Trinity Blood: Book 2: The Winter Rose
Chapter 20: The Stranger, Part 1: Meeting

A few weeks later:
Cain stared out the window, his head resting against the freezing glass. Just through the darkness of night, white, fluffy flakes swirled into view. The roads were already slick with the light dusting of snow and thin layers of ice, but the driver seemed to not notice it. As Cain watched the snow, he had no troubles imagining the flakes turning to ash as fire hailed down on the world. It was such a beautiful sight to imagine.

"Mein Herr," Cain flicked his wrist at Isaak, not interested in anything the man had say at the moment. Isaak got the hint for a time before he dared speak again, "It's about Abel, Mein Herr."

This peaked Cain's interest at once. He straightened, tearing his gaze from the storm outside. "What about 02?" asked Cain as casually as he could. "Last we heard he'd returned to 04's tomb," Cain frowned. Had 02 resurfaced? If so, what could have changed his mind? 02 was suborn, which was why Cain had ended up being thrown from the Ark before he could try and fully convince 02 to help him recreate the world.

"He's resurfaced," Isaak informed Cain as Cain tilted his head to one side, smiling at Isaak. Isaak's hair was no longer long but was short and neatly combed back. He wore glasses and looked more like a butler than usually did. "Apparently the young duchess was able to convince him to stay with her and the agency she is trying to form. From the sounds of it one other member of this group was happy to see your brother return. Here are the reports, Mien Herr," Isaak passed Cain a small stack of papers.

Taking the papers, Cain leafed through them, skimming the information. At last he paused and frowned. "He's allowing a terran to take his blood!" Cain exclaimed both shocked and horrified by this development. Abel hated needles, more than hated; he feared them, why the hell would he suddenly allow a terran to poke him with one? He turned the next page and laughed. So this girl had followed 02 to 04's tomb, how perfect? This meant the girl knew where Lilith's nano-machines were. If she already cared enough for Abel to drag him back then within a few years she would care enough to do Cain's work for him. "It looks as if 02 will be fused one hundred percent after all," Cain grinned, lowering the papers as he leaned back and turned his gaze to the window. This was just perfect. It was far better than perfect. His grin widened. Soon now the world would be recreated in fire.

They stopped and Cain turned his head so he could see the sky and buildings upside-down. There, easily spotted over the tops of the buildings was the Vatican. Cain blinked; he'd seen it once before back before the Terran-Methuselah War had started, but he was amazed to see only the fact the city was repaired had really changed.

"Here will do," Isaak told the driver and they pulled over. Cain was out of the car in a heartbeat. It had been ages since he had left the Orden's headquarters. The cold air felt good against the exposed skin of his face and neck. "Mein Herr," Isaak stepped out of the car and was at Cain's side in a second. "Please try to be care—"

A noise distracted Cain and he raced off, leaving Isaak alone by the car. He slid on the ice and only just managed to stay upright. As he regained his balance, Cain grinned, he had lost Isaak just as he had wanted to. Now all that remained was to find that girl, Caterina. Cain straightened and looked around the well streets. It was safe to say he had gone in the right directions by the number of priests and nuns he saw around, which were only a few every now and again. Cain suddenly realized he had no idea what the girl actually looked like. Frowning, Cain turned in the snow and finally pouted. Just great, he'd come all this way only to remember he'd forgotten to ask Isaak on what the girl actually looked like. He knew the girl would know Abel and she was one of the few who did, but beyond this and the fact Shadow was after her…

"Abel?" a strong, female voice sounded behind Cain.

"Eh?" Cain jumped, whipping around as his foot slipped. "AHH," he struck the ground with a thud. Wincing in pretend pain, Cain moaned. "Hey, what you do that for?" Cain asked, looking up at the woman. "Going around scaring people doesn't seem like something a nun does," he complained. Standing, he picked up his hat and dusted snow off of it. Looking more closely at the nun, Cain tilted his to one side, "You're a kid!" He exclaimed, pointing at her leaping back in shock. He slipped on the same patch of ice and struck the ground again.

"Yes, I'm a teenager," she said patiently holding out her hand to him. The teen had a monocle over her right eye and wore a white nun outfit. Cain guessed by most standards she would be pretty, but to him not so much.

Cain took her hand, laughing in embracement. She helped him to his feet. "Slick out, eh?" he joked.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," the girl bowed her head, "I'll be going then." The girl started off. Ah-oh, she'd called him Abel this girl might be her.

"Eh," Cain scrambled after her, "wait, wait, I need your help." She stopped and looked at him curiously. "I seem to have lost my way. Can you help me find the place I was supposed to meet my butler at?" He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sure, what's this place called?" the girl smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh, a name?" damn, Cain didn't have name. It wasn't like could just say 'Oh, 04's tomb' or anything like that… plus he wasn't looking for Abel only the girl. "Umm well, I know it was a well-lit street, lots of old buildings around," Cain nodded, his hand on his chin, "oh, and there was church near it."

"Do you have the name of street at the very least?" Cain shook his head at her question. "Then I can't help you there, sir, you just gave a distribution which fits most of Rome." Well that hadn't worked as well as he thought it would. "I really must be going," she nodded to him before starting off once more.

The sound of the snow crunching alerted to Cain that Shadow was making his move. "Look out," Cain leapt forward, taking hold of the girl's wrist and pulling her towards him seconds before a large amount of snow and ice plummeted to the spot she'd been seconds before.

Several vampires Cain had read the states on leapt down, snarling at them. "Damn terran, that just cost you your life," one of them growled. Ha, Cain's life? This piece of prey had to be joking. Oh well, he mind as well play along. It was for a good cause after all.

"Eh," Cain whipped around and raced off, pulling the girl with him. "Bad vampires!" he shouted over his shoulder. As expected they used haste and appeared before Cain and the girl. Skidding, Cain slid into one of the vampire's causing both of them to fall to ground. He'd had the sense enough to release the girl. Quickly Cain rolled with the impact, following the training long since engraved into him. Leaping to his feet, he pulled out his sword as the first Methuselah leapt at him. With ease born of years on the battlefield Cain sliced the Methuselah in half. Cain turned on his heel to dodge the twitching creature's body, slicing into another before he flipped his sword and stabbed the blade into the first Methuselah's heart. "One down," he half sung, half laughed. He moved to protect the terran, grinning from ear to ear. He didn't even need his true form for this or his powers. These Methuselah were complete idiots.

Cain could feel the girl's eyes on him even as three of the remaining four Methuselah closed on them. The forth ripped off his arm to stop the silver infecting more of his blood before he snarled, "Think you're so clever, do you, terran?"

"I did say 'bad vampires,' right? Well," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. Slowly he lowered that hand, his voice growing cold, "I punish bad vampires!" Faster than any Methuselah could react, Cain shot forward, lopping off two vampire heads before racing towards the last two. With ease he managed kill them as well before skidding on the icy ground and falling. "Awy," Cain complained his voice light and cheerful once more.

The sound of someone moving towards him, made Cain tilt his head back to see the girl pause to pick up his hat. "Are you all right?" she asked, holding out a hand to him. Cain took it and let the girl pull him to him to his feet.

"Well, no," Cain pouted, "I just ruined a perfectly good suit." He looked at the blood stains mournfully. This caused the girl to laugh lightly. "What? It isn't funny, I only own one good town suit," he complained before pausing and grinning. "Come on," he laughed shyly, "we should get out of here." Sheathing his blade, Cain took the girl's hand and raced off. She slipped on some of the ice, only being saved from falling by Cain's grasp.

They raced away from the Vatican and Cain looked around. There was no one in sight or hearing range. Nevertheless Cain pulled the girl into an alley and finally stopped. Releasing the girl, he bent over, painting. It was show. Even though he knew this, he was uncertain how long his body would be able to withstand this abuse or how long his mind would stay fused.

"Why did you help me?" the girl's question made Cain jump.

"Eh, wha—?" Cain stammered in confusion as he looked down at her. She held out his hat to him. Laughing, Cain rubbed his head as he took the hat, "I honestly don't know," he lied. He'd helped her because there was a large chance this girl was Caterina. 02 was interested in her thus Cain helped her.

"I see," she sounded disappointed before she held out her hand all businesslike. "I'm Sister Caterina Sforza, the Duchess of Milan," it was her! Cool, he'd been right after all. "What's your name?"

At this Cain laughed and took her hand. He grinned as he said, "Cain." He laughed again, "I'm Cain!"

(Author's Note: Hey, it's finally winter in this story! Cain acts so childish sometimes…

Sorry updates are being slower than I had hoped. TOR's early game access started for me and I've been playing that instead of doing daily updates like I had planned.

A request: if you read this story and are one of the people who seems to be following it, please, please leave a review or a comment even if you don't have an account of . Comments and reviews help me get motivated to write when I am not in the mood do so.

Thank you to all of you who have commented on pervious chapters =D.)