Re-written. Update includes more of Creed's obsession with Train and foreshadowing for something important in future chapters. Re-read this if you want to read the ending of the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat
"The mission has been completed as ordered. You'll find the target in an alley near his hideout."
A slender figure clad in black hung up his phone, resting his gun at his side as his golden eyes stared at his deceased prey. Black Cat frowned at his clothes, noticing they were spotted in blood. He tried to wipe off the blood delicately, an ironic gesture considering how deadly his hands were. Train sighed deeply when he saw all he accomplished was smearing the red liquid on his fingers and clothes.
The spiky haired brunette glanced back at the lifeless form on the ground and felt a pang of guilt nestle in his chest. This feeling was both surprising and annoying. Although it was a small emotion in the corner of his heart, the fact that it was present at all was irritating. After all, he was the Black Cat. The infamous and feared number thirteen of Chronos. In his line of work, what did guilt get you?
A bullet to the head or a sword through the heart, that's what it'll get you.
The mission's name was Frank Merriam, an enemy of Chronos. The target was smuggling illegal weapons to areas not yet under Chronos control. Not only would his death stop the smuggling, but Chronos would further their efforts in negotiations with a new area.
One third of the world isn't enough? My 'masters' have to control everything?
Train rolled his eyes at that last thought as he finally decided to place Hades back in its holster. Not that it mattered to Train. He just did as he was told. If he didn't, he knew he wouldn't be long for this world.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly, chocolate hair, allowing his thoughts once more to wonder back to his newfound emotion. He wasn't sure why he felt like this, but it bothered him and he wanted to know why. If he didn't and it started to get in the way of his missions…
Train shook his head and began to step away from the corpse, not wanting to entertain that thought any further. He knew what would happen and there was no use in obsessing over the idea.
As he turned around, a light, alto voice interrupted the assassin's thoughts. He suddenly had his partner's face inches away from his own, smiling zealously at him. The silver assassin was so close Train could feel his breath brush against his skin, which made him extremely uncomfortable and he backed up.
"That was wonderful, Train." Creed Diskenth's voice was practically purring as he stepped closer to his cat, not even seeming to notice the Black Cat had purposely moved away.
The dark haired man growled quietly and took another step back as Creed stepped closer. He glanced over his shoulder, frowning when he noticed he was already almost pressed against the wall. Merriam's body was tucked in a corner of a dark alley which had just one entrance and exit, giving the Black Cat no easy way to escape his eager partner.
He looked back at the silver haired man who slid his sword back in its sheath as he once again stepped closer to Train. His feminine face was suffused with admiration and his crystal eyes sparkled with joy as he watched Train. The golden eyed assassin narrowed his eyes as Creed smiled warmly at him, growling again when he saw his death glare did not work.
Almost has the opposite effect. Does he really not see how many steps I've taken away from him?
Train glanced at the wall next to him, getting prepared to jump off it to get around the man. He took a step to the side to prepare himself, not wanting to make a sudden move just yet.
"A work of art…" Creed said as he continued smiling at Train, the same adoring smile the cat had gotten used to over the years.
Still doesn't make me any less uneasy. Is he actually stepping closer?!
To Train's horror, he was. Except this time he actually reached a hand out to Train's chin, running his thumb across his lips subtly, but enough that the Black Cat could feel it. Creed sighed blissfully, his eyes now drawn to the dark assassins lips which only furthered the cat's unease.
Train smacked his hand away harshly and slipped by his partner elegantly, making his way out of the alley as quickly and swiftly as he could.
What the hell is he putting his hands on me for? I guess it shouldn't be surprising. He does that every so often… But, why?
He always had a hard time figuring out his partner's thought process. At one minute, he'd be laughing maniacally, the next he was staring at him fondly and attempting to touch him. There were also a few times when Train swore Creed had tried to embrace him. Luckily, he was usually able to dodge the gesture pretty easily.
Guess I don't really know much about him other than his fighting style. Or that fact that he follows me around literally wherever I go.
Train had caught Creed standing outside the door to his apartment several times, always with a rose in hand and a bright smile on his face. Usually, Train would choose to walk away and sneak in through his window later. It happened so often that he eventually started going through his window, but apparently Creed had figured that out as well and started waiting for him there.
Again, always with a rose in hand and that damned sweet ass smile on his face.
It irritated Train because Creed was anything but sweet. He was an assassin for Chronos, how could he possibly have any sweetness or innocence in his body?
Well, I guess that side comes out when he's around me. I've seen him turn from deadly assassin to adoring partner in the blink of an eye.
Again, Train didn't know why the swordsman was the way he was, but he also didn't really care. As long as Creed continued doing his job, Train had no qualms with him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the silver man was following very closely behind him making Train roll his eyes.
Scratch that. I have one qualm with him.
As Creed caught up and walked beside him, Train looked at his partner and shot him another death glare. He hoped the look would be enough to get the point across that he wanted to be left alone. Seeing that same smile on his face, Train growled once more and tried to speed up. Unfortunately for him, Creed was able to keep pace with him.
It never works on him. Why did I think this time would be different?
Upon seeing Train's eyes, Creed's whole expression softened. The silver man's crimson orbs changed into their natural blue ones and glowed with a bright euphoria as he stared into Train's harsh golden ones. Another happy sigh escaped his pale lips and he reached out to hold Train's hand, but the Black Cat retracted his limb quickly before the swordsman could. Creed frowned when he saw Train pick up the pace.
Creed tried to draw nearer to his beloved assassin, hoping Train would allow him to clean the blood off his beautiful face. The swordsman itched to feel his love's warm skin to cancel out the brisk summer's breeze. He actually could feel this finger twitch with desire and he walked faster to catch up to his beloved cat.
Once he reached Train, he glanced at his love's face quickly and beamed with delight. The glow of the moon never failed to show the true brilliance of Train Heartnet. His cat's skin gave off a heavenly aura which made Creed's heart ache with longing. Train's eyes twinkled menacingly in the stars, but the swordsman could see the wistful look his love always got when he gazed at the night sky.
You're so beautiful…
Creed wanted so badly to say those words out loud, but he knew it would scare away his cat. He sighed again as he continued staring fervently at Train, his fingers twitching again as he imagined himself caressing his beloved's soft skin. He felt his hand moving closer to Train, then retreated quickly. Creed knew touching him would only make his cat angry, which he did not want. He hated when Train was mad at him.
Instead, he contented himself by staring at Train's glorious golden eyes. He sighed again as he watched Train watch the stars, wishing he could give him whatever he was searching for in the dark sky.
If I could pluck the stars from the universe and give them to Train, I would. I would give him the world if he asked...
As much as Creed knew he was the only one who truly understood Train, sometimes he wished he could read the man's thoughts. He also knew their destinies were intertwined so deep that not even death could unwind it, but Train was so oblivious to this fact and remained so far from his grasp, it hurt. Creed's heart was constantly aching to have Train see the truth and truly be his.
Why doesn't he see it? Why doesn't he see how I'm the only one worthy to be with him? Why doesn't he see we're meant to be together?
He saw a particularly bright star shine proudly in his love's eye and Creed wanted to cry from the longing he felt in his soul.
God, I want him so bad...
As badly as Creed wanted Train, he'd give his love all the time he needed to realize what the future held for them. No matter how long it took, as long as this moment didn't change, Creed would wait for the much anticipated day when his beloved saw their fate as Creed did.
However, until then… Who's saying I can't test the waters a little?
The swordsman now walked inches away from the gunman and felt his heart skip a beat as he admired his features further. Creed couldn't fight how gorgeous Train was and he was starting to get worried his beloved would notice a change in the silver man's physical appearance. From his looks to his attitude, everything about Train Heartnet was perfect. Creed glanced down at himself, making sure he wasn't showing any signs in his lower region of how perfect his body thought Train was, nodding when he saw he was okay.
Creed smiled warmly at his cat. "Perfection is just what I'd expect from my Black Cat…"
"What?" Train said suddenly.
Creed sputtered, not realizing he had said that out loud. "Nothing…"
He waited until he saw Train shrug his shoulders and sighed in relief. Creed wanted nothing more than to shower his love with compliments, but he knew it made Train uncomfortable.
Still feeling that itch to touch his beloved, Creed stretched his thin, strong arm out towards Train's masculine, yet pretty face, praying he wouldn't be smacked away this time. Seeing he wasn't, Creed gently wiped the blood off, his knees quiver slightly at the soft skin he felt against his corse fingers.
Train glanced at him when he did this, but kept up his pace, making sure to take a step away from Creed who was clearly beginning to get a bit too handsy for his taste. The Black Cat grimaced as his silver partner continued to smile and lick the blood off his slender fingers.
"Really, Creed?" Train couldn't help the slight disgust in his voice.
Creed's smile never wavered, his eyes remaining locked onto his love's face, relishing the look his cat gave him. However, as the blood continued to appear on Train's face, Creed realized with fear that it did not belong to that dead man. Panic quickly took over his body as he stopped and grabbed both of Train's shoulders.
"Train, you're hurt!" Creed exclaimed frantically.
Shaking off the aggravation Creed's touch had brought on, Train raised an eyebrow in confusion, then used the back of his hand to wipe where his partner had regarded. Looking at the red substance now on the back of his hand, Train remembered how Merriam had thrown a shard of glass he picked from the ground at him in a pathetic attempt to fight the Black Cat off. Train had to give the guy credit for at least trying.
And for not wetting himself like most have.
He hadn't bothered dodging it, seeing the offending yet non-offending object as no threat. A shard of glass thrown by a low-life smuggler was nothing. The usual pains of a Chronos Number was far worse, but this seemed to have caused Creed a great deal of trouble. As usual.
"We should sterilize it. Are you hurt anywhere else?!" Creed's voice was lining hysterically as he gripped his cat's shoulders tighter and looked him up and down frighteningly.
Talk about drama queen...
The dark haired Chronos agent thought annoyingly before ripping out of Creed's grasp and walking away again.
"Cool your jets, Creed. It's just a scratch from a small piece of glass. No biggy." Train said off handedly. He touched his cheek again, realizing the wound had already stopped bleeding.
He stopped and turned around, knowing the man was still following him and showed him his clean hand. "See? It's already stopped."
Creed was unconvinced. "But that trash pile of a man found that shard on the ground. The ground of a dirty alley no less! We have no idea what diseases could be crawling all over it. We should clean it just to be sure."
Creed knew his voice was panicked, but this was Train. He loved the move more than anything else in the world and if anything ever happened to him, Creed knew he couldn't go on. He wasn't even sure how he lived without Train before. The Black Cat was his everything. His air, his water, his sunlight. If all he were to disappear, Creed would wither up and die.
As he began to run a thousand scenarios in his head, Creed grabbed Train's wrist harshly and began walking in the opposite direction to his beloved's apartment. He lived much further away from this location than his cat did, but he knew he had the proper cleaning tools at home. Creed wished he lived close to Train, but Chronos decided where they lived and for whatever reason, they had placed him on the opposite side of town as his love.
Judging from Train's exacerbated sigh, the swordsman knew the Black Cat was annoyed by Creed's overbearing persona. Had that shard hit anyone else Creed wouldn't have cared. Even if it happened to himself, Creed would have been in more control of his emotions.
Train looked down at the wrist his partner was holding and frowned deeply, ripping out of his grasp tightly as he turned to walk in the opposite direction towards his apartment once more. His job was to simply kill the target, not allow his overbearing partner to obsess over his low grade wounds.
"I told you I'm fine, Creed. I'm going home."
Footsteps followed close behind, bringing Train's attention back to Creed who was, as usual, following him. However this time the man seemed to have a specific reason.
"What now…?" Questioned the gunman impatiently, coming to a halt to eye Creed angrily.
Creed pouted at his beloved. "I told you we need to treat your wound. If you won't come to my apartment, then I'll have to follow you home to help."
Train growled yet again. "Why? So you can lock us in my room? I told you to chill. I've had worse and you know it."
Oh, God, would I love to lock you in a room alone with me and throw away the key...
Creed had to shake his head of the dirty thoughts. Of course he knew his beloved had worse. The silver haired man remembered each wound with grimace and heartache. Still skeptical of Train's conviction that he'd be all right, Creed continued pestering the man.
"You should still clean it. Just to be safe."
Train growled under his breath. "Fine. If it'll make you leave me alone, I will. But I don't need your help. Go home."
With that, Train turned around to continue his journey home.
Footsteps made another growl erupt from his throat.
"You swear?" The blue eyed man asked.
What is with this guy?!
"…Yes."
The golden eyed man replied in as calm a voice he could muster, which wasn't much. He didn't get angry often, but Creed seemed to be good at making him so. He hoped that it would convince his stalker to drop it and stop following him.
The exact opposite happened as Creed grabbed his wrist again, checking his arm for any cuts or bruises. He repeated this gesture on his other arm, then looked his body up and down for anything else he might have missed. Creed's worried hands then finally landed on Train's face and wiped away any more blood that was there, making sure there were no other cuts on his beautiful face.
Train glared at his partner then finally smacked his hands away, turning on his heel and making another brisk walk down the street.
It always takes so long to get home when we do missions together. It's like he thinks I'll die if he leaves me alone. Or maybe it's the other way around...
"You really are amazing, Train." Creed commented with awe.
Train rolled his eyes.
"What a nice change of subject… From me to me… Do you ever talk about anything other than me?"
Creed frowned and mumbled his response, not sure if Train would even hear it. "You're my favorite subject…"
He eyed Train's feline figure as he accompanied him on his walk home, his heart racing the entire time. Creed imagined the life they could have together if Train would just give him a chance. The swordsman pictured what it would be like to hold the Black Cat in his arms, what his hair smelled like, what he tasted like, what he would sound like crying out in pleasure...
Creed shook his head again to rid himself of the dirty thoughts. He decided to reflect on Train's performance with the smuggler, thinking that focusing on their mission might be a safer Train subject for his perverted mind. Merriam had hired lackeys, which was a good idea considering he had no skills to speak of for himself, other than smuggling.
Good, but useless. He should have known what he was up against.
Pawn after pawn came at Train. His cat avoided each crony with ease. His beloved's lithe body ducking and dodging in ways Creed thought were physically impossible, leaving Creed to deal with them.
Hearing his breath in my ears whenever he passed by me was marvelous. There was even a moment when he brushed against me and I was able to feel the heat of his body against my own…
Creed had to pinch his arm to stop the dirty thoughts from resurfacing again and tried to instead focus on his partnership with Train to stop the blood from going to his nether regions.
Although, I don't think that will work either. Anything involving Train gets me worked up.
Still, it was worth a shot before Train noticed a change in his appearance. The swordsman couldn't get over how well they worked together. It was one of the many reasons he loved Train. His cat would let Creed take care of the worker bees as he went for the queen. Leaving Creed with the small fires didn't bother him one bit. It meant that Train trusted Creed enough to cover him while he completed the mission. Even if Train wouldn't admit it.
Not only that, the lackeys never took long to dispose of, allowing Creed to have fun with them and at the same time leaving him time to watch his partner in action. It never failed.
Creed's heart was racing as Train's deep and determined voice repeated his catch phrase in his head.
"I've come to deliver some bad luck."
A shot accompanied by splatters of blood quickly followed. Creed smiled dreamily as they walked, his thoughts once more becoming depraved as he fantasized about his love again. The swordsman punched his head to stop himself from losing control of his mind again.
Train was seemingly oblivious to Creed's admiration as he didn't respond to his partner's obvious physical changes. The many swings in moods the silver man was going through went unknown to Number XIII as he seemed to be deep in thought.
Creed saw this and worried for his cat. "Is something wrong, Train? You seem troubled."
"Huh?" Train's response and tone confirmed Creed's suspicions that something was bothering him.
Creed stopped Train again to check him over. "You're sure you're not hurt? Here, take your jacket off so I can get a better look."
The Chronos assassin pushed the swordsman away as he attempted to undress him. "I'm fine!" Train walked away once more, fixing his jacket back on his body.
Honestly, Train wasn't sure of the truth behind his own words either, but he didn't want Creed to keep pestering him. The Black Cat shook his head and started to revisit the guilt he had felt. He knew Merriam wasn't a nice guy, but did it mean he had to die? Was death the only thing that awaited people like him? Did he have the right to make such a decision like that?
But the biggest, most mind tingling question was: Why was he suddenly asking all these questions?
"You sure?" Creed's concerned voice interrupted Train's confused thoughts again.
A glare in Creed's direction was his only response.
"I just want to be sure, Train. You're very important to me."
A thought occurred to him that made him pull out a Chronos issued energy bar. They were required to eat this after every mission. In fact, all the food they consumed was Chronos issued. They weren't permitted to eat or drink anything that did not come from their masters. If they were ever caught eating something different, they would immediately be punished. Creed wasn't sure why, but considering he didn't care one way or the other about what he ate, he didn't complain. Saved him money on food as well.
Train doesn't listen, though. He loves food. Especially milk which is apparently a huge no-no on the Chronos list.
Creed giggled at this thought. He remembered the day Train found out he wasn't allowed to have milk. His beloved only lasted a week without the substance, thanks to Creed. The silver man saw how much his cat was suffering and couldn't take it any longer. Creed didn't care what would happen to him if Chronos found out. The happy look on Train's face would make up for any punishment they would put him through.
Needless to say, Train had consumed it every day since then.
Turning to his love as they walked, Creed offered a bite of his snack to Train. The Black Cat grimaced and pushed away his partner's offering hand.
Creed frowned. "But… We're supposed to eat this after missions, Train."
Train scowled at him. "I don't care. I'm not so hungry and whipped by Chronos that I'll eat something you already got your spit all over. Besides, the Chronos issued food is gross. How do you eat that stuff?"
The swordsman took another bite, his heart sad knowing his cat was so disgusted by him he wouldn't even share food, no matter how much he enjoyed eating.
"I don't really care for it either, but we have to. As long as it's healthy, I'll eat it."
"What makes you think Chronos food is healthy?"
Creed shrugged his shoulders and ate the rest of the bar. "They wouldn't want us eating something that didn't make us better at the job." He suddenly became worried. "Are you telling me you don't eat the food at all anymore?"
Train glanced at him, then nodded. "I stopped a while ago. I couldn't stomach it anymore."
"Train, you can't do that! What if Sephiria finds out?!"
The Black Cat sighed. "And who's the one that brings me a huge supply of milk every week? If you're so worried about my well being, you should stop doing that."
Creed blushed and hid his face. "I think not having milk will hurt you more than they ever could…"
Train rolled his eyes and started ignoring Creed as they approached his apartment building. He also ignored Creed's goodnight as he closed the door behind him and made his way up the stairs to his room. His mind kept wandering back to the guilt he felt when he killed Merriam. It was frustrating and he needed to know why he still had this ache in his heart.
Chronos agent XIII discarded his coat on a nearby chair, planting himself on his bed's edge. He normally didn't think this hard and it was starting to hurt his head. Train was the type to just go with the flow and take things as they came, but his flow seemed to be changing and he wanted to know how and why.
Is it because of her?
A while back, he was injured badly on a solo mission and was taken in by a young sweeper girl named Saya Minatsuki. They quickly became friends and Train found himself invigorated by the woman's outgoing and carefree personality. She had a rough start in life just as Train had, yet somehow she was still able to look at the world with a smile on her face. She even treated a wounded man she knew to be the infamous Black Cat without worrying what the consequences might be.
How naïve. She's going to get herself killed.
Still, he couldn't help wonder why her words affected him so much. He found himself constantly thinking about their conversations and couldn't shake the feeling he was doing something wrong with his life. That maybe there was another way to live. He was getting tired of being told what to do all the time and he found himself dreaming of a life where he could choose his own path without worry of what the consequences would be.
That's why he stopped eating the Chronos issued food. It was small in the grand scheme of things they controlled, but eating was something he enjoyed about life. It was also something he could easily control without Chronos knowing. There's no way they could ever tell what he was eating.
Besides, Saya enjoys food just as much as I do and she's always bringing me something good. If I ever told her no, she might be scarier than Chronos.
He sighed and fell back on the bed, raising his hands in front of his face. They were the hands of a killer, an assassin… And in that moment, they were the hands of a man that were beginning to repulse Train's soul.
Maybe freedom is the answer…
Train rolled to his pillow and rested his head heavily on it. His thoughts were still racing, but his body was tired. As his eyes shut, Saya's words floated in his head.
"If I don't wanna shoot, then I don't."
Maybe Train was beginning to understand them. However, Saya's words were replaced with Sephiria's, words. The words she had said to him after initiating him as a number.
"Never forget to ask, for whom am I shooting for? What reason am I pulling the trigger?"
Train groaned as he took a deep breath to calm his soul. He wasn't sure he knew the answer.