Train killed the last one, and he landed near Lia in the ballroom. The wife was bent over her dead husband, keening, but Train suddenly became aware of another sound – the sounds of men moaning in pain.
With a frown, he glanced around to see quite a few of the downed guards were still alive and clutching crippling but non-fatal wounds.
Train glanced at Lia sharply, before – with a glance at their dead target – he ordered, "Move out."
Lia glanced at him before nodding, and the pair quickly left the mansion, heading outside and towards their hidden escape vehicle. No-one chased them, most of the guards having already been taken down, and soon Train had them on the main road away from the mansion and heading towards the helicopter pickup point.
"… Why didn't you kill the target's men?" Train asked at last, not taking his eyes off the road.
Lia – who had spent the entire ride so far staring out her window unseeingly – finally turned on Train as she shot back, "Why did you?"
Train cocked a brow, but his tone was as emotionless as it usually was as he pointed out, "Chronos mandates that we do what it takes to complete a mission. Anything that gets in the way must be eliminated. The men were in the way of the target."
"They never said 'kill'." Lia countered hotly – clearly, she'd had this talk before. "I took them out, they weren't going to get in the way; but no-one ever said I had to kill them."
Train blinked once in surprise at her words. She sounded so… naïve. And yet…
"I see."
Apparently, Train had shocked her with his concession, and Lia stared at him for a long moment. Long enough that the frown returned to Train's face and he was tempted to sarcastically ask if there was something on his face.
"You haven't grilled me for missing my shot earlier." Lia commented quietly.
Train's expression didn't change, though his hands tightened just slightly on the car wheel as he replied, "I, too, have a policy not to kill women and children."
He noticed the look of surprise that flitted across Lia's face, before she turned away again. Another silence fell over them, before Lia spoke up again.
"… His name was Alfred Limelton."
Train glanced at her, but Lia was still staring out the window as she said quietly, "Not 'target'."
"It's easier if you get into the mentality of not thinking of your targets as anything more than that." Train advised, drolly repeating what he had been told though he hadn't really needed the advice.
He could now see why Sephiria had called Lia 'unpredictable'. Certainly, if she refused to kill anyone besides the target and if she were as questioning of Chronos's policies as she was hinting at being now, she could be viewed as unreliable. And certainly, she would seem unfathomable to other Chronos assassins.
And then Lia's next words almost made him falter. Almost.
"Then how are we any different from monsters?"
Train hadn't answered, and they had soon parted without another word exchanged between them.
But Train remembered how he had watched Lia's back as she walked away, her long blue hair falling behind her back now that she had removed it from its secure knot. And Lia had turned briefly, as though feeling his eyes on her, and silvery-grey eyes had met gold for just an instant.
They had both turned away after that, going separate ways possibly to never meet again. But Train would never forget how, for the first time, he had been the one to come out of a brief partnership feeling slightly impressed. He still thought she was too naive, but a small part of him admired the girl called Julia Hazard for sticking to her personal beliefs that Train knew almost none of the Chronos agents would understand let alone agree with. And a tiny part of him envied her for still being innocent enough to believe in those ideals.
Perhaps for that reason, but her bright, curious gaze would linger in Train's thoughts for another ten months before he finally saw her again in the most unexpected twist of fate.
Present
Lia leant on the car outside their hotel, waiting for Rinslet to find Kyoko after the girl had wandered off and crossing her one leg over the other absently.
Jenos had gone ahead to ensure the helicopter was prepared, and it had only been when they were ready to follow him that Lia and Rinslet realized they couldn't see Kyoko. Rinslet had gone off on a rampage, convinced the ex-Apostle of the Stars was trying to escape when they weren't looking but Lia wasn't convinced.
The teenage girl didn't look smart enough to run while she could. More importantly, it was obvious that Kyoko was infatuated with Train – enough so that she would stick around Lia and Rinslet until at least after their meeting with Sephiria because that was what Train had told her she should do.
'Though I don't know what she sees in him.' Lia thought to herself as she stared blankly up at the sky. 'Especially since he clearly didn't reciprocate. … Why the hell am I thinking about this?!'
Lia slammed her foot down irritably, causing the agent acting as their driver to flinch. The man glanced at the Number warily, clearly nervous that she'd lose her temper on him, but Lia ignored him as she forced her thoughts away from Train as best as she could.
Her efforts were in vain, however, when Rinslet and Kyoko reappeared, the latter carrying a pure black kitten on her shoulder.
"Why does she have a black cat?" Lia asked in a low voice, and Rinslet scowled, "Apparently 'they became good friends'."
"… I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Lia sighed as she climbed into the front passenger seat of the car while Rinslet climbed in the back, indicating for Kyoko to follow.
"Where did you go?" Rinslet asked Kyoko as their driver took them off. "I thought you might have run away when I couldn't see you."
"Eh? Kyoko wouldn't do that!" Kyoko answered cheerfully, and Lia glanced back in time to see Rinslet's skeptical expression.
The blue-haired woman turned back to the front, while Rinslet informed Kyoko, "Just so you know, I still don't trust you."
Kyoko cocked her head in confusion, but Rinslet went on seriously, "The only reason I accompanied you was to act in Train's place in keeping an eye on you to see if you really go meet Sephiria."
Kyoko continued to look confused, before she looked at Lia as the woman said without looking back, "I doubt she'll run, Rinslet. And I don't think that's the only reason you came with us."
"Well, I still don't believe it." Rinslet sniffed. "And what do you mean you think it's not the only reason?"
Jenos sighed as he stood by the readied helicopter, his arms folded before his chest while he waited for Lia and Rinslet to arrive with Kyoko Kirisaki.
"How troublesome." He murmured under his breath, and the helicopter pilot glanced at the Number.
"What do you mean, Mr. Jenos?" The pilot asked, and Jenos faced the man – turning away from the airbase –as he explained, "Well, I'm still a member of the Chronos Numbers after all. So I shouldn't get too close to Kyoko before Sephiria decides what to do with her."
"Er…?"
The pilot still looked confused, but Jenos was now on a passionate roll as he declared enthusiastically, "However, that girl will definitely become a beauty when she grows up! When I think about that, I still think I should take this chance to establish a good relationship with her!"
The pilot stared at the Number speechlessly, neither man noticing the three figures who had approached the helicopter.
"Oh? So you were thinking about something like that?"
Jenos froze, feeling like a lightning bolt had struck him when he heard Rinslet's tight voice which barely concealed the irritation and anger in its falsely nonchalant tone.
'I'm dead.' He thought as he slowly turned to face the purple-haired beauty, his sister, and the high school beauty-to-be he had just been gushing over.
Both Rinslet and Lia stared out at the rocky ravine below as the helicopter arrived at their destination, the latter without interest and the former with wary curiosity.
"The Grand Canyon?" Rinslet wondered as she peered down at the reddish-brown rocks. "Sephiria actually chose a place like this to meet?"
"No. I is nothing if not meticulous about choosing the right settings for her meetings." Lia answered, joining Rinslet in pointedly ignoring the male sitting on the seats opposite from them.
Jenos pouted – or he tried to around his swollen lips – while Kyoko stared at his bruised cheeks and black eye even as she patted the black kitten on her lap.
"Are you really okay?" She asked again, concerned at the man's injuries at Rinslet's hands.
But Jenos wisely didn't comment while Rinslet wondered aloud, "Just what can Sephiria be thinking to meet here though?"
Lia didn't answer, though her eyes did slide over to Jenos as they finally landed, not far from Sephiria's own copter transport.
He was watching Rinslet as the purple-haired woman moved to exit the helicopter, his feigned sulky attitude dropping now that the woman's attention was completely drawn away. In its place was a tender smile, fleeting but genuine, before he donned a more appropriately serious expression to meet Sephiria – at least, as serious as he usually was.
Lia stayed still for a moment longer in the helicopter, watching her brother exit.
She had seen many expressions on her brother over the years they had been together – cheerful, angry, flirtatious, sorrowful, excited, calm, deadly, kind, and more. But never, not even with all the times he'd chased various women's skirts, had she ever seen that soft, adoring gaze in his brown eyes.
"Lia?"
Jenos extended his hand in a gentlemanly fashion towards her, a cheeky smile on his lips now and the familiar loving and caring expression in his eyes as he waited for her to climb out. Lia took his hand, allowing him to help her out of the helicopter while wind and small pebbles blew around them as they stood atop a ledge on the Grand Canyon.
She held on for a moment longer than necessary as she stared up at her brother thoughtfully. Did Jenos realize how easy he was for her to read? Had he even realized how serious he was actually becoming about Rinslet?
Was it normal as a sibling to feel a pang of loneliness even as she was happy for him?
"What's the matter?" Jenos asked, cocking his head as he looked down at his sister's uncharacteristically pensive expression. "Lia?"
"It's nothing." She shook her head. "Don't worry about it right now."
Jenos raised a brow but sensing she wasn't going to elaborate even if he tried to push her, he just nodded as they turned to join Rinslet and Kyoko in facing Sephiria, who had yet to even move.
The blonde woman was simply watching them as Kyoko stood ahead of the others, looking towards Sephiria curiously.
"That person is Sephiria?" Kyoko asked, glancing back at Jenos and Lia as the two Numbers came to stand behind the teenage girl, and Jenos nodded slightly.
"Yeah, she's the Captain of the Chronos Numbers." He explained, before both he and Lia stiffened in surprise.
Lia's eyes widened fractionally and a brow lifted, while Jenos murmured, "Sephi… drew her beloved sword…?"
Lia just flitted her gaze from Sephiria, who held her Christ firmly in one hand, to Kyoko, who had yet to understand how dire her situation had just become.
Not even Rinslet quite knew what Sephiria drawing Christ meant, though even she tensed when Sephiria said in a cool voice, "You must be Kyoko Kirisaki."
"Yes!" Kyoko answered, sounding very much like the high school girl she was as she stood to attention across from the powerful Number, the black kitten still perched on her shoulder.
Sephiria remained cold as she informed Kyoko, "Jenos has already told me all about you. I have since given considerable thought…" Sephiria lifted her sword slowly as she spoke, "regarding how I should treat a person who has left the Apostles of the Stars, much like you."
Both Lia and Jenos tensed as Sephiria abruptly slashed a protruding rock formation to her side, cutting off a large chunk from the boulder. Kyoko and Rinslet started, both their eyes going wide while Jenos and Lia's eyes narrowed as they watched Sephiria continue to slash soundlessly at the rock, sending pieces flying as she used Christ to effortlessly carve out a single, rounded shape. All while she continued to speak calmly.
"I feel that even if you pose no threat to Chronos currently, as long as there is the possibility that you will become an enemy…"
Sephiria finished swinging her sword, and she let Christ fall back to her side even as the rocks she'd cut continued to fall down belatedly from the sheer power of her strokes.
"… I shouldn't let you continue to live." Sephiria finished coldly.