A/N: Enjoy this next chapter ^^

"That's odd.." Sven muttered as he felt a change in the wind. He had an ominous feeling.

"What? The hamburger?" Train asked. Everyone had decided on carnival hamburgers because little Eve didn't know what they were. As the adults stood, Eve sat on some stairs, enjoying her first ever hamburger to the fullest. "It needs more ketchup, right?" Train was keeping the mood light.

"Who cares about that?!" Sven snapped at his nimwit of a partner. He knew that Train had been an assassin once, and a good one at that, so why didn't he notice? "No…" Sven took a breath. "We're being followed.." Sven had a gut instinct, one he picked up from his detective days. The only time he didn't listen to it, it had gotten someone important to him killed, so he made it a habit to listen up.

Saya already knew they were being followed, and had noticed subtle hints that Train knew about it, too. She was sure that the reason he was keeping it from Sven was so that he could rest. He was still injured, after all..

"I've had the feeling since we got here, somebody's watching us." Sven pressed. He knew something was up. "I can't prove it, but.." Sven didn't want to be sounding crazy, so he checked Train for a confirmation. "Don't you feel it?"

"No" Train lied. It wasn't difficult to do, but he still didn't like doing it. He tried appealing to Sven's logical side. "You're imagining things, which isn't all that surprising since you're running around with a gaping wound in your stomach." Train hated lying, he really did, but he didn't want Sven to get hurt even more…

"If that's all it is, fine, but…" Sven felt like there was something Train wasn't telling him. Something missing from the whole story..

"We're on vacation, you should take it easy.." Saya said, picking up on Train's tune. She followed Train as he was leaving.

"Hold it, where are you two going?" Sven asked, a leery edge to his voice.

"We're gonna go play some more." Train said, tossing a smile back at the other two. "You two enjoy your hamburgers."

As Train and Saya walked away, Sven sighed. Eve only looked questioningly. "Festival time and they're still doing their own thing.." Sven muttered.

"You didn't tell Sven the truth" Saya said. It wasn't a question.

"He's injured." Train countered, his pace picking up. Saya matched it easily. "We can't have him getting even more hurt because of us."

"Maybe they're just after you." Saya threw the idea out there. "I'll shadow you, see if I can find anything."

"And leave me the open target?" Train asked playfully. "That hurts."

"Would I ever leave your back open?" Saya called over her shoulder, starting to split off from Train.

"No." Train answered, knowing that Saya would never leave him.

Saya had been shadowing Train for about five minutes. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened so far..

"Hello miss witch~" was the last thing Saya heard before all went black.

I'm all alone.. Train halted in his tracks. He knew Saya was just a few steps away. So sure of it..

Several sets of footsteps halted in their tracks. Train turned to see about five clowns. Though there was something…off…about them.

"What, you got nothing better to do than follow me around?" Train half-joked. There was just something about these guys that set off an alarm. Train knew to listen to his instincts.

One of the clowns pulled out an iron pipe and tapped it on his hands. With inhuman strength, the clown pounded the iron pole into where Train had been seconds before. Another clown came across to the side and swung another pole in his general direction.

"Hey, you guys." Train said, getting more and more irritated. "Just because we're having a swingin' good time," Train balled up his fist to throw. "Doesn't mean you should take it literally!" Train hit the nearest clown as hard as he could.

Then the clown's eye rolled. Like he was waking up. He uttered a cry of disbelief before slipping back into fighting.

Train realized that the clowns were half-asleep. And if they were half-asleep, that meant that they were being controlled. And if they were being controlled, then they had nothing to do with him and Saya, who, for some reason, hadn't shown up.

Saya! Train thought, searching the shadows, realizing that she was gone. But that wasn't the time to worry about that. She could handle herself. He hoped..

The clowns started swinging at him again, and Train zeroed in. He had to focus. If the clowns were being controlled, that meant the puppet master had to be somewhere nearby. While trying to formulate a plan, Train ran himself into an alley.

Soon, Train came upon a dead end, the puppets on his heels. With one idea in his head, Train pulled out a grenade. Holding it in his hand, he counted until he was two milliseconds away from exploding. Tossing it in the air, no higher than what he had been holding it, Train slunk away from the explosion and waited for a grand total of three milliseconds before the man of the hour exposed himself.

Dressed in what looked like purple mummy wrap, a small man with a shock of blue hair out the top darted forward, seemingly confused.

"A Taoist, huh?" Train asked the exposed villan, gun pointed to his covered head. "I don't know what kind of "Tao" you were using on those guys, but I figured if I couldn't find you, I'd lure you out."

"Curse you!" the little man rasped. "When-?"

"Just answer my questions." Train ordered. "Who are you? You smell like a killer."

"I see…" the mummy murmured. He seemed to have calmed down, and was now slightly amused. "You're even better than I heard, Black Cat. No wonder Creed seeks you…"

Trains entire being shook with rage at the sound of that accursed name. He lowered his gun so he wouldn't fire off. "You…know him…?" Train's mind raced. This wasn't a good thing for Saya or for him. They had been quiet for two years, living peacefully. Why now…?

"Heh," the little man turned to face Train, grabbing the latter's attention. "I am Shiki. Creed asked me for a favor. He wants to see you."

"And what if I don't want to see him?" Train asked, rage practically giving off an aura.

"Then you wouldn't care what happened to the young lady in our care..." Shiki threatened, his voice as cryptic as his clothing. "Nice young lady with brown hair. I don't know her name, only that Creed continues to call her a-"

"Where and when?" Train cut Shiki off. He got the picture. If he didn't meet up with that obsessive lunatic, then Saya would pay the price..

"One o'clock tonight." Shiki instructed while all Train could do for now was listen. "Lunafort Tower on fourth avenue in Elsida." Shiki then turned to leave.

"You tell Creed," Train's voice shook with restraint. "If she has so much as one scratch on her, I wont let him leave that tower alive." Train heard Shiki walk away with his message. The next thing he knew, Train's knees had hit the ground. His mind was swirling with horrible thoughts. Creed was unstable. He couldn't be trusted. He was insane. And he had Saya…

Train came to that realization and just about stopped breathing. If Creed was angry enough at Saya, he wouldn't think twice about killing her. Train's heart beat twice as fast as it would in any other situation.

He had to get Saya back. Pronto. ASAP. Now. If he didn't, Creed would kill her..