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

60. Plans of the Future

This feels like a long gap in updates for me, but I had to finish my grad school class. Anyway, getting closer and closer to the end. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

---

Allie adjusted her small glasses as her sprightly, yet anxious eyes scanned the chart that contained information on her leader's health. "Your blood pressure seems to be back to normal which is huge for you considering what your Tao is. Your reflexes are reacting as they should, and your muscles are actually stronger than ever. They're even an inch and a half larger than the last time I examined you."

Charden smirked as if he had something to do with the paltry change to his body. "That is most certainly the miraculous work of the Nanomachines. I believe the same thing happened to Heartnet as well."

Echidna winced slightly, quashing the motion immediately before her lover took notice of the incommodious reaction she had to his fond words concerning the bots.

He sounds like he's celebrating the fact that he's changing. What happened to the man that so many years ago was fully against Creed bringing the Nanomachines in the Apostles fold?

The actress held back a wistful sigh as she thought of the man Charden used to be. It seemed like an eternity since her partner sided with the Black Cat about whether utilizing the bots was beneficial to them or not, and she wished her lover still held the same views on the nanos as their enemies did.

As much as it infuriated her to think she or Charden could ever be on the same page as Train Heartnet, she found herself yearning for the days when the Blood Taoist agreed with the Black Cat. She wanted nothing more than for the pestiferous technology to no longer inhabit every corner of their lives and almost every atom of her partner's body.

Well, not every atom in him, but quite a bit according to Hue's test results. That is, if she did them correctly. I can't forget she still doesn't entirely know what she's doing when it comes to the bots.

Echidna took a deep, quiet breath, trying to use Hue's ignorance on the Nanomachines as comfort to possibly faulty test results.

Especially since all her other tests are showing he's almost completely recovered. Well, except for his arm. But even that is almost back to normal.

She knew his arm would never truly be 'normal' again, but she couldn't focus on that for too long. If she did, she'd have a complete breakdown.

I should just be grateful we have someone I trust who can at least give us basic information on Charden's well being…

Immediately after Charden woke up, Echidna rushed him off to see the temporary doctor they had been using while Kanzaki was off galavanting in an insignificant town in the middle of nowhere scheming up what would undoubtedly be another injudicious plan. It was difficult for Echidna to convince her lover to let Hue look at him since all he desired were answers to what their situation was. The Blood Taoist insisted he was fine, but Echidna somehow managed to convince their stubborn leader to get examined by their professional before they caught him up on their precarious situation.

I still have no idea how I was able to convince him to let Hue look at him, but I guess it's a good sign that he's still listening to me at least a little bit… And he still called me 'Darling'. That means he must not be too angry with me, right…?

The last verbal interaction they had before Charden injected the Nanomachines into himself still weighed heavily on Echidna's heart. It wasn't just the state of his heart, mind, body, and soul that she was worried about, she was also worried about the state of their relationship. Both professionally and romantically.

In the past, Charden's reassurance of his undying love and devotion to the actress consistently soothed Echidna's soul, but the man's recent attempts to comfort her in regards to his feelings meant nothing. After seeing how much he changed over the years, Echidna wasn't sure he felt much of anything anymore.

He says he'll always love me and always be by my side, but he also said he'd never weaponize the Nanomachines let alone inject them in his body, and look where we are now. He also said he hated using violence as a means to get people to listen, but now it seems to be his primary strategy. How can I trust anything he says anymore?

Echidna frowned as she watched Hue and Charden talk about the physical state of his body.

No. I have to continue putting my faith in him. In us. If I falter in my confidence in him now, then our fates are even more doomed than I previously thought.

The actress glanced at Hue and faked attentiveness to the woman's words. She knew she should have been paying attention, but she was having a hard time concentrating on the woman's words. All she could think about were the amount of Nanomachines her lover had in his body and how much they had altered his physical presence.

His eyes changed color and while that might seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, I liked the bright azure they used to be… Now they're more of an electric, steely teal. And there's no warmth behind them at all. Not even when they're directed at me...

The new shade of blue in Charden's eyes was not the only thing that had physically changed about him. His hair was at least three inches longer and changed from a honey hue to a platinum blonde. His muscles had expanded as Hue had stated previously, and it seemed like his skin was paler which shocked Echidna since he was already quite pale.

His skin almost looks sickly. I don't understand why the Nanomachines changed him so much. I understand Kanzaki put a lot in him, probably more than the Black Cat, but it doesn't make sense why it would change his physical appearance this much.

She glanced at Hue who seemed to be trying to check Charden's reflexes again, much to the man's displeasure.

And it doesn't make sense to her either… Just another reason we need Doctor back.

Echidna's eyes drifted over to her lover and her body flinched at the uncaring, enervated look he had in his normally compassionate, stimulating orbs. She watched him glare at Hue until she could no longer bear the sight of the man's new appearance and forced her eyes to stare out the window instead.

The actress focused her gaze on a bird that peacefully perched itself on the sill outside, frowning as the small creature flapped its wings jovially, as if it didn't have a care in the world. As she stared at the bird, her mind wandered back to the time when Charden's heart was at peace; back to the time when she was certain she knew the kind of man he was.

Even though I may have loved the wrong man back then, even if I barely knew Charden existed, I wish we could go back to that time and stop all this from happening. I wish my portals worked as time travel so I could save him before it was too late.

Echidna had many fantasies of going back in time to pluck Charden from his home before either of them joined the Apostles and running away with the man so they could live a peaceful life without any of the complications they currently found themselves in. A life without the Apostles or Chronos, without Creed or Train, without the Tao and without Nanomachines. She ached for a plain, quiet, uncomplicated life with her lover, but the more they moved forward with their plans, the more she could see the impossibility of her foolish dreams.

I should have run off with him while he was knocked out from the Nanomachines and come up with some sort of lie about how Chronos came and overwhelmed us. I'm sure I could have convinced him that we lost the war while he was out.

She knew her thoughts were dimwitted and naive, but she didn't care. She wanted to hold on to that fatuous dream with every bit of strength he had left in her heart. She wanted to write about it in her non-existent diary as if she were a teenagerl praying her crush would look her way.

Which, as pathetic as this is going to sound even in my own head, isn't too far off from the truth...

"Everything seems to be in working order. Actually, not just working order, better than that. The physical shape of your body is beyond what I would have expected the Nanomachines were capable of."

Charden gave her a stern look as he rolled down his sleeve where the woman just extracted blood from. "Of course it's beyond your expectations. This isn't your area of expertise. I wouldn't expect you to know what the Nanomachines are truly capable of."

Allie shivered at the dark tone her leader used and nervously nodded. "Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir."

Echidna sighed quietly so as not to further frustrate her partner.

Hue doesn't deserve that tone or that look he's been giving her. Especially after everything she's done for Charden while he's been out. He should be on his knees thanking her. She's the only reason he's alive.

However, Echidna knew the real motivation behind his words was to try and lead the conversation down a path she desperately didn't want to go down. She had been able to avoid talking in depth about what happened with Kanzaki for a few days, but she knew casual mentions of where the man was and what he was doing wasn't going to satiate Charden for much longer. They were going to have to have the conversation soon.

It's surprising enough I was able to convince him to rest for a few more days and be checked out by Hue before we talked. There's no way I can avoid this conversation for much longer.

Echidna didn't want to talk about Doctor or anything related to their war. With everything that happened and after seeing what the man she loved had to endure while his body acclimated to the Nanomachines, all she wanted to do was scream at him that Kanzaki and the Apostles weren't worth it anymore and neither was their war worth the pain he constantly weathered. All she wanted to do was beg him to run away with her to somewhere neither their allies or enemies could find them.

But… He'd never agree to it. I know he won't.

She clutched her manicured fist slightly.

If I could get him away from all this chaos, he might calm down and listen to reason.

Echidna didn't question the potential absurdity of her thoughts since they were the only thing that kept her going. If she started questioning her own logic, she would lose all hope.

I'll save him. I'm sure of it.

Feeling Charden's eyes fall on her, Echidna frowned. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to have this conversation? I'm not sure how you'll handle it..."

Charden gave her a slight glare, not enough to scare her, but enough to let the woman know he was annoyed with her constant derailment of what he knew was an imperative conversation. "I'm not a child. I was well enough to talk three days ago when I first woke up. Why do you refuse to tell me about Doctor's whereabouts?"

Echidna sighed. "...I just don't want to stress you out and further your injuries."

Charden rolled his eyes and leaned back on the bed he sat on. "And Ms. Hue has examined me several times, taken several vials of blood, and given me a clean bill of health multiple times. Surely that must be enough comfort for you, Darling."

Echidna shivered at the way Charden used that word. She knew it was meant to be a term of endearment, but the way he said it was so cold and honestly sounded a bit sarcastic.

Why do you keep slipping further and further away from me…?

The actress took a step forward and placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "It does comfort me to hear you are doing well, but…" She glanced at Jax, who had been leaning against the wall adjacent from them, watching his mentor with vigilant eyes, as if he was keeping guard of the man. "...Just how exactly did you recover so quickly? The last time I saw you, you were barely conscious and unable to speak coherently or take in your surroundings."

How did he go from a feeble husk of a man who looked near the brink of death to almost the perfect picture of health in a matter of days?

Charden released an annoyed sound and attempted to pat the woman's hand affectionately, but it came off more of a mandatory motion than a loving one. "As Ms. Hue just stated, it was the Nanomachines."

Echidna frowned and took her hand away. Charden's caresses against it were beginning to feel far too awkward for her to want to keep it there. "I understand that, but as many of the bots we believe you have in you, it doesn't seem like enough to cause such a sudden recovery. As I said before, it happened in a matter of hours."

When I left him to have that meeting with the rest of the Apostles, he was in no condition to sit up let alone walk in the room and address our members as eloquently as he did.

The woman's eyes fell towards the arm that was now reformed up to his fingers and felt a wave of unease slink down her spine.

Just a few days ago, it was only up to his wrist, but now it's working on recreating his fingers and he doesn't seem to be in much pain. What is going on?

Charden gripped the sheets beneath him tightly, as if he was trying to force himself to take his frustrations out on the inanimate object instead of his partner. "And you heard what Ms. Hue said, there are more in me than we previously thought. That is, if her tests are accurate."

Echidna heard Allie make a sound and noticed the scientist flinched slightly. The nervous noise perked the actress's ears and the twitch caused her to turn her head towards the woman. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Hue blinked at Echidna, then glanced at Charden. The actress didn't see the look her lover gave the woman, but judging by the expression on the scientist's face, it was easy for Echidna to tell he had given her a rather evil glare.

What the hell is he trying to hide from me this time?

Echidna could tell Charden was frustrated with her for the lack of information she was giving him about Kanzaki, but that didn't stop her from pushing the man for answers on the situation she currently found herself in.

I don't care if I make him more angry, we need to start being honest with each other again. And if he wants to know about Doctor, then he needs to tell me what's going on with him.

"Darling… Is there something you aren't telling me?" She folded her arms across her chest, glancing at Jax again who seemed intent to look anywhere else but her. "...What exactly happened with Jax when he came to see you?"

Charden locked eyes with the actress, neither of them blinking as a silent understanding was shared between them. He knew if he didn't disclose everything that happened with him and Jax, she wouldn't update him on Kanzaki. He was also positive she didn't inform the rest of the Apostles everything that was going on with the scientist. Echidna wasn't foolish enough to let every single member in their group know the specific details of what was going on behind the scenes of their operations.

She also probably wanted to speak to me first before she let them know what was happening with Kanzaki, so if I want to know what's going on with him, she's my only source of true information. Everyone has probably only been given half truths.

Charden sighed and rubbed his eyes.

...Sometimes I think she's too clever. Then again, that's one of the reasons why I trusted her in the first place and asked her to lead by my side. Her thoughts and mine are the same, and she did exactly what I would have done in her situation.

Charden gave Jax a quick look out of the corner of his eye which brought the teen's attention towards him for a second, then towards Echidna. When the Blood Taoist looked back at his lover, he leaned forward on his knees, ignoring the pain that shot through his arm at the contact it made with the bone in his leg.

"Echidna..." Charden started, making sure their eyes stayed connected as he spoke. "...I need you to understand how vital the Nanomachines are if we're going to win this war. Especially after losing the Black Cat and being unable to use him to kill Creed."

Echidna did not respond to his statement. While she agreed they were in an infelicitous situation after the Black Cat's escape, she still did not think it was necessary for Charden to be altering his body so much.

I don't care how powerful we made Heartnet before he got away, there's nothing in the world worth giving up your humanity for.

Seeing the woman wasn't going to respond to his statement, Charden sighed and continued. "I understand your qualms with the Nanomachines, but if the power they gave the Black Cat wasn't proof enough of what they're capable of, then my expeditious recovery should be. You said you were happy to see me doing so well, weren't you?"

Echidna frowned, then slowly nodded. "Yes… But-"

Charden put up a hand to stop her. "-Yes, I know it was fast even for the amount of Nanomachines you believe Kanzaki put in me, but if you let me finish, I can explain. You wanted to know what happened with Jax, correct?"

Echidna glanced at the teen whose eyes were glued onto Charden. "Yes…"

So… he did do something. But, what could he possibly do that would make Charden recover so quickly?

Charden waited until Echidna was looking back at him, then finished his statement. Knowing there was no subtle way to put it and understanding she wasn't going to like what happened no matter how he phrased it, Charden decided to be blunt with the woman.

Charden locked eyes with her again, making sure every word of his next sentence was said clearly and purposefully. "Jax gave me some of his Nanomachines."

Echidna froze and blinked at her partner. "You… Can do that?"

Does this mean those who had Nanomachines in them can also remove them?

She glanced at Allie who made eye contact with her for a brief moment, turning back to the chart she was holding rather quickly so as to avoid being included in the conversation that was about to take place.

Wait, does this mean there are even more Nanomachines in him than what we previously thought?

Charden nodded, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the strange eye contact the women made. "Yes. Jax's body is nearly all Nanomachines at this point, and with all the training he's been doing, he was able to… let's say donate a few to me to help me recover faster."

Echidna stared at her lover for a moment, still stunned at the news and finally spoke. "Was this… your choice…?"

Charden firmly nodded his head, making sure his partner saw the resolve in his eyes. "Yes. I was tired of being a burden to you and useless to the organization. Our enemies aren't taking any breaks, so we can't either."

Echidna blinked at her partner, opening and closing her mouth a few times, not sure how to take the heavy news he had just dumped on her already weighted shoulders.

He truly believes inserting himself with more Nanomachines would alleviate my stress? He really is too far gone…

She felt her demeanor drop for a second before perking it up quickly so as not to show weakness in front of the man.

Not that he'd even notice let alone care if he saw how much pain I was in…

Echidna frowned and spoke her previous thoughts out loud. "So… Does this mean there are even more Nanomachines in your body than we previously thought?"

Echidna looked at Hue as she spoke, but Charden interrupted the scientist before she could respond. "As little as everyone in the room knows about the Nanomachines, math still works the same with them, which means if Jax added more, there are more in me. Hence why I was able to recover so quickly after you last saw me."

Echidna peered at Allie from the corner of her eye. While she couldn't fully see the scientist's face, Echidna could tell she was grimacing at the man's words. Even though it was true Allie didn't know much about the bots, it must have been agonizing for the woman to hear her leader constantly remind her how useless he believed her to be.

She hasn't been useless. She's been able to keep Charden alive despite Kanzaki's absence. If it wasn't for her, he'd surely be dead… and that would have been the Doctor's fault.

Allie kept her eyes on the documents she was looking at, but quickly nodded at Echidna, letting the actress know there were indeed more Nanomachines in his body than the last time she checked and that was exactly what Charden was forbidding her from telling the actress.

He doesn't want me to know because he knows how against it I was in the first place. This is just another secret he's trying to keep from me…

She stopped a tear from escaping her control and bit her tongue to prevent herself from releasing a pathetic whimper.

...Just another step further and further away from me.

Echidna wasn't sure how Allie was able to gather so much information so quickly when not long ago she was very admittedly uninformed and oblivious to how the Nanomachines worked, or even how to detect them in his body.

However, Echidna had a feeling it had something to do with Charden's murderous demeanor and impatient attitude. She hadn't been by the Blood Taoist's side every second Hue had been checking on him, so Echidna assumed her partner must have made some kind of threat to her to make her work faster.

And violence is certainly a good motivator for anyone let alone a woman who has no strength or special abilities to think of… Especially when he's already made it perfectly clear how useless she believes he is. However, working fast does not mean you are working efficiently.

Echidna decided to test her theory and asked Hue another question. Chances were it might get the woman in trouble with Charden, but she was ready to deal with those unwarranted feelings of fury from her partner. "If you know how many are in him now, does that mean you know how many of each kind are in him?"

Allie flinched a little at the woman's question and shot her eyes immediately to Charden, trying to gauge what the man's reaction was. Seeing it was barely contained acrimony, she took a subtle step away from her leader, as if that would protect him from his rage.

Hue swallowed and tried to keep her eyes on her more reasonable leader as she spoke. "No… And try as I might, I can't find Doctor's notes on what he gave Charden."

Charden huffed in annoyed amusement. "Kanzaki wouldn't leave that sort of information just laying around for anyone to find. That information is too sensitive to fall into the wrong hands. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even write it down. And considering we changed locations, I believe that would be the best case scenario for us."

Echidna sighed since she knew the last part of his sentence was a slight at her. "I told you we had to move. The Black Cat was gone along with Kanzaki and Aliane and with you out of commission along with all of our best fighters, we couldn't risk being attacked by Chronos."

"I could have taken them." Jax said, his body giving off an ominously familiar spark as he spoke. "We should have stayed where we were so I could have put an end to Chronos once and for all…"

Echidna eyed the teen up and down, trying to find even a whiff of the innocent boy he used to be. The boy who used to follow Charden around with eye-wide admiration, the boy they used to have to kick out of their meetings because he was still too young and green to be a part of them.

It was hard for her to believe that the sweet child who wanted nothing more than to be of use to Charden and the rest of the Apostles was now the brooding young man standing at the Blood Taoist's side with a bloodthirsty aura replacing his former virtuous spirit. As if he were a pet dog that had been turned into an attack dog.

His eyes look like he's looking for a reason to fight, as if that's all he has to live for now.

Echidna frowned at the boy. "As strong as you've become, you wouldn't have been able to take on all of Chronos along with the sweepers, Creed, and the Black Cat by yourself and none of us were in any condition to provide backup."

Jax rolled his eyes and looked as though he was restraining the urge to spit at her words. "It's not my fault everyone else has been utterly useless as of late. I can't believe they were weak enough to be wounded so badly in the first place. If I was there, none of this would have happened and we'd be down at least a few numbers and sweepers."

He clenched his fingers, his arm sparking with an electric blue as his hand suddenly turned into a sharp, bright red dagger. "...I would have been sure to take care of them. Even Creed and Number One."

Echidna stared in fright at his harsh words and rough tone, but what unnerved her the most about his statement was the dark confidence he had in his voice. She could tell the teen truly believed he was enough to take on people as strong as Sephiria and Creed by himself.

Even if that is true, Heartnet would never leave Creed's side and Number II would never leave Sephiria's, which means he'd never get them by themselves anyway. It'd turn into a four-on-one fight in a matter of seconds.

As she was about to open her mouth to redirect the boy, Charden's voice stopped her. "I'm inclined to agree with Echidna on this. Creed and Sephiria both have powerful body guards of their own who would never leave them alone in a fight, and there's no way you could take on all four of them by yourself. You may be strong, but you're not at that level yet, Son."

Jax's entire demeanor changed when he heard Charden refer to him as 'Son' and nodded. "Yes, Sir. Understood."

Echidna felt her heart stop when she heard the boy say that. His statement made him sound like a guard dog responding to its master's command, and that did not sit well with her.

His rage no longer seems to be directed at only Doctor. It seems like he's just as furious with the rest of us as well. That means he and Charden must have done more than just exchange Nanomachines. They must have had a conversation in regards to the Apostles and Kanzaki.

Echidna glanced at Charden who was smiling proudly at the teen.

What did Jax tell him?

She squeezed her arms around her waist and shuddered a little at the potentially dangerous conversation the boy could have had with her partner. Jax knew even less of the situation with Doctor than the rest of the Apostles did, so whatever he told Charden would have most likely been wild conclusions the boy drew on his own.

And with how volatile he's become, none of those conclusions are going to be sound.

"Ms. Hue, is there anything else you need from me?"

Even Echidna twitched a little in fright at the tone in Charden's voice. It was such a simple question, yet there was something about the sweet, almost sing-song voice he used that made the benign inquiry seem anything but that.

Is he actually trying to kill her with his words? Because it's starting to feel that way.

Hue rapidly shook her head. "N-No, Sir. I-I'll go run these blood tests, but I'm sure the result will be the same. I'm really just doing this to ease Ms. Parras' mind."

Echidna flinched uncomfortably at being called 'miss'. She always hated it since it made her feel old, but when Charden heard Allie call the actress by her first name, he quickly and fiercely reminded her to never speak to Echidna in such an informal manner. That confirmed how meaningless Charden found Allie's existence to be since almost every other member in the Apostles called her by her first name, and Charden never corrected them.

And even though he knows I hate being called, 'miss', he's decided that's better than her calling me by my first name. The fact that he insists she never speak to me so candidly is proof he'll kill her if she makes even one small mistake.

Echidna gave the woman a sympathetic look as she excused herself and began gathering the equipment she used to examine Charden.

That poor woman has done nothing wrong other than believe in a cause that is beginning to look more and more nongermane…

As Hue passed by her, Echidna felt the other woman brush her hand against her delicate fingers. Instinctively, the actress spread her digits and stiffened slightly when she felt a small piece of paper slip between her index and middle finger.

She quickly wrapped her hand around what she assumed was a note and kept her eyes locked onto Charden. Her partner was staring at his reforming hand and stifling a few painful moans, but seemed too preoccupied to notice the secret message that had been passed to her.

While Charden was staring at his hand, Echidna slipped the note into her pocket, deciding reading it in front of him was too risky. She glanced at Jax as well and was relieved to see the boy was also staring at his mentor's hand with an aberrant look in his eyes, as if he were watching the birth of a child.

Which considering how enthralled he is with everything Charden does might not be too far off from the truth.

Echidna stepped away from the bed and towards the large window across the room, her hand still in her pocket and wrapped tightly around the note as she spoke.

Guess now is a better time than any to get this conversation over with...

"Did you even bother to ask Doctor what Nanomachines he was putting inside you before he did it?"

Charden lifted his head and curiously eyed the woman's back. "Jax. Leave."

Jax gave his mentor a pleading look. "What? Why? I thought you said I was ready to join meetings now!"

Charden looked away from Echidna to give the boy a stern look. "The conversation Echidna and I are about to have is not a meeting. It is a discussion between partners."

Echidna clutched her chest at his words.

Why did that statement hurt so much? We are partner's after all…

Jax clenched both of his fists, his body sparking for a few seconds before he bit his lip, turned on his heel, and stormed towards the door. The teen opened it rapidly then shut it forcibly behind himself, the wooden frame rattling slightly from the brunt behind his gesture.

Charden waited a few seconds as he listened to make sure the boy had stepped away, then addressed his lover and partner. "Are you going to tell me what is going on with Kanzaki now?"

Echidna tightened both of her fists, crumbling both the paper and her shirt as she glared out the window. "Are you going to tell me what you were thinking when you let him put those… things inside you?"

Charden sighed and rubbed his forehead with his ordinary hand. "I already told you, I wanted to grow my arm back." He held his arm up in the air that separated them, twitching in pain as he watched his fingers slowly reform. "It worked, didn't it?"

Echidna turned around quickly, the shadow that cast over her from the sun behind her shadowing the elegant features of her face, making her expression come off far darker than she intended. "We both know that isn't the whole truth. The real reason you let him do it is because you saw how strong the Nanomachines made the Black Cat, and you wanted a taste of that power."

Charden stared at his partner, the silence passing between them speaking volumes neither of them could voice. After several seconds of that tumultuously tense taciturn, Charden spoke in an unyielding, firm tone.

"Yes."

Echidna wasn't sure how she managed to stay on her feet from the arduous avoirdupois that had been gauchely dropped on her. That one word of affirmation made her feel as though she had been chained at the bottom of the ocean by the one person she trusted more than anyone else in the world. Even though she knew what she said was true, she didn't expect Charden to confirm it so frankly. While she wanted to be grateful for his truthfulness, she knew it was too little too late.

"...How long have you been thinking about doing this?"

Charden sighed and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Not as long as you might think."

"So, it was an impulsive decision?" Echidna asked almost hopefully, praying that maybe she somehow misunderstood his earlier confirmation of her worst fears. "You agreed to it in the heat of the moment because Doctor was pressuring you again?"

Charden shook his head. "No. I made the decision before that moment, but not long before. I…" He paused, then lifted his eyes to meet Echidna's. "...I did it after I saw how badly you were injured during that fight at the docks. I did it so I could protect you."

Echidna's heart desperately wanted to believe his words, but she knew they were only half true and couldn't help the venmousous word that left her mouth. "Liar."

Charden blinked at her, straightening up a little as he spoke. "What?"

Echidna took one step forward, her nefarious shadow following her as she spoke. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she had the upper hand on the man, and she wasn't about to let it go. "Mere seconds ago, you flagrantly admitted you did it to gain power. Don't suddenly try to use me as an excuse for your careless decision."

Don't hurt me like that…

Charden could see the rancor in her eyes, heard the toxin in her voice and frowned. However, the meager bit left of his humanity found the courage to break through his abhorrent mien and felt pity for the woman he loved.

I did do it to protect her… But she's right, that's not the only reason… and it wasn't the primary reason either.

He stared at her for a moment longer and slowly felt the familiar irascible squall that had been taking over all his thoughts and words recently surge deep within him, rising to the surface and erasing any feelings of sympathy he had for his partner.

It seemed that there wasn't enough of his old self left to hold onto his pity for very long, nor was there enough benevolence remaining in his heart to show her any form of kindness. Instead of taking the captivating woman in his arms and whispering words of worship and revere like his former heart desired, he felt his blood boil and made sure his ire was reflecting in his indomitable eyes.

"Well then… have it your way, Darling… If you really want the unbridled truth, I'll give it to you."

Charden stood up and lessened the distance between them, ignoring the obstinate look Echidna was giving him as he moved closer. Once he was a few inches from her, he reached out his organic hand to gently cup her cheek.

As nostalgic and loving as his touches were, his words knowingly neglected to acknowledge the warmth and devotion they supposedly still held for one another, and Echidna flinched at the incommodious way his hand felt on her face. What made the scene more disturbing was the smile that formed on Charden's face at her obvious malaise. As if it was his goal to make her as uncomfortable as possible in order to drive his point home.

Charden kept that odious smile on his face as his thumb gently caressed her cheek. "I knew we weren't going to be able to control Heartnet for long and after seeing how utterly useless and incompetent you along with the rest of the Apostles were, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. In order for us to win despite your glaring deficiencies, painfully jarring shortcomings and frailty, I had to manipulate my body in a way that would assure us our victory."

He managed to widen and worsen his wickedly sweet smile, finding sick pleasure out of the kinesthetic shivers that were sent down his lover's spine. "It's your fault, really. If you and the others hadn't proven to be such defective human's and inadequate Taoists, I never would have had to resort to such measures. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have turned myself into something that is barely recognizable as human anymore."

Charden saw the pained look in her eyes and felt the wave of sympathy and love he had stifled earlier briefly return. He quickly let go of the woman's face and stepped away from her, making sure his back was facing Echidna so she would not see the quick moment of what he now believed was weakness surfacing on his face.

"Actually, I should probably be thanking you and the others. If it wasn't for all of your ineptitude, I never would have taken the final leap. Yes, Doctor had been trying to persuade me to inject myself with the bots for quite some time now, but it wasn't until I saw how impuissant our allies were that I realized I had no other choice..."

He looked down at his Nanomachine hand and smirked, forgetting about the woman behind him as he spoke. "I had to accept the Nanomachines into my body in order to win. In order to destroy Chronos' reign over the world once and for all, I had to push the limits of my body. I had to alter my DNA and become something more than human. Something better than human."

He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain that surged through him when the slowly forming fingers of his nano hand curled against his palm. "Whether they were our enemies or our leaders, neither Train nor Creed were going to be the key to winning the war. I saw that when I agreed to let Kanzaki inject me, and I see it as clear as I see the nose on your superficially beautiful face right now…"

He turned around to face the woman again, wrapping his arms behind his back as he smiled at her. "I was the best chance we had at winning this war before we captured the Black Cat, and I'm the best chance we have now. That is why I allowed Kanzaki to inject me with the Nanomachines. To make myself as formidable and unstoppable as we made Heartnet. That's why we need to find Doctor again. So he can give me more and make me even more unstoppable."

Echidna stared at the person she called her partner and lover, desperately searching for any remains of the man she adored. However, the longer she looked at him, the more she scrutinized and inspected his eyes for any signs of even a fragment of his old self, the more she realized the man she loved was gone, and in that moment, she felt her heart shatter.

He's… gone. He's no longer slipping away from me, he's gone. He has completely left my side mentally, physically... and emotionally.

As she stared at the man who once called himself her lover, Echidna felt trickles of coldness begin to indecorously slither throughout her body, seeping deep into her skin and penetrating her flesh to take control of her nerves. Once the bleak, icy sensation infiltrated her being, her heart palpitated and stopped momentarily, the chilly realization that Charden was gone encasing her heart in a frozen tomb of despair.

I… lost him…

Echidna vaguely felt her arm fall to her side, the excruciating numbness that took over every sensation in her body made it nearly impossible for her to feel anything other than the unrelenting and unforgiving frigid tempest that enveloped her animated corpse.

Her heart emptied itself of every vivacious sensation she'd ever experienced, her soul depleting itself entirely of each feeling of verve she'd ever had, and her mind purging itself of every jubilant or even contented thought that had ever possessed it. Instead of thinking emphatically sanguine hopes of her future with the love of her life, each and every one of her serene, rose-colored thoughts of the man turned into a turbulent twister of an opaque, painful future with someone she now saw as nothing more than a stranger.

I lost him to the Nanomachines… I lost him to the Apostles… I lost him to this war…

Still, there was a small glimmer of hope left deep in the confines of her heart that required the answer to a question. However, the inquiry required her to use the last bit of strength, and she was pretty sure she knew what the answer was going to be. "So… You don't regret it?"

Charden's eyes had not changed the entire time Echidna had been standing at him motionless and mute, and her question did not change his demeanor in the slightest. "No. In fact, as I stated earlier, one of the reasons we need to bring Doctor back is so he can not only make sure they are properly attached to my system, but to inject me with more."

Echidna numbly nodded, not feeling the gesture in the slightest. It was merely an instinctive reaction to confirm she had heard the words that left her partner's mouth. "I see…"

Charden's smile transformed from an atrociously egocentric one to an almost imperceptibly warm one as he approached his partner once more, taking a gentle hold of her chin and directing her eyes at his own.

He was unaware Echidna didn't feel the warmth of his hand, nor the slight motion he was forcing her head to take. "Take them with me, Darling."

Echidna blinked at the man, not feeling the motion of her eyelid closing and shutting quickly, nor did she feel her lips moving when she spoke. "What?"

Charden smiled at her, then kissed her forehead lightly. "Take them with me. When Doctor returns, have him insert you with the Nanomachines as well. They have expanded my life significantly, and I do not want to live a moment longer than you. If you take them as well, we'll be able to live and rule this world together for as long as we see fit."

Echidna was sure if she was able to feel anything other than the icy pain shooting throughout her body, she would have reacted more poorly to his request than she actually did. "...Exactly what kind of world do you want to create?"

I once thought I knew what he wanted… but now I'm not so sure anymore…

Charden's warm smile turned into a smirk as he released her chin, stepped behind her and stared out the window. "The same thing I've wanted from the beginning: A society free to make their own choices. We've already shined a light in the public's eyes about Chronos' existence, but I want them to know exactly what their reach has been and will become if they continue to prevail."

He put his slowly reforming hand on the window, the mild coolness of the glass soothing his aches and pains. "I want the world to be liberated of Chronos' control so we can become the society we were meant to be."

Echidna didn't know why she said it, but she was sure it had something to do with the fact that she was still unable to feel anything. "That doesn't sound like what our original goal was. That sounds like chaos."

Charden shrugged his shoulders, not hearing the chasm in her voice. He had reached a point of callousness that made him unable to sincerely discern any emotions from any human being. All he could think about was winning the war against Chronos and the future that came with the victory.

"The chaos that will ensue is an unavoidable reality we need to endure in order to reach true peace, and it will be deemed irrelevant once humanity has settled into the new world. I understand there will be growing pains, but just as anything else worthwhile, we will weather those pains and those individuals who come out the other end will be stronger for it and will be more than worthy of walking the Earth with us."

Echidna blinked a few at Charden, her vision beginning to blur from the tears forming in them as she tried to make out the alien of a man that stood before her.

No… This isn't what I signed up for… This isn't what any of us signed up for.

She stopped her thoughts and blinked away a few more tears.

...Is it? I joined the Apostles to remove Chronos from society, shouldn't I have known what the outcome would be?

Echidna thought back to her initial reason for becoming a member of the Apostles and realized they were far more perfunctory and shallow than she formerly believed. She joined because of Creed. Because of his charisma and magnetic personality. She didn't join because she believed in the eradication of Chronos and the slaughter of its numbers; she joined because she foolishly fell in love with a man at first sight and wanted nothing more than to win his heart.

Foolish doesn't even begin to describe how naive and idiotic I was… I joined for all the wrong reasons, and now I'm feeling the contemptuous retribution of the moronic decision I made because of a different man all those years ago.

Staring numbly at the space that separated her and her current love, Echidna whimpered quietly when she finally saw the severed strings of fate that attached her soul to Charden's.

He's right… it is my fault. I should have known what Creed was presenting me all those years ago. I should have seen what the end result was going to be.

She lowered her head to the ground as she finished her desolate thoughts.

...Ironically, if I never agreed to join Creed in the first place, I never would have met Charden and felt this unfathomable love… and I never would have had my heart broken all over again… except this time, I don't think there's any glue strong enough to put it back together.

"So… It's survival of the fittest then?"

Charden smirked as he stared at the birds flying by the window, thinking of how wonderful it would be to be as free as they were one day. "Yes. This war will weed out those who deserve to grace this beautiful planet and those who do not."

Echidna didn't know why she did it, but she nodded again. "I understand…"

"So, will you take them with me?"

Echidna jumped a little as the man turned around to look at her. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, wiping away the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand as she spoke. "Take what?"

Charden smiled at her, stepping closer so he could reach out and wipe away her tears himself. "The Nanomachines. Will you take them with me when Kanzaki returns?"

Echidna didn't know how it was possible, but her heart broke all over again as Charden tenderly brushed away her tears.

It's almost as if he's only doing it because it's a reflective reaction. He doesn't seem to care at all that I'm even crying let alone why.

Since she really didn't want to answer that question, Echidna decided to deflect by asking one of her own. "What makes you so certain he's going to return?"

Charden rolled his eyes and stepped away from the woman. "I'm sure you already know the answer to that question. He has nowhere else to go and all his precious experiments are here."

Echidna nodded again, her head moving on its own since she was no longer able to feel it anymore. "I see…"

Knowing full well he was going to ask her that same question again, she finally decided to answer the question he had been asking. "Doctor is in a small town in the middle of nowhere. It seems as though Aja took him there out of impulse after he ran away."

Charden blinked, then turned around to stare at Echidna's back. "He ran away?"

Echidna sighed and shrugged her shoulders, not sure if she had actually completed the gesture since she couldn't feel it. "Of sorts. To be honest, I don't really know much other than where he's located and that he has a plan to lure Creed and the Black Cat out by themselves to take them down before the war officially starts."

Charden blinked again, then frowned. "He didn't give you details on anything else?"

Echidna shook her head. "No. The only thing he's been specific about was how to care for you while you. Other than that, every one of his messages has been asininely cryptic."

Charden nodded his head slowly, then moved to stand behind the woman, wrapping his arms around her waist and gingerly kissing her neck. "And once again, I'd like to thank you for all you did while I was recovering…"

Echidna winced slightly when he kissed her again, not liking the fact that a stranger was putting his hands on her. Then again, she was too weak and detached from the entire situation to truly care what was happening.

It's not like I can even feel his lips or his arms anyway…

"Anything for you, my love…" Echidna said out of habit.

Still, she knew her feelings for the man were true. It was impossible to squash a love as powerful as the one she had for Charden, so while she may not have known the individual meaning each of her words held, she knew deep in her heart that she still meant them.

My love for him can never die… but I guess my spirit can. All I can do now is stay by his side until the end… no matter what that end may be.

Charden let go and stepped away from the woman, looking back out the window as he spoke. "So, you know the town he's in, but you don't know what his plan is?"

Echidna shook her head again. "No. He mentioned something about a woman, but that's it. I have no idea who she is, but I can only assume he plans on using her as some sort of bait for the Black Cat and Creed."

Charden frowned in thought. "I understand Train has always had a soft spot for women and children and the both of them have strayed quite far from their murderous personalities, but I don't see how a random civilian would be enough to lure the two of them out by themselves."

Echidna sighed and fell onto a nearby armchair. "Why are we even entertaining his plans anymore? Hasn't he proven time and time again planning isn't his forte?"

Charden looked down at his Nanomachine hand. "Your words have never been truer, my love. But, I believe he's using this plan as a way to win my favor back after running off on his own and most likely costing us our most valuable weapon which means we need to at least hear him out."

Echidna was, once again, pretty sure she knew the answer to her question, but asked it anyway since she didn't know what else to contribute to what she believed to be a pointless conversation. As much as he said he valued her opinion, Charden never really listened to anything she had to say.

"Why do we need to hear him out?"

Charden sighed in frustration, but did not look away from the window. "Because we need him… and he knows it."

Echidna nodded again. "Understood…"

Before onerous silence reigned supreme again, Echidna felt her hairs stand on end and noticed a few blue sparks appearing on the other side of the room. She knew immediately what those sparks meant, but did not make a move towards the soon-to-be occupied space.

Charden smirked as he stared at the sparks through the reflection in the window. "Someone's ears must have been burning…"

As soon as Aja appeared, Charden turned around and smiled at the beast. "Good to see you again, Aja. I take it you have a message from your master?"

Aja purred in response, galloping over to the man and enthusiastically rubbing against his body, nearly knocking the Blood Taoist over. Charden allowed the panther to press his body against the window, patting her monstrous head awkwardly as he smirked at the creature.

"I never expected you to show such affections to anyone other than that man." Hearing her purr, Charden chuckled. "Guess I can kind of see why Doctor is so attached to you."

Echidna rolled her eyes and slumped in her chair.

Great, now he's starting to see eye-to-eye with Kanzaki? He truly is lost…

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Charden removed a note that was tied around Aja's massive neck with little interest. To her, it didn't matter what it said, since nothing mattered anymore.

Everything I ever held dear is gone and any future I thought I might have had has vanished… Gone with just a few words from the man who is supposed to love me.

As she sat in the chair, she realized her hand was still in her pocket. That was when she remembered the note Allie slipped her and decided now was the best time to read it. It wasn't like she cared anymore whether or not Charden noticed her reading it.

He's not paying attention to me anyway. Doctor must have written a lot this time around.

Echidna fumbled with the small piece of a paper for a second, her fingers unable to feel the object in her hand, making it difficult to open. Once she finally had it open, she widened her eyes at the words on the page and felt a bit of hope resurface. There wasn't much written, but it enough to oxidize the flame in her heart.

"If one person can add Nanomachines to another person's body, then it is plausible they can take it away as well. Do you think that's something the Black Cat would be willing to do?"

Echidna quickly crumpled the paper up when she heard Charden make a sudden noise since she wasn't sure if it meant he had noticed she was reading a secret message. She looked over her shoulder quickly at the man and saw his noise was directed at Aja who was begging him for pets. The actress sighed in relief, then opened the letter again, reading the words over and over again.

...Heartnet just might be willing to do something like that if it meant that would end the war. Chances are neither he nor Creed would want to kill Charden, so removing the Nanomachines might just be enough to satiate their ludicrous vow to never kill again and appease Chronos.

She knew without a shadow of a doubt Sephiria intended to killing every single member of the Apostles, but she also knew Number One didn't like killing necessarily and had a soft spot for both Creed and Train. If they were able to strip Charden of his power and take away any threat he posed to Chronos, Sephiria might just find it in her to let the Blood Taoist go.

It's a long shot, but… what more do I have to lose?

Echidna wanted to hold on to any shred of hope she could and as far fetched as her idea sounded, it was all she had left and it was slowly returning the feeling to the rest of her body.

She glanced at Charden again, her heart beating fast as she thought about what his reaction might be if she got their enemies to fillet him of his powers.

He may never forgive me and it may put even more distance between our physical bodies, but… at least I'd be restoring even a small bit of his humanity.

There was also a part of her that hoped taking his powers away would return him to the man he once was. There was a small flicker of optimism left in her that truly believed if she took everything away from him, he'd see how far overboard he had gone and return to her.

It may be just another credulous thought by a foolish woman who's chosen to love the wrong man again, but I'll take that chance if it means he can truly be by my side again.

"Seems as though Kanzaki is concerned about my well being. I'd call it sweet if I knew there weren't crepuscular reasons behind his worry."

Echidna shoved the note back in her pocket before her lover could see it. "What did he say?"

Charden neatly folded the letter he was holding and delicately placed it in his shirt pocket. "He says he's almost ready to implement his plan, he just wants to know whether or not I'm awake."

Echidna nodded, able to feel the motion of her head now. "Do you want to tell him?"

Charden stepped to a nightstand he knew had a pad and paper in it. "I want to tell him that and more. It's high time we reunited with our beloved mad scientist."

Echidna watched as he wrote a quick note, then stepped back over to the beast and tied it back around her neck. Charden stepped away from the creature before she could show him affection again, and snapped his fingers in the air. He wasn't sure if it would work or not, but he saw Doctor do it a few times and decided it was worth a shot.

With another bright flash and loud rumble, the beast was gone again, leaving nothing behind other than an electrical static.

Charden stepped back over to the window, smiling triumphantly as he thought about their enemies. "If we can get rid of two of our biggest threats before the war even starts, it will be to our benefit. Creed and Train are a huge threat to our goal. Especially in regards to the Black Cat. He's nearly invincible at this point… And we only have ourselves to blame for that."

Echidna stared at her partner's back for a moment before speaking. "What do you think they're doing right now?"

Charden smirked and watched another bird fly by. "Probably preparing for the final battle… Much like we are."

---

"Oh Creed…" Train moaned as he gripped the bed with one hand, his fiance's hand with the other. He squeezed his eyes tight and released a quiet cry as the heat between his legs grew. "Faster, Creed..."

Creed panted as he tightened the arm he had wrapped around his lover's waist, holding Train still as he thrust in and out of him over and over again. The swordsman was leaning over his lover, kneeling on the mattress, legs placed on either side of Train's hips as he pressed the side of his face against his beloved's. He made sure to hold Train's body close to his own, the Black Cat's back pressed flush against his chest and stomach as he moved his shaft in and out of his beloved's entrance.

He turned his head slightly so he could see Train's face contorted with pleasure, pressing his lips against his love's cheek as he nodded. "Yes, my love…"

Train cried out again, a little louder that time as Creed brushed against his sweet spot over and over. He tightened his fingers around sheets of the bed and pulled his partner's hand closer to his mouth. The gunman let out another shout as Creed moved his hips faster and faster, still just simply brushing against his prostate, as if he was merely teasing Train of what was to come.

Train's body was moving back and forth with Creed's as he bit down on his lover's fingers, eliciting a licentious moan from the silverette. The sound his fiance discharged encouraged Train to suck on his partner's fingers hungrily, swirling his tongue vigorously around Creed's digits as he cried out with each thrust the man on top of him made.

"Creeeed…." Train moaned again, kissing every single one of Creed's fingers as the swordsman moved his hips even faster, thrusting harder into the cat, making him howl in satisfaction. "Creed… Oh, God, Creed… I love you…"

Creed felt his sweat drizzling down his forehead and splashing onto the pillow beneath them, the precipitation on his chest mixing and mingling eagerly with the salty liquid exuding from Train's immaculate body. When Train nibbled at his fingers and twirled his tongue around them again, Creed nibbled at his Kitten's ear and squeezed the arm wrapped around his cat's waist even tighter.

"Oh, Train…" Creed's breathless voice entered Train's ear as a fervent whisper, his cock never stopping the work it was doing against his love's pleasurable spot. "I love you, Train… I love you more than you could ever know… I love you, my sweet, precious Kitten…"

Train threw his head back when Creed hit his prostate dead on, his Nanomachines activating as his Cat Claws pierced the mattress. The lovers were fortunate enough that the hand holding Creed's did not pruncture his skin at all, but even if it did, neither of them would have noticed. They were concentrating too hard on the heat boiling furiously between their legs to notice, too fixated on how it felt to be one with each other to care about anything else.

"Creed…!" Train shouted again, his body slick with sweat as the fire in his groin grew to an esoteric level, his eyes watering from the intense pleasure the man on top of him was giving him. "Creed! Oh, Creed! I love you... ! I love you, Creed!"

With each declaration of love Train passionately howled at him, Creed gripped his fiance's waist harder, pushed his golden love closer to his body, and moved his hips faster. The all too recognizable heat in his body was growing to the point of no return, but he made sure to hold on a bit longer so he could continue to enjoy the way it felt to be inside Train.

"Train…!" Creed cried out as he bit down on his cat's shoulder momentarily, then kissed his neck, then his ear, then his jaw before pressing his lips against Train's cheek. "Oh, God, my dearest, delicious Kitten… You are my love, my life, my world, my air and water…"

Creed moved his hips even faster, making sure to keep the rest of his cat's body still, which was becoming more difficult to do with how sleek both of their bodies were. "You are my heart, my soul, the motivation behind all of my smiles… The reason behind every one of my convivial, concupiscent, and congenial feelings…"

When Train cried out again, Creed knew he wasn't going to be able to last much longer. The calefaction building in his shaft was evolving to an inexplicable level, and his cock was begging for release. "You are my everything, Train Heartnet… You are the fiery passion I need to keep going… You are my strength, my muse, my rhythm and blues…"

Train cried out louder and louder with each one of Creed's thrusts, but somehow managed to chuckle at his lover's words. "What's wrong? Can't sing that last part right now?"

Creed smirked, then bit down on Train's neck and sucked zealously before pulling away and pressing his face against his finance's cheek. "We have the rest of our lives for me to sing to you, remember, my love?"

Train smiled behind his grunts and pants as his lover pressed their rings together, his body being consumed by a velvety inferno as Creed's cock crashed heavily against the sweet spot residing within him. "Together forever, Creed…"

Creed cried out as Train's ass tightened, gripping his fingers around his beloved's as he moved his hips faster and faster, shutting his eyes as he concentrated on the heat building in his groin. As he thrust into his future husband as fast as he could, Creed made sure the rings of their fingers met, leaning forward to kiss their matching jewelry before resting his head back against Train's. He thrust faster and harder into his lover, able to tell from the noises Train was making his love wasn't going to last much longer either.

Creed kissed Train's neck, moaning loudly when he felt Train tighten himself up even more. "Always, my sweet Kitten… Always…"

They could no longer form words as a carnal heat took over all their senses, making anything they tried to say come out as animalistic grunts and groans. Creed moved his hips faster and faster, working against the tightness his beloved's ass was providing him, making the silverette have to work extra hard to make sure his motions were smooth and accurate. With each thrust he made into his cat, Train's body lurched forward, the bed beneath them rocking back and forth violently as the forcefulness of Creed's motions swayed the furniture.

As Creed thrust in and out of Train over and over, neither of the men could think about anything other than the other. They were completely engulfed with one another, unable and unwilling to fathom anything outside of way the other man's body felt. They were obsessed with the heat emitting from one another, a heat that took their hearts prisoner, and neither of the men ever wanted to escape from its fierce embrace.

As Creed increased the speed and power of his thrusts, Train cried out again and arched his back slightly, his body contracting even more as the silver man's cock hit his prostate over and over again. With each thrust Creed made, neither of the men could feel anything except the combustible heat that was devouring their souls, their hearts beating as one as their bodies melted into one another. In that moment, Creed and Train ceased to exist as individuals, and became one seraphic entity that was enveloped by a tempestuous fire of searing sizzling fervor.

Creed moved faster and faster, holding Train's body as close to his own as he could, making sure his cock never stopped evoking the pleasurably lewd grunts, mewls, and howls from the golden man. Using the hand that was around Train's waist, Creed lowered his arm slightly and began jerking his beloved off, making the Black Cat throw his head back and scream.

"OH, CREED!" Train cried out as he felt his body convulse violently, knowing what was going to come soon.

Creed knew that sound as well, and matched his thrusts and hand motions together, jerking his Kitten off with the same intensity he was fucking him with and released his own howl as he squeezed Train's hand tighter. "T-TRAIN! OH, TRAIN! TRAAAIIIN!"

Hearing his lover's voice scream his name with such concupiscence made it impossible for Train to hold in his fire any longer. His claws dug into the bed even deeper as his entire body twitched and writhed underneath Creed. His ass tightened up powerfully as the swordsman's hand and cock continued working beautiful wonders against his body.

"A-AAHH!" Train shouted as he felt himself beginning to climax, the heat in his body rapidly growing, before releasing suddenly. "A-AAHHH, CREEEEED!"

Creed screamed when Train's body tensed violently, then felt the familiar sensation of his love's hot liquid caking his hand. The swordsman screamed into Train's hair, squeezing the rest of his beloved's essence out of his shaft as his own cock emptied itself inside his lover.

"AAAH! TRAAAIIIN!"

With a few more thrusts, Creed felt the fire in between his legs vacate his body, entering into his beloved Kitten's entrance as he let out one last pleasurable cry. Once he was finally purged of his seed, Creed collapsed on top of his beloved's heaving, languid, sweat covered body, leaving himself inside of Train while he caught his breath.

Creed took a few more breaths, nuzzling his face against Train's neck, giving him a small kiss as he spoke. "How many times does that make for this weekend?"

Train took several more breaths and smacked his dry lips together before he spoke. "Was I supposed to be keeping track? Isn't something as meticulous as that more your style?"

Creed smiled and kissed his beloved's neck over and over again. "Yes. I just wanted to see if you might have been keeping track as well."

Train laughed and purred quietly at the way his lover's warm breath washed down his neck, relaxing fully into the mattress when he felt Creed's creamy lips continue to give him goosebumps even after climaxing as many times as he had that weekend. "If I kept track of the amount of times we had sex, I'd go crazy. I don't know if you've noticed, but we've always had a hard time keeping our hands to ourselves."

Creed snickered and continued kissing his beloved, basking in the small, sleek bumps that covered his cat's impeccable skin. "If you want me to learn how to keep my hands to myself, then you need to stop making my mouth water and my heart stop every time I see you."

Train smirked. "Same goes for you. And where in my previous statement did I say I wanted you to keep your hands to yourself? I'm pretty sure I only implied it's impossible to keep track of how many times we've slept together."

Creed gigged and nuzzled his face into the back of Train's sleek neck. "I didn't ask you how many times we've made love throughout our relationship. Just this weekend."

Train chuckled and released a blissful sigh at the way his partner's lips brushed lightly against his skin, his hair standing on end at the feeling. "Still impossible. You know I suck at math."

Creed rolled his eyes and used the hand that wasn't holding Train's to gently run through his Kitten's hair. "You're not bad at math. You're quite good at it. You're just too lazy to waste your time on simple equations."

Train made an offended noise. "How dare you?! And what makes you think I'm good at it?"

Creed chuckled. "Because you're able to judge exactly where you need to aim a bullet in order to make it hit a target. Doing that requires a strong grasp on geometry, which is math."

Train smiled wistfully at his partner's words. "I stole that trick from Saya…"

Creed smiled warmly into his beloved's neck and gave him another kiss. "I know… Doesn't change the requirements needed to turn those shots in successes."

Train nodded and shut his eyes, relaxing his face into the pillow. "I still take offense to your comment about me being lazy. I work hard, ya know!"

Creed sighed and bit Train's shoulder. "You know there's at least some truth behind my words."

Train moped. "Whatever… Even if I am good at geometry, it doesn't make me capable of answering your question."

Creed giggled and kissed his love's shoulder. "The answer is five. Well, five if you count this one."

Train rolled his eyes and lazily turned his head so his cheek was resting against the pillow so he could see Creed's face. "Is there a certain reason you wouldn't count this one?"

Creed smiled and shook his head, then moved his face closer to Train's so he could give him a kiss on the lips. "No. I guess the last sentence of my previous statement was sort of pointless."

Train smiled and pressed his forehead against Creed's. "Nothing you ever say is pointless."

Creed rolled his eyes at Train's cheesy comment, but felt his heart flutter despite his gesture. "And you say I'm corny."

Train smirked. "You are. But, that doesn't mean I can't be corny as well."

Creed let out a peaceful sigh, returning the kiss Train gave him. "You can be anything you want to be, Train. You can turn into a real cat and I wouldn't care as long as you stayed with me."

Train couldn't help the snort that left his nose. "Seriously? You are aware that if I turned into a real cat moments like this weekend would never happen again, right?"

Creed pouted at his love's statement. Even though he knew Train's words were true, he still didn't like them. "I was just being facetious. Don't you dare threaten to take your body away from me. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive you if you did that."

Creed kissed every bit of Train's face he could reach from the position they were laying in as he spoke. "You could rip my heart out with your bare hands and slice it to itty bitty pieces with your Cat Claws then spit in my face and I'd forgive you. As long as you continue to live and stay by my side, I'll forgive you for any and all of your transgressions. But, if you ever told me I could never make love to you like that again, I think I would actually die."

Train chomped his teeth in the direction of Creed's face. "I didn't invite Drama Creed on this weekend getaway."

Creed giggled and allowed Train to lightly bite his bottom lip. "That may be true, but you didn't set up this weekend. I did. Which means I can bring whoever I want."

Train growled playfully at his lover. "Why would you invite another man on our couple's getaway weekend?"

Creed giggled and kissed Train's nose. "Considering that other man is just an alter ego you've decided I have, I don't think it can be classified truly as another man."

Train smiled lewdy as Creed pulled away. "Ya know… I think I kind of like the idea of having two Creed's in bed with me…"

Creed felt his body get warm all over again at his Kitten's implication, then returned Train's luscious look. "As appealing as that sounds, I wouldn't share you even with myself. Besides, I'd much rather have two Trains than two of me."

Train snickered and lightly nipped Creed's nose. "Are you really that egotistical that you think you can please two of me? Your hands are usually very preoccupied with various parts of my body. Not to mention your lips and… other appendages."

Creed giggled and gave his lover a confident nod. "Yes, I can absolutely do that. Just point me in the direction of the nearest cloning machine and I'll prove it to you."

Train sighed in elation when Creed pressed their lips together, moaning as the silverette deepened the kiss, relishing the way his partner tasted even though he had just savored the man for hours that morning. To Train, it didn't matter how many times he sampled the delectable flavor of Creed, he would forever be ensorcelled by the rich, succulent zest of his soon-to-be husband.

When they parted, Train breathed in Creed as he spoke. "I have absolutely no idea why you think I of all people would know where to find a cloning machine."

Creed giggled. "True. I'm sure with a few years working at it, I'll be able to figure it out. Then when I have two of you, I can finally get the true Black Cat experience."

Train moaned a little when Creed pressed his lower body against his rear. Even though Creed wasn't hard anymore, the slight pressure of his soft member was enough to excite the gunman. "You don't need two of me to get the full Black Cat experience."

Creed moaned longingly. "Then prove it to me. I keep telling you I'm ready when you are."

Train sighed when Creed kissed his forehead. "I've been trying! But, every time I get started you get too worked up and end up taking control. How do you expect me to do it when you won't let me?"

Creed giggled and kissed his love again and again. "You need to just regain that control, Train. You know I want you to, so just do it. In fact, the idea of you pinning me down to the bed and forcing yourself onto me is oddly… enticing."

Train rolled his eyes. "You would be enticed by something that sounds like assault."

Creed giggled and nuzzled his nose against his fiance's. "Only if it's coming from you, Kitten. And if it was coming from you, it wouldn't be assault. You could never assault me because anything you do to me I would enjoy."

Train chuckled. "Even that bit about me ripping your heart out and slicing it with my claws?"

Creed nodded and kissed Train's lips. "Yes. I would take even your hatred with open arms and a full heart. Anything thought or emotion you have blessed me with in the past, or will ever grace me with in the future is like a gospel from the Heavens to me. As long as you feel something for me, even if it's complete and utter loathing, I will be happy as long as I can be by your side."

Train felt himself shiver in delight from his lover's words, then frowned at the subconscious implication Creed made. "Can we… not talk about past feelings I might have had for you? This moment is too perfect to talk about such negative thoughts."

Creed smiled warmly at his beloved. "Of course, my Dearest. Anything for you."

Train gave his fiance a cheeky smile. "Then, do you mind getting off me? As much as I enjoy feeling you pressed against me, I think there's a better way to experience that than with you laying on top of me."

Creed giggled and rolled off Train, laying next to his beloved with his body face down on the mattress. He kissed his Kitten's shoulder and rested one arm on Train's back, the other that had his engagement ring on it still holding onto his Kitten's jewelry clad hand. He kept one leg wrapped around Train's and nuzzled their faces as close as he could.

He slowly began to tickle Train's back with the tips of his fingers as he spoke. "Sorry I'm too heavy for you. That is yet another reason why you should be the one to take me next time."

Train rolled his eyes, yet again, and sighed. "So impatience… Can you at least keep your lubido in check until I've recovered from our little weekend marathon? You're the one that's been keeping count, so you should know even after how many times we've had sex over the years, I'd still be sore after doing it five times in two and a half days."

Creed giggled and snuggled closer to his love's body. "But if you're the one making love to me, I won't be doing all the work which means certain parts of your body will be getting a break."

Train groaned and pressed his face into the pillow. "Are you calling me lazy again because you've been the top for so long?"

Even though he knew his Kitten couldn't see it, Creed gave his love the sweet smile he knew Train adored. "You can always prove me wrong by taking me next time…"

Train turned his head harshly and gave his partner a sour look. "Be patient! It'll happen in due time. And it'll be organic instead of forced."

Creed smirked and gently nibbled on his love's shoulder. "I already made it clear how much I'd enjoy you forcing yourself onto me."

Train sighed again, then attempted to lift his hand to flick his partner's forehead like he always did whenever Creed was getting on his nerves. However, when he tried to remove his hand from the bed, he realized he could not accomplish the menial task. He hadn't moved his hands from their position on the bed or untangled with Creed's fingers, so he didn't notice his Cat Claw had been activated the entire time.

Train looked over at his hand and frowned in frustration. "Oh great, it happened again…"

Creed lifted his head slightly so he could see what his fiance was talking about, then giggled as he watched his beloved struggle to pull his claws out of the mattress without ruining the bedding more than he already had. The silverette then scanned the rest of the bed, smirking triumphantly as he noted all the other holes his lover made. "You're gonna cost me a pretty penny, Train."

Train stopped what he was doing momentarily so he could examine the bed as well and winced when he noticed how many puncture wounds he inflicted. "Sorry… First the mini golf course, now this."

Creed giggled again and kissed his love's forehead. "Don't apologize, my love. Remember what I said about cash?"

Train smirked as he remained still so Creed could keep kissing him. "Yeah, something about being flushed with it?"

Creed nodded, but continued kissing his partner's forehead. "That's correct. Besides that, the young man behind the counter has been giving me the eyes all weekend. I'm sure I can sweet talk our way out of this just like the mini golf course."

Train rolled his eyes and brought his attention back to his hand that was still embedded in the mattress. "Don't go breaking too many hearts, Creed. I have first hand knowledge of what it's like inadvertently winning someone over only to have them stalk you for the rest of your life."

Creed was certain he knew what the answer to his question was, but he decided to ask anyway since he found Train to be utterly adorable when he was annoyed. "Are you talking about me, Kyoko, Aliane, or Lin? You have such a long list of broken hearts that I'm starting to lose track."

Train growled as he finally ripped his fingers free. "I'm pretty sure we both know that you know I'm talking about you. None of those people stalked me the way you used to… and I'm also positive still are."

Creed smirked as he watched Train roll to his side and stare at his hand. "First of all, I think Lin has done a fine job stalking you to the best of his ability. It's not my fault he lacks the skills I do. And second, how can I possibly continue stalking you when you make the conscious decision to be around me every second of the day? I'm certain you would pine and die for me if I was gone for more than a few hours. Admit it, you're just as pathetically love sick as I am at this point."

Train glanced at his partner, then back down at his fingers which were still in the form of claws. Smirking, and not wanting to give Creed the satisfaction of hearing his response to the last part of his statement, even though he knew it was true, Train quickly shot his hand out and sliced off the very tip of Creed's bangs.

Train laughed boisterously as Creed yelped and clutched his hair, giving the Black Cat an indecent look as he rolled away so his back was facing his lover. "Rude! I thought you liked my long hair?!"

Train snickered and scooted his body closer to Creed's, finally deactivating his Nanomachines as he affectionately rubbed his partner's shoulder. "Not when it covers that face I adore."

Creed felt his annoyance melt away instantaneously as Train kissed his neck and rubbed his shoulder with his now normal hand. He sighed blissfully at the way his beloved's lips gently caressed his porcelain skin, but tried to make his voice sound annoyed even though he was feeling nothing short of utter bliss.

"...Then I'll make sure to pull it out of my face so you can still see me without mutilating my beautiful hair." Despite his irritation at the negligible change to his hair, Creed moved his body backwards and into his beloved.

Train chuckled and nibbled on Creed's earlobe as the man moved closer to him. "Sounds like a good plan."

As he continued caressing his lover's shoulder and kissing his neck, the cat finally decided to respond to the silverette's previous statement. "I know we joke about your obsessive love for me, but…"

Train allowed his sentence to trial off as he tenderly sucked at the area just below Creed's jaw, reveling in the way his lover swooned in his arms and moaned at the feel of his lips.

Train pulled back and cupped one of Creed's cheeks, turning the silver man's head so their eyes met as he finished his statement. "...I'm pretty God damn obsessed with you, Creed Diskenth. You're like a drug I couldn't get out of my system even if I tried. I'm still not sure how you did it, but you somehow managed to weasel your way under my skin in a way that I'm positive I couldn't live without. And I'd never want to again."

Creed smiled at his beloved, then responded to his statement. "It's pretty hard not to return feelings as strong as what I had and still have for you. My love for you was, and still is utterly potent. It must have been pretty hard to resist after a while."

Train returned the man's smile and caressed his cheek with his thumb. "It was. It really was."

Creed moaned rapturously when Train pressed their lips together and took a moment to bask in the flavor and heat of his beloved. When his Kitten pulled away, Creed tightened his hold on the hand that still held Train's, thawing at the reassuring sensation of their rings lightly clanging together. It was a symphonic reminder of the promise they made to one another.

The silverette moved his body back until it was flush against Train's and sighed rapturously when he felt his beloved's bare frame and exposed member pressed firmly against his back and rear. Despite the softness of the flesh between his Kitten's legs, just feeling it pressed against him was enough to fan the fire in his heart.

"As beautiful as your words are, my Dearest Love, I'm not sure how I feel being compared to a substance that has ruined many peoples' lives. However, I understand what you're saying, and it lights my heart on fire to hear you say you're obsessed with me. After being so completely obsessed with you for so long, it soothes my aching soul to know you understand how it feels."

Train wrapped his arm around Creed's waist, resting his head on his lover's shoulder and pressing the side of their faces together. "Honestly, it can be exhausting and all consuming sometimes, but it's worth it. However, I don't know how you did it for so long! I'm sure I would have gone insane if I felt this way without any reciprocation for as many years as you did."

Creed sighed and stared at their ring adorned hands, reminding himself that Train loved him before he subconsciously slipped back into the lonely, deranged thoughts of his past. "I did go crazy for a bit… But, luckily I was able to find salvation in your love before I completely lost my mind. That, and being away from Chronos saved my life."

Train smiled and noticed Creed's eyes were locked onto their hands, and he squeezed his fiance's waist tighter. "I love you, Creed. I love you so much that sometimes I question my sanity. I love you so much that if you were dying, I would rip my heart out and give it to you if it meant you would live even for just a few more seconds.

Train kissed the silver man's neck as he continued his sentimental statement. "I love you so much that if the soul was a physical manifestation we could violently manipulate, I would split it in half to share with you. I love you so much I can't imagine the rest of my life without you, and I never want to even entertain the idea of what it would be like if you were gone. I love you so much that sometimes it hurts to not be near you, and I feel incomplete without you."

Creed felt himself quaking with ecstasy at every one of his beloved's words of reverence, each of his sentences accompanied with a tender kiss on his neck or shoulder. "Oh, Train… Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much hearing you say that means to me."

Train smiled and continued kissing his lover's shoulder. "Then I'll make sure to say it every day for the rest of our lives."

Creed purred lovingly at the sensation of Train's heated lips. "I'm so madly in love with you, Train Heartnet…"

Train smiled and kissed Creed's shoulder again. "And I'm so madly in love with you, Creed Diskenth. Now and forever. Even when I'm dead and gone, I will still love you and if there is an afterlife, I will make sure to find you so we can be together again."

Creed sighed affectionately as Train trailed his kisses up his shoulder, to his neck, finally landing on his cheek. "And what if it turns out reincarnation is true?"

Train kissed Creed's ear, then whispered into it. "Then I'm sure whatever we're reincarnated as, even if it's something as insignificant and short lived as flies, we'll find each other and spend whatever we have of our lives together again. And I hereby give your soul permission to kick my soul's ass until it finally comes to its senses and accepts you again."

Creed felt fireworks exploding under his skin as Train's lip continued kissing every part of him that he could reach. "The idea of reincarnation actually makes me sad."

Train frowned, but continued kissing Creed. "Why?"

Creed frowned and nestled himself further into Train's arms. "Because I don't like the possibility of us living a life without each other or never seeing one another again. I don't like thinking about the unfortunate, yet feasible probability that my soul may not be able to find you before it dies and inhabits another being. Or one of us dying before the other and being unable to find our other half."

He shuddered at the thought. "We could end up bouncing from body to body, forever searching for our soulmate and forever incomplete without the other. An eternity of loneliness without one another simply because of the disastrous circumstance of not knowing where our other half is."

Train felt his partner vibrating in his arms and could tell it was not from pleasurable feelings anymore. He squeezed Creed closer, brushing his lips against the man's ear as he spoke. "Then don't think of it that way. Think of it as our souls have always managed to find each other, and that's why we're living the life we're living now. We're drawn to each other like magnets, and there isn't a force strong enough in the world to keep us apart. No matter how many lifetimes we live, we will always reunite because we are simply meant to be. And there's no force in the world strong enough to separate us even for one lifetime let alone several."

Creed felt his body slowly beginning to calm down and relaxed into Train's embrace and kisses once more. He smiled and rested his head against his beloved's chest. "Careful. You're beginning to sound a lot like me."

Train kept his kisses going as he spoke. "Not surprised. Drama Creed has quite a contagious personality."

Creed giggled, then frowned as another thought occurred to him. "Do you really think Sephiria will keep her promise?"

Train continued kissing the man in his arms. "What promise?"

Creed sighed again, half in bliss at the way his Kitten's lips brushed against his skin, half in sorrow over his melancholy thoughts. "The promise about leaving us alone after the war."

Train paused for a second as he thought about Creed's words, then smiled and went back to kissing his partner's shoulder. "Yes, I do. Especially as long as we keep our promises to her."

Creed knew Train wasn't just talking about their promise to work with Chronos for the war. "You mean the evaluations?"

Train sighed and nodded. "Yeah… As much as I hate that we have to do it, I'm willing to do almost anything she asks of us in hopes that she and Chronos will truly leave us alone once everything is over."

Creed sighed as well and snuggled further back into his fiance. "I hope so…"

Train smiled and moved his kisses down his partner's shoulder and towards his back. "I trust her. She'll keep her word." As the cat moved his lips down, he stopped and frowned at a healing wound . "Does it still hurt?"

Creed blinked in confusion as he tried to look back at his love. "What could possibly be hurting me when I'm laying here in your arms being showered with your kisses?"

Train rolled his eyes and bit lightly at the spot he was referring to. "I'm talking about the marks I keep leaving on you. They look like they've healed, but I'm wondering if they still hurt since I keep reopening them."

Creed frowned at the regret in Train's voice. "They don't hurt, Train. I promise. The Tao has almost completely healed them and as I said hundreds of times I didn't want them to heal since they are marks of your territory. I'm actually upset they keep healing so quickly."

Train pouted as he rested his chin on Creed's shoulder, giving his lover a despondent look as he spoke. "I just don't want to keep hurting you…"

Creed rolled his eyes and brought Train's ring hand up to his lips so he could kiss the object that respresnted their promise. "And like I said, it didn't hurt then and it doesn't hurt now. It also didn't hurt when you were doing it. The pleasure of the moment was too intense for me to notice the mutilation."

Feeling his lover shiver at his statement, Creed sighed and kissed Train's finger again. "You know that's not what I meant, Train."

Train whimpered. "I know… But, still…"

Creed frowned and continued kissing Train's hand. "I know, I know, you don't want to hurt me in the heat of the moment. You're able to not hurt me with your Tao, so I'm sure you can do that with you Nanomachines as well. We just need to figure out how."

Train nodded. "It's easier with the Tao since I've had it longer. The bots are still new."

Creed smiled and rested his head against the pillow, closing his eyes as he spoke. "Maybe that's something Eve can help you learn to control when she trains you on how to properly use them."

Train sighed. "I know you may be open with Eve about adult subjects, but I will not be telling her how I lose control over my Nanomachines in the heat of the moment."

Creed rolled his eyes and kissed the ring on Train's hand again, savoring the way the cold metal felt against his warm lips. "I didn't mean tell her you keep losing control of them while we make love, I meant to let her know you have a hard time controlling them when you're feeling something intense. You don't have to tell her you found that out by having sex with me. You can make something up."

Train frowned and nuzzled his face between Creed's neck and shoulder. "Like what?"

Creed smiled as goosebumps covered his skin. "I'm sure if they activate during sex, they'll activate during other heated moments like when we fight the Apostles or finally train for real."

Train suddenly stopped what he was doing and pushed himself up a little so he could stare down at his partner. "Did you just say what I think you said?!"

Creed smirked. "What ever are you talking about, my Dear Train?"

Train grabbed Creed's shoulder and flipped him over so they were facing each other. He didn't feel like playing games, so he was straightforward with his partner. "Did you just imply we could finally train for real?!"

Creed giggled and cupped his lover's cheek. "Yes, Train. Now that you've passed the mini golf test, we're ready to actually train. For real this time."

Train would have been embarrassed by his squeal if he wasn't so happy to hear Creed say that. On impulse, he threw himself at the other man and pinned him to the bed, engaging his partner in a heated, deep kiss as he pressed Creed's shoulders against the bed. The swordsman moaned wildly and arched his back, sliding his hands up Train's back and pulling the gunman closer so their chests were pressed together.

Train pulled away briefly to whisper into his partner's ear. "Well, will you look at that, I've suddenly found the energy to go again…"

Train swirled his tongue around Creed's, exploring every inch of the mouth he knew better than his own. When he felt Creed pull him closer, Train pressed his hips down into the other man, brushing their members against one another as he quickly started gyrating against his lover. When he felt Creed gasp into his mouth, Train applied more pressure and moved his hips faster, sliding his hands down to his partner's chest.

He wasn't sure why he suddenly got the urge to take advantage of Creed even after literally just having sex with him, but he was sure it had something to do with the ring on his finger, and the words Creed spoke. He was feeling such a euphoric bliss that he couldn't help the actions his body was taking on its own. And Train was never one to put too much thought into his instincts.

Creed felt himself lurch forward slightly when Train's fingers began playing with his nipples, his beloved's exposed shaft massaging against his own as the Black Cat pulled their lips away and started attacking his neck. Creed clawed at his partner's back, tilting his head to the side so Train had more access to his skin.

Creed moaned as he felt his lover suck possessively at his flesh, the heat in his groin building all over again as Train continued rubbing their members together. "If I knew this was going to be the reaction I'd get, I would have agreed to it sooner."

Train bit down harshly on his fiance's neck, then sucked eagerly at it before he spoke. "Liar. You knew that would have pissed me off to be teased with a promise just so I would dominate you. And you hate it when I'm pissed at you."

Creed wanted to nod his head in agreement, but found it impossible as Train's fingers pinched both his nipples and sucked underneath his jaw so violently he was sure there would be a bruise there later. "True. But still… If this is all it took… I might have taken your temporary hatred in order to feel you monopolize my body like this!"

Train lowered his lips to Creed's chest, trailing his lips down to his partner's nipples as his hands moved themselves between his lover's legs. "This I've done before, so there's nothing new happening yet..."

Creed gasped loudly when he felt Train's tongue twirl around the pink protruding skin that resided on his chest and pressed his hands on the back of his Kitten's head. "Yet is the key word in that sentence! Let me feel what the next level of your power feels like!"

Train nibbled at Creed's nipple, then sucked vigorously at it as he moved his hands up to his partner's mouth. "Well… if you insist…"

As soon as he felt Train press his fingers against his lips, Creed opened his mouth and accepted them into his hot cavern. He sucked at his digits as long and hard as he could before he felt his beloved take them away rather quickly and lower them to his entrance. Creed wasn't going to question the speed of his love's motion since he was beginning to feel like he would die if he didn't feel Train inside of him soon.

When he felt Train's tongue swirl around his nipple, Creed arched his back again and threw his head back. "Train…!" He gasped, lifting his rear so his Kitten could have better access. "Oh God, Train… take me!"

Train smirked and bit Creed's nipple as he poked teasingly at his lover's entrance. In his excitement to feel Train's fingers inside him, Creed lifted his lower body up too much and accidentally pushed the cat away from him. Train growled and used his other hand to push his lover back down, then lifted his head to glare at him.

"See what I mean? You get too excited!"

Creed moaned and whimpered at his lover. "Sorry… I just want it so bad!"

Train sighed, then leaned forward to kiss his fiance's neck again. "And you'll get it. Just stop inadvertently pushing me away."

Creed nodded and relaxed as Train kissed his neck again, wrapping his arms around his beloved's neck as he spoke. "Oh, Train… I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you…"

Train repositioned himself between his partner's legs and allowed his moistened fingers to trail along Creed's torso before finally landing between his legs again. "Thinking of our wedding day?"

Creed nodded again and lifted his lower body just a little that time, making sure to keep his libido in check as much as he could. "Yesss…. I can't wait to show the rest of the world how hopelessly devoted we are to one another…"

Train smiled warmly as he pulled away from Creed's neck, wanting to see the look in his lover's eyes when he entered a finger in him. "Can you make another promise to me, Creed?"

Creed nodded wildy and locked eyes with his beloved. "Anything… Anything, my love…"

Train leaned forward and pressed his foreheads together, poking at Creed's entrance with his finger as he spoke. "Promise me you won't go overboard? Promise me it'll just be us and our friends? As much as I love the dramatics of our relationship, something as wonderful as becoming your husband isn't something I want to share with the whole world. I'm sure you do, but I really just want the people who have always been there for us to be present. That's all. Nothing extravagant or insane."

Creed blinked at his love, noticing Train still hadn't entered him and was beginning to feel aches and pains course through his body from the absence of his love's fingers. Even though he had never felt Train inside him before, his body was begging for it as if it were his last tether to rationality. However, that didn't stop him from taking his Kitten's question seriously and letting Train know his true thoughts.

He frowned slightly at his partner, a difficult expression to hold when his entire body was screaming for Train to keep going. "Train… That's a rather big ask. Especially when you consider who I am as a person."

Train returned his lover's frown with a pout, his fingers still teasing Creed's entrance as if he was using that as motivation to get his partner to agree with him. "I understand, Creed. And I love how ostentatious and flamboyant you normally are, but for something like this…"

Train trailed his sentence off, then leaned forward so he could pressed his lips lightly against Creeds, then pulled away slightly and nuzzled his face against the other man's as he spoke. "...I really don't want to share our union with the world. After everything we've been through… after everything we're going to continue going through… I really would rather have a quiet celebration than a large one that requires months, or even years of planning."

Creed whimpered at the way Train's breath swept tantalizingly against his face, making the pleasurable chills from earlier return. His body still ached for Train to shove his fingers deep inside him, but he found that he was quickly bewitched by the man's words. He wanted to promise his beloved anything in the world, but there was a part of him that was holding on to that vaudeville side of his personality. The side that wanted to buy elephants to parade the city with banners announcing his marriage to Train.

When Train tenderly began kissing his neck, Creed moaned and swallowed thickly, knowing he was going to give into his beloved's request if he continued melting into the cat's embrace. "What makes you think it'll take years? I could come up with the perfect wedding for us in just a week! And I'd be able to gather everything we need including a venue with a snap of my fingers. Need I remind you of what I was able to accomplish when we ran the Apostles?"

Train rolled his eyes and bit down roughly on Creed's neck. Even though he knew his Stallion enjoyed his harsh bites, he was hoping it got the point of his next sentence across. "Yes, but need I remind you that you're not supposed to do anything illegal this time?"

Creed yelped at the bite. "I would never, Train! You know that. I'm a changed man."

Train chuckled and went back to gently kissing and sucking Creed's neck, then lifted the hand that was not at his partner's entrance to lightly cup the silverette's cheek and hold his head in place as his lips continued working at his skin. "I was just teasing… Mostly."

Creed whimpered again as he desperately tried to get Train to enter his ass by moving his body down slightly, but his Kitten pulled his hand away slightly and he couldn't help but think it was out of spite. "You're teasing me in more ways than one right now! Wirst du einfach die Klappe halten und mich schon ficken?" (1)

Train chuckled and outlined Creed's jawline with his tongue, then kissed the other side of his neck, repeating his mouth's previous motions there. "Only if you give me an answer to my question."

Creed again tried to shove Train's fingers inside himself by moving his lower body down again, but his cat continued pulling his wet digits away. He moaned and dug his digits further into Train's chocolate hair. "Warum müssen Sie darauf bestehen, so absolut und vollkommen perfekt zu sein? Ich kann niemals nein zu dir sagen..." (2)

Train smirked and began nipping gently at his neck, his fingers still playfully poking his rear as he spoke. "Dann sag einfach ja, mein Hengst." (3)

Creed moaned and nearly grabbed Train's wrist to push the man's hand into his ass on his own, but found himself too lost in the way his beloved's lips felt against his skin. "Unnghh, how can you possibly still have such control over me after all these years?!"

Train chuckled and inched his fingers in just a little, but not enough to truly be inside the other man. "Weil du immer noch ein bisschen erbärmlich bist, wenn es um mich geht." (4)

Creed gasped loudly at the small bit of progress and pressed his beloved's face harshly against his neck. He buried his head into Train's silky hair, pulled at the cinnamon locks as he spoke. "I wanted to have a fanfare to celebrate our union… I wanted to buy thousands of doves and release them every hour. I wanted to sheet every inch of the floor with every color rose the world organically and inorganically has to offer. I wanted to buy a jet to write our names and our love in the sky, and I wanted to explode fireworks before, after, and during the ceremony…"

Train smiled, his heart filling with warmth at how exorbitant his lover wanted to be for their big day. He truly did love that side of Creed, but it really was not something he wanted. However, it was comforting to know he knew the man well enough to almost perfectly peg what Creed wanted to do for the wedding day.

Kissing his silver love's neck again and again, slowly lowering his head to Creed's chest, Train laughed quietly. "Everything on that list is a huge no. Except for the fireworks. I'll say yes to that, but only if we do them once at the end."

Creed moaned, his body starting to shake with how badly he wanted Train inside him. "Twice."

Train rolled his eyes and raspberried Creed's chest. "This isn't a negotiation! And I don't negotiate with terrorists anyway. Once, or not at all!"

Creed yelped at the feel of Train's vibrating lips, not sure what to make of them since they change the mood for a quick moment. "Did you just raspberry me?!"

Train did it again, then lifted his head to give Creed a stern look. "Stop changing the subject, Terrorist! Once, or not at all!"

It was strange to feel his beloved's lip perform such a childish action on his skin when his fingers were about ready to begin an exceedingly adult activity, but it described Train's personality pretty perfectly. Despite his older age, ripened heart, and mature past, his beloved somehow managed to cling to the kid in him no matter what. Creed thought it was very endearing and was just one of the many things he loved about the golden man.

The silverette pouted at his love, his insides groaning with desire as his Train pushed his finger a little further inside him. "I'm not a terrorist anymore, Train! Stop rasberrying me!"

Train narrowed his eyes and repeated his lip vibrations, but on his stomach that time, causing the swordsman to twitch at the awkward sensation. The cat was aware of how bizarre it was for him to be acting so juvenile when he was warming Creed up to make love to him, but he couldn't help himself. Flicking the silverette's forehead seemed to have lost its impact on letting his lover know he was being annoying.

"You know what I meant, Terrorist! We will not have a fanfare of elephants, tigers, bears, or whatever other circus animal you've set your heart on to parade throughout the city and we will only set off fireworks once."

Creed yelped when Train raspberries him again, then moaned lustfully when his love's lips sucked and kissed the flesh of his stomach. "God, make up your mind! Are you making love to me, or are you messing with me like a child?!"

Train bit down on Creed's stomach, lowering his lips even more so he was closer to the other man's confused, but ever growing shaft. "Depends on what your answer will be."

Creed looked down in shock at his beloved. "Are you holding me hostage until you get what you want? Who's the terrorist now?!"

Train as he lowered his lips even more, his fingers still poking at the other man's entrance as his lips gently caressed the area just above Creed's cock. "I thought you'd accept anything from me? Are you telling me I should stop because you won't agree to my terms?"

Creed moaned and bucked his hips, the front part of his body wanting to enter Train's mouth, the lower part praying his love's fingers would finally penetrate his ass. "So cruel… What an unforgiving terrorist you are, Train..."

Train shrugged his shoulders, then blew a soft breath of air against Creed's expanding member. "Don't care. What's your answer?"

As stubborn as Creed was, when Train pushed his finger a little bit further inside him and kissed the tip of his member, he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold onto his obstinacy for much longer. "If I agree to you terms, will you finally make love to me?"

Train smirked, then licked the tip of his lover's member quickly before responding. "What do you think…?"

Creed moaned at the lewd tone in Train's voice, thrust his hips up slightly at the feel of his fiance's tongue, and gripped his hair tighter. "Then yes! Yes, Train! I will agree to literally anything if you just finally enter me!"

Train chuckled and sucked lightly at the head of his lover's shaft. "As you wish, my Stallion. Just remember your promise."

The moment Train shoved his finger into Creed's ass and wrapped his lips around the tip of his member, the swordsman shouted out in delight, firmly gripping his beloved's hair as he melted into the bed. "Oh, Train!"

Creed lifted his legs and placed his ankles on his Kitten's shoulders so the golden man had more room to work. As he did that, Train adjusted himself between his lover's legs so that he was closer to the silver man's lower body, swirling his tongue around Creed's shaft rapidly as the swordsman spread his legs a bit more.

"Traiiiin…!" Creed moaned again as he ran his fingers continuously through his beloved's hair. "Oh, Train… More… More…!"

Just as Train was about to comply and take more of the other man into his mouth and push his finger in further, the door to their room shot opened, slamming precipitously against the cave walls. The raucous echo it created caused Train to jump, pull his mouth away from his lover's member, and jolt his eyes to the source of the sound.

The golden man felt his face pale when he saw the man from the front desk enter and scan the room. The men froze when their eyes met, both of them staring unblinkingly at one another for a moment, not sure what to do or what to say.

Finally, when the front desk worker's mind figured out what he walked in on, his face turned a bright shade of red and he found himself fixated on the intimate scene splayed out before him. His eyes were glued to Creed's sensitive areas and what Train's mouth and finger was about to do to them, not realizing how hot his own body was starting to get.

Train noticed where the man's eyes had landed which broke him out of his embarrassed stupor. Panicking, the Black Cat pulled his finger out of Creed and crawled over his lover so that he was lying on top of him, making sure to shield his partner from the stranger's attentive eyes.

The cat was aware he was naked as well and chances were the man's eyes would fall to the private areas of his body instead, but he thought the view of his rear was better than having the outsider oggle Creed's exposed, slightly wet member. Before he pulled away, he even tasted a bit of precum that escaped his partner's control, which was absolutely something Train didn't want an intruder to see.

Acting quickly, Train grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the two of them, making sure his fiance was completely covered as he turned his head to shout at the man. "WHAT THE HELL, MAN?! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING?!"

The man at the door suddenly realized how forward he was being and quickly covered his eyes as he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Sirs! I just started my shift and I thought you left already!"

Train growled and wrapped the blanket tighter around his and Creed's body, ignoring the heavy breathing and disappointed pants and whines coming from his lover. Normally when they were caught in intimate situations, Train usually shut down and let Creed handle the awkwardness of the scene, but his silver love wasn't saying anything. It seemed like Creed was too distraught from the humiliating plot twist to say. All he could do was lay there and dramatically bemoan their sudden change in fate.

Knowing Creed wasn't going to be of any use for a few minutes, Train responded. "Why would we be gone?!"

The man still had his hand over his eyes as he spoke. "Because your check out time was three hours ago! I was sent here to make sure you were gone so they could clean the room."

"It's going to need a lot of cleaning…" Creed growled through gritted teeth, eyes shut as he gripped tightly at the bed so he wouldn't take his rage out on the man.

He was beyond furious that Train had been interrupted just as he was about to let Creed experience what it would be like to have the golden man inside him. He desperately wanted to know what their new change in positions would feel like, and what infuriated him even more was the knowledge that came with the interruption.

Train won't want to continue…! Damn this man!

The man blushed brighter behind his hand and backed out of the room, bumping into the door as he made his wat towards the exit. "I-I'm so sorry! I'll let you two…"

He swallowed, not sure how to phrase his thoughts, his voice shaking as he spoke. "...Finish up. But, I'm required to inform you that if you don't leave within the hour, you'll have to pay a substantial late fee."

Creed released an animalistic roar neither he nor Train had ever heard before and threw a pillow at the man. "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! I HAVE THE MONEY, JUST LEAVE!"

The man yelped as the pillow made contact with him, then ran out the door. He tripped a little over his own feet as he slammed the door behind himself, his embarrassed cries echoing against the walls of the cave outside their room. Even though it was something as benign as a pillow, the vicious tone in the silver man's voice was enough to scare him as far away as possible.

As soon as the door was closed, Train buried his head in the pillow Creed's head was resting on and released a disconcerted moan. "Getting caught isn't cute or funny anymore… Now it's just plain redundant and beyond annoying. And so unoriginal! I feel like we're just on repeat now!"

Creed didn't respond, but Train was feeling too humiliated to care and continued his one-sided conversation. "I think Sergey's right, maybe we subconsciously want to get caught."

Train thought about his words for a second as he tried to lose his embarrassment in his lover, then shook his head. "No. That's absurd. We don't want to get caught. We just have bad luck. Which is ironic considering I'm usually the luckiest person in the world."

Does this happen to every couple? Never happened with me and Lin.

Train groaned and lightly banged his head on the pillow, still laying on top of Creed as he spoke. "What the hell are we doing wrong?!"

Creed clung pleadingly at his cat, grasping desperately at Train's back as he spoke. "Nothing, Train! We're doing nothing wrong! Please continue! I'll pay the fee, I don't care!"

Train sighed, placed his hands on either side of Creed, and pushed himself up. "You know that's always a mood killer for me, Creed…"

Creed flailed his body on the bed as Train sat back on his knee and moved away from him. The silverette made every angry sound he possibly could as he punched the mattress. "GOD DAMNIT!"

Train rolled his eyes and slid towards the edge of the bed. "I thought your violent side was behind you."

Creed growled again. "I didn't hurt him!"

Train set his feet on the ground. "Yeah, but you damn near scared him half to death."

Creed moaned and rolled around on the bed. "I have a right to feel even an ounce of my old, vicious self after being interrupted from something I want so bad!"

Train rolled his eyes and began gathering his clothes. "We'll have plenty of time to recreate the moment later. I don't want you to waste money over something we can start again at home."

Creed moaned as he watched Train dress. "I have the money, Train! Just come back to bed and finish what you started! This isn't fair!"

Train sighed and zipped up his pants. "He said it was a substantial fee, Creed. And we need to leave within the hour which means we don't have long to pack. It also means anything else we do now will have to be rushed, and I want more than that to properly pleasure you."

Creed growled and sat up quickly to glare at his beloved. "I don't care if it's quick! I just want it to happen!"

Train stood up straight, placing his hands on his hips as he spoke. "You're just saying that because you're still in the moment. I, however, was thrown out of it the moment your little lover boy entered the room."

Creed blinked, remembering what he said earlier about sweet talking the man. "...I can talk him into letting the late fee go. Just get back into bed so we can pick up where we left off."

Train sighed and shot a small bolt of electricity at his lover. "No. I don't care how much money you have, we're not paying more than we have to. After the way you snapped at him, I don't think even you can sweet talk him into ignoring the late fee and the damage to the mattress. We're leaving."

Creed flinched when the small electric shock made contact with his cheek and threw himself on the bed like a child. "Ugggh! It's not fair! We were so close! DAMN THAT MAN!"

Train couldn't help but laugh at the scene unfolding before him since he was sure that was how he looked when he threw a fit over nothing.

Well, I guess this isn't nothing. Creed's been wanting this for a while. Then again, I have been too. I guess I'm just more willing to accept we have all the time in the world to recreate the moment. And recreate it properly.

Train rolled his eyes as Creed continued to spew every curse word he could and began gathering the rest of his things in the room, throwing them unceremoniously in his suitcase. "Honestly, it's your fault for losing track of time. Why didn't you realize how little time we had left before you let me attack you?"

Creed rolled around on the bed, hands over his face as he spoke. "I completely forgot the moment you threw yourself at me! Even if I didn't, I wouldn't have said anything. Why on Earth would I stop you from doing that?!"

Train picked up Creed's clothes from the floor and threw them at his lover. "You should have said something before mentioning that we can train again and getting me all worked up."

Creed moaned when the clothes hit his face, his hands falling in defeat against the mattress as he whimpered. "Like I said, I didn't know that was going to get you so worked up. Had I known, I would have said that hours ago and I could be leaving here already having experienced the true magnitude of your strength!"

The cat sighed and stepped over to the bed, ripping the clothes off Creed's face as he spoke. "Stop being so dramatic. I want it just as badly as you do, Creed. But, I refuse to rush it and I refuse to pay a substantial fee for it especially since I know it'll happen over and over again for the rest of our lives. Just be patient, my Stallion. I promise it will happen."

Creed blinked at Train several times, melting at the ardent look in his beloved's eyes. As easily entranced as he was by the cat, the greedy side of him decided to take control of his words and his tone. "Until it happens, I'm going to plan the biggest wedding in the world. And if it doesn't happen before that, expect the most ridiculously overpriced and grandiose experience you could ever imagine."

Train widened his eyes at Creed. "I don't know if this is gaslighting, blackmail, or some form of abuse or assault, but whatever it is, I know it's meant as a threat and I don't like it."

Creed glared at his Kitten. "Call it what you will, but I will give you specifics on the plans of our over-the-top wedding every day until I feel you inside of me."

Train stood up straight and walked away from his lover to continue packing. "Yup. This is definitely some form of abuse and I don't feel comfortable around you anymore. I may not know what this specific kind of abuse is called, but as soon as I figure it out, I'm calling whoever the appropriate authorities are that I need to keep me safe."

Creed sat up quickly as Train grabbed his suitcase and headed towards the door. "THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU FROM THIS, TRAIN!"

Train stopped as he reached the door and turned around to face Creed. "Are we going to train or not? Let's not forget what started this whole contumelious event in the first place."

Creed stared at his love for a moment, his body being overcome with fevered love as he stared at the cheeky smile on his Kitten's face. "Es ist so unfair, wie süß du bist…" (5)

Train made his face look even more audacious than it already did, knowing that it drove his lover insane. "Du bist derjenige, der beschlossen hat, dieses Gesicht für den Rest seines Lebens anzusehen." (6)

Creed sighed as he felt his body relax. "I did… And I don't regret a single moment of it…"

Running his fingers through his hair and slowly getting over what he was just denied, Creed slid towards the edge of the bed and began dressing himself. "We'll get to training as soon as we're home… I want to make sure we're in a more secure location before we start."

---

For the life of me, I have no idea how this woman was ever able to convince anyone, man or woman, to not only sleep next to her, but sleep with her.

Kanzaki growled as he rolled away from his snoozing companion, using the pillow to cover his ears to block out her sound.

And who takes a nap in the middle of the day?! This is a valuable time I normally use for important research but instead I'm taking a nap. Not even taking a nap, pretending to take a nap.

Since the scientist made sure to agree to anything E asked of him, he didn't have a choice except to say yes when she suggested they take a nap. However, after learning she snored even when she was only taking a quick cat nap, he quickly regretted his decision.

I guess I do need to continue trying to appease her in any way that I can.

Doctor let out a low, quiet growl when he felt the woman roll towards him, wrapping her arm around his waist and cuddling into his back, a practice couples regularly participated in that the scientist soon found he loathed more than anything.

Why do people feel the constant need to be touching each other? Not only is it unsanitary, but it's an invasion of privacy.

Kanzaki sighed as he wistfully looked out the window, praying he would see something that would save him from his current position with the woman on the bed.

I sent Aja away before we laid down. She should be back any minute with news of Charden's condition.

The care he felt for his leader ended at his desire to return to his unconventional home with the rest of his evilly eccentric unhinged family, and even that was only so he could return to his experiments and finish their war on Chronos. However, he didn't care much about the war. His reasons for wanting to see the destruction of Chronos were completely different from the rest of the Apostles. He wanted to take them down just to see if it was possible.

An organization as strong as Chronos being taken down by anyone let alone by a ragtime team of Taoists who barely tolerate each other is a historical event I absolutely want to be a part of.

As strong as he knew his comrades were, he also believed the way they would win the war was with his experiments and the Nanomachines. While he saw the value of the Tao, he did not think, nor did he ever think that alone would win them the hard fought war.

Without me, the Apostles wouldn't be what they are now. Charden wouldn't be what he is now.

Doctor snickered wickedly as the woman behind him adjusted herself slightly.

...The Black Cat wouldn't be what he is now.

Everything he did to Train was against the cat's will, but Kanzaki's sick mind viewed it differently. Any other rational and reasonable person would have seen what he did to the gunman as barbaric torture, but Doctor honestly and sincerely believe he had done the Black Cat a favor.

He's unstoppable now. Nearly a God! And I could have made both him and Creed Gods if they only let me.

Doctor gripped his fingers tightly as he thought back to the first time he was denied use of the Nanomachines. Creed had been one-hundred percent onboard with using them. He was even open to the idea of injecting them into himself and Train.

However, as soon as his precious partner showed even the faintest sign of hesitancy, the swordsman backed off immediately and demanded Kazanki get rid of any trace of the Nanomachines they had in their possession so as not to anger his beloved cat.

I'm glad I decided not to get rid of all of them. Had I done that, it would have been much harder to accomplish what we have now.

Doctor made sure to not only hide however many bots he could from his former leader, but he made sure to secretly stay in contact with their primary supplier.

Charden didn't know that bit either. I'm surprised he never questioned how I was so easily and readily able to get my hands on them again after Creed made it very clear they were to be nowhere near the Apostles.

He was pretty sure the reason for that was because when Charden took over the Apostles, it was clear the Blood Taoist wasn't ready to assume the role of the terrorists' leader. Charden's original calm, rational personality was not one that was fit for the job, but he seemed to figure it out over the years.

There were definitely growing pains for everyone when he took over, but he certainly molded into the role. Dare I say he's become more terrifying than Creed was at his worst.

Kanzaki knew Creed only created the Apostles so his beloved Black Cat could have his revenge, but Train never wanted to destroy Chronos. Added to that, the gunman's heart was too compassionate to ever be fully invested in something as inherently violent as the organization they created, and Train never fit in with the other Taoists because he was a fundamentally different person than the rest of the group.

He, Shiki, and Maro were always at each other's throats, and I know that wasn't just because their personalities repelled each other more than vinegar and oil. They truly hated each other. Well, at least they hated the Black Cat.

Shiki and Maro made it perfectly clear from the beginning what their feelings towards Train were. However, because Creed was so obsessively in love with the golden man, they and everyone else were forced to tolerate him as much as humanly possible. If they didn't, they'd face the wrath of Creed.

Everyone knew back then Creed would have killed anyone that dared to look at Train in a non-flattering way. Or in a too flattering way...

Doctor chuckled as his mind raced back to all the times the cat purposely pushed the other Taoists' buttons, feeling oddly wistful he reminisced about the old times.

Creed's obsession with Train didn't stop the rest of the group from going after the Black Cat any chance they got. Durham especially since he always felt like he had something to prove.

Doctor knew Train went out of his way to irritate the rest of the group not just because the core of his personality dictated he annoy everyone he could, but also because he knew he could get away with it. Train could have set the entire mansion on fire while Creed was locked in the bathroom and the swordsman would have forgiven him without a second thought.

Train could plunge a dagger into his heart, twist it out, throw it on the ground, then stomp and spit on it and Creed's feelings wouldn't flinch.

Thinking of Creed's love for Train brought his mind back to his current situation. He sighed in relief when he felt the woman roll away from him, then groaned when she let out a boorish snore. Kanzaki bit his lip and clenched his fists to prevent himself from lashing out at the woman. As he lay there next to his pretend lover, Doctor couldn't help but question how Creed could love Train despite all his obvious faults as a human.

As perfect of a killer the Black Cat was, he's still human with human flaws. Yet somehow, Creed's feelings have stood the test of time despite all of Train's shortcomings.

Kanzaki stifled another wave of rage that washed over him when he heard the woman beginning to talk in her sleep, again thinking how Creed was able to handle such inelegance.

They're love is fascinating. Here I am, fantasizing about killing a woman over her snores and sluggish sleep talking while Creed is probably creating some sort of egregiously gratuitous and spontaneous romantic event to celebrate the first time Train ever sneezed in front of him.

He adjusted himself slightly on the bed so he was further away from the woman, then sighed and lightly banged his head on the pillow.

Where is that accursed creature? She should have been back hours ago. It shouldn't be taking her this long unless-

Kanzaki stopped his own thoughts, then smirked.

-Unless Charden is awake and is writing me a rather hefty letter in response…

The part of him that should have been scared of the man's response was overpowered by the part of him that felt giddy over his leader's quick recovery, and it had nothing to do with any concern or compassion he might have had for the man. He didn't feel either of those things for anyone except maybe his precious experiments. And even then it was only because those experiments were an extension of himself, which was the only thing he truly cared about.

If Charden woke up early, that means I'll be able to get out of his Hellscape soon.

Doctor felt his smirk widen as he thought about bringing the woman back to the Apostles.

I can finally be free of this strenuous lie! I can finally return to my old life and reclaim the respect of our mercurial, but powerful leader.

Kanzak shook his head slightly before his thoughts got too far ahead of what reality might be.

No… There's no way he'd be recovered this soon. With the amount of Nanomachines I put in him, he needs at least another two weeks to fully reform that arm, maybe even three in that woman is as incompetent as I believe her to be.

After hearing the latest update from Echidna, he expected Charden to be out of commission for a bit longer. From what she described, it sounded like he was on the road to recovery, but had not quite reached his destination yet. As much as Doctor wanted it to be true, he knew it was foolish to think the Blood Taoist was somehow able to fully regrow or at least almost fully regrow his arm and be conscious soon after.

Unless he somehow got more Nanomachines in him, he's going to be out for the count for at least a few more weeks. And I know that woman isn't able to inject him with any more.

Doctor made sure to keep Allie in the dark as much as possible. The less she knew about what he did in his lab, the better it was for his survival in the organization.

I don't care what Charden ends up doing to her. She's served her purpose with the Apostles. There's honestly no reason to keep her around anymore.

Doctor rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling, feeling nothing for his partner in science as he winced at another snore that reverberated from E's mouth. The only thing he felt at the moment was sorrow for himself for having to go through what he was he believed was worse than torture.

What I would give for this to be over…

As if hearing his thoughts, Doctor saw a bright blue flash out of the corner of his eyes. The spark came from the other side of the window and the quiet happy groans that came from Aztec sitting outside let the scientist know it was none other than his first child.

I wonder what news my eldest born brings me?

Kanzaki delicately pulled the blankets off his body then slid out of the bed, grateful the woman was not attached to him like she was a few moments ago. He quickly slipped his shoes on, tiptoed to the window, and smiled at the large cat that was pressing her face against the glass.

He opened the window and shoved the monster's head away so he could slither out of the window without waking the woman in the room. Before he addressed his prized experiment, he turned around and shut the curtains along with the window, making sure E was still asleep before finally acknowledging Aja's presence.

Seeing Aztec getting overly excited over Aja's appearance and knowing the wolf liked to express his joy through loud howls, Doctor shot the dog creature a stern look and gave him a one word command. "Ruhig." (7)

The wolf whimpered and laid on the grass with a low huff, resting his head on the ground as if he were a child who was just denied play time with their best friend. Aja purred and sat on her rear in front of Kanzaki, tilting her head slightly in anticipation of what her master was going to command her to do.

Doctor smiled at her, then scratched the cat's head as he spoke. "I was beginning to worry about you, my sweet pet. What took so long?"

His only response was another purr, the creature closing her eyes and leaning into his hand as the madman smiled. "No matter. What news do you bring me?"

Doctor reached out with his other hand to grab the note that was tied around her neck, reading it silently to himself as he continued petting his experiment.

With a wicked smirk, Kanzak re-read the note just to be sure he analyzed the words correctly. "My, my, this certainly is good news... And my beloved E will be thrilled to hear it as well…"

Doctor pocketed the note, then looked over his shoulder at where his soon-to-be victim was resting. "Well, my Darling… Looks like it's time to bring you home to the family… And not a moment too soon."

---

Translations:

(1) "Will you just shut up and fuck me already?"

(2) "Why must you insist on being so absolutely and completely perfect? I can never say no to you..."

(3) "Then just say yes, my Stallion."

(4) "Because you're still a bit pathetic when it comes to me."

(5) "It's so unfair how cute you are…"

(6) "You're the one that decided to look at this face for the rest of his life."

(7) "Quiet."