A Different Fate

by Musal

What if Train didn't know Creed killed Saya? What if he believed it was Chronos? What if Train helped Creed create the Apostles to get revenge on Chronos? What happens when Train learns the truth? CxT

56. Moving Forward

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or it's characters.

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Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, wait… Am I in the forties or fifties? Damnit! Now I have to start over again!

Train tore his eyes away from the ceiling tiles he was counting and slumped forward in his chair, letting out an exasperated sigh as he lazily bobbed his head back and forth. "Oh my Goooood! What is taking Sephiria so long?!"

Creed smirked and glanced coyly at his beloved, legs crossed as he held a book in one hand, the other resting on his knee. "I told you to bring something to occupy you while we waited. You know Sephiria's busy."

Train glared at his partner out of the corner of his eye, deciding to bang the back of his head against the wall in hopes it would occupy his bored mind. "I did. I brought my phone. But, Chronos took it, quite rudely I might add, so now, I'm bored."

Creed frowned when Train mentioned his phone, thinking back to the most recent message he received from E. The text bothered Creed in a way he didn't understand, since it was a very E-eques message, but nevertheless it didn't sit right with him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew something was wrong and while he might not have been able to describe the feeling, it was strong enough to push him not to respond to the woman just yet.

She wants to meet, but she won't say when and where, which isn't like her.

While Creed had always been the one to get the ball rolling with setting up their date, E always had a very strong opinion on the specifics. It wasn't that she was busy, Creed could tell she just liked being in control, no matter what the situation was.

She's a take charge kind of woman, which is one of the things I like about her.

However, despite her dominant demeanor, she was flexible with her times and willing to work with Creed and Train's schedule. Her need to control came off more like she believed setting up a clear-cut and unambiguous time and location would make the plans more secure, and Creed would have less of a reason to back out or cancel.

Not that I ever wanted to back out. Our life is just… complicated.

Creed felt bad he couldn't tell the woman why he kept canceling, but he knew it was for her own good. Above all else, both he and Train wanted to make sure she was safe, and the best way to do that was to keep her as far away from the drama of their past as possible.

Still… It's strange how vague she's being. As if she's waiting for me to make the first move, which she never does. Yes, I always message her first, but she's quick to get to the details of the date. But, her last text comes off as reluctant, even timid to set something up. And that's very unlike her.

Creed may not have known the woman well, but timid, reluctant, and vague were not adjectives he would use to describe the tenacious woman.

And I know she wants nothing more than to see Train again, so her polet hesitancy feels weird. And polite is another word I would not use to describe her.

He toyed with the idea that maybe her texts were coming off as strange because she was angry at him for constantly canceling, but the more he thought about it, the more he didn't think that was the case. What was putting him off about the message wasn't her tone she was using, it was the fact that it felt like it wasn't E he was talking to. He felt like it was someone trying so desperately to convince Creed that it was her.

The texts are almost too E like… As if the person on the other end is simply guessing what she would say.

Creed sighed and looked back to his book, quickly glancing at Train from behind his novel.

Should I mention my unease to him now? Or should I wait a little longer?

Since his beloved had enough on his plate and Creed didn't want to stress him out anymore than he already was, he decided not to say anything about his apprehensive feelings to Train. At least not until after he was done talking to the former Apostle. His cat needed to concentrate on the upcoming conversation with Aliane and even though Train was acting normal, Creed knew he had to be at least a little stressed.

E being weird isn't a big deal anyway… right?

He wasn't sure how true that thought was anymore. The recent betrayal they had endured by people they truly believed were friends opened up his eyes to the possibility that others could betray them as well, which shocked his instinct into overdrive. And right now, his instinct was telling him something wasn't right.

I shouldn't keep saying it's my imagination or that I'm overthinking it. If anything, I should be overthinking everything. Just like Sephiria does.

His suspicious feelings were something he planned on mentioning to Sephiria when they saw her, which he believed was also a good time to mention it to his beloved. He figured it was the best time to explain his thoughts to both Train and Number One since he hadn't actually set up a time to meet with E, and it was difficult to get Sephiria in the same room as them for more than five minutes. He wasn't kidding when he told Train she had been busy

For the last few days, it's been hard to get her on the phone let alone in the same room. And since E claims she can meet soon, now is the best time to bring it up to both her and Train.

As much as Creed wanted to tell Train right away, he decided to wait until after he spoke to Aliane and they were with Sephiria.

Besides, I can tell Train's current boredom will make it impossible to talk about anything serious right now.

Creed watched as his Kitten pointed at the ceiling with his index finger, his lips moving ever so slightly as he mouthed numbers to himself, making it clear he was counting the tiles above them.

Yeah, his brain is dead from the lack of stimulation. Talking about E right now won't get us anywhere.

The swordsman giggled and rolled his eyes at his beloved, turning back to the novel he had been trying to finish for several months now. He'd been too busy with literally every other aspect of his life to give the book the attention he felt it deserved.

Well, considering the majority of that attention has been directed at the beautiful man fruitlessly counting the ceiling tiles, setting this book aside has been well worth it.

Creed sighed lovingly at his beloved's adorable behavior as he turned a page in his book. "Why didn't you bring your Ukulele? You could have practiced our song."

Train sighed and leaned back in his chair, dropping his arms on either side of his body as he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. "You know if I brought that Sephiria would have yelled at me for making too much noise. And I've already been scolded by Mr. Shushie-Shu over there far too many times for simply existing!"

Train turned his head and locked eyes with the guard who was standing a few feet away from them, arms folded against his chest as he stared daggers at the Black Cat. "Can you imagine what would be like if I added an instrument into the mix? I might have been erased by now!"

Creed rolled his eyes and turned another page. "You know Sephiria wouldn't erase you for something that stupid."

Train gave the guard a sour look. "I wouldn't be so sure about that…"

Creed let out a long, tired sigh. "If she didn't erase you for starting a terrorist organization whose sole purpose was to bring her organization down, she wouldn't have erased you for making a little noise in Chronos headquarters with your Ukulele."

Train groaned and hit his head against the wall again. "She tried to erase me for that! She tried to erase us both. I shouldn't have to remind you of that." He sighed as she tried counting the tiles again. "Why is he even here? It's not like we're doing anything…"

If we were, I wouldn't be so bored right now.

Creed snickered at his love's ignorant question. "To keep an eye on us."

Train rolled his eyes. "Uuugh, that's so stupid! We don't need a babysitter! Doesn't Sephiria trust us by now?!"

Creed shrugged his shoulders, working hard to keep his calm demeanor since he found everything his Kitten was doing to be almost too endearing to bear. Honestly, it took everything he had not to tackle the man and shower him with kisses. "It's protocol, Train. You know Sephiria doesn't break protocol for anyone or anything."

Train glared at the guard, then stuck his tongue out at him when the man returned his glare. The gunman understood why he was there, but he didn't like how the guard was forcing him to be quiet. Talking was all he had to keep himself from bashing his head through the wall out of sheer boredom, and he loathed how the man was depriving him of that small joy.

Talking to myself and Creed is all I have in this dark, damp world I find myself trapped in…

Train squinted his eyes at the weak light embedded in the ceiling tiles he was counting and frowned at the obsidian shade it created.

Why is it so dark, anyway? I get they're an assassin organization that works mostly in the cover of the night, but would it kill Chronos to invest in decent overhead lighting? Working like this can't be good for your spirit.

Train sighed.

Isn't being an assassin enough to deject your heart? Do they really have to make their place of employment so… depressing?

Despite the bleak line of work Chronos was in, Train thought the numbers and erasers deserved to at least to work in bright environments. To keep them from getting too depressed.

Working like this can't be good for your eyes either.

That thought sparked Train to look at his partner. "How are you able to read that in such a dimly lit room?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and turned another page. "I've read in far worse situations."

Train moaned again and began flailing his listless arms and legs wildly. "Oh. My. GOD! Sephiria! Hurry up!"

"Shh!"

Train glared at the man that shushed him, then stuck his tongue out again when the guard pressed his fingers sternly on his lips and gave the cat a harsh look. Train narrowed his eyes at the man and let out another long, stale sigh as he languidly turned his head to look at his partner again.

Train wasn't sure how much longer he could continue waiting for Sephiria to bring them Aliane. What made the whole situation worse was that Chronos' headquarters didn't have a waiting room since they never received visitors, so they were stuck sitting in two folding chairs in a long, desolate, depressing hallway with nothing to do and no one to talk to but each other. Train didn't mind spending time alone with Creed, but he was feeling anxious at the conversation that was about to happen, which made his boredom all the more unbearable.

And I guess we're not completely alone with that stupid Chronos guard watching us while we wait. I just wish he didn't keep giving me such a dirty look.

"How long have we been here for?" Train asked as he reached out to his lover, as if Creed was his last thread of hope in his dreary, blasé world.

Creed smiled in amusement as he smacked his beloved's hand away, keeping his eyes on his book as he answered the dramatically weak cat's question. "A little over an hour."

Train let out another long, emphatic groan as slid his lower body forward in the chair. "Uuuugh! What the hell is she doing?! Why would she tell us to get here at a certain time, then make us wait an eternity?!"

Creed couldn't help but giggle a little at his beloved's theatrical, childish behavior. "Like I said before, she's busy. She's got a lot going on. Need I remind you of the impending war?"

Creed's only response was a long, loud, bored groan, which made the silver man giggle slightly as he finished his statement. "She also knows that you're always late, so he was probably planning for that."

Train continued slipping forward in the chair until his body was flat on the ground and the back of his head was on the seat of the chair. "But she knew I was coming with you! And you're always super early, which means we would cancel each other out and arrive on time, which is exactly what happened."

Creed glanced over his book and down at his love as he spoke. "But like I said, she probably planned for us to be late because of you. Which is why she isn't ready."

Train glared at his partner, even though he knew Creed couldn't see the expression from behind his book. "But she knew you were coming with me so she should have known we were going to cancel each other out!"

Creed rolled his eyes and kicked his beloved's shoulder. "We're about to talk ourselves into a circle, Train. The point is, Sephiria was probably erring on the side of caution when she picked a time for us to arrive."

Train groaned loudly as he rolled his head back and forth on the chair. "Uuughh! At least annoying you would entertain me!"

"Sh!" The guard from the corner glared at Train as he pressed his finger against his lips again.

Train pointed an accusing finger at the man. "You shut your mouth hole, Mr. Shushie-Shu! This isn't a library and I'm not a child! I should be allowed to make as much noise as I want without you trying to guilt me!"

Creed giggled and turned a page in his book. "If that's what you believe, then you should have brought your Ukulele."

Train lowered his denouncing finger and went back to counting the tiles in the ceiling to stave the boredom away. "And I already told you why I didn't! Also, telling me that now when we're already here and I'm already bored isn't going to help me. You should have said something sooner."

Creed rolled his eyes and hit his love on the head with his book. "I did say something. I said something before we left. I told you they were going to take our phones and we'd probably be waiting a while and when I suggested you bring the Ukulele, you said no and insisted you were going to be fine."

Train yelped a little when Creed hit his head, then grasped the spot and pouted at the man. "I wasn't listening…"

Creed sighed and leaned back in his chair, turning another page in his book as he spoke. "And who's fault is that?"

Train's pout turned into a glare as he watched Creed nonchalantly read. "It's your fault for being so boring."

Creed sighed and lowered his book so he could see Train better. "Now you're just being mean. What did I do to deserve that?"

Train slid his foot over to Creed and began poking the silver man's shin with his toes. "Why aren't you entertaining me?"

Creed smirked and raised his book again to cover his face, not wanting his beloved to see his immature behavior was actually quite charming in its own, adolescent way. "Because we're in public…"

Train rolled his eyes and continued poking Creed with his foot. "Get your mind out of the gutter! That's not what I meant!"

Creed sighed and kicked Train's foot away. "Since when is it my job to entertain you?"

Train was able to see the amused smirk on his partner's face, and he used that knowledge to continue his annoying gestures. "Because you loooove me!"

Creed stifled a giggle and bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing and face the wrath of the man Train had adorably named Mr. Shushie-Shu. "So, if I stopped loving you, I'd be free of your irritatingly juvenile behavior?"

Train sat up and clasped his chest dramatically. "You wouldn't dare stop loving me! Especially during such trying times!"

Creed pulled the book away from his face, wanting to continue teasing his love, but knew it was impossible to even pretend he could ever stop loving Train. "You know I can never stop loving you. Even if I tried, I'd probably die of old age before it happened."

Train smiled at his partner, then frowned when he saw Creed wince a little and clutch his head. "Do you have a headache?"

Creed sighed, then nodded his head slowly. "Yes, a little one. No need to worry."

Train's sad look remained. "Have they been coming back?"

Creed frowned. "They never really left. They've just gotten tolerable. I think being back here is triggering them again."

Train watched as Creed grimaced as another wave of pain passed through his head, then moved closer to the man and reached out to gently massage his lover's temples. "Is being back here triggering bad memories?"

Creed shook his head and leaned into his beloved's gesture. "Surprisingly, no. Honestly, other than my memories with you, I don't remember much of my time here. It's all like a foggy dream. I remember bits and pieces, but if the memory had nothing to do with it, I'm not even sure it happened."

Train sighed as sat up enough from the ground that he could kiss Creed's forehead. "That's because of Chronos' drug… That's why I still don't remember much of my time with the Apostles. I know the concoction they forced me to take was stronger, but the guts of the drug still seems to mess with the memory. "

Creed smiled warmly at his love. "I know. And frankly, as long as my memories of you are intact, I don't need to remember much else. And I don't think I want to remember all the horrible deeds of my past… It'll only make the pain worse…"

Train wasn't sure if Creed meant the pain in his heart, or the pain in his head, but decided not to question it. "How's your brain?"

Creed cocked an eyebrow at his love as Train continued rubbing his temple. "My brian? You mean my brain injury?"

Train rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's what I mean. Do you think that's what's still causing the headaches?"

Creed nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that's it. But, like I said, they're getting better which I think means the injury is getting better."

Train smiled. "What about your short term memory?"

Creed sighed and shut his eyes at the soothing touch of his love. "Seems to be better, but again, everything I've been doing lately has been related to you, so I don't think that means anything."

Train smirked at his lover and pinched his nose. "Then I guess you should stop hanging around me so much so we can test that out."

Creed pouted at his love, then grabbed his wrist before he could pull his hand away and kissed each of Train's fingers. "That is never going to happen… I don't want to waste a minute of our lives together testing out something as insignificant as my short term memory."

Train sighed. "It's not insignificant, Creed…"

Creed smiled, then leaned down and kissed Train lightly on the lips. "I know, Train. We'll figure something out."

Train kissed Creed again before he could pull away, then voiced more concerns about his partner. "We've been so preoccupied with my well being that I feel like we've completely forgotten what happened to you…"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and kissed Train again. "I'm fine, Train. You don't need to worry about me."

Train frowned, then snapped his teeth in the air at Creed's lips, frustrated with the man for ignoring his own health. "And I keep telling you the same thing, but it hasn't stopped you from obsessing over my mental and physical state!"

Creed giggled as his love continued trying to bite him. "My injury happened far longer ago and the only thing I seem to be suffering from are mild headaches. Which I can deal with."

Train growled and grabbed Creed's hand, biting his index finger in annoyance. "We don't know if there's anything worse about it because we haven't been paying attention to it! Can we at least ask Sephiria to send a doctor to look at you again?"

Creed sighed and allowed Train to continue biting his fingers, then leaned back in his chair so he could keep reading the book that was in his other hand. "Fine. We'll mention it to Sephiria when she gets here."

Train bit Creed's finger a few more times, then realized the silver man was ignoring him in favor of his book again and pouted. The cat sat back down on the ground with a loud huff, resting his head back against the wall as he continued counting the tiles on the ceiling.

After losing count for the hundredth time, Train decided to try and get Creed's attention again by kicking his legs with his foot. "Entertain meeeee!"

Creed sighed and kicked his Kitten's foot away. "Stop that, you're going to get my pants dirty."

Train pouted again and moved his foot away. "Are you saying your pants are more important than my amusement?"

Creed gave his love a strange look. "Are you saying that kicking my clean pants with your dirty shoes is amusing you?"

Train gave his lover another cheeky smile. "Yes!"

Creed chuckled despite himself, then hid his face behind his book again. "Then yes, if your form of entertainment involves dirtying my clothes, I'm saying my pants being clean is more important than your amusement."

Train moaned and fell on the floor completely, sprawling himself out crudely as he lamented his fate. "Sooo, boooored!"

"SHHH!"

Train glared at the man again. "I said stop shushing me Mr. Shushie-Shu! You're actually making more noise with your shushing than I am with all my bored noises combined! It's more annoying, too! And trust me, I know how to be annoying!"

"SHH!" The man stomped his foot on the ground a little that time, as if that would scare the cat into being quiet.

Train sat up and turned to face the guard, putting his finger to his lips in a mocking gesture. "SHH!"

The man glared at the gunman and stomped his foot on the ground again. "SHH!"

Train slapped his hand on the ground and copied the man's exact timbre and volume when he returned the sound. "SHH!"

Creed watched as his beloved and the man had an immature shushing war for a few minutes, chuckling when he saw how annoyed the guard was and how entertained Train was.

Looks like he found a way to entertain himself. Although, I guess I better make him stop before Sephiria shows up and yells at him. Not that he cares when she scolds him, but I care.

Creed reached forward and grabbed the back of his love's shirt, pulling him back towards his chair. "Sit back in your chair and start acting like an adult before she gets here and yells at you."

Train pretended to fight against the man's grasp. "NEVER!"

"SHH!"

Creed saw his love smirk mischievously at the guard and had to hold back another giggle. "Sephiria will be here soon. I'm sure of it."

The cat then smirked at the guard as he fumed in silence, then did as his partner requested and he responded to Creed's statement. "You LIE! She won't be here soon! We're going to be here forever!"

Train turned so he was facing Creed, clinging tightly to the silver man's shirt as he wept openly and loudly, most likely to get on the guards nerves. "And we had such plans for our future! You were going to run a successful, traveling music school and I was going to finally see the world!"

Creed sighed as he turned another page in his book, ignoring the dramatic behavior of his partner. "We're still young, Train. This is only a minor set back. We'll be back to dreaming of our future together in no time."

Train suddenly pulled his hands away and pointed violently at Creed. "LIAR! You're in on this, aren't you?! You told Sephiria to take her time so you could read your book since you haven't had time to do it at home! You've been complaining about it non-stop! This is all a conspiracy! ADMIT IT!"

Creed glanced at his love's finger, then tried to bite it, missing as the cat pulled it away quickly. "Yes, Train. This has all been set up by me and Sephiria to get me in a dimly lit hallway with a stranger and my annoying lover just so I can read a book. How clever you are, Black Cat."

Train clutched his finger as if Creed had actually bitten it, then slumped in his chair. "Ugh… just leave me to die here, Creed…"

Creed sighed again. "Train…"

Train put up a hand to stop his partner's protests. "No, no I mean it, Creed. Just… leave me here… It's okay… I understand… You have a business to run… A life you live..."

Creed rolled his eyes and pressed the book he was reading against his face. "Train-"

"Wait, wait, you need to hear the big climatic finish!" Train cleared his throat and put the back of his hand on his forehead, falling backwards onto Creed's lap as he continued his soap opera-esque performance.

"Oh, woe is me! I'll have to give up the future I thought I had with you, my beautiful Stallion…" He reached out and cupped Creed's cheek, which was a hard task to accomplish since the man was hiding his face behind the book.

"Promise me… Promise me you will love again…" Train said as he let his hand slowly fall to Creed's shirt, clutching at it tightly as he continued his dramatic death scene. "Promise me…. That you will keep on living… That you… will go on… without me…"

Creed started banging the book against his face, keeping himself hidden since he knew if he looked at Train, he'd fall apart completely and earn the quiet fuor of the guard.

"SHHH!"

Train sat up suddenly, gasping as he looked around the room for the source of the sound. "Do you hear that, my Stallion? It's the slowly approaching cataclysm of The Great Quietening! And look!"

He pointed towards the guard whose face was growing red with fury. "It's the beastial quadruped who was ascended from Hell to unleash his inundation of never ending silent torment! He will put an end to this wretched world and deliver us unto a new age of unholy reticent anarchy to which our voices will be powerless to fight against! No matter how much we scream, his egregious howls of tyrannical silence forever keep us hushed!"

"SHHH!"

Train fell back against his partner's lap, able to tell the man was almost at his wits end at trying to keep his laughter in. "We will forever be lost in the void of silence! Never to hear the sweet sounds of your beautiful music again!" Train caressed Creed's cheek when he said that, then allowed his hand to fall at his side again.

"How will we ever possess the power to squelch the almighty beast shrieks for silence?! He renders our voices silent and our mouths shut with his hushful, raucous wails that seep out of his cavernous maw!"

"SHHHH!"

Train clutched his chest and twitched dramatically, as if the shush had caused him harm, then allowed all his limbs to fall uselessly to the side as he finished his story, closing his eyes for finality. "Leave me, my Stallion… And learn to live without me…"

Creed took a deep breath, then took the book away from his face so he could give his beloved a deadpan look. "You done?"

Train opened one eye to look up at his partner, then frowned. "Seriously? That's all I get? That was a great story! Don't I deserve a round of applause or something?"

As Creed rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond, he was interrupted by the sound of clapping coming from the distance, which brought both their attention towards the new person approaching. Lin smiled gaily at the Black Cat, applauding his performance as he made his way towards the couple.

"That was wonderfully dramatic, vivid, and climatic, Train! I was at the edge of my seat the whole time! Well, I would have been if I had a seat to be on the edge of. If this whole sweeper thing doesn't work out, you should look into a theater career. If not a career in writing horror books."

Train smirked at his friend and sat up. "Thanks! I'm glad someone appreciates my creativeness."

Creed rolled his eyes and smacked his love with his book again. "You know no one appreciates you more than I do."

Lin smirked. "Except for maybe me. How are you even reading in this light?"

Train pointed at Lin. "THAT'S WHAT I SAID!"

"SHH!"

Train pointed his finger at the guard. "You sh!"

Creed sighed as he turned another page, keeping his eyes resolutely on his book as he spoke. "I'm not answering that question again."

Lin smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. I just heard reading in the dark is bad for your eyes."

Train gasped as if he didn't already know that and grabbed the book from Creed's hands. "STOP HURTING YOUR EYES!"

Creed grabbed the book before Train could take it and began playing tug of war with the object. "There's nothing wrong with my eyes, Train! Stop being dramatic!"

Train pulled the book towards himself and shook his head. "No! You know how much I love your eyes! Don't ruin them with your insistent need to learn!"

Creed glared at his love. "This is a fictional book! I'm not learning anything from it except more about a new engrossing, fantasy world!"

Train suddenly stopped fighting with his partner and glanced down at the book. "Really?"

Creed sighed as he ripped the book out of his love's hands, giving the amused Number X a strained look as he spoke. "Yes. It's about an prolonged trip to and through a fictional city cut off from the rest of the world by a foriegn catastrophe."

Train's eyes widened as he scooted his chair closer to his partner. "Ooh, that sounds interesting. Can you read it to me?"

Creed rolled his eyes at his love. "Remind me how old you are?"

Train frowned. "Is there an age limit on it? Aren't we the same age? Creed! You shouldn't be reading filth you're not old enough for yet!"

Creed giggled along with Lin and pinched his beloved's cheek. "I don't need to read anything raunchy when I have a lover like you."

Train blushed a little and glanced at Lin, who was fidgeting uncomfortable on the wall. Creed smiled at his Kitten, then smirked at the number, then went back to his book.

That's what he gets for his earlier comment about who appreciates Train more.

"Do you really find that book more interesting than our amusing Black Cat? He looks awfully bored and lonely sitting here…"

Creed glanced up to see Lin gently petting his cat's head. Before he could do anything to stop the number, Train politely guided the man's hand away from his head and moved his chair so it was closer to Creed. The silver man smiled at his love, then wrapped his unoccupied hand around his beloved's.

Creed gave the number a quick glare, then turned back to his book. "What are you doing here, Lin?"

Lin sighed and leaned against the wall next to Train, his tone coming out far more sarcastic than intended as he spoke. "I work here, remember?"

He grimaced a little at his own tone, mentally berating himself as he bit his lip.

I need to start being better about how I act around Train and towards Creed. It's not fair to make them constantly feel awkward whenever I'm around. If I want to keep Train in my life, and I want that more than anything else in the world, I need to be friendly towards both of them.

Lin had been doing a lot of soul searching about how he should approach Creed's relationship with his Sweetness, and realized that if he really loved Train, he should be supportive of the cat's relationship with the swordsman. As much as it broke his heart every time he saw the men share a kiss, as much as hurt when he saw them exchange a tender look, as much as it pained him to know Train loved another and would never be his again, Lin knew he had to let go.

I love Train more than anything else in the world, and I know I will always love him, but… he does not love me. And he never will. I need to accept that and move on if I want to be happy.

Even though it was Lin's favorite pastime to mess with literally everyone, he knew he needed to at least try and back off when it came to Creed in regards to Train. It might have been hard to not flirt with or touch his sweet love, but he knew he had to try, and he also had to try to be nice to Creed.

Train cares about Creed, which means I do too. Which also doesn't mean I still can't mess with him a little. As long as he knows it's in good fun.

Creed sighed and hid his glare behind the book. "I mean what are you doing here? In this specific spot. It can't be a coincidence you just happened upon me and Train."

If anything, Lin would have come running the moment you heard Train was in the building.

"Sephiria told me to come check on you. She said she'll only be a few minutes." Lin's eyes were locked onto Train, the same devoted, love-sick look he always had whenever he looked at the Black Cat, nearly forgetting the promise he just made himself as he fought back the urge to tangle his body around his sweet love's slim frame.

Creed noticed Lin's adoring look and chose to ignore it in favor of reminding the man who Train belonged to. He poked his love's face, but did not look away from his book. "Told you she'd be here soon…"

Train folded his arms against his chest and huffed in disappointment. "She could have just come here herself instead of sending Lin with a message… Does she have any idea how long we've been waiting?"

Lin frowned at his Sweetness, his heart swelling with warmth at the adorable display the man was putting on, then sighed longingly. "She knows, Train. She's busy. You know what's just around the corner now…"

Train sighed and unfolded his arms, taking on a much more serious tone as he spoke. "I know… I'm just…"

Creed frowned at his love, setting his book down so he could give Train his full attention. "...You're nervous?"

Train turned to his partner and nodded. Creed immediately felt the weight of the world fall on his shoulders for not realizing sooner that his beloved was feeling anxious about meeting with Aliane. He knew he was stressed, but he didn't think Train was nervous.

I'm such an idiot. Of course he's nervous! That's what he's been acting out more than usual. And that's probably why he didn't hear me when I told him to bring his Ukulele. He's too nervous to think about anything other than his talk with Aliane.

Creed wanted to bang his head against the wall for not seeing his love's fear sooner. However, based on the way Train was smiling at him, he knew his Kitten wasn't angry with him for not noticing. The childish display his beloved had been putting on was so normal for Train that Creed didn't think anything of it, other than the cat was stressed. While his shenanigans may have been a bit overdone, it certainly wasn't out of character for the Black Cat.

Still, I should have noticed he was feeling more than just stressed…

"What are you going to say to her?" Lin knelt down on the floor next to Train, looking up into his sweet love's face as he spoke. "Have you planned that out at all?"

Train laughed and poked Lin's forehead. "What do you think? Since when has the word 'plan' ever made its way into my vocabulary?"

Creed frowned and set his book on the ground, wrapping his arm around his love's elbow as he spoke. "You plan on just winging it?"

Train turned to his lover and nodded. "Yup. I mean, even if I was a planner, how do I plan for something like this? I still don't know how I feel about her yet. And I don't think I'll know until I see her, which means anything I did plan would go flying out the window the moment I saw her."

Creed nodded in understanding, then rested his cheek against Train's shoulder. "Well… Maybe we should at least help you work out how you feel with prying questions at least."

Lin noticed Creed was trying to catch his attention, then nodded and turned back to Train. "Yeah, you don't have to have a plan, but the last thing we want is for you to have a break down in the middle of talking to her."

Train rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "I haven't had a breakdown in weeks, you both know that…"

Creed kissed his beloved's cheek and rubbed his knee gently. "There's no such thing as being too careful, Train. This is the last step I think you need to prove you're better."

Train cocked an eyebrow at Creed. "Does that mean we can start training again after this?"

Creed frowned, then sighed. "Let's… see how you handle this. And we can start preparing you by asking you a few prodding questions."

Train sighed again and looked back up at the ceiling. "Alright, let me have it."

Lin sat crossed legged on the ground and clapped his hands once, as if he were excited to get started. "Okay, Train, I want you to close your eyes while I paint a picture for you."

Train gave the number a skeptical look, but did as he was told. "Okay…"

Lin smirked at Creed's perplexed look and continued with his painting. "I want you to picture that Aliane is standing in front of you in shackles, what do you say to her?"

Train frowned, but did not open his eyes. "This is a really terrible description, Lin. Where's the color? The timbre? The pizzazz! I'm already bored out of my mind!"

"What else is new…"

Lin and Creed turned at the new voice and noticed the guard had been watching them with interest.

Train heard the voice too and cocked an eyebrow with his eyes closed. "Was that Mr. Shushie-Shu?" He pointed a finger in the direction of the man. "Be quiet, Mr. Shushie-Shu! My friend Lin is trying to tell me a story! Even if he's falling, we need to at least let him try!"

Lin pouted at Train and slapped his knee. "Shut up! We don't have time to go into details, Sephiria will be here to take us away soon."

Train opened one eye and grinned at the number. "I suggest you don't change your day job."

Lin slapped him again, causing both Creed and Train to chuckle. "Just focus, you attention deficit cat! Imagine Aliane is standing in front of you, shackled from head to toe. How does that make you feel?"

Train frowned as he imagined the scene in front of him, relying on his gut to answer for him. "Sad."

Lin frowned. "Why sad?"

Train sighed as he replied to his friend. "Because I know Chronos isn't taking care of her."

Creed smiled, knowing his beloved was the only person kind hearted enough to feel sadness for the person who was responsible for his kidnapping. "And why does that bother you, Train?"

Train thought about that for only a second before he answered. "Because she's still a human with human emotions. She's probably lonely… She has no one to turn to. No family, no friends… She's an enemy of Chronos, and an enemy of the Apostles now, but that doesn't mean she's a monster who deserved to be locked up and forgotten about."

Creed frowned, then asked another question. "Is she an enemy of yours?"

Train froze at that question, realizing it was harder to answer than he thought it should be. "I…"

I… don't know…

Train knew that she was supposed to be his enemy. After the betrayal and near murder of Anastasia, what else could she be? What more did she need to do to become his enemy? By the sheer definition of the word, she most certainly was. However…

I… Don't know if that properly depicts how I feel about her. I don't know if I see her as an enemy. Not after what she sacrificed to get me to safety.

Creed told him everything Aliane did to get him out of there and the things she claimed to do for him while he was in there. By saving Train, she not only put her life on the line, but gave up her freedom and safety as well. Rescuing Train would assure the Apostles seeking out her death, and she must have known saving him would put her in Chronos' clutches, which could have meant her death or loss of freedom.

Even if Sephiria didn't erase her, which she obviously didn't, Aliane must have known she would have at least been taken prisoner. And once you're a prisoner of Chronos, you may as well consider yourself dead.

Train remembered how they treated their prisoners and knew Aliane's punishment would probably be worse after what she did. And he was sure Aliane knew that as well. From what Creed described to him, she was an intelligent young woman who knew exactly what she was signing up for when she decided to betray the Apostles and save the Black Cat.

But… doesn't that mean she knew what she was getting into when she joined the Apostles? Didn't she know what they were about?

Train shook his head.

Chances are she may not have. Creed told me Charden's been going through some twisted kind of change, so she might have thought she was signing up for something completely different when he originally recruited her. And then he turned into something totally different…

Train sighed and thought back to the original question, then shrugged his shoulders. "I… Don't know…"

Creed smiled warmly at his love, able to tell he was having a conversation with himself and patted his knee kindly. "Is that something you want to share with her?"

Train shook his head. "No."

Lin smiled at his Sweetness. "Why?"

Train sighed and lowered his head. "Because she doesn't need to know how I feel."

Creed cocked an eyebrow at his Kitten. "Then why are you talking to her?"

Train ran his fingers through his hair. "Because I want to know how she feels. And I want to hear it from her. I want to hear her say with my own ears that she regrets what she did, and I want to decide on my own if I believe her. It'll be part of getting my independence back. I'm tired of being spoon fed everything."

Lin and Creed shared a sympathetic, guilty look, since they knew they were big proponents in making Train feel like he needed to be coddled.

"Also…" Train said as he took in a deep breath and began rubbing his thighs, his eyes still closed as he spoke. "...I want her to remind me what happened while I was there. It seems like time passing has not cleared my foggy memories, and I'm hoping she'll be able to fill in the blanks."

Creed frowned at his love. "Train…" He reached out and took his beloved's head in his hands, pressing their foreheads together as he gently caressed the cat's cheeks with his thumbs. "Are you sure you even want to remember what happened? You don't think that will spark another breakdown? And possibly the worst one we will see?"

Train opened his eyes and locked onto Creed's, smiling warmly and allowing his heart to be captured by the blue that mingled playfully with lavender in his partner's eyes. "I'm positive. I don't like not knowing what happened. I feel like if I don't find out what happened, I'll never be able to move on."

Lin frowned, the hole in his heart growing at the loving look Train gave Creed, but ignoring that in favor of voicing his question. "Why?"

Train regretfully pulled his head out of Creed's hands and turned to face Lin. "Because if I don't remember, it's something Doctor and the Apostles will always have over me. It's something they could even use against me. If I don't know what happened, I don't think I'll ever be able to face them without losing my mind completely."

The hallway was quiet for a minute, the first time it had been since they got there until Train sighed again and leaned back in his chair.

"It's a part of my life that will forever be blank which means… in a way… they win. They were able to steal a part of me, a part of my life, which is something I vowed to never give to anyone ever again."

He felt Creed twitched next to him and realized the insensitivity to his words and grabbed his hand. "I mean unwillingly, Creed. And I don't consider what we have is me giving you my life. I'm sharing my life with you. You give your all to me, and I'll give me all to you. Right?"

Creed smiled and tangled his fingers with Train, replaying their duet on the roof of the music school as he spoke. "Right…"

Lin sighed, once again feeling like the third wheel which hurt more when he was in love with one of the wheels.

Get over yourself and be happy for Train.

Taking a deep breath, Lin spoke. "So… you want to see Aliane to see if you can forgive her, and to hopefully remember what happened while you were a prisoner?"

Train looked at Lin and nodded. "Yes. I feel like this is the last thing I need in order to properly move on. I've already been forgiven by Anastasia's family and with the drug slowly leaving my system, I feel like I'm gradually regaining my former life. But…. now I want to move forward."

He gripped Creed's hand as he spoke, but kept his eyes locked onto Lin so he wouldn't hurt the number's feelings. "I want to rediscover who I am so I can move on and to do that, I need to take one more step into my past, so I can finally run full speed into my future."

Creed had to hold back tears since he knew Train meant his future was with him. Creed had known since the day he met the Black Cat that Train was his destiny, and it warmed his heart every time the golden man reaffirmed what he had always known was true.

I'm his future. His fate. His destiny. I know he loves me, and I know he accepted this as truth a long time ago, but it's still invigorating to hear him say it.

Lin felt his heart continue to break when he saw Train hold Creed's hand tighter. The gesture was confirmation of what the cat meant when he talked about his future. However, as much as it hurt, Lin knew that Train was looking to confirm that he was a part of that future as well. And he was sure the sweepers and musicians were involved as well.

Train's actually a little greedy wanting to keep all these people close to him no matter what. But, as long as I'm included in that long list of people he cares about, I don't care. I could never fault him for having such an innocently ambitious desire for his future.

Despite the pain in his chest at knowing the truth of what his future was with the Black Cat, he smiled warmly and nodded. "Then I think you're ready to talk to her."

Train smirked and sat up. "That's what I've been saying this whole time! Glad to see you're both on the same page as me now."

Creed rolled his eyes at the slight glare Train gave him. "Don't look at me like that. Why do you think I came with you?"

Train narrowed his eyes at Creed. "To babysit me…"

Creed chuckled. "Maybe a little, but… I would have put up a fight if I didn't think you were ready. Did I put up a fight?"

Train frowned and shook his head. "No…."

Creed smiled and kissed his beloved on the cheek. "Then you should be comforted in the knowledge that you know I'm ready."

Train smiled at Creed, then turned to Lin and noticed he was quietly sulking. The cat sighed and poked the number's forehead. "So… I heard you were getting into a whole bunch of trouble while I was gone…"

Lin blinked rapidly at his Sweetness, then frowned. "I… I mean…"

Train grinned and fell to his knees on the ground, reached out and wrapped his arms around the smaller to pull him into a hug. "Thank you for caring enough about me to beat the living shit out of Creed…"

Lin gasped the moment he felt Train's strong arms wrap around him, then melted into the embrace, clutching at his sweet love's shirt tightly. "You weren't here to do it… And everyone else was coddling him too much… Who else was going to do it?"

Train chuckled and squeezed the number a little. "I'll make sure to call you whenever he gets on my nerves again so you can beat him up again."

Lin nodded and smiled celestially, breathing in deep so he could fill himself with the scent of the man he loved more than life itself, a scent he missed far too much. "I'll come running with a bat if I need to."

Creed frowned. "I'm not sure I like where this fake scenario is going…"

Train laughed and glanced over his shoulder at Creed, but did not stop hugging Lin. He figured the number deserved it after everything he did for them. "If you don't like it, then don't screw up again."

Creed sighed and rolled his eyes, deciding to go back to his book. "I would never…"

Train smirked, then finally let go of Lin and lightly punched his chin. "But, if you ever get into that much trouble with Chronos or Sephiria to the point where they're threatening to punish you, I'll kick your ass. Got it?"

Lin pouted at his Sweetness. "I don't understand, are you angry at me, or proud of me?"

Train frowned and scratched his head. "Both, I guess…"

Lin sighed and subconsciously leaned forward to press his face back against Train's muscular chest, his body needing the touch of his sweet love more than anything else. "I promise not to get in trouble anymore if you promise never to leave again. Okay?"

Train smiled and patted the number's head. "Okay. By the way, next time you see Saya, tell her I said hi."

Lin pulled away and blinked up at Train. "What?"

Train grinned again. "Those dreams you told Creed about… He was right. That was Saya trying to get you not to give up. She was trying to give you and Creed the push you needed to keep going."

Lin continued blinking, then looked over at Creed who was smirking at his book, clearly not reading as he turned a page. The number smiled warmly and looked back at Train, his heart beating fast at the beautiful amber depth he adored. "I'm touched that she knows you care about me enough to reach out to me…"

Train returned his smile and nodded. "She's good at understanding people. And congrats at being brought into The Talking to Dead Women Club! It's small, really only just me and Creed right now, but it's mighty and we're always looking to recruit new members."

Lin shivered a little. "You made it sound creepier than it actually is."

Train shrugged his shoulders and sat back in his chair. "Nothing creepy about talking to dead people."

Lin sighed and stood up, leaning against the wall next to Train again. "You're just making it creepier."

Train rolled his eyes. "No, you're just close minded."

Lin shoved the cat's shoulder slightly. "How dare you speak such hurtful things about me."

Train smiled, about to respond to the man when the guards voice interrupted him.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Arks."

Sephiria did not respond to the guard as she walked down the hall towards the men. She was by herself, and it was probably the first time any of them had seen her without Number II in a long time.

Train covered his mouth in shock as she walked towards them. "Le gasp! The ruler of The Great Quietening approaches!"

Sephiria cocked an eyebrow at the cat as she approached. "What?"

"What?" Train echoed her question as he gave the woman an innocent look.

Sephiria's confused look did not change. "Did you just say 'Le Gasp'?"

Train brushed her words away. "Pfttt, no way, Sephiria! Give me some credit. I'm not that cartoonish."

Sephiria glanced between Creed and Lin who were doing their best not to laugh and avoided making eye contact with the leader of Chronos. She looked back at Train who was giving her a cheeky smile, then sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"For the life of me, I don't understand how you two find his juvenile antics and imbecilic comedy amusing."

Train gave the woman an offended look. "Imbecilic?! That's harsh, Sephiria. Even for you."

Sephiria rolled her eyes when she heard Lin snicker and saw Creed bite his lip, then decided to ask a question so as not to further cater to the cat's high jinks. "Everything with you has been in order since we last saw one another, I assume?"

Train nodded and gave her a broad smile. "Yes! Better than ever, actually! Do you think you could convince Creed to let me train again?"

Creed took a deep breath to stop himself from laughing any further, then turned to his love. "I told you we'll discuss it after we finish talking to Aliane. You seem to be doing better with each person you make peace with, so I want to be sure nothing happens when you see her."

Sephiria watched as Train sulked, then addressed a question to Creed. "What do you mean 'each person he makes peace with'? Who has he needed to make amends with?"

Creed squeezed his Kitten's cheek and smirked when Train pushed his hand away. "In my opinion, no one, but in his opinion everyone. He wanted to apologize to my musician friends, which he was able to do at the music school."

Sephiria gave the silver man a skeptical look. "You went back to the scene of the crime?"

Creed nodded. "Yes. Train wanted to."

She looked at Train who smiled at her, then frowned. "And you were okay?"

Train nodded enthusiastically and flexed his arms as if his physical strength got him through it. "Yup! That antidote is really doing the trick. I haven't taken a single command, I haven't blacked out at all, and I haven't had any breakdowns! The more time that passes, the better I get!"

Sephiria nodded slowly. "Then I guess I picked a good time to set this meeting up."

Train frowned. "Yes, but why the hell did it take you so long to come get us?!"

Sephiria rolled her eyes again as the cat gave her a stubborn look. "We've got a lot to prepare for Heartnet. You should understand that better than anyone else."

Train slumped his chair, then looked away from the woman as he huffed and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense…"

Sephiria watched the cat for a minute, then decided to voice something that was close to a command to test how much Train really was recovering. "Once you're done speaking with Aliane, I'd like you to meet with a psychologist to make sure you are mentally fit as well as physically."

Train turned to her quickly, opened his mouth wide and shouted his response. "WHAT?!"

Sephiria smirked, happy to see he wasn't immediately agreeing with her and began arguing with him. "You heard me. If we're going to have everyone in tip top shape, we need to make sure you're mentally stable as well as physically."

Train glared at her. "I'm fine, Sephiria. Why can't you just take my word for it?"

Sephiria sighed. "As much as it comforts me to argue with you again, this isn't one you're going to win. Considering all of your problems were mental and emotional and your powers are directly connected to those, we need to make sure you are cleared for duty."

Trail rolled his eyes and mumbled his next words. "I'm not your subordinate anymore…"

"What was that, Black Cat?" Sephiria asked, even though she heard exactly what he said.

Train brushed her words away, then pointed at Creed. "Can't he just clear me? He's been with me non-stop and can state how much better I've been doing!"

Creed frowned at his beloved. "I'm sorry, Train, but I'm going to have to side with Sephiria on this one. As much as you've recovered, I still hear how terrible your nightmares are and you know sometimes you wake up without any memory of what the dream was or even falling asleep in the first place."

Sephiria turned a curious look to Creed. "Is that so? Why was I not informed of that?"

Creed sighed and leaned back in his chair, uncrossing and re-crossing his legs as he spoke. "Because like Train just stated, we are not your subordinates anymore and forgetting a dream isn't necessarily a bad sign. Plenty of people don't remember their dreams."

Sephiria narrowed her eyes at him. "But you know Train's situation is different…"

Creed was unperturbed by her stern stare. "Yes, but I also knew we'd be seeing you today and I could mention it. The fact that you want him to meet with a psychologist makes your knowledge of this a moot point since we'll mention it to the doctor and they'll help with Train's problem."

Sephiria stared at Creed for a moment longer, then sighed and nodded. "Fine. But make sure you mention it to the doctor. She'll want to know everything."

Creed noted the pronouns Sephiria used and figured they must have been meeting with someone other than Lee.

I'm not sure how I feel about talking to someone new, but I'm sure she'll be given a background story on what we've been through.

Creed nodded and smiled sweetly at the woman. "Train will be sure to mention it."

Train looked between the two of them, an annoyed look on his face as he raised his hand. "You both know I can still hear you, right?"

Creed poked his love's forehead. "Of course we do. I just decided to mess with you a little."

Train rolled his eyes and crossed his arms against his chest. "I still think it's a dumb idea…"

Lin stepped up next to Train and patted his head. "I actually agree with both Creed and Sephiria…"

Train turned to the number and gave him a hurt look. "Et tu, Lin?! Is no one on my side?"

"No." Sephiria said before Lin could respond.

Train glared at the woman. "Du bist so gemein, Sephiria …" (1)

Sephiria glared at the cat. "Handle in deinem Alter, Heartnet." (2)

Creed sighed and took Train's hand, kissing it gently before placing it on his knee. "Train… you know it's the best thing for you. It's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

Train shrugged his shoulders like a petulant child and wrapped his fingers around Creed's. "I guess…"

Lin frowned as his sweetness began to sulk and kick at the floor, then squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "It's okay, Train. Sephiria had me do the same thing. It was quick and painless and I got a clean bill of mental health."

Train eyed the number suspiciously, then sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just set up a time with the stupid therapist and I'll go. Happy?"

Creed smiled warmly at his beloved. "Very. Not just because you're agreeing, but because it's wonderful to have to argue with you again. I'm glad your stubborn side is back…"

Sephiria watched as the silver man ran his fingers through Train's hair, then addressed Creed. "I want you to be looked at as well, Diskenth."

Creed turned to Sephiria and blinked. "Why?"

She locked eyes with the man, hoping she wouldn't have to fight him as well. "Because you went through a lot mentally as well while Train was gone. That's why we had Lin evaluated as well and as he stated, he was given the go ahead to continue missions as normal. Also, considering you seem to be more stable and rational overall, I think it would behoove us update our files on you."

She paused for a second to let Creed absorb her words, then added one more thing. "And need I remind you that your Tao is connected to your emotions as well? The last thing we need is for both you and Heartnet to lose your cool during the fight."

Creed frowned and shot Train a warning look when he heard the cat starting to giggle. "Why do you need to keep a file on me anyway?"

Sephiria rolled her eyes. "Do you really want me to go into details about that?"

Creed sighed, then lowered his head. "No… I guess I understand why."

Creed was aware they probably had files on all their current and former assassin's which had to be updated often. As far reached as they were from the organization, Creed accepted long ago he and Train would never truly be rid of them. Even after the war on Chronos, they'd probably still check in on them every so often.

I'll travel the world with Train when this is all over, but that won't change Chronos' need to know what we're up to… Oh well. As long as I have Train, my life will be perfect.

Creed tangled his fingers with Train and looked back up at Sephiria. "That's fine. Set my appointment up as well."

"While we're setting appointments, can you get Dr. Lee to look at Creed's brain injury again? He's still having headaches."

Creed glanced at Train, then up at Sephiria who was giving him a hard look as she spoke. "Is that true?"

Creed sighed and nodded, fighting back the wince of pain the motion gave him. "Yes. But, they're pretty mild and only happen when I'm stressed."

"Why are you stressed right now?" Lin asked, giving the silver man a curious look.

Creed did not glance back at the number, but instead leaned into his love's touches that made their way back to his head. "Throw a dart and you'll find a reason, Lin."

Sephiria frowned at the couple, then asked another question. "What about your short term memory?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and shut his eyes. "To be honest, I'm not sure. Everything I've been doing lately has been for Train, and I never forget anything that happens with Train."

Sephiria watched him for a second, then posed an idea to the man. "Do you think that might actually be helping? If you don't forget anything that involves Train, wouldn't that sort of be like exercising your brain to remember better?"

Creed opened his eyes and blinked at the woman, then smiled. "Possibly... But, I'm not a doctor."

Sephiria nodded and made a mental note of their conversation. "I'll set that up as well."

Creed turned to his beloved and poked him in the stomach. "See? Spending time with you might actually be helping me."

Lin watched as Train twitched a little, smiling warmly as he remembered a message a certain Russian man had sent him. However, he knew testing the man's statement in front of Sephiria was not wise. He'd have to check to see if Sergey was right later on.

That is, if I ever get a moment where Creed won't freak out at me touching him. It wouldn't be me making a move, just wanting to see if it's true. Because if it is… that would be the most adorable thing in the world.

Train frowned at his lover and pushed his hand away, then glanced at Sephiria. "Will Creed and I be doing the therapy together?"

Sephiria shook her head. "No. It's not couples' therapy, it's individual therapy. I don't think your relationship needs any therapy. You seem to be doing better than ever."

Creed smiled warmly at the woman and kissed Train's hand again. "Getting stronger every day…"

Lin, not wanting to see the affection display or continue on the subject of their picturesque relationship, decided to change the subject. "Have you seen anyone here you recognize?"

Train turned and blinked at Lin. "What do you mean?"

Lin gestured around the corridors. "I mean, you used to work here, right? See any lackeys you might have known while you were here? Or even any that you might recognize from guarding you the last few weeks?"

Train continued giving the man a confused look, not sure why he was bringing up such an irrelevant subject when they were about to go talk to Aliane.

It's almost as if he's going far out of his way to change the subject… But why?

Train glanced down at his and Creed's hand, then sighed in understanding.

Oh, that's why…

Train did not let go of Creed's hand, but decided to entertain the number's trivial topic. "A few people, I think. But, it's been so long since we've been here that I'm not sure many of those people are still with the organization."

Sephiria stared down at Train. "We don't lose members as often as you think, Heartnet. With the exception of you and Creed, I assure you everyone that is working here, was working here when you were a number."

Train frowned at her, then looked around the hall as if he was trying to find someone he knew. It was mostly empty with very little traffic coming through, but every so often a few people did walk by, which was starting to be the highlight of his time there.

He smiled as he saw two men approaching from down the hall. "Now that you mention it, I think I know those guys over there."

Everyone looked over to where Train was pointing as the men walked towards them, the Black Cat waving as they passed by. "Hey Steve, hey Tim."

Sephiria gave the man a strange look, then turned back to the cat. "Did you just make those names up?"

Train pouted. "No, I guessed…" His frown turned into an eager smile as he leaned forward in his chair. "Was I right?!"

Sephiria sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No."

Train frowned again, then leaned back in his chair. "Oh well… I thought they looked a lot like a Steve and Tim."

Sephiria watched the man walk away, not realizing she was about to speak her thoughts out loud. "Which one is which…?"

Train stood up quickly and pointed to the man on the left. "That one's Tim, and that one's Steve. Don't ask me why. I think they just fit those names so well."

Sephiria nodded in understanding, then shook her head when she realized she was falling into the Black Cat's childish antics for some asinine reason.

Maybe it's because I'm so relieved he appears to be back to normal. However, I can't let him continue to lead us astray. We have a lot to do.

Sephiria shrugged the man's arm off her shoulder, not sure when he had put it there and started walking down the hall and towards their cells. "Stop with the foolishness, Heartnet. And stop with the useless topics, Number X. There's much more important things to discuss. Let's go."

Train mumbled as he followed after the woman. "You were the one that seemed interested in my reasoning for naming the men…"

Sephiria didn't even bother to grace him with her stare as she scolded the cat. "Be quiet. You've made enough noise for one day. Keep talking and you won't have much of a voice left to talk to the girl."

Train cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is that a threat?"

Sephiria sighed again. "You know it isn't…"

Train smiled cheekily at her as he pressed his hands against the back of his head. "If that's the case, then you know that'll never happen, Sephiria! I'm like the energizer bunny. I just keep going and going and going."

Sephiria frowned. "If only that were true… Then I could simply remove your batteries to shut you up…"

Train pouted the back of her head. "So mean…. I thought that bunny was cute."

Train noticed the woman chose not to respond to that, since she knew it would only keep the absurd conversation going. The gunman glanced over his shoulder to see Creed and Lin giggling wildly at the interaction he just had with the woman.

At least someone enjoys my tomfoolery.

"Didn't you think that bunny was cute, Creed?"

Creed smiled adoringly at his Kitten. "Yes, Train. But nowhere near as cute as you, so it's not fair to compare yourself to it."

"Don't feed into the Black Cat's buffoonery, Diskenth. It'll only encourage him to keep going." Sephiria kept her eyes forward as they turned a corner.

Train blinked in confusion at the back of her head. "Buffoonery…? Surely you can come up with something better than that."

Seeing Sephiria didn't answer, but hearing the quiet chuckles of the men behind him, Train continued. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the saying is don't feed the trolls, not the cat."

Lin giggled as he followed closely behind Train. "Where did you hear that?"

Train glanced over his shoulder at the shorter man. "The internet. And everyone knows the internet never lies."

Lin smirked. "Has it been said to you before?"

Train smirked in return. "Of course! It usually means people on social media are enjoying my jokes!"

Creed sighed blissfully as he reached forward and took his beloved hand, tangling his fingers around it as they turned yet another corner. "Oh my poor, sweet, innocent, Train."

"What?" Train asked as they walked down two flights of stairs.

Creed rolled his eyes as they walked through a large doorway that turned around yet another corner. "That's not what it means… It means literally the exact opposite."

"Diskenth…" Sephiria warned as she glared at the silver man over her shoulder.

Lin answered instead, earning another growl from Number One as they passed by several locked doors. "It's meant to urge someone not to respond to disruptive attention-seeking behavior by pointing out any such response is likely to be counterproductive."

Train gawked at Lin. "So… the internet people are being… mean?"

"Heartnet…" Sephiria warned, able to tell that cat was feigning ignorance on the subject to get on her nerves and continue amusing the other men.

I'm surrounded by children in grown men's bodies…

"Only because you're being annoying." Lin added as he caught up to Train and walked alongside the man.

Train pouted down at the petite man as they made their way to the end of the hallway. "You say rude, I say entertaining."

Train winked at his partner who was chuckling wildly, then turned back around to keep following his former leader, who seemed to be experiencing conflicting emotions at the moment. While she undoubtedly was annoyed by his escapades, Train caught her smiling a few times which let him know she was also at least slightly pleased he was acting like his old self.

Aww, she really does care about me!

Train giggled at his own thoughts as he continued following the woman.

"Enough of this cretinous repartee. We're here."

Train stopped suddenly when he saw Sephiria stop and stared at the large set of doors in front of them, two fully armed guards standing on either side of the entrance to Aliane's cell. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, as if they had just taken a long journey. "Whew, thank God! I was beginning to think you were taking us through the labyrinth. I was half expecting to see David Bowie at the end of this trip."

Sephiria sighed as she listened to the other men giggle, then turned to face the Black Cat. "Train… I understand you are acting over the top because you're nervous, and I won't lie and say that I'm relieved to hear you acting like your old self, but…"

She paused and met the man's gaze, wanting him to know how serious she was. "I need to know that once we get through these doors, you're going to take this situation with as much sobriety as it deserves. We are getting closer and closer to being prepared for the final battle, and closing the chapter on this girl is one of the steps we need to take in order to be properly prepared. Do you understand?"

Train made a motion to zipped his lips, and she sighed in frustration. "Train…"

The cat stepped forward and patted her shoulder firmly, staring at the door as he spoke. "I understand how serious this is, Sephiria, you know that. And I need this just as much as Chronos needs this for the war."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "Trust me. I know what's on the line here."

Sephiria scanned the cat's face and was able to tell how serious he was, then nodded as she gestured for a guard to open the door. "I trust you, Heartnet. Now, let's take the first step towards the last step."

---

"What do you mean stop looking for Kanzaki?"

Echidna gave the Bug Taoist a stern look as she spoke. "Did I stutter? Stop looking for Kanzaki. There is no need for it anymore."

Shiki growled as he balled his hand into fists. "Why?"

The actress sighed and leaned back in her chair. She knew none of her Apostles were going to like what she was about to say, but she had to be open with them.

That's what Charden would want… I think…

"Because I know where he is."

Shiki widened his eyes as best he could behind the wrappings that adorned his face and stood up quickly, knocking his chair back. "WHAT?! Why don't we just go get him?! He needs to pay for his crimes!"

Echidna grimaced a little and subtly rubbed her temples as the short man punched the table. While the Tao had healed most of her injuries, the stress of taking care of Charden and running their organization by herself was taking a toll on her mental state. Added to that, the rest of the members of her organization were growing restless at their sedated state and were at each other's throats. Fights broke out every day, and Echidna was at her wits end with the aberrant terrorist family she had found herself deeply immersed with.

Maybe I should just let them all rip each other apart and watch the whole organization crash and burn on its own. If I let that happen, it'll simply look like an accident and Charden will be safe from their toxic existence.

She shook her head of the thoughts, slowly so as not to make her headache worse.

No… I can't think such betraying thoughts. Besides that, by inserting the Nanomachines into his body, Charden has brought us to the point of no return.

While Charden had been unconscious and regrowing his arm, Echidna had a lot of time to think. She was still wrangling with the idea of abandoning the Taoist group entirely and opening up a portal to a far away country in the middle of nowhere so she and her lover could never be found again. However, she knew Charden's recent decisions to inject himself with an experimental technology had made that possibility even more impractical.

As much as I want to run away with him in a very storybook fashion and leave all of our worries behind, I can't do that while he's unconscious. He would be angry with me…

Based on the way her conversations with Charden went the last time she brought up destroying their organization or even just flat out leaving the Apostles, it turned into a vicious fight that ended up being the last coherent conversation they had. Even though they hadn't truly spoken since then, she didn't need to have another heated exchange with the man to know how he felt about her suggestion.

Ironic that he made the decision to insert the Nanomachines in him without consulting me, yet I'm still taking his feelings into consideration when I think about doing something that will benefit his slowly deteriorating humanity.

Echidna locked eyes with Shiki as she spoke. "We still don't know if the losing the Black Cat are Doctor's crimes, or if that girl managed to sneak him out of here."

Maro rolled his eyes and crossed his arms against his meaty chest. "It's as plain as the nose on your painted face: Doctor had something to do with the Black Cat's disappearance."

Echidna gave him a serious, calm look, trying to chanel the side of Charden that originally swayed the group into making him their new leader as she spoke. "And what exactly is your theory behind it? What exactly could Kanzaki have done to release Heartnet? You all know he wanted the Black Cat here more than anyone else. If I recall correctly, you wanted us to kill him before he got too strong."

Shiki grumbled as he fixed his chair and sat back down. "And if we did, we wouldn't be in this mess right now."

Maro nodded in agreement. "That's right. The fact that the Black Cat is out there somewhere, most likely back with Diskenth and Chronos, with the increased strength of the Nanomachines and whatever the hell else Doctor did to him, is not the situation we want to be in and was exactly what most of us were trying to prevent by killing Heartnet!"

Echidna gave the large man a warning look, again trying to mimic the one the old Charden. "Are you trying to insinuate that Charden and I did not hold the same concerns as you? Trust me, Charden had plans to dispose of the Black Cat at the first sign of things going wrong."

Maro punched the table. "Things did go wrong! He got away! And with all those beefed up abilities, how the hell are we supposed to stop him now?! He was a threat before, now he'll be nearly unstoppable!"

Durham scoffed as he tilted his chair back and twirled his gun in the air. "I could still take him…"

Maro turned to the man and laughed loudly and directly into his face. "You're still singing that tune?! After everything you've seen he's capable of? Compared to the Black Cat, you look like a teenager at a fair trying to shoot a duck to win his sweetheart a prize."

Durham glared at the man. "I've been training to catch up to the Black Cat... Care to rest my skills?"

Maro used his Tao to push the man's chair away from him, then leaned an elbow on the table and rested his bulging cheek into his obsese hand. "Not unless I want to be tickled by a moody teenager. Don't start a fight you can't finish, Durham."

Before the gunman could respond, Kenneth entered the conversation. "According to Brandon Gaille Marketing, twenty-five percent of people are marrying their high school sweethearts today compared with those in the 1940s!"

Maro and Durham blinked at the man, then a new voice entered the conversation to add to what the old man said. "And only two percent of marriages are from a high school relationship, with only twenty-five percent of women saying that they married their first love."

Eyes landed on Eathes next, who seemed to not understand why they were all giving him a strange look. "What? I like statistics…"

Leon, who was sitting on the bench resting in front of the window, rolled his eyes. "Why were those two even invited to this meeting? They never contribute anything useful."

Watts entered the conversation as he snickered at the boy. "Like you do? All you do is complain about everything we discuss, but never offer any better suggestions! I don't care how big you're getting, you're still nothing more than a prepubescent child that is only in this group because he hates adults."

Leon's hair began to whip around his face as he activated his wind ability. "Shut up, old man…"

Watts pointed at the boy as he balanced a dagger on the tip of his finger. "See?! That right there is why no one takes you seriously! And I'm twenty-nine. That's not old."

Leon growled at the man. "At least my abilities are useful. What exactly are you going to do with those pathetic little daggers when Chronos and the Black Cat get here?"

Watts smirked at the boy, then made the dagger he was holding disappear and reappear next to the child's head. Leon did not flinch as he simply wiped it away with a flick of his hand, then rolled his eyes at the older man.

"See what I mean? Utterly useless."

Watts' smirk did not leave his face as he gestured with his head towards the boy. "What about the rest of them?"

Leon blinked in confusion, then looked up to notice all the daggers that were floating above him. He then looked down, and saw more aimed upwards at him, then even more on his left and right. He locked eyes with the older man who winked and flicked his finger, signaling that he was about to let them all go and attack the child.

Before anything could happen, Echidna opened up small portals for each of the daggers and sent them to the center of the table, making sure two daggers landed in front of each of the Apostles' seats. Everyone jumped when the blades narrowly missed their faces, except for Kenneth who was cackling like a fiend the entire time. He even lifted one of the daggers up and began picking his teeth with it.

All eyes fell on the actress as she inwardly congratulated herself for being able to get their attention and flex how strong she had gotten.

My Tao may not have leveled up, but my abilities and strength are certainly nothing to snuff at anymore.

She scanned the room slowly, making sure each member saw the rhapsodical resolve in her eyes. "I've had it with you lot constantly being at each other's throats! I know Charden is out of commission, but that's no reason to find every opportunity you can to kill one another. Remember, we're on the same side. And if we slaughter our own organization, Chronos will have won before they even arrive."

The room was silent, allowing the woman's words to ring in their ears and against the walls before she leaned back in her chair again. "You are not to continue tracking Doctor down. Is that understood?"

Shiki nodded solemnly. "Yes, Ma'am…"

Echidna nodded, pleased that her power move had an impact on even the most tenacious member of their group.

If I can get Shiki on board, then the rest will follow. Honestly, the only reason he didn't take over when Creed left is because he has no leadership skills whatsoever. Other than when he's in a fight, he's all bark and no bite.

"Why do you think Kanzaki is innocent?"

Echidna turned to Maro when he said that and cocked an eyebrow. "When did I say he was innocent?" Seeing the man about to open his mouth to speak again, she put up a hand to stop him. "I by no means am saying he had nothing to do with the Black Cat's disappearance. If anything, Aliane is the primary reason he escaped. Doctor may have just failed in something."

"What do you mean?" Shiki asked as he eyed the daggers in front of him.

Echidna sighed and glanced out the window. "Like I said before, Kanzaki wanted Heartnet here more than anyone else. He wouldn't have just let the Black Cat go after working so hard to get him back. He put so much of his time and effort into that man, not to mention his precious Nanomachines, and we all know Doctor gets a sickenly strange attachment to his strongest and most successful experiments…"

She looked back at the ground as she finished her thoughts. "And the Black Cat was absolutely his most prized experiment."

Maro shuddered. "Don't remind me…"

Echidna ignored the man's words and continued. "Considering the cameras were turned off soon after Aliane left and both his beasts have been gone, I'm sure Doctor had some hand in the departure of the Black Cat. It's far too coincidental that both he and his pets are gone. And the fact that he's not back means he's probably fearful of Charden's wrath."

Watts rolled his eyes. "But Charden is out of commission. Wouldn't that be the best time for him to come back and plead his case? Considering how much more reasonable you are than him?"

Echidna shook her head. "No. Knowing Doctor, he'd want to gather his thoughts and figure out a way to win back Charden's approval. I don't need to remind you that they've been at each other's throats more than the rest of us."

Maro nodded. "Yes, Charden's almost killed him a few times if my memory serves me right."

Echidna sighed, no wanting to admit that was true, but knowing it was. "Yes… He has…"

Shiki and Doctor were the catalysts to him turning more towards violence to keep the Apostles in line… Do I have them to blame for his downfall?

She eyed Shiki wearily, then shook her head to continue her thoughts. "So, while I have no logical explanation as to what Doctor could have done to lend a hand in the Black Cat's freedom, I also am positive he wouldn't have given Heartnet up without a fight."

Shiki finally looked away from the dagger and at the woman. "Do you think Creed and the sweepers showed up and Doctor fought them on his own?"

Echidna rolled her eyes.

That's another reason he didn't step up as the leader. He's not very bright.

"No. If that were the case, we would have heard a commotion. Same goes for it Chronos came to retrieve the cat." Echidna said as she glanced at the small man.

Maro sighed and began drumming his large fingers on the table. "And like you said before, Doctor turned the cameras in his lab off after Aliane left. It's almost as if he walked the Black Cat out himself…"

Echidna rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "That's exactly what I was thinking, but again, we have no way of knowing until we talk to Doctor himself."

Shiki sighed in frustration. "Then if you know where he is, why don't we just go and get him and force him to tell us what happened?"

"If he'll even tell us the truth…" Watts said bitterly as he snapped his fingers and made all the daggers finally disappear.

Kenneth jumped a little when the dagger he was holding vanished, then pouted at its absence, mumbling something about almost having that popcorn kernel out of his teeth.

Echidna ignored the old man in favor of Shiki's question. "Believe me, I'm tempted, but based on his messages, he's currently working on something that could be the key to killing off Heartnet and Diskenth before the final battle even happens."

Shiki rolled his eyes. "Pfft, I've fallen for Doctor's plans before. They're always self-serving and always fail. There's no way if he even has a plan it will work."

Echidna sighed. "I thought of that too, but…"

Without Charden… I'm at a loss as to what to do.

"Where is Doctor?" Shiki asked as he leaned against the now empty table.

Echidna eyed him uneasily, not willing to give him the exact location.

I can still be honest while keeping him in the dark.

"He's in a small town in the middle of nowhere."

"How did he get there?" Maro asked as he leaned back in his chair.

Echidna shrugged her shoulders. "I assume through Aja's transportation. That's also how he's been delivering the messages."

Shiki blinked in confusion. "Why is he in a small town in the middle of nowhere?"

Again, the actress sighed and dropped her head slightly. "I have no idea. I haven't gotten that far into our communications yet. I was more concerned with getting instructions on how to take care of Charden."

Shiki rolled his eyes. "Isn't that what that woman scientist is for?"

Echidna glared at the short man. "Her expertise isn't Nanomachines, and Doctor made sure to leave her in the dark about how most things are run in that damn lab of his so we would continue to need him."

Maro sighed. "That sounds like something Doctor would do…"

A thought occurred to Shiki and he decided to voice it. "Does that boy know we're no longer looking for Kanzaki? He was more obsessed with the idea of tracking that man down after he found out he might have had something to do with Charden's current situation."

Echidna nodded. "I spoke with him before calling you all here. He understands what the orders are and he's going to obey. Right now, he's keeping an eye on Charden so we can have this meeting."

Shiki nodded, then glanced at the door restlessly as if he was waiting for the boy to enter at any moment. "That boy has become… Very strong."

Echidna nodded. "That was the plan with him from the beginning."

Shiki sighed. "I understand, it's just… Nevermind…"

Echidna did not need the man to finish his statement in order to understand what he was silently insinuating.

Jax is certainly strong, maybe on par with Creed or even the Black Cat in his current state, but his personality change has matched Charden's.

The boy idolized Charden enough that when the Blood Taoist started to change, so did Jax. And he changed in the same way the leader of the Apostles did. Echidna tried to speak to him as well about his transition in demeanor, but he had a similar reaction to her partner. Which didn't surprise her considering how much he mirrored the older man.

Other than looking nothing like Charden, the boy is almost exactly like him. He's like his little double… Even though he's not so little anymore.

Jax had not only changed emotionally and mentally, but physically as well. The Nanomachines in his body caused him to grow quite a bit, which raised even more questions in the actress's mind.

How exactly do the Nanomachines make a child grow? I noticed it in that bio-girl as well, but I assumed it was because she was born entirely out of the bots. She wasn't injected with them later in life like Jax was.

She also didn't notice any changes in Charden or the Black Cat after they were injected, but then again, it had only been a few days she witnessed Train acclimate to them and a few weeks for Charden. Besides that, they were both fully grown men. Jax and Eve were not, which probably contributed to the Nanomachines ability to make them grow.

It's probably possible they act kind of like a steroid. Albeit, an extremely potent, very sci-fi eques steroid, but a steroid nonetheless. Then again, I admittedly have no idea what I'm talking about.

She could only assume the bots were helpful in the process of becoming an adult since their purpose was to make an individual stronger, and adults were distinctly stronger than children. It was possible the Nanomachines saw something as trivial as being a child as a weakness, and sought to strengthen it by causing them to grow up faster. However, if the individual was already at their body's limit, there was nothing more they could do than enhance their already inherent abilities.

I guess Heartnet's muscles did expand a little. And it's hard to tell, but I think Charden's have as well. I wish I knew more about this stuff.

Echidna did a lot of research on her own to learn as much as she could about the Nanomachines, but there were only so many hours in the day that she had available to educate herself. Between running the Apostles by herself, keeping an eye on Charden, constantly on the lookout for messages from Doctor, and making sure none of her Taoists killed each other, she didn't have time to read about something as complicated as the inner workings of Nanomachines, and how they reacted to different bodies.

Learning the bots react differently to different bodies made my research all the more futile. Everything I read could mean nothing when it comes to Charden. Especially considering what his Tao is.

When she reached the point of her research when it began talking about how Nanomachines reacted with blood, she stopped since she knew Charden's situation would be completely different. At that point, she realized there was nothing more she could do to learn about the science that was injected into her partner.

This is all the more reason why we need Kanzaki back… And I'm sure he knows it.

She didn't bother listening to the rest of her members converse with one another. She decided getting lost in her own sullen thoughts was more worthwhile than discussing possibilities of what Doctor might have done to help the cat escape, or why he hadn't returned yet despite his precious experiments being left behind. To her, none of that mattered. What mattered was that they needed him back, which was in a way why he held all the cards.

"So, you know where Doctor is, you know he's coming up with a plan, but we're unsure if he has anything to do with the Black Cat's disappearance, and we need him back for various reasons. Does that pretty much sum on the reasons for this meeting?"

Echidna glared at Shiki. "And that you are not to track him down until further orders are given."

Shiki nodded. "Did he tell you how to help Charden recover?"

Echidna's glare on the man did not lessen since she knew he wasn't asking that out of any sympathy for the man.

He just wants to get back to the war with Chronos. That can wait. Charden's life and well being are more important.

"He did. I passed it along to Hue. She knows how to handle him better and he's recovering far quicker now."

Shiki nodded in approval. "That's good."

"Did Doctor let you in on what he's scheming?" Maro asked as he leaned his arms on the table.

Echidna gave the man a stern look. "As open as I'd like to be with you all, that is one thing I'd like to leave private until I can have a proper conversation with Charden."

Maro opened his mouth to object, then shut it quickly when he saw the woman harden her glare. While he was sure she wouldn't kill him, he was also certain Echidna was going to tell Charden everything once he woke up, and the Blood Taoist would most certainly kill him if he found out Maro questioned the actress while she was acting as their sole leader. Charden made it very clear they were to listen to the woman if he was ever out of commission.

Seeing the man wanted to speak, Echidna sighed and gave him a little more information. "If it helps, he didn't tell us much, but it was at least something somewhat useful. And we will let you all know what's going on as soon as Charden wakes up. I'm sure he'll want to speak to Kanzaki himself before we take any more steps. And until then, there's no need for you to know every detail."

Maro nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Understood."

"Do we know where the Black Cat is?"

Echidna turned to Watts, not shocked the man was asking about Heartnet since he knew she did put blame on him for the Black Cat getting away.

I haven't told the rest of the group about his misstep since I know it will only make them want to rip each other apart even more. As angry as I am at him, I can't have them attacking each other even more than they already are.

"If you really want to find out, we can have Shiki send out a bug to search for him. However, I am positive he has made his way back to the sweepers, and I'm sure Number One has increased her security around them in case we show up. If they see one of his spies, they will be able to track it back to us and start the final battle before we're ready."

Shiki wanted to glare, but refrained and made sure to make his voice sound calm as he spoke. "How much longer until we are ready?"

Echidna didn't bother to look at the Bug Taoist as she spoke. "We'll be ready when we're ready. But the best timeline I can give you is soon after Charden wakes up."

Echidna was shocked to see the man nodding his head in compliance instead of arguing with him.

Are they listening to me because of what I did earlier, or because they fear what Charden will do if he finds out they were disrespecting me?

She shook her head, again being careful not to hurt her head anymore.

Doesn't matter. As long as they're listening to me, I don't care what their reasons are.

"Do you know where Aliane is?"

Echidna glanced at Nica who was sitting next to her at the long table. That was the first thing she said during the entire meeting, or in the last several weeks for that matter. Her silence didn't surprise the actress since she had been growing more and more distant ever since she returned from her mission with the sweepers, and Echidna had a feeling it had something to do with that green haired sweeper she was pretending to be in love with.

Seeing how depressed she is, I'm sure she wasn't pretending. And I'm pretty sure that man returned her feelings.

Echidna empathized with the woman and her unrequited love, since she knew all too well how that felt, but she also was slightly miffed at Nica for falling for such an average and simple man who was also their enemy. Nica was a beautiful woman who probably had her pick of the litter when it came to love interests, and it baffled the actress why she chose a man like Sven.

There's absolutely nothing special about him. Although, I guess that could be what she's attracted to. She's probably used to men throwing themselves at her, which that man certainly did not do. Maybe he's a breath of fresh air to her. Or maybe she just liked the chase.

She sighed, realizing it was really none of her business as long as the woman continued doing her job. Which she was. "I believe she's either run off somewhere we could never find her, or Chronos has her."

Nica froze at the woman's words. "Why do you think that?"

Echidna turned so she could fully face the woman. "Considering her recent insubordination and feelings for Heartnet, I'm positive she helped the Black Cat escape. However, as naive and overly forgiving the sweepers are of their enemies, I don't think they would take her back so readily. If she brought the cat back to his friends, they would have called Number One Immediately, and they would have taken her into custody right away."

Shiki didn't like that way that sounded and let it be known. "Do you think she'd tell them anything?"

Echidna looked at the man out of the corner of his eye. "What could she possibly know that would be of any interest to Chronos?"

Shiki thought about that, then nodded his head. "True…"

Nica's unsteady heart was still beating fast as she asked her next question. "Do you think they killed her by now?"

Echidna stared at the woman, able to ready all over her face that she was heartbroken at the thought that Aliane might be dead. It seemed that during their time with the sweepers, she had grown attached to more than just the green haired sweeper.

She cares about Aliane. They became friends during their time away. I guess that family facade took more of an emotional toll on her than we previously thought.

Her heart broke for the woman, and she found herself at a loss for words. She wasn't sure how to answer that question, since her gut was telling her Aliane was dead. Like she said to Shiki, the girl didn't know anything, which made her useless to Chronos, and since she was their enemy, what reason did they have to keep her alive?

Doctor even made sure she couldn't go into the lab to see Train after a while, so she wouldn't know anything about his experiments, or much of what we were doing to Heartnet. Not that she'd understand what any of it was even if she saw it.

Seeing Nica was still staring at her, along with the rest of the Apostles, Echidna knew she needed to say something, but still wasn't sure what.

I don't want to keep too many secrets from them, but I am also aware none of them really care about Aliane's fate except for Nica. And I really don't want her to break down in front of everyone and show her weakness…

The rest of the group had been keeping a close eye on Nica ever since Aliane left, since they were sure she would follow after her. While Nica continued doing her job as asked, they could all tell her heart wasn't in it anymore. Even though she never said it and would never admit it, she was depressed without Sven, and riddled with guilt over what she did to the man and his friends. And Echidna wasn't the only one that noticed it.

I'm probably the only one that's sympathetic to her. Watts makes it worse by fanning the flames of hatred the others are slowly growing towards her.

Echidna didn't have proof, but she caught Watts speaking to Shiki and Maro alone a couple of times, and she was sure she heard Nica's name dropped. Considering how much influence those two men had over everyone else in the organization, his gossipy words most likely spread like wildfire, and they all pegged she to be the next turncoat. And since everyone believed Kenneth was ironically too insane to ever betray them and Watts was too devoted to the cause, they thought Nica was the most likely option.

And between Creed, Hearnet, that fire breathing girl, and now Aliane, we have a lot of experience with people betraying us.

Still, she didn't think that gave Watts the right to speak ill of the clearly heartbroken woman, especially not after what she'd been through, and especially because they were falling apart as it was. There was no need to help their slowly deteriorating group by gossiping like a highschooler. Not to mention Watts had no room to talk or judge after the giant mess he inadvertently put them in by not being on schedule with the Black Cat's check-ins.

The fact that I haven't told anyone about his blunder is probably why he's trying to paint a target mark on Nica. He probably wants to turn them against her before they can turn on him.

She glanced at the man, noticing she had been quiet long enough that they were back to discussing what they thought Kanzaki might have been up to, which she was relieved about since it took the pressure off her to answer the question.

I don't think Watts knows I haven't told anyone about his idotic mistake. And I'll keep it that way for now. Just to watch him sweat.

Even though it was her idea to recruit him, Echidna didn't like the man at all. He was too unpredictable and too unstable. Not to mention she wasn't impressed with his Tao. She could control it easily and didn't see the use of it at all.

She sighed when she saw the men of her group fighting again.

Honestly, how are we supposed to be successful in our war if we can't get along with each other? The sweepers are like a family, and Chronos is a well oiled machine. Was this a doomed plan from the start?

Echidna couldn't help but use that fact as more of a reason for putting a stop to their plans altogether.

"Echidna…?"

The actress turned to the woman next to her, noticing while the rest of the group had started their own conversation, Nica eyes were still locked onto her, giving her the same hopefully pathetic look she had when she first asked about Aliane.

She still wants an answer…

Echidna sighed, realizing she didn't have a choice and opened her mouth to speak. However, as soon as she was about to vocalize her belief of the girl's grim fate, the door opened and everyone's attention was brought to the entrance of their previously fallen leader.

As he stepped into the room, Jax followed in after him, arms behind his back, smiling proudly as if he had accomplished something great. The first things Echidna's eyes went to was her partner's arm, wanting to see how much it had recovered. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

It's… almost completely back?!

The last time she saw it, it was just up to his elbow. However now, it looked like it had healed all the way up to his wrist. Now his hand was slowly starting to reform, but based on the calm look on his face, you wouldn't think that he was in any pain.

But he has to be in pain. Doctor said he would be for a while. And the hand would be the worst part of it. Are the anthetstics working? No… Doctor said they would most likely knock him out. What's going on?

She glanced at Jax again who gave her a quick smirk and nod, which made her more suspicious as to why he was smiling so proudly. She wanted to open her mouth and voice all her questions, but as Charden scanned the room, making sure everyone was there, she knew he was about to speak. Finally his eyes landed on Echidna, and he smiled broadly.

"Echidna, my darling. What's our current situation?"

---

Translation:

(1) "You are so mean, Sephiria…"

(2) "Act your age, Heartnet."