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

18. 18 Broken Promises (real update)

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

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Train didn't know when he fell asleep or how long he had been asleep for, but judging by the darkness in the sky, it couldn't have been too long. He was still wearing his clothes and wasn't even completely on the bed. While his upper body seemed to have successfully made contact with the mattress after his breakdown, his lower body was hanging uselessly off to the side, his knees touching the floor slightly. It was almost as if he hadn't even fallen asleep so much as passed out. Judging by how sore his head and body were, if he was asleep, it must not have been a sound one.

I can't imagine I would have been able to sleep anyway… Not after what just happened.

The Black Cat propped himself up on his hands, sliding off the bed so he was now kneeling on the floor and looked around the room. The state of it echoed the state of his inner turmoil. His dresser was knocked over, the drawers having fallen out and scattered his clothes everywhere. The night stand had been thrown across the room and his lamp was in pieces, the glass embedded in the carpet. Even the curtains had seen better days. Train must have blacked out at one point, because they were torn to shreds and all his pillows were ripped and strewed across his room, yet he had no recollection of having done that. Several vases full of roses had also been smashed as well, the flowers' petals soaking in puddles of water that seeped into the carpet.

Train clutched his head and leaned back on his feet, trying to grasp what had just happened. Creed's words rang in his head hauntingly, making the gunman want to shoot a hole through his temple just to make it stop.

"SHE WAS JUST SWEEPER TRASH!"

The Black Cat growled and punched the floor, leaving a small dent in the carpet as he broke the wood beneath it.

I told you…

That damn doubtful voice snickered in his head. Train covered his ears with his hands, trying to block out the sound.

"Shut up…" He whispered virulently.

Why? He may as well have confessed to having at least something to do with Saya's death. Whether he was ordered to or did it of his own volition, or even just knew about, he had something to do with it.

Train shook his head. "No. That's not true. That's not what he said…."

Yes, but he didn't need to say it, did he? You heard how he sounded. It was almost like he said that instead to stop himself from saying the truth.

Train punched the floor again, the wood now splintering through the carpet, cutting his knuckles. He glared down at his hand and shook it, noticing some wood came with it. The cat plucked it out with ease, ignoring the blood stain he left on the floor. He rested his head in his hands and took a deep, long breath. He knew what he needed to do now, but first he needed to work up the courage and strength to follow through.

Well? What are you waiting for? Leave. What better time than now?

The cat sighed again. He knew now was the best time to leave. Judging by the silence coming from Creed's room, his partner had most likely fallen asleep as well.

Or passed out from extreme stress like you did.

Train shook his head. It didn't matter how Creed had become conscious, as long as he was. If he was awake, he would have already found a way into his room. Either by breaking down the door, finding a way in through the window, or having Echidna use her portal to get in. Creed hadn't used any of these tactics before, but based on how frantically he was trying to get in a few hours ago, Train thought Creed was at the point where cheap tricks like that didn't seem so cheap.

I have to leave now.

It seemed that since he decided to finally listen to the doubt in his head, it was no longer tormenting him. His thoughts were back to normal. Not that he fully believed it to be true just yet, Train was at least willing to work with the thoughts and find an answer himself.

Creed had his chance to tell me. He had all the time and chances in the world to tell me the truth and he didn't. Instead, he called Saya trash.

He felt himself boil with rage again and took a deep breath to calm himself down. This wasn't the time to continue attacking the floor. He needed to leave, and he needed to leave now before Creed or any other Apostle or Shooting Stars woke up.

Train turned to the clock on his wall and noticed it was about four in the morning. The earliest he ever saw anyone wake up was five, and that was usually Echidna, Charden, or Doctor. Echidna and Charden would always hang out in the backyard on the mansion, sipping his coffee quietly and watching the sun rise and Doctor practically lived in his lab, so assuming he would wake up soon, Train didn't have to worry the man about catching him leaving.

Charden and Echidna might be a problem… While it seems like Echidna has started to move on from Creed, she still cares about him deeply. She'd probably be happy to see me go, but wouldn't want to lie to Creed. I can't trust her to not stop me and wake Creed up. As for Charden…

That one was trickery. The blood Taoist was getting impatient waiting for their next move on Chronos and had voiced his concerns non-stop. Creed kept using the excuse that it wasn't safe yet, but the cat knew the real reason they weren't moving. The silver man could tell Train had been thinking about leaving for a while, and if they changed location, that might have been the perfect time for the Black Cat to slip away unnoticed. Afterall, he could fly now.

But would he tell Creed? He's never had anything against me and is certainly not the controlling type. While he might not stop me from leaving, he would certainly inform Creed of my departure...

It would make Creed mad if Charden didn't try to stop Train, but if he didn't say anything and found out later that the blood Taoist knew about it, he would most certainly be in trouble. Creed would also probably reason that Charden wouldn't have been strong enough to stop Train anyway. The swordsman said on many occasions how he believed no one in the group was a match for Train except for Creed.

Right. So I need to be careful and avoid the kitchen and the back. Avoiding the kitchen is tricky since that's right by the front door.

Train glanced out the window and thought about flying away. He immediately pushed the thought aside. That was too much exposure. All he needed was one person to wake up and peak out their window to see him fly away and it would all be over. Creed was at the point of possessiveness he didn't put it past the man to order their group to stop him from leaving.

Okay, so no flying, front door is ify, and I should avoid the back as well just in case Charden and Echidna woke up early. There's thousands of ways out of here, I just need to pick one and head for it.

The cat nodded and stood up, running into his closet to grab whatever bag was easiest to transport. He didn't know how long he'd be gone for, so he wanted to make sure he had what he needed to survive on his own for a while.

Will I even be coming back? If I find out some terrible truth, what will I do?

Train shook the thought away. He didn't want to think about that right now. Right now, he needed to get out of there. He would deal with the future when it arrived.

After finishing stuffing his bag full with as many clothes and bullets as he could, Train glanced at the door that he knew Creed was behind. His heart filled with a mixture of pity and rancor and approached quietly. He wanted to make sure Creed was still asleep, so he hoped he could hear that by listening silently.

Train leaned his head against the door, pressing his ear closely to hear for any movement or sound. He could hear heavy breathing, which made the gunman believe Creed had fallen asleep while leaning against the door. The cat stayed for a few seconds, just to make sure he wasn't mishearing the breathing. When he heard his partner whisper his name sadly, he knew he was asleep. Creed had said his name enough in his sleep that Train was able to identify when he was actually calling out to him, or when he was just dreaming of the Black Cat.

That's definitely a dream voice. It sounds sadder than usual. I wonder what he's dreaming about?

Train slapped himself quietly when he felt his heart break and become concerned for the man. He was angry with himself for feeling anything but bitterness towards him right now and if he didn't hold on to these angry thoughts, he may decide not to leave out of pity or sympathy. While he knew Creed didn't want him to stay for pathetic reasons like that, there was no doubt in Train's mind the swordsman would use any feelings the cat had to get him to stay.

Still, he couldn't ignore how much he hurt right now. Train knew Creed was hurting as well, but he didn't think his partner knew how much pain he was in. The golden man had given Creed his whole heart, body, mind, and soul. He had made himself completely vulnerable to the silver man, and if there was one thing the Black Cat hated being, it was vulnerable.

I also gave myself to him in a physical way I never thought I would give to anyone… And that's something I can never take back…

Again, Train shook his head. He didn't want to think about this right now. Nothing was set in stone yet and he could be completely wrong. He could talk to Sven and find out Creed had nothing to do with Saya. Or maybe even didn't know who Creed was and his partner really was just being jealous of his friendly attachment to the sweeper man.

I doubt it… He has to know him at least somehow. Maybe he saw Creed kill someone else on a mission once and it freaked him out. Maybe Sven just wants to tell me to be careful because he knows Creed has killed before.

Creed's past kills did not concern him. They were ordered to kill thousands of people, and if he was going to judge or leave Creed for that, he'd be a hypocrite.

If that ends up being the case, this whole thing will be over with quickly. But…

Train knew he was just telling himself a fantasy. There was no way it was something as simple as that. If that were the case, it didn't make sense why Creed would act that way. If it was something as small as that, he would have said something right away. They shared the life of an assassin together, so of course Train would understand his history of killing.

And Creed kills in such a specific, brutal way I could absolutely see someone witnessing that and getting completely freaked out. Hell, Chronos was freaked out by him. It makes sense a random sweeper would be.

That thought planted the image of Saya's dead body again in his head and he had to shake the picture away.

Stop it! You can deal with these thoughts later. You need to get out of here.

Train figured he listened at the door long enough and was confident Creed was dead to the world. He placed his hand on the door where he thought Creed's head was and sighed heavily. Allowing himself a moment of sadness and heartache, Train leaned his forehead against the door and whispered quietly to his partner.

"I'm sorry, Stallion… But I need to go…."

Train gave it just a few more seconds to make sure he didn't accidentally wake Creed up. Hearing his partner still breathing deeply, crying sadly in his sleep, the Black cat sighed painfully and stood. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door, pausing momentarily as he glanced back into his room one more time. Feeling a flash of remorse and nostalgia, Train put his bag down and headed to his bed. The night stand had thrown a notepad and pencil to the foot of the bed and Train felt the need to leave something for Creed to find.

He jotted down a short note quickly, placed it on the bed, then stepped out of his room quietly. Before he made his way down the hall, he cursed silently to himself as another thought occurred to him.

Shit. If I don't know how long I'll be, I'll need some kind of money to keep me going for a while.

Train knew where Creed kept the money and it was mostly in cash since that was hard to trace. However, that required him to head towards the basement, which was where the Doctor was. And he knew if Kanzaki caught him, his journey would end right then and there.

The Doc is far too fascinated with me, so if he knew Creed and I were having issues, he might do worse than just try to keep me here or tell Creed.

Train shivered at the thought, then shook his head again. It didn't matter. He had to get something to keep him going. Besides, he was the Black Cat. Since when did the Black Cat get scared of some creepy scientist with a strange fixation with him? He should be used to people obsession over him. Whether it be in a benevolent or macabre way.

Okay, get to the basement, grab enough money to get you through a few days and go. Sounds like a plan.

Now that he had a plan, the golden man felt a bit more confident as he moved down the hallway. He used his Tao ability to float himself slightly in the air to make no noise. Train knew he could be quiet, he had killed many people without making a sound, but since he was dealing with Creed and the Apostles, he needed to be extra careful.

As he made his way down the hallway he heard footsteps and cursed quietly. He pressed his back against a wall and held his breath, hoping whoever it was would hear him. He could just drop his bag and tell whoever it was he was getting a late night snack, but any conversation might wake Creed who was still not that far away.

Should I just float in the air above them? That's not something out of character for me. I do it all the time to mess with Shiki and Maro.

When Train heard a sleeping sounding voice he clenched his fists and banged his head quietly on the wall.

"Kuro-sama, Kuro-sama. I looooove Kuro-sama."

Kyoko was singing sleepily as she walked down the hallway and Train felt like hiding his face in his hands.

I totally forgot about this girl! She's probably the worst person to catch me. She'll wake up the whole mansion with no regards to their comfort.

As her voice got closer, Train could tell she wasn't fully awake. In fact, she may have even been sleeping walking, judging by the constant bumping she was making into the walls. However, that wasn't good either. She might wake someone up just by being her annoying self.

Damnit, what do I do?!

Train decided to float himself higher, enough that if Kyoko was going to turn the corner and head to his room she wouldn't see him. Once he was pressed against the ceiling, he held his breath again, waiting to see what the girl was going to do. Seeing she didn't turn the corner and was actually headed for the kitchen, Train let his breath go silently and lowered himself back down slowly.

"Oh, thank God…" He whispered, then cursed himself for speaking out loud.

"Kuro-sama?"

Train froze, looked over his shoulder, and panicked.

You idiot! Why the hell would you say anything?!

The Black Cat decided to stay still, as if Kyoko was an animal that didn't see its prey unless they moved. It didn't work and Train cursed at himself again as she approached tentatively, as if she wasn't sure he was really there. For a second, he thought staying still had worked and all he had to do was wait the girl out.

Kyoko stood in front of him, then beamed happily, yet sleepily up at him. "Kuro-sama! Is it really you, or am I just sleeping walking again?"

Train still did not move as Kyoko poked his chest curiously, then squealed annoyingly as she hugged him tightly. "It is you! What are you do-"

The Black Cat finally reacted and clamped his hand over her mouth. "Shut up! You're going to wake up the whole castle!"

Kyoko blushed brightly and gawked at her crush. Train had never touched her willingly before and not only was he touching her, but he was touching her mouth.

Train saw the fangirl look in the teens eyes and felt his eyebrow twitch. He could tell she was trying to speak, since he could feel her mouth moving against his hand and he growled quietly. However, when he felt her kiss his hand, he pulled away instinctively and wiped his palm on his pants.

He glared at the girl who was now leaning in for a real kiss and grabbed her shoulders roughly, shaking her so she made eye contact with him.

"Stop it! What are you doing up at this hour?!" She didn't spend a lot of nights at their hideout, but when she did, she slept in until noon every day.

Why the hell is she awake?!

Kyoko swooned in his arms and smiled brightly. "Kyoko was thirsty! Ever since I got my fire breath, I've been extra thirsty. What about you, Kuro-sama? Did you hear me waking up and wanted to make sure I was okay?!"

Train felt himself sweating. "That's quite a stretch, don't you think?"

The teen shook her head. "Not at all! Kuro-sama is my hero, after all!" Kyoko looked at him curiously, then noticed the bag he was holding. "Kuro-sama… You aren't wearing pajamas… And you have a bag… Are you going somewhere?"

Damnit! I didn't think she was that observational! Well, I guess when it comes to me, she notices everything… Similar to Creed.

The cat sighed quietly and took his arms away. "I… I was hungry. I woke up to get a snack…"

Kyoko wasn't convinced. "And you needed a bag to do that?" She leaned forward and looked at his tired face and gasped. "Kuro-sama! Have you been crying?!"

Train covered her mouth again and gave her a warning look. Kyoko blushed and swooned again, but the cat didn't let his uncomfortableness stop him from keeping her quiet. Then, Train saw something click in her mind and she pulled his hand away forcefully.

"Kuro-sama… Are you leaving?!"

It suddenly became clear to her. Train had been acting differently recently, and he was obviously arguing with Creed a lot. Their silver leader even had guards following the Black Cat around, much to Kyoko's displeasure. Since her hero had been away from Creed a lot more, she thought she would be able to get closer to him, but now it was the guards keeping her from Train instead of Creed.

Train glared at her and picked up his bag that he had dropped. "No…"

Kyoko pointed at him. "Yes you are! You're being super sneaky and you have a bag and you're not wearing pajamas and you look realllllly upset. You're leaving, Kuro-sama!"

Train shot her another glare and threw his bag over his shoulder. "...And what business is it of yours if I am?"

Kyoko thought about that for a second. The small bit of logic she had told her she should tell Creed, but the emotional side of her always had more control over her choices, so she found herself once again listening to her heart instead of her head.

"Can Kyoko come with you?!"

Train blinked down at her. "Wh-what!?"

Kyoko smiled happily. "Can Kyoko come with you?! It'll be so booooring here without you. Why would I stay if you leave?"

Train put his face in his hands. "You can't just leave the Apostles. And it's not like I'll be gone forever. I'll come back."

Maybe…

Kyoko shook her head. "No, Kyoko knows Kuro-sama too well! You look like you're leaving and never coming back! So, if Kuro-sama leaves, Kyoko will leave."

Train rolled his eyes. "It's going to be hard enough for me to get out of here. What makes you think you'll be able to do better?"

The teen smirked proudly. "Kyoko is much more skilled than Kuro-sama gives her credit! Besides, the guards are following you, not me…"

The Black Cat blinked at her again. She was right. She was able to walk around the castle freely. Train knew Shooting Star members were up all hours of the night 'keeping watch', as Creed always put it, and they always questioned and followed Train when they saw him walking around, sometimes even forcing him back to his room. The gunman never argued with them. He knew he could take them all on single-handedly, but he knew they were just following orders. It wouldn't have been right to take out his frustrations on them.

And this situation is no different. I could knock them all out, but if this girl is willing to help, maybe I won't even have to do that…

Train shook his head. "What do you possibly think you can do to help me?"

Kyoko booped his nose, making Train smack her hand away. "Kyoko has her ways… After all, I am a cute and charming girl…"

Train grimaced as she winked at him and he thought about what she said. Then, a thought occurred to him.

If she really can distract the guards while I get the money, I can get out of here quicker…

He glanced at the window and noticed the moon was slowly being replaced by the sun and cursed again. This whole encounter was taking far too long and there was no telling how much time he had left until someone more threatening woke up.

"Kyoko…" Train ignored the happy squeal she let out at him using her name. "Do you think you can distract the guards long enough while I make a quick pit stop before I leave?"

"Oooh, a Kuro-sama has a secret mission?"

Train held back the urge to slap her. "You can say that. Can you do it or not?"

Kyoko grinned cheekily at him. "Only if you agree to take me with you."

Train stared at her for a second, then sighed and nodded. "Fine. If it means you won't make any sound and stay out of my way, you can come with me."

The Black Cat was shocked that she didn't yell, but was not surprised when she embraced him tightly. Train had to swallow a cry of pain from her firm grip, but allowed the girl to let out her emotions now, for fear they might get louder if he didn't.

"Kyoko won't let you down, Kuro-sama!"

The teen shocked the gunman again when she spoke quietly and let him go willingly. She gave him a quiet signal, then skipped down the hall where she knew guards to be. Train watched her go for a minute, waiting to see if she was indeed able to distract the guards. After a while, Train watched the end of the hallway as Kyoko walked away with a guard. Her arm was linked around his elbow, and even from how far away Train was, he could see the man was blushing brightly.

Kyoko turned and winked at Train again, and the cat felt himself smirk.

Guess maybe I should give her more credit…

Knowing that hallway was now free, Train made his way down that path, knowing it was the quicker way to the basement. There weren't any guards down there since they were too scared to be near any of Doctor's experiments. Also, Train never went down there without Creed, so there wasn't really a point in using precious resources for this area.

Train looked down where Doctor's lab was and waited to see if the man would emerge from his hole. After a few minutes of silence, the cat moved quickly and stealthy to the room he knew Creed kept their money and tried the door. He growled when he realized it was locked and he didn't have his key.

Damnit! Why did I forget that?! What am I gonna do?

Normally he'd just shoot or kick down a door, but that would make too much noise. He dug through his bag, knowing he had packed a pocket knife and deciding that was better than nothing. He slipped the blade into the door knob and jiggled it around. He used to have to lock pick while he was at Chronos, so he didn't think this would take long.

However, his anxiety was high so his hands were shaking. He was usually very calm and collected when he broke into places, but with everything that happened tonight, there was no way he could stay in complete control of his emotions. To top it off, he had no sleep and was stressed like he had never been before.

I've never done this while trying to sneak out of a mansion loaded with people just looking for a reason to kill me with my possessive lover sleeping a few floors above who may or may not have killed my best friend and started keeping me under lockdown. Not to mention I've had little sleep and my body feels about ready to collapse again from exhaustion and stress.

Train also didn't think you forget that Doctor was probably just a few feet away. Train glanced down the hallway to see if there was any movement and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down so he could concentrate. Every time the knife slipped out of the lock, Train felt himself shake a little more and he didn't want to stay there that long.

When it fell out again, Train cursed a little louder and jumped when he heard movement from the room just a few feet away. A wave of panic passed through him and the cat began to move faster. He could hear the doctor making some noises in the other room, which only made Train all the more frantic to get in the room. When he saw the doorknob turn, Train felt his hands sweating and gripped tightly at the knife in his hand. Finally, the blade made contact with the lock and the Black Cat twisted it, heard a click, and jumped in the room quickly, closing and locking the door behind him.

He held his breath as he heard the other door open and close quickly. This was followed soon by footsteps the cat knew belonged to Doctor and felt his heart race. Again, Train knew he could take the man on if he needed to, but he still didn't know what his abilities were and now didn't really seem to be the time to find out. Train really didn't want to have to fight anyone tonight. He just wanted to get the hell out of there and get his answers.

Train saw Kanzaki's shadow underneath the door and reached for Hades. Apparently, the doctor had paused when he got to the door Train hid behind and the Black Cat prepared himself to shoot if he needed to. He knew the door was locked, but again, he didn't know what the scientist's ability was. After everything he had seen the other Apostles could do, Train didn't want to take chances.

Damnit! What if Doctor can walk through walls or has x-ray vision or some shit?!

After a few minutes, he heard the scientist cough, then walk away. His shadow vanished, but Train did not move or breath until he heard the sound of Kanzaki's footsteps completely disappear. Even then, the gunman waited, just in case the man had decided to try and trick the cat into thinking he had walked away. Once Train was sure he was gone, he peaked out the door, just enough that he could see down the hallway. After checking both ends, Train decided it was safe and closed the door again. He didn't get what he came here for yet.

The room was full of safes that Train walked over to, quickly. He picked one at random, having memorized most of the combination by now, and opened it quickly. He shoved as much money into his bag as he could, shut the safe, spun it back to its original position, then headed back for the door. Before he left, he pressed his ear against the door to hear if the doctor had come back. It was difficult, since the door was so thick, so Train went on his hands and knees to see if he could see any more shadows.

After a few minutes, he stood and opened the door. Peeking down both ends of the hallway again, Train saw the close was clear and exited the room, making sure it locked behind him. He hovered himself in the air again and pushed himself over to the stairs. He was moving fast, but also made sure to be careful. Every corner he turned he checked, every hall he floated down he waited to make sure the close was clear.

As he passed down a few more halls, he noticed guards who were knocked out, or completely gone. Train also saw that they all had lipstick on their faces, making the cat wonder why she was wearing lipstick at this hour.

Unless she decided to put in on specifically for this purpose… What would be the point of that?

Train shrugged his shoulders and realized it didn't matter. When Creed found out she had left with Train, she may as well start digging her own grave. She probably didn't realize that when she put the lipstick on, but at this point it was too late. The damage was done and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

I can scold her later for the dumb choice, but again, what will that matter? She'll do what she wants.

Seeing the path to a side door was clear, Train decided to go that way. He wasn't sure where Kyoko was, but Train knew that she'd find him one way or another. Much to his irritation, she always did. Right now, he was just grateful that he didn't have to sneak past all these guards or take them out on his own.

Again, not that I couldn't handle these low level lackeys. They're just doing their job and I didn't want to hurt them. Seems like Kyoko was capable of handling them without hurting them and I was able to grab some money and get out faster than if I had to deal with them alone.

As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed Kyoko standing at the edge of the woods with a big smile on her face, waving excitedly at him. Train approached and grimaced as soon as the girl hugged him, pushing her off right away and continuing his path through the woods.

The teen girl skipped up behind Train and wrapped her arm around his elbow. "Are you impressed, Kuro-sama?"

Train pulled his arm away. "Why did you leave lipstick marks on them?"

Kyoko giggled and tried to grab Train again, who dodged it easily. "Is Kuro-sama jealous?"

"You are aware that if Creed finds out you helped me escape, you're dead, right? It's bad enough you're leaving with me, but the fact that you helped only solidifies your fate."

Kyoko thought about his grim words for a second, then shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I really just wanted to try out Doctor's new invention. He gave me and Echidna a lipstick that makes whoever you kiss pass out, then wake up a few hours later with no memory. I figured that was better to use than my fire breath since that might wake someone up or leave marks. You seemed like you really didn't want to cause a scene or leave a trial."

Train glanced at her as they walked, shocked by her rather intelligent plan. "That's… actually pretty smart…"

Kyoko twirled in the air and clasped back onto his arm. "Kuro-sama thinks Kyoko is smart?!"

The Black Cat sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't think too much into it. But… I guess I owe you my thanks."

The girl giggled and tried to grab her crush again. "Kuro-sama never has to thank Kyoko. Kyoko would do anything for Kuro-sama!"

Train felt his heart drop a little. Her statement reminded him a lot of what Creed always said to him.

"I'd do anything for you, Train…"

He shook his head to get rid of thought.

Don't start thinking such sad thoughts. You don't know for sure what the truth is yet. You'll be back…

Even his inner voice didn't believe that statement.

Kyoko shivered from the cold night air and found her way back onto his arm.

"It's so cold, Kuro-sama. Keep me warm!"

The teen leaned her head against Train's shoulder as they walked, keeping her arm wrapped tightly around him as she continued giggling and talking happily. Train decided not to bother shoving her off. She'd just find another way to latch on and seeing as she just helped him escape, he owed her at least that.

It's an unsettling feeling to escape from your own home… I can't say that bodes well for the future. If I find out his secret is something small and stupid, we're still going to have to have a conversation about his possessiveness. However, if that's the only problem we end up having, I'll be grateful for it.

Right now, Train had every intention of returning to Creed. While his doubt was strong, there was still a part of him that was able to reason it was just something small that Creed was making a bigger deal out of. He did that a lot, so the Black Cat decided to find solace in that thought.

It's better than the alternative… If Creed had something to do with Saya's death… Then that means…

"By the way, Kuro-sama. Why are you leaving?"

Train was actually happy to be interrupted by the teen this time. He didn't want to think about what he would do if this turned out to be the worst case scenario. However, her question wasn't entirely off topic, so the cat still wasn't really happy with the subject, and he really didn't want her to know about the issue.

"I just… need to get away for awhile…" It wasn't entirely a lie, so he hoped the teen would buy it.

Something about what Train said made the girl perk up. "Does this mean you're leaving Diskenth-sama?!"

Train made a strangled noise and felt his body go cold at that question. However, he managed to keep walking, hoping the girl didn't notice his reaction.

"No."

Kyoko didn't seem convinced. "Really? Because you have been spending a lot less time with him and you seem to be fighting more. If you'd ask me, that is a good recipe for a break up!"

"It's a good thing I didn't ask you, then…"

Although, if Train were honest with himself, at that moment, he didn't know what the future held for him and Creed. If you asked him four weeks ago, he'd said he'd be with the swordsman for the rest of his life. Just merely four weeks ago, Train didn't think there was anything in the world that would ever separate him from Creed. There wasn't anything the man could do or say that would make him want to leave or ever feeling anything other than love for him.

"SHE WAS JUST SWEEPER TRASH!"

Train felt a crack in his heart at that memory, but pushed it aside quickly, trying to replace it with better ones.

"If I have made your heart heavy, then take a knife and cut out mine, use it for your own."

The cat felt his heart swell with love at the memory of one of the many beautiful things Creed had said to him the night they exchanged their affections. Creed always knew what to say, what to do to make him feel better, and even now when Train was mad at him and felt like he couldn't trust him, somehow the swordsman was able to comfort the gunman.

He played that memory and more through his head, trying to remind himself of how much his partner meant to him. Trying to convince himself that Creed would never betray him. Until he knew the truth, Train decided to push aside all the doubtful and negative thoughts he had about the silver man and think only of the joy and bliss he felt when he was around his lover.

Train smiled as he walked down the woods, relieved to feel his negative and doubtful side gave him a break for a few hours and allowed him to think of more peaceful times.

---

Creed opened his eyes and immediately turned to the door he leaned on. He was awake instantaneously, as if he had never been asleep in the first place.

"Train?!" He said it rather loudly, hoping his beloved would hear him.

There was no response and he felt himself starting to panic. Terrible scenarios began to run through his head and he desperately needed to get into Train's room to see if he was okay.

Or to see if he's still there!

Creed knew after what he had just said to his beloved that Train's disappearance was probably much more likely. His cat was already trying to leave and Creed didn't think his comment about Saya was going to make that any better. He probably just succeeded in driving his love away.

"TRAIN!" He called again, banging on the door now, not caring if he woke anyone up. Judging by the sun, it was at least six in the morning, which meant several apostles were already awake.

Shit! How could I fall asleep!? How could I stay asleep!?

Still hearing no response from his cat, Creed tried the door and growled loudly when he saw it was still locked. He cursed loudly and ran out his room to the other door that led to Train's room and tried that. Feeling the knob turn, the swordsman sighed in relief and opened it quickly. Creed was only able to run a few feet into the room before he was stopped by the nightstand that had been thrown across the room.

Creed blinked and took in the empty room, his heart shaking in fear when he saw what Train had done to it. He took another fearful step in, feeling his foot squish under the water from the vase his beloved had destroyed. The silver man watched as a rose petal disintegrated under his foot, no longer able to retain its shape from all the water damage it had taken on.

Creed didn't waste any time and ran to the bathroom to see if Train was in there. He cursed again and checked the closet, grabbing all the clothes that were hanging there and tossing him on the floor carelessly, as if he would find his Kitten hiding behind the garments like a child hiding from their parents.

The swordsman screamed and ran to the window instead, noticing it was open slightly and praying his cat had just fallen asleep on the roof. Creed stumbled as he ran up the stairs, his legs losing their strength the more he began to realize Train was gone. He ran around every corner of the roof, even going so far as to slide down the side that was not flat, just in case his beloved decided to sleep at an angle.

Seeing nothing, Creed punched the ceiling, breaking a few tiles and climbed back up the roof, down the stairs, and headed back into Train's room. Without a second glance at anything else, Creed burst through the door and ran down the halls that led to the kitchen. He thought maybe Train was just hungry and was getting something to eat.

Did he really leave? Everything seems so calm. If he left, someone would have told me. Someone would have seen him. I set up too many people to constantly patrol for it to be this quiet!

Creed knew his beloved was capable of getting past everyone without a sound, but still, he didn't believe it would be this quiet. His group wasn't completely useless and neither were his stars. As amazing as his cat was, someone would have seen something.

When he got to the kitchen, he slammed the door open, making Echidna jump and spill a little of the two mugs of coffee she was holding. Creed paid her no mind and entered the kitchen, opening every cupboard and drawer, as if his beloved would fit in any of those small places. A few of the drawers he pulled out so recklessly they fell to the floor and he had torn through the cabinets like a wild animal searching for their newborn, leaving a broken mess of plates and cups on the tile.

The actress watched her leader in stunned silence. Just as she was about to voice her curiosity, Creed ran into the kitchen. Judging from the loud screams and crashing pots and pans, she assumed the silverman was destroying that room as well. Knowing that following after him was a bad idea, she decided to stay put and wait for the man to return.

When he did, Echidna watched as he ripped the fridge open and grabbed the milk. She cocked an eyebrow as he checked how much was in there, as if the beverage could calm his frenzied mind.

"DAMNIT!" Creed shouted as he threw the milk to the ground, not caring as it split open and splashed across the floor.

Echidna jumped again when Creed turned towards her, not sure what to make of his face. Half of his face was red, as if he had been sleeping against a hardwood floor. His eyes had so much baggage under them they would need their own compartment on a plane. However, the look in his blue orbs was indescribable. He looked delirious and bereaved, crazed and lost, but out of all the emotions Echidna read, the one that stood out the most was heartbroken…

As soon as she saw the emotion, she knew right away this had something to do with the Black Cat. She noticed Train had been angry with him recently and they hadn't been spending as much time with each other. She tried to talk to her leader about it, but he pushed her away every time, so she had no idea what was actually going on between them. Based on what she was witnessing right now, it must have been bad.

"Creed… Are you okay?"

Creed jumped and looked at her as if he just realized she was in the room. "Have you seen Train?"

Echidna blinked and shook her head. "No… But I've only been here and out back with Charden." Seeing Creed begin to panic again, the woman frowned. "I'm sure he's somewhere, Creed… Did you check the garden?"

Creed was already running out the door when she asked him this question with a look in his eyes she could only describe as desperate. Still holding her and Charden's coffee, she followed the hysterical man, wanting to know what had happened to make him fall over the edge so much.

Is it possible Train left? No. No, he wouldn't leave Creed. As mad as the Black Cat has been at him, he cares about him enough not to just leave him unannounced.

She followed Creed out the front door and watched as he ran through the garden, to the spot of flowers Train had spent most of his time with. She felt her heart break when Creed screamed and pulled his hair. He then grabbed a nearby guard and questioned him angrily. The look on the poor Shooting Star member's face was horrifying, as if Creed's words had sucked the soul from his body.

When Creed walked away, the man stood frozen in place, his face pale and body shaking slightly. Echidna watched as Creed approached, readying herself for a berating even though she had done nothing wrong, but was shocked to see he completely ignored her. She was more shocked to see he was crying.

Not just crying. His face didn't show anger at all. I thought based on that guard's reaction that Creed would be angry beyond belief. Instead he just looks… sad.

That was really the only word she could use to describe what her leader looked like. Maybe whatever he said to the guard was out of habit. Maybe he was genuinely just sad, but didn't know how to interact appropriately with someone other than Train when he felt that emotion and only acted like he was angry because that's all he knew.

He has been very calm up until now. Even when the Black Cat put space between them, he wasn't angry and didn't react violently to anyone. He was just… sad.

For some reason, that scared her more than if he was angry. She knew how to deal with his anger, she didn't know how to deal with his sadness. Everyone knew what would happen if Creed was acting angry and violent and they all knew what to do: Hide until it had passed. But with him being sad… Who knew what would happen?

For some reason, I feel like it will be worse. I should keep following him… But from a distance.

Just in case he decided to flip at any minute, Echidna made sure to keep space between herself and her leader. It now seemed like he was on his way to the basement, where Doctor's lab was. She wasn't sure why he would think Train would be there. The Black Cat stayed as far away from Kanzaki as he could, even farther than he stayed from Kyoko.

Maybe he thinks Doctor has something to do with Train's disappearance?

She still didn't think Train would just leave, but it was a thought she was starting to give credit to since Creed was acting as if it were true. The actress walked to the bottom of the basement stairs, still holding the two cups of coffee, all but forgetting what she had originally intended to do that morning. She still kept her distance as Creed banged on the doctor's lab door, but she stayed close enough to hear what they were saying when the scientist answered the door.

"Lord Creed? May I help you?"

Doctor was calm and collected as always which only made Creed more impatient. He pushed past the man and entered the lab without permission, not caring what he might see. The only thing he cared about right now was Train and he managed to convince himself that Doctor had taken him to finally perform some of those sick experiments he had been asking to borrow Train for. He didn't question that Train would never let him do that since Creed didn't want to accept that Train had left.

As he walked in the lab, he ignored all the terrible experiments displayed throughout the room and began his search for his beloved. He started moving equipment and furniture around, not bothering to listen to the scientist protests as he flipped a tray of rather expensive looking test tubes.

"My, Lord! What is going on?!" Doctor never lost his cool, but his leader was acting erratically and destroying some very valuable supplies.

When Creed heard the doctor's voice he stopped what he was doing and stormed over to him. Kanzaki noticed that although he was acting angry, he did not look it. He looked lost and maybe even a little scared. Doctor didn't know what happened, but for whatever reason, this emotion worried him more than his rage or fury. Anger he knew how to deal with, but this…

Creed punched a tray table that rested on a desk next to him and screamed at the man. "WHERE'S TRAIN?!"

Doctor blinked and shook his head. "I don't know, my Lord… He's not in his room?"

Creed growled loudly and ignored a tear that fell down his cheek. "His room is a mess and he isn't in there or anywhere else he normally goes for that matter! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM?!"

Kanzaki stood frozen, trying to keep his normal calm demeanor as he tried to reason with the man. "Creed… What makes you think I have something to do with his disappearance?"

Creed felt his skin begin to break as he dug his nails deep into his palm. "Because you are obsessed with getting him down here to experiment on… You must have drugged him and taken him!"

Doctor blinked again. "Do you really think Heartnet-san is guiable or foolish enough to let me poison him? He's the Black Cat. There's no way someone as weak as myself could ever pull one over on him."

The scientist was hoping that if he spoke highly of Train, Creed would back off. Also, it was true. He had thought about drugging the cat many times and bringing him to his lab, but he knew he would never get away with it. Not only did Train keep him at a distance, he also never accepted anything from Kanzaki and even if he did succeed, when Creed found out he may as well stab himself with the Imagine Blade.

Creed thought his words over and nodded. However, he did not calm down. He turned on his heel quickly and left, off to search anywhere else he could for his beloved. Doctor stepped out of his lab and watched Creed run back up the stairs, nearly knocking Echidna over. He cocked an eyebrow at the woman who looked just as disturbed as he was.

"I… I think Train might have left."

Doctor stared up where Creed had gone. "If that's the case… We should keep an eye on our unstable leader. I don't know about you, but this panicked sorrow concerns me more than his old bouts of rage."

Echidna nodded and walked up the stairs after Creed. He was already gone, but she noticed Charden was walking towards them both, his face looking as if he had just seen a ghost.

Or an unstable swordsman… Where did he go?

The blood Taoist walked quickly towards the duo and before he could even ask the question, Echidna answered it.

"The Black Cat is missing."

Charden looked troubled and glanced over his shoulder where Creed had gone. "He… isn't acting exactly that way I thought he would if that ever happened."

Echidna frowned at the man. "I think we're all thinking the same thing… However, this worries me more than if he was angry."

Charden nodded. "Agreed. I think we should follow him."

"Exactly what I said moments ago. There's no telling what he'll do with this unknown emotion."

Charden and Echidna knew Doctor didn't understand emotions, but they did. What Creed was feeling wasn't unknown. The look on his face spoke levels of pain they didn't know existed. He seemed void of feelings, but also seemed to have too many at the same time to comprehend. The man was heart broken, which was only more proof that Train had most likely left.

As they walked down the hall, Echidna suddenly remembered the coffee she was holding and handed the man his mug. Charden took it and tried to smile as best he could behind his unease at the situation. He took a sip, then placed it on an end table they passed as they turned a corner.

"Thank you, my dear. But I think caffeine will have to wait until later."

The actress nodded and placed her on the same table and followed after the two men. Doctor had gotten ahead of them and Creed had now run into Shiki and Maro who were on their way to the kitchen. Charden put an arm up to stop Echidna from walking any further down the hall, seeing as Creed looked like he was going to snap at the two Taoist. Even the doctor halted his steps to watch what their leader was going to do to the two Tao born men.

Echidna gawked at Creed's reaction. The two men definitely seemed alarmed by Creed's yelling, but they could all tell they were thinking the same thing Echidna, Doctor, and Charden were thinking. This was not a normal reaction coming from the swordsman, and none of them knew what to do about it. They wanted to run, but also didn't know if that would make matters worse.

Creed stormed away from all the useless trash he called members of his group and ran back to Train's room. He thought maybe he simply missed Train and his beloved was back in his room, cleaning up the mess he made last night, waiting for Creed to bring him breakfast. The swordsman didn't have breakfast, but he did need to check again, just in case.

He has to be there… My Kitten wouldn't just disappear. He has to be somewhere, I just know it.

He could feel more tears falling down his cheek, burning his face as he choked back another loud sob. The whole time he had been searching the mansion, Creed felt like he was going to fall apart. With each person he questioned and got no answer, he felt a little more of his sanity slip away. He didn't think he'd be this upset if he and Train didn't just have the worst fight they had ever had, including the time they spent with Chronos. If his cat wasn't already at his wits ends with Creed's deceit, he would have just thought his love was resting somewhere no one could find him so he could be alone.

As he approached his beloved's room, he saw another guard pass by. Creed grabbed him tightly, shaking him as he spoke in a distraught, depressed voice.

"Where is Train?!"

The guard gave him the same look everyone else had and Creed was getting sick of seeing it.

"I-I don't know, sir! I haven't seen Heartnet-san since yesterday!"

Creed noticed a red mark on his cheek and wiped it off with his finger. He brought it to his nose and smelled it, then rubbed it between his fingers, trying to figure out what it was. This was the third Shooting Star he had seen with this same smudge on his cheek and Creed couldn't help but think it had something to do with his Kitten's disappearance.

He eyed the man curiously and asked another question. "Where were you last night? Did you see anything out of the ordinary?"

The man still looked scared, but then became confused as he thought about Creed's question. "Actually, my Lord… I… I don't remember what happened last night… I remember patrolling down the hall from Heartnet-san's room like you asked, but there's a blank spot between the beginning of my shift and the end. Whatever happened during that time, I ended up on the floor…"

Creed growled and shoved the man away, continuing his journey back to Train's room.

That's almost exactly the same story as the other men. But, Train can't wipe people's memories. Why can't any of these useless men remember anything?!

He didn't question why he didn't kill any of them. That part of him had been fading away slowly, and he hadn't bothered to wonder why. It wasn't affecting anything negatively, so he didn't give it a second thought.

Creed burst through the door to Train's room again and began a new search. He only barely noticed almost his entire team was behind him as he tore apart the already wrecked room. Just as he was about to rip the blankets off and check under the bed, Creed saw a small piece of paper resting in the enter.

Frowning, he picked it up and read it to himself, his heart stopping at the words his beloved had written.

Creed,

You had your chance to talk. Since you won't, I'll find the answers myself. I'll be back.

-Train

Creed was frozen as he gripped the paper. He saw drops of salty water stain the note, knowing full well he had lost complete control of his tears and not caring in the least. The world around him fell away and Creed could feel the darkness closing in. His eyes saw nothing but the words his beloved wrote him, his ears rang loudly, and his body felt nothing. Time stood still as he ripped the paper in half, knowing too well what his beloved cat was going to find out and he wouldn't be coming back.

"Echidna… Open a portal to every town we have ever been to." He stood and turned to his team, his eyes overcast from his hair, masking his heartache as he addressed the rest of his Apostles.

"We're going on a man hunt for the Black Cat. No rest until we've found him and brought him back."

---

"I told you to stay at the hotel. You don't have to go everywhere with me. In fact, you have a home! Go there!" Train scowled at the girl clinging to his arm again, preventing him from drinking his milk.

It was relatively easy to find the bar Sven had told him to go to in order to contact him. The bigger issue was getting there. It was rather far away from their hideout, so it took the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon to get there. By the time they reached their destination, Train was so tired he didn't think he'd be able to have a decent conversation with the sweeper. The adrenaline from the night and morning's events had worn off and the Black Cat knew he needed to sleep.

And the other problem is this damn girl! For whatever reason, she refuses to go home!

Train offered to take her back to her house since it was actually pretty conveniently close to the cafe, but the teen rejected that idea as soon as Train offered it. She tried to convince Train into letting them share the same room, but the gunman knew he'd rather shoot himself than share a room with the overly affectionate girl. The longest relief he had from her was when she went to her house to grab some more clothes.

Kyoko giggled. "Kuro-sama, you know it's dangerous for me to be alone right now! You said it yourself, Diskenth-sama will kill me when he finds out I helped you escape!"

Train sighed in defeat and rested his head on the bar. She was right. The reason Train gave in so readily to her demands was because he knew if she left her alone and Creed found her, she might be dead within seconds. He still hoped his partner was stable enough that he wouldn't kill her, but he couldn't take that chance. Creed had been a lot calmer recently and Train barely ever saw that killer side in himself or Creed, but it wasn't worth the risk.

As much as she annoys the hell out of me, she doesn't deserve to die. I need to keep her safe until we get back, then I can convince Creed to go easy on her. After all, she's just a kid with a crush. He should understand after all the crazy things he's done for me.

Although, that wouldn't help his jealous side, but Train was aware that Creed should know by now he had absolutely zero interest in the girl. Not only was she annoying and clingy, she was far too young for Train to ever consider her an option. Creed had nothing to be insecure about when it came to her.

"Could we stop using the word 'escape'? I'm going back. I just needed to stretch my legs and meet a friend…."

Train didn't like acting as if he broke out of prison. As much as his mind tried to remind him of that terrible fact, the cat refused to give it any further thought. Doing so would only mean Creed really was hiding an unforgivable secret. One that the swordsman knew would drive Train away. Maybe even change how the cat felt towards the man.

No. I won't accept that yet. I can't accept he would betray me so badly that I wouldn't want to be with him anymore. I can't accept that Creed would do something that would make me not love him anymore. There's nothing he could do that would change that...

The Black Cat banged his head on the bar to stop himself from thinking about Creed's secret having something to do with Saya. The doubtful thoughts still seemed to be giving him a break, and he didn't want to invite them back in. He didn't need to remind himself that if Creed had a hand in Saya's death that it would most likely change things between them.

Even if he only had a small hand in it, it would change something. It might not change how I feel about him, but it might put us back a few steps until I feel I can trust him again.

"Kuro-sama! Stop that! You're going to get a headache!"

Kyoko wrapped her arms around Train's neck to stop him from banging his head on the table making the gunman growl. He knew it was just her excuse to hug him tighter, but Train also didn't have the will power to push her away anymore. While he felt rested after sleeping for several hours before meeting Sven, his emotional turmoil was no better. It also had not been a full night's sleep, nor had it been restful. He was tossing and turning and constantly waking up from nightmares, but at least he was able to squeeze in a few hours.

Train checked the clock behind the bar and took another sip of milk. Train hoped Creed wasn't searching for him and if he was, he wouldn't find him until after he talked to the sweeper. This was a small town they had never been to and was pretty far away, so he was confident he'd be able to get his answers before his partner could track him down.

Though, I do hope he just leaves me alone. That seems doubtful with how he was acting when I left…

He had never seen Creed that upset before, which made his confidence waver slightly. Train sighed again and gulped down his milk, raising his hand to call the owner back over for another drink. A large woman named Annette came over quickly, seeming to ignore the customer she was waiting on in favor of Train. Apparently, Sven had told her to be expecting the legendary Black Cat to stop by her bar asking for him. How the man found out he was the Black Cat was beyond him, but based on the few interactions they had , Train figured out he was a pretty clever man.

Plus, what I've learned about being a sweeper from Saya is your good at gathering information about the underground world. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows what Chronos is. Saya did after all. She also knew who I was when he saved my life…

It seemed like a lifetime ago now that Saya had saved his life. It had been almost a year since her death, and two years before that when she found him bleeding out in an alley and saved his life. She knew right away that he was the Black Cat, but helped him anyway. If she wasn't there, Train might not be alive today.

And that kindness is what sparked our friendship… I don't think I've ever even told Creed that story… That might have changed how he saw her…

"SHE WAS JUST SWEEPER TRASH!"

Train pushed the memory aside and smiled at the woman who handed him another glass of milk. "Thanks, Annette…"

The woman nodded at him and started cleaning the glass he had just finished. "I never imagined a legendary man such as yourself would drink something as innocent as milk."

Train smirked and gulped the substance down. "I'm full of surprises. You'll learn that the more we talk."

Annette nodded and took his empty glass again. "Sven did say you were strange. In fact, when he found out who you were, he didn't believe it at first."

Train chuckled lightly and took the next glass she offered him. "I get that a lot…"

He had only been there about an hour, but he already felt like he could trust this woman. She also knew who he was through Sven and still allowed him to sit and drink as much milk as he wanted. She also made sure not to say his true identity out loud for fear of someone over hearing and trying to capture or kill him. The Black Cat had a lot of enemies and word in the underground world had spread that Chronos was looking for him. Annette already warned him that the Cait Sith bar was full of sweepers who knew who the Black Cat and Chronos were, but probably wouldn't recognize Train as the ex-assassin. As long as they didn't say anything specific, they were fine.

Kyoko giggled annoyingly and tightened her hold on Train, nearly choking him out. "Kyoko was shocked to learn who Kuro-sama was too. Who knew such a cute and brave guys would be the Bla-"

Train slapped his hand across her mouth and glared harshly at her. Annette gave her a stern look as well and turned sympathetically to Train.

"Who is this kid, anyway?"

Train scowled at the teen, wiped his hands on his pants after she had kissed it, then turned back to the woman behind the bar. "She's a member of that group Sven mentioned as well. She just… tagged along…"

Kyoko beamed at the woman, her arm now wrapped firmly back around Train's. "I'm Kuro-sama's girlfriend!"

Train slammed his hand on the table. "NO! We are not starting that again!"

They hadn't interacted with many people, but every person they did talk to, Kyoko made a point to say they were in a relationship. Train made sure to correct her every time, but he was still getting sick of it.

Kyoko pouted. "But Kuro-samaaaa, isn't it only a matter of time? You and Diskenth-sama and totally over and Kyoko saved you! That means we're meant to be together!"

"No to everything you just said…" The cat growled.

Train didn't want to say he and Creed were done. He had spent the last ten hours convincing himself that would never happen and this girl's constant reminders of the problems he was having with his lover were beginning to wear on his last nerve. He hated how she continued butting in where she didn't belong.

Annette's eyes widened. "Diskenth… Are you saying you and he are…"

Train looked at her wearily and slumped on the bar stool, eyeing the milk absentmindedly. "It's… complicated…"

That was the best way to describe his current status with Creed to any outside party. Even to someone who knew them it was the best label he could muster at the moment. After all, right now it was the truth.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Annette didn't push for more information. She seemed to sense his unease with the subject, she decided to change it.

"Sven should be here any minute. He's usually always on time."

Train nodded at her as she stepped away to deal with another customer. The cat pulled his arm away from Kyoko again and finished his milk. Annette said Sven was going to be there at four, since he was finishing up a sweep he and that bio-girl named Eve had been tracking down. They just needed to hand him over to the police and then they'd head straight to the bar. Train was lucky they were in town since they moved around so much.

"Kuro-sama, who is this man you're meeting?"

Train gave her a frustrated side glance. "I told you, he's an old friend."

"Yeah, but who is he? Can he be trusted?"

Train blinked at her insight. As annoying as she had been, she was impressing him with her random bouts of intelligence.

Why can't she just act like this all the time? Why does she have to be so annoying?

"Yes. We can trust him. We owe each other. He wouldn't hand me over to Chronos. And even if he did, I can definitely take him."

Kyoko beamed and squeezed his arm again. "Kyoko knows that! There isn't anyone in the world Kuro-sama can't take! That includes everyone in the Apos-"

Train covered her mouth again but took it away before she could kiss it. She took his warning look seriously and nodded, knowing she wasn't supposed to talk about Chronos or the Apostles of the Stars since anyone in here could know who both organizations were.

Train glanced at the clock again and noticed it had just hit four on the dot. On cue, he heard the bell above of the door ringing, signaling someone had entered the bar. Train turned his gaze to the door and saw the green haired sweeper scanning the room for the Black Cat. Eve was standing at his side as usual, her blakck dress a little ruffled and torn, but otherwise she looked unharmed. The same could be said for Sven except for a minor scratch on his cheek.

Wow, guess they really did come here right after their sweep. They didn't even have time to clean up.

That only worried Train more what Sven had to say. It seemed like whatever it was, it really important. Before his thoughts could take over again, Train stood and waved at the man, trying to catch his attention. Eve saw him first and pulled Sven's sleeve, pointing in the direction of Train. The sweeper smiled and waved, then made his way over to the duo.

As they approached, Sven stopped when he saw the teen clinging to Train. He didn't know who she was, but he knew the company the Black Cat kept and wasn't sure if it was safe. Train noticed he had changed stances when he saw Kyoko, the sweeper arms reaching out to block Eve just in case. Train rolled his eyes and pulled his arm away from the teen again.

"It's fine. She won't hurt a fly."

Kyoko looked at the sweeper and smirked, grabbing Train's arm again. "Is the old man scared of me?"

Train pushed her away. "You wish. You're about as deadly as a headless chicken."

Sven was close enough to hear that he took a seat next to Train. "That's good to know." He then glanced around the room, as if looking for someone else. "Did any of your other…. friends follow you?"

Train knew he was really asking about Creed and shook his head. "No. It's just us."

Sven let out a sigh of relief and waved at Annette. The woman was about to bring him his usual and he brushed her away. "Just take care of Eve. I won't be eating anything right now."

Train could see a worried look on his face and decided to question it. "Bad sweep?"

Sven blinked at him. "No. Not at all. It actually went better than usual. Why would you think that?"

Train sighed and fingered the rim of his glass. "Wishful thinking…"

Guess that worried look has more to do with talking to me… I can already tell this isn't going to go well…

Still, he didn't want to give into his negative thoughts yet. He wanted to remain hopeful until after this conversation was over.

He watched as Sven stood and looked at Annette again. "Annette? Can we talk in your back room? This is a… sensitive matter."

Train felt his heart drop at the man's request. That only pushed him more towards the negative thoughts he so desperately wanted to avoid and rubbed his forehead stressfully. No one else seemed to notice his tense state as Annette confirmed they could.

Before leaving, Sven addressed Train, but eyed Kyoko wearily. "Can I trust your companion?"

Train knew he meant could he trust Kyoko to stay with Eve and he nodded. "Yes. Like i said, she's not a danger to anyone, but she can hold her own if need be. Plus, she'll do pretty much anything I ask her to."

Kyoko gasped loudly. "Did Kuro-sama just give Kyoko a compliment?!"

Train face palmed and groaned loudly. "Just… Just watch the girl and keep her safe, okay?"

Eve glared at Sven. "I can take care of myself…"

Sven patted her head. "I know you can, but I don't know who might come in here now that Train is here. It's better if you have someone else to have your back for the next few minutes while we talk."

The blonde girl was still not stratified with that answer and was about to protest again before Sven interrupted her.

"Just sit here with Train's friend-"

"-Girlfriend!" Kyoko corrected as she hugged Train tightly.

Train shoved her off again. "No!"

Sven's eyebrow twitched. "...Whatever. Just stay here with her and Annette. I'll be back soon."

Eve continued pouting at him as he gestured for Train to follow him to the back. The Black Cat pushed the teen off him again and glared. "You heard the man. Stay here and protect the girl. I'll be right back."

Train ignored her pout and turned to follow Sven. He knew the teen had a short attention span and Eve was a cute little kid. There was no way Kyoko wouldn't be easily distracted by the bio-girl.

Sven walked through two sets of doors until they reached a small room that looked like an office. Train was surprised how secure it looked for a restaurant owner's office. The locks on the door were not ones Train thought he could pick easily and it even seemed like it was made at least somewhat sound proof. There was padding on the walls and no windows, making the cat think this room had been used often for private conversations such as the one he was about to have.

Sven took a seat behind a desk and gestured for Train to sit as well. Growing more anxious by the second, Train compiled and sat across from Sven. He was trying his best to hide the trepidation in his face as he crossed his arms and legs, leaning back in the chair as he eyed the sweeper seriously.

"I don't like beating around the bush. What did you want to tell me at Freesia's birthday that you couldn't in front of Creed?"

Sven looked almost as nervous as Train did and was not doing as good a job of hiding it. "Before we get into that, I really need to know… What is your relationship with him?"

Train stared at him for a second and tried to think of what to say. He had just been saying it was 'complicated' to everyone, but he knew that wouldn't be enough for the sweeper.

"...We're partners."

That answer was true and seemed to be enough for Sven as he nodded. The next question seemed to be harder to ask. The older man took a deep breath and looked Train in the eyes as he spoke.

"Any Saya? What was your relationship to her?"

This question was actually a little easier to answer. His relationship with her was much less complicated and something he actually enjoyed talking about.

"Saya… Saya was my best friend. I met her after she found me bleeding out in an alley and we became close very quickly." Train put his hands on the back of his head and looked up, smiling as if he was talking to Saya right now. "She did more than just save my life… She changed the way I saw the world. She taught me a new way to live life and gave me the resolve to leave Chronos…"

He was surprised even at himself for how much information he gave Sven about the girl. He did it because talking about her made him feel better. Train had felt sick since he left the Apostles and being asked about Saya was the only thing that made him happy right now.

But then these thoughts lead to Creed… And the fact that Sven is asking me about Saya makes this all the more concerning.

He also couldn't ignore the fact that he trusted this man. Train didn't know why, but he felt like he could tell Sven the truth without concerns of what he would do or say in return.

Sven smiled warmly at his response. "Sounds like she meant a lot to you. I didn't know her very well, but from the short interaction we had, I could tell her was something special…"

As Sven trailed off, Train decided to ask his own question and get this conversation moving. "How did you know Saya?"

The sweeper paled at that thought and his face looked distant. As if he was playing a traumatic memory in his head. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, putting his white hat aside as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He offered one to Train who made a gross face and turned it away.

"No thanks. That stuff will kill you."

Sven couldn't help but laugh at the comment. "Is the Black Cat really worried about death via smoking?"

Train rolled his eyes, but chuckled quietly. "No, but the Black Cat isn't stupid enough to put poison in his system and possibly compromise his legendary skills."

Sven nodded. "Make sense. Wouldn't want to be incapable of fighting off dinosaurs and saving small bio-girls from imminent danger."

Train smirked and leaned forward, making sure the sweeper saw his cheeky smile. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about what the smoking will do to your body, old man? I'd hate for the poor Little Princess to be left alone without her caretaker."

Sven glowered at Train. "First of all, I'm not old. Second, if something happened to me, there are plenty of people to take care of Eve. I'd even go so far as the infamous Black Cat could become her guardian."

Train laughed louder at this, even clutching his sides as he tried to speak. "Me?! Take care of a kid?! Oh, you really don't know me well, do you?"

Sven shrugged his shoulders and took a drag from his cigarette. "I think you're capable of more than you realize."

Sven didn't know Train well, but just from their few encounters, he could tell Train was far more competent and mature than he let on. He was the Black Cat, after all. There had to be at least some seriousness behind that childish smirk.

The sweeper shook his head. "How did we get off topic so much?"

Train sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Probably because I don't want to talk about this…"

Sven blinked. "Then why are you?"

"...Because Creed won't. And I have a feeling whatever you're about to tell me is going to change everything."

The sweeper frowned at the man sulking across from him. He felt pity for Train, knowing he was about to turn his whole world upside.

I know he said he doesn't like beating around the bush, but I can't just outright tell him Creed killed Saya. I need to ease him into it.

Sven sighed and took another drag, finally answering the man's question. "I… Met Saya the night she was killed. I accidentally ran into her with my briefcase and left quite a wallop on her face. She demanded I watch the fireworks with her after that and I owed her a bottle of milk."

Train laughed sadly. "That certainly sounds like her…"

He cursed himself mentally for not being there. If he didn't mouth out of the Elders and just killed his target, he might have been able to be there for her.

And I might have been able to see who the killer was…

Train couldn't deny anymore that he was questioning who actually killed Saya. Seeing as Sven was asking about both Creed and Saya meant his partner must have had something to do with her death.

But that doesn't mean he did it. I won't believe that yet.

"I have to say, it seems like you have a lot more in common with her than I thought. I saw the half finished glass of milk. That's a strange drink to order in a bar."

Train laughed again, happy to know he was still capable of feeling joy. "That's me. I'm a weird guy. And she was a weird girl…"

Sven could tell he didn't mean to say those last words out loud and kept pushing forward with this dreadful conversation. He was glad to see Train laugh, because he had a feeling soon he wasn't going to be able to.

"Why are you partner's with Creed?"

Train jumped a little at the question, not expecting to be asked that. "Well… We were partnered together in Chronos, but when I left he followed me and created that organization for me…"

He emphasized the last words to remind himself of everything Creed had done for him, to hopefully get rid of his painful lump that was growing in his heart. He felt sick again, but swallowed thickly, grateful he hadn't been able to keep any food down since he left the mansion.

"You mean the Apostle of the Stars?" Sven smirked at Train's surprise. "Don't underestimate the sleuthing skills of a sweeper. We know more than you think. I thought you would understand that, seeing how close you were to Saya."

Train smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah… Guess I'm not surprised… But if you know, why wouldn't you try to ambush me? I'm sure Chronos has a big number on my head."

Sven shook his head. "Like I could take on the legendary Black Cat and a band of his cronies. I'm not that desperate for money."

Train smiled thankfully at the man, knowing that wasn't the entire reason. He could tell Sven also didn't want to hand him over. It was clear even though they didn't know each other well, they considered each other friends. After all, Train had saved him and Eve on more than one occasion now, and Train felt he would forever be indebted to Sven for putting his life on the line for Saya.

Sven sighed as he finished his cigarette putting it out on a nearby ashtray. "I don't think you really understood my question though. Why are you partner's with Creed?"

Train cocked his head. "I thought my answer was clear. We were already partners due to Chronos and he followed me to help me avenge Saya's death."

Sven froze and kept his eyes locked on Train. "Avenge her death against who?"

Train felt his body go cold at the sweeper's look, not liking how tense Sven had gotten. "Against Chronos. Against Number One."

Sven knew all about the numbers and that Train was their thirteenth. While he didn't know the identity of every number, he did know they existed and what their purpose was. It was beginning to become clear that Train didn't know the truth and Creed refused to tell him. In fact, it seemed like the madman was intent on Train not learning the truth and was more than happy to let the Black Cat live his life in complete ignorance of who actually killed Saya.

I guess I will have to be the one to tell him… After all the times he's saved Eve, I owe him that. Besides… He's not a bad guy. Despite his past, he's actually quite childish and laid back. It's honestly really hard imagining he used to be a deadly assassin working for Chronos.

"Train…" Sven took a deep breath, leaning forward on the desk, giving the gunman the more serious, genuine look he could. "Train… Creed killed Saya."

Train felt the color leave his body completely. Every bit of warmth departed his soul and he felt a shiver from the cold that began to wrap around him. He felt his breathing increase as his heart raced faster, shaking his head uncontrollably, not wanting to believe that Sven just said.

"No… No, Sephiria killed Saya… Creed… Creed wouldn't do that to me…"

One of the things that made Train fall in love with Creed was the man's dedication to his happiness. Creed would do anything to make him smile, no matter what the cost would be to himself. Creed would cut off his own arm and give it to Train if he asked for a third one. Creed was willing to destroy Chorons and everything they stood for just so Train could have his revenge against one member. Creed did that and would have done so much more for him. He would have given Train the moon and sun if he asked, so the idea that he would kill Saya was beyond Train's realm of understanding.

However, Sven was insistent and nodded his head. "Yes. He did. Creed killed Saya. I was there…" The sweeper shivered at the memory, seeing the bloody girl's dead body in his arms was almost too much for him to handle.

"He killed her, Train… Not only did he kill her, he killed her in such a brutal way I wish I could forget it. That night… haunts me. It was so bloody… so unnecessary… Train I'm sorry, but-"

"NO!" Train yelled and stood quickly, giving Sven a deadly look. "No! You must have seen wrong! It was dark and you were in an alley! There's no way Creed would kill her. There's no way he would do that to me…"

Sven jumped when Train yelled, then frowned at the sob that left the Black Cat's control. In that moment, he could tell Creed meant a lot more to Train than being just his partner. He didn't want to question the relationship further, but he also didn't need to . Train's body language and tone was all the confirmation he needed.

"Train… I'm sorry, but I know what he did. I saw it clear as day. He talked about you… He called her a witch… He said she was taking you away… I didn't understand any of it at the time, but I think I do now…"

Train wasn't looking at Sven. His hair was covering his face, preventing the sweeper from seeing the angry tears that threatened to fall. Everything Sven had just said sounded way too in character for Creed to not be true. He could see his partner becoming jealous of their friendship, reading into it too much and thinking it was something more than it actually was and then reacting to that feeling.

No… It can't be true… Can it…?

It made too much sense, and Train felt nauseous. He even felt his hand land wretchedly on his stomach, swallowing again to prevent what little he had in there from coming up.

"No… He wouldn't… He couldn't…"

Sven frowned and stood slowly, reaching out to comfort the man. "Train..."

Train punched the desk, causing the surface of it to break in half, his knuckles bleeding as he kept his eyes down.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, clenching his fists, ignoring the pain in his hand in favor of the pain in his heart. "Just… Just shut up and let me think..."

What do I do now? Is this really the truth? Did Creed really kill her?

If he did, he knew he couldn't stay with him. There was no way he could forgive this. Just moments ago, Train believed there was nothing Creed could do to change his feelings. He had convinced himself that his partner's secret must have been something stupid that he was turning into a big deal.

… I have to hear it from someone else. I have to talk to Sephiria herself… And then Creed. I need to hear it from him as well.

Train nodded to himself, ignoring Sven as the sweeper stood across from him, waiting for him to say something more. He knew that he needed to hear this from Creed, but he also wanted to talk to Sephiria. He remembered all those months ago when she tried to tell him something as well, and he had a feeling it had something to do with this.

I was too angry and convinced she was my enemy that I didn't listen. I didn't want to hear anything she had to say. And that was also the night Creed almost died to protect me…

Train shook his head of the thought, not caring if Sven thought he was crazy right now. To be honest, he felt like he was going crazy. He used to think of that night when Creed almost died to protect him as the moment when his feelings started to shift to something more than just friends or partners. Now, knowing what Creed might have done… He couldn't see it as anything more than a crazed man who was obsessed with him.

And I only say might because I still need to be sure. I need to talk to Sephiria and Creed… But how do I get in touch with Number One?

As Train began to form a plan he cursed mentally at a thought.

Damnit... Kyoko… What the hell do I do with her?

"Do you need a place to hide out for awhile?"

Train glanced at Sven, then looked away quickly. He wasn't prepared to look anyone in the eyes just yet. "Yes, but I refuse to endanger you and Eve. If… If what you said is true, and I'm not saying it is… Not only would Chronos be coming after you, but Creed would as well."

I don't want to believe it, but if I want to make sure no one else dies unncessarily, I need to give what he said at least some credit…

"...Can you hide the girl?"

He knew he needed to keep Kyoko away from himself as well. While Chronos and Creed would both be looking for her as well, Train was the higher target right now so they would search for him in favor of the teen. Honestly, with how willingly she left the organization, Train questioned what her goal was in joining in the first place.

Idiot, you know what her goal was. She told you when you took her from school. Besides, it doesn't sound like she really has a family to go home to. And even if she did, that'd be the first place Chronos or Creed would check. At least with Sven, she'd be somewhat hidden and protected.

Sven nodded. "We can take her. I don't like to brag, but we're pretty good at staying hidden."

Train sighed in relief. That was one less thing he had to worry about. "Thank you…"

The sweeper couldn't help but hear the sad fury that was still in his voice. "Train… What are you going to do…?"

Train didn't know how to answer that question. There were so many things he needed to do and he felt like he had so little time to do them that answering his question was only going to slow him down. Train turned on his heels and headed for the door, not looking back and Sven as he spoke.

"I have another old friend I need to pay a visit to…"

---

Creed smashed another window in the teen's empty apartment as he glared at a picture of Kyoko with her friends. No one was home which was good since Creed decided to destroy the place. Not that if anyone was there would have changed his reaction.

It didn't take him long to realize the girl was gone too and he was able to piece together the lipstick on the guards as belonging to her. As soon as he pointed it out, Doctor confessed to giving the women of the group a new invention that apparently worked too well. None of the guards remembered anything of that night and Kyoko's room was emptied of all her things.

The entire group was shocked when Creed didn't explode in rage at Kanzaki. The swordsman simply gave them all a location to look for Train at, then left to go to Kyoko's apartment. To say Doctor was relieved was an understatement. He fully expected his life to end when Creed found out, but when their leader simply glared at him, he was both happy and confused. He seemed more focused on finding Train than anything else and the first place he wanted to check was that fire girl's apartment.

That witch took Train away… Her spell must have finally worked. That has to be it… My Kitten wouldn't just leave me…

Even Creed didn't believe himself. He started to think Saya wasn't a witch after all so calling Kyoko one made no sense. He knew the truth in his heart. Train left and Kyoko offered to help because of her annoying little crush on him. Chances were high that his beloved didn't turn her help down because he didn't want to cause a scene or hurt anyone. Creed knew his cat could have left without help from anyone, especially since all the guards were told not to hurt Train no matter what the circumstances were, but that didn't change the fact that his love wouldn't want to hurt anyone who was just following orders.

Still, he could have left without hurting them. Why would he take her with him? Has his feelings for her changed…?

Creed shook his head at the thought. There was no way Train's feelings for the girl would ever change. She was too annoying and too young. It didn't matter what she did, he would never care for her the way she cared for him.

Then again… I thought the same thing of myself… What if she starts to change his mind just by following his orders? By following him?

Creed hit his head and growled loudly, throwing the picture of Kyoko on the ground, watching with glee as the frame shattered. He pulled out his Imagine Blade and cut her couch in half, then the dining room table. She lived in a pretty small apartment, so it was easy and quick enough to check and then destroy. Still, Creed wasn't satisfied and decided to slash her fridge open as well.

However, none of his destruction was angry. It was filled with pain and sadness and his Imagine Blade showed it. His sword echoed what he was feeling on the inside and right now, his beloved weapon was sobbing hysterically, since Creed would not. He refused to cry in front of his members, and Echidna was standing right behind him, waiting for the go ahead to open a portal to the next location.

Creed looked at his blade and felt a pang of pity, which reflected in his weapon as it gave him a crazed, yet sympathetic look. The silver man sighed and caressed his blade soothingly, trying to calm himself and his weapon down.

"Shhh… It's okay… We'll find him…"

We have to… I don't know what I'll do without him…

He was able to calm himself down enough and therefore his blade and leaned against the counter to the kitchen, the only thing he hadn't destroyed in the apartment. Creed needed to think, and he couldn't do that if he was taking his pain out on every inanimate object in the room.

Think, Creed, think. He didn't leave with the girl because he has feelings for her. He left because of what you said. He's starting to figure out you've been lying to him and he's looking for answers. He said that in his letter, stop trying to convince yourself he felt for anything reason.

Creed took a deep breath and allowed his logical thoughts to take over. It was really hard because his heart wanted nothing more than to fall on the floor and throw a violent tantrum until Train came back to him. But he knew he couldn't do that. He had to find Train and tell him the truth.

The silver man ran his fingers through his hair, ignoring the pain in his heart as he tried to think where to check next. He knew his beloved was going to find Sven. The man was the only person Creed could think of that knew the truth and would tell him. Yes, Sephiria knew as well, but since his cat currently suspected her of killing Saya, he couldn't trust anything she said.

Sven was an unbiased person who was caught up in the middle of all this and for whatever reason, Train trusted him.

Why? Why does he trust him? Why does he keep being drawn to sweeper trash like him? Like Saya?

He growled at himself and punched the counter, leaving an indent where his fist made contact. He needed to stop these negative thoughts about Saya too. That is what drove Train away in the first place. If Cread had never called her trash, his beloved may have stayed and given him another chance to tell the truth.

Stop lying to yourself. You know that's not true either. You had no intention of telling Train, so you gave him no other option but to leave. You know it's true and it's time to stop avoiding the truth.

That was the moral of this whole story. Creed needed to find Train and tell him the truth before Sven did. He needed to put his hurt and fear aside and tell his beloved what really happened the night of Saya's death. Lying to his cat was only making everything worse, so he hoped that maybe if he came clean, Train would still be able to find it in himself to forgive and continue loving him.

That's a long shot, I know. But what other hope do I have to cling to? I… I know I should have done it sooner… And it's my fault for not telling him, but that doesn't matter now. I need to tell him the truth before he finds that sweeper.

Creed wracked his brain with what he knew about sweepers and where to find them. The rest of his group was off searching every town they had ever been to since forming the Apostles, but he kept Echidna with him so he could move faster. The rest of the group were all staying in contact with him and would let him know if they found Train.

And once we do, we'll bring him home and I'll tell him everything… No matter how much it hurts…

What Creed refused to acknowledge was what would happen if Train already found the sweeper and therefore the truth. He knew his beloved knew where Sven was and chances of him having already made contact were high, but Creed needed this last bit of hope. Otherwise, he would go completely overboard and be entirely unable to react rationally.

Not that I'm really rational right now…

He sighed again and stood up straight, putting his Imagine Blade away as he turned back to Echidna. "Open the portal Echidna. We're going to check every sweeper hot spot in every town we've been to."

The actress eyed him in confusion, but obeyed. She learned quickly that disobeying led to a panicked Creed and while he still hadn't been showing signs of anger or violence towards them, she didn't want to risk it. He was still unpredictable and she still didn't know how to handle this new emotion he was showing and continued to follow his orders.

She opened up a portal and waited for Creed to walk through it. Once he was in, Echidna followed her leader, closing the portal after her as they left Kyoko's destroyed apartment behind them. Creed didn't even think to check the nearby town. He didn't think it was worth his time.

---

It took some convincing to get Kyoko to leave him and stay with Sven and Eve, but once he told her it was to keep her safe, she listened readily and became overjoyed that Train was trying to protect her. It didn't matter to the teen at all that Train's protection didn't come from any personal feelings for her. Train just didn't want anyone to die. This was something he was beginning to realize over time, actually. Even his urge to kill Sephiria had started to calm down the last two months, but it was still there.

Except now… After I talk to Sephiria and Creed… While I want Creed dead?

Train pulled his hair and shook his head, not willing to think about that yet. While he was making sure Kyoko was safe and developing a plan on how to find Sephiria, he decided he couldn't think about what he was going to do if what Sven said was true until after he finished talking to the two people he needed to.

I know Sven doesn't have any reason to lie to me, but… Just in case he was wrong…. Just in case he misinterpreted what happened… I need to ask Sephiria.

There was a part of him that hoped Chronos had ordered Creed to kill Saya and he didn't know who she was until after he had killed her and seen Train's reaction. If that was the case, it would make sense that he didn't want to tell Train, since he knew how much he cared for the sweeper girl and there was no guarantee he wouldn't blame Creed for her death.

Except if he did kill Saya because he was ordered to, I would forgive him. It might take some time, but I would still go back to him and eventually move on. We were all ordered to do things we didn't want to, and I have no doubt if Creed knew what she meant to me, he would have never killed her.

This was the last bit of hope he clung to and the clung to it hard.

Train sighed and leaned back on the roof he was laying on, looking up at the orange sky. It was a little past six now, which meant it would be getting dark soon. Right now, he was just waiting for Sephiria to take the bait and prayed Creed wouldn't. He was still banking on his partner not being able to find him since they were in a location they had never been to before and was quite far away. The Apostles also didn't have the comfort to travel freely yet, since Chronos was working for them, whereas Chronos could move as they pleased.

However, the later it got, the more concerned he was about Number One showing up. She wasn't stupid and she had every reason to believe Train set a trap. Chances were she'd show up with someone else, probably Number Two, which meant he would be outnumbered if a fight were to break out. Train was ready for that. Hades loaded and in his hand, ready to fire at the first signs of a fight.

Train growled as he glanced at the sun again. "Come on, Sephiria. I don't know how much longer I can wait before Creed finds me…"

The gunman was currently waiting on a roof a few blocks down from Annette's bar. Before he left, he asked her to spread a rumor that the Black Cat was in town. Creed didn't have his eyes on this town, but he knew Chronos had their eyes everywhere, so even a hint at his location Sephiria would be alerted and check it out. To make the rumor more true, Train caused a little havoc by collecting as many nearby sweeps as possible, handing them over to Sven so he could turn in for the reward. The sweeper was shocked at how quickly he was able to round them up, but grateful to have the extra income.

If Sephiria hears not only where I am, but that I'm collecting sweeps, maybe she'll think I left Creed and come without help.

Train knew the woman had a soft spot for him. That was confirmed when he fought her a while back and she seemed reluctant to attack. That didn't stop her from giving him a good beating, but he could tell she didn't want to. She was also quite insistent on knowing why Train had joined forces with Creed, which made the cat believe if she thought he left the Apostles, that he was open to conversation or even to rejoining Chronos.

Well, one of those is true. Now she just needs to get here so we can talk.

He heard footsteps approaching and sat up quickly, pointing Hades in the direction of noise. Train did not lower it when he saw Sephiria step out from behind a tall chimney on the roof, Christ ready at her side.

"Heartnet…" She said coolly.

"Number One…" Train replied just as calmly.

They stared at each other for a minute, their weapons ready for a fight until Sephiria spoke again.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah. You?"

Sephiria lowered her sword so she could see Train better. "Yes. Based on your actions to get me here, I figured that meant you wanted to talk."

Damn she's clever…

Train had to pat himself on the back a little too. This was, after all, one of the outcomes he was hoping for. Seeing the woman put her weapon away, but having her hand ready to draw it just in case, Train did the same. He stood from his spot on the roof, keeping his hands at his side just in case.

Sephiria narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you want to talk about?"

Train rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure she knew, but she wanted him to start the conversation. "Creed."

Sephiria's stance became more stiff when she heard that name. "You never seemed opened to talking about him before… What's changed?"

Train tensed as well, not liking where he knew the conversation was going, but knowing it had to happen. "A lot."

Sephiria was not happy with that response. "What exactly about Creed do you wish to discuss?"

Train sighed. "Everything…"

He paused and waited to see what she was going to do. Train watched as she relaxed a little, trying to show the cat clear signs that she did not want to fight and knew what she was about to say was going to be hard for him to hear.

"Is this about that sweeper girl? Saya Minatuski?"

Train didn't respond, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that it was.

"Tell me… Why do you think I killed her?" Sephiria asked him this question before, but Train did not want to talk about it back then. She hoped now that he had sought her out, that meant he was willing to listen.

Train shot her a quick glare, but relaxed his stance as well, letting her know he also did not want to fight. "Because she was changing me… She was softening me and that was getting in the way of my missions. It makes sense Chronos would want to kill someone who was taming the Black Cat, doesn't it?"

Sephiria shook her head. "That sounds like a waste of resources. The Elders already punished you for your insubordination. There was no need to kill an innocent girl as well."

Everything Sephiria was saying was something he had already told himself and it made much more sense than if she killed her.

"Even if they did want her dead, why would that send me? She was just a sweeper. Any lowly assassin could have easily killed her."

Any lowly assassin like Creed…

Train shook his head. "...But did they want her dead?"

"No. They didn't even know she existed."

Train cocked an eyebrow at her. "Did you?"

Sephiria sighed. "Yes."

"Then you killed her?" Train actually sounded kind of hopeful when he asked this question, as if trying to offer a new reality to the woman.

Sephiria shook her head slowly. "No… But I have a feeling you've started to figure out who did…"

Train felt the same coldness take over him when Sven told him the truth. This time, he felt like passing out and he clutched his stomach again, ready to throw up over the edge of the roof.

No… It can't be… I gave him everything… I made myself vulnerable to him on so many levels. I… I…

"I trusted him…"

Sephiria's voice cut his heart deep. "That was a mistake on your part. Don't you remember how unstable he was in Chronos?"

Train glared at her as his knees trembled, threatening to give out under him. Reality was setting in his and he tried to give her a deadly look while keeping his soul in his body. "And how did Creed find out about her?"

Now Sephiria looked guilty and she turned her gaze away from his. She didn't answer his question, but her ashamed look said it.

"He would have gone on a killing spree if I didn't tell him..."

Train growled loudly and pointed his gun back at her, happy to place his anger on her again. "THAT'S A BULLSHIT REASON AND YOU KNOW IT!"

Sephiria returned his glare, but did not move for her sword. She knew he wasn't going to shoot. His eyes were filled with tears and his whole body was shaking. The Black Cat was falling apart right in front of her and there was nothing she could say or do to keep him together.

"You know Creed's obsession with you. He came to your cell when you were locked up, ready to break you free. When I stopped by, he questioned me and threatened me."

Train spat, regretting it immediately since it made his body want to throw up even more. "Since when do you let Creed's threats bother you."

Sephiria harshened her glare. "I was not concerned for my well being. I was concerned for Chronos and the Elders. I did not want to start a fight in the middle of headquarters."

Train knew this made sense but didn't want to say it out loud. Sephiria hated fighting unnecessarily and if the Elders found out she fought a member in their home, she might have been punished or worse…

Train tightened his grip on Hades, but felt his arm shaking violently, and not from rage. He was feeling weaker by the minute as the truth dug itself deep in his heart. His mind was playing through the memories he shared with Creed since starting the Apostles together. A month ago, he would have loved watching his relationship with Creed pass before his eyes. Now… It was like a horror movie he couldn't stop.

I… Let him touch me in a way I never let anyone… I let him hold me, kiss me… and more.

Train swallowed some bile and grimaced at the image of him being with Creed. The man who killed Saya. His whole body shook in disgust now at the thought of ever laying with him in that way, but his heart still didn't want to accept it.

No… She has to be lying, right? I couldn't have given myself to the person that killed Saya so entirely… So readily… So completely… I wouldn't have done that…

"...You're lying… You have to be. You're just trying to confuse me so I'll go against Creed and join Chronos again."

Sephiria could still hear the hopefulness in his voice as he offered her another solution to this terrible reality that was clearly taking a toll on his soul.

"Heartnet… What exactly was your relationship with Diskenth?"

Train tried to glare at her, but knew his look was too weak to make it happen. He also knew his hand was shaking too much to hold Hades anymore, and he let his arm fall to the side. He didn't know how it was possible, but everything hurt, yet he felt nothing. He wanted to scream, but he also wanted to sob. He wanted to throw up, but he also wanted to find Creed and put a bullet in his head.

No… No, do I really want him dead now? I… I can't handle this!

"Shut up!" He said to Sephiria, his whole world blurring as he tried to focus on the woman standing before him. "Just, shut up!"

He shot a bullet in the air and lowered his head. The cat didn't notice Sephiria had changed her stance to a fighting one and he didn't care. She may as well kill him right now since he didn't know what to do with himself anymore. Death might have been the only solution to the intense void that was growing in his heart.

"...Did you order him to kill her?"

Sephiria sighed, knowing this was his last question before finally accepting the truth. "No. I already told you the Elders knew nothing about her. And even if they did, they had no business killing her. She was just some sweeper. Some girl who meant nothing to the world.

"SHUT UP!" Train shot another bullet right past her head, but Sephiria didn't need to dodge it. She knew he wasn't aiming for her, he just wanted to let out his frustration and get her to stop talking.

Sephiria stood still as Train's body gave out from under him. She wasn't sure if the Black Cat knew he was crying silently, but it only made her all the more curious what his relationship with Creed had turned into in their time away from Chronos. She seethed Christ again and took a step towards the broken man.

"Now that you know the truth… Will you rejoin Chronos and help destroy Creed and the Apostle of the Stars?"

Train was able to find a bit of rage and threw it at her readily. "I didn't leave Chronos because I wanted to destroy them. I left them because I thought they were the cause of Saya's death."

Sephiria nodded in understanding. "And now that you know that isn't true, won't you help us take down the man who is responsible?"

Despite the tears that fell from Train's face and the nauseous look he gave her, the Black Cat's glare did not lessen. "No. Whether or not Saya was killed by Chronos, I was going to leave."

He knew that was true. He was thinking about leaving before Saya was killed. Her death was merely the catalyst that pushed him over the edge.

Sephiria sighed sadly. "Then… What do you plan to do? Will you go back to Creed?"

"No." Train said it so quickly he knew it was true. His heart, mind, and body had all checked out and his instinct took control. Since Train didn't know what else to do, he decided to let it take over. His instincts never failed him before.

Except when you trusted Creed.

Train allowed the negative thoughts to take control. He now knew they weren't thoughts of doubt or malice against his happiness. It had been his gut trying to tell him the truth all along. All those dreams he had been having, all that distrust, fear, and apprehension he had been feeling toward Creed this last month was his instinct ringing an alarm in his ear that he refused to listen to. Deep down, he knew what Creed had done, but he was too stubborn to believe he had made a mistake that he pushed the thought aside until it was too late and he gave Creed everything he ever wanted from him.

Creed told me he loved me since the moment he met me. He told me he wanted me more than anything else in the world, so of course he killed Saya. He wanted to get her away from me because he thought she was taking me away… He was so obsessed with me that he killed the only person I ever truly cared about because he wanted me all to himself… And I gave myself to him… I let him have me in every way he ever wanted and now I can't take it back…

Train swallowed again, beginning to feel the bile gurgle in his stomach and threaten to exit his mouth.

He… He won…

Train didn't know why that thought bothered him more than anything else. Creed had been his enemy the whole time and lied right to his face about it. He lied to Train just so he could get what he wanted. This erased everything Creed had ever done for him. All those things he did in the name of Train were really Creed's way of getting closer to Train. All those loving words, those impossible hoops he jumped through, claiming it was for Train was really all for Creed. It was such a deep level of selfishness that Creed had convinced himself that he was doing everything in the name of love, when in fact he was just trying to fulfill his sick obsession.

Unable to control his body anymore, Train threw up, but made sure to turn away from Sephiria as he did so. He cursed himself for showing the woman how weak and beaten he was. He hated himself for being so easily swayed by Creed.

I was a fool…

Sephiria watched all the emotions that passed through Train and did move or say anything. It was clear he was working through some traumatic things, which only made her want to know more what his plans were now.

"If you will not return to Creed or to Chronos… What will you do…?"

Train didn't think before he spoke. He already decided to let his instinct take over and thinking would negate that resolve. "I don't know yet. But I'll figure it out…"

"Will you take your revenge on Creed?"

"I don't know…"

He had just thought about killing Creed, but that thought didn't really seem to appease him much. The last month he had even thought that killing Sephiria wouldn't solve anything and was beginning to let go of his revenge altogether. Killing someone wouldn't bring Saya back and he knew it.

But… Then what do I want? I don't want to go back to Creed… I don't want to kill anyone… What do I do?

"If you won't return to Chronos, that makes you an enemy of Chronos…" She pointed her sword and Train's back since he had turned it to her after throwing up. She frowned when she saw he had no reaction to her presence and lowered her sword. "However… If you're leaving Creed and the Apostles… I can't say how much of a threat you'll actually be…"

Not to mention how broken he is right now. I can't imagine him hurting or killing anyone right now… Creed… destroyed him…

She waited a few more minutes, knowing now that the Black Cat was no longer a threat to them. At that moment, the Black Cat was dead. Creed had killed him and Train wasn't going to bring him back any time soon. Right now, the Black Cat was no more than a distraught, lost man who was betrayed in a way Sephiria knew she could never understand.

The Black Cat is dead. He will not pose a threat to Chronos. I should let him go and so he can figure out what he's going to do now.

Sephiria turned away from Train. "I'll call off the search for you, Hearnet. I'll let the Elders know you're no longer a threat. Disktenth however… Is still running that group, correct?"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Train's weak, shaky nod.

"Then he is still an enemy of Chronos. We will continue our fight against him and the Apostles of the Stars." She gave the broken man one last look. "Will you get in our way?"

"No…" Train answered automatically. Right now, he wanted nothing to do with Chronos or Creed.

Sephiria nodded and walked away. "Goodbye, Heartnet…" She leapt off the roof and looked back up where Train was and heard him scream loudly.

"...And good luck. I'm sorry it ended this way…"

For some reason, this situation felt worse than Train joining Creed in the first place.

Train's back was still turned to Sephiria when she jumped off the roof, just in case he threw up again, but he heard her departure. He also heard her apologies when she landed, even though he knew she didn't intend him to. The gunman wanted to be grateful for her kindness, especially since Number One never showed anyone kindness, but he was too empty to feel anything except fragile and sick.

I can't believe I trusted him… I… I can't believe I loved him…

Train used the emotion in the past tense because he knew it was true. Whatever he had felt for Creed had changed with this news. Whatever affection or tenderness he had for the man was gone now. He felt used, disgusted with himself, ashamed of himself for ever thinking he could be happy. He was humiliated that he actually let someone get close enough to his heart to hurt him this way, distraught he had actually allowed himself to feel such a strong feeling for someone else so willingly.

The cat felt like he was going to be sick again and leaned over the roof, not caring if his bile landed on someone below. When he finished, he wiped his mouth and leaned tiredly along the tile, too weak to move, but knowing he had to. There was still one more thing he needed to do before walking away from Creed forever, which he now knew he had to do.

I need to hear it from Creed. I need to hear him say he killed Saya. After everything he's put me through, I deserve at least that much grace. I at least deserve his honesty…

After that, Train wasn't sure what he was going to do. Outside of the immediate future of talking to Creed, his instinct had stopped. He felt lost and didn't know what to do and now that he was ready to cut Creed out of his life, he didn't know who he could talk to.

There's no one else… Creed had consumed so much of my life I didn't let anyone else close. Not that I had before Creed, but now that I know what it's like to have someone to talk to, I don't know what to do without that trust…

He thought about Sven and knew that friendship was far too new to lay all this on him. The sweeper offered for Train to join him and Eve and while that wasn't off the table, he couldn't just dump his baggage at Sven's feet and demand he provide comfort. If he was going to keep that friendship strong and true, he needed to gain control of himself on his own.

Then, he thought of Kyoko and immediately pushed that thought aside. She was far too young and immature to talk to about things like this. Plus, she would read into it too much and break any friendship that might be forming between them.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Before he left Chronos with Creed, there was one other person he could talk to… And the fact that she couldn't hear him anymore never stopped him before. Even when he was with Creed, he spoke to her almost every day. About life, about uncertainties that he had, and somehow it always made him feel better. Train knew before he could face Creed, he needed to gain at least somewhat control of his emotions and in order to do that, he needed to talk to Saya.

Train leapt off the building and into the air, using his abilities to get him to Saya's grave as quickly as possible.

---

Creed was back at the Apostles' hideout, much to his displeasure. He wanted to keep looking, but Echidna convinced him he needed to rest and eat something before he continued searching for his beloved. Besides that, it was now past midnight and the chances of finding his cat in the dark were slim. Creed learned from their time at Chronos that if Train didn't want to be found, he wouldn't and the darkness only made it easier for his love to hide.

Train probably knows what happened now… That's why he isn't back here…

Echidna's reasoning of why they wouldn't be able to find the Black Cat were sound, but it wasn't enough to convince Creed. The only thing that convinced him was the thought that Train might have come back home. Once she said they could keep looking after checking the mansion, he caved and followed the actress back home. Now seeing his cat wasn't here, he didn't want to stay any longer.

Or ever again if Train doesn't come back…

Echidna frowned at him. "My Lord, you have to eat. You can't search for the Black Cat with as little sleep and food as you've had. You'll pass out from exhaustion."

Creed knew what she said was true, but he wasn't able to keep anything down. He pushed the plate away like a child and rested his face in his hands tiredly.

"I'm not hungry…"

The woman sighed. "Creed…"

"I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!" He slammed his fists on the table, but he knew the gesture was weak.

Echidna knew he meant to look threatening, but he didn't. His face was drawn and ragged, his skin pale and tear stained, and he hadn't stopped shaking since this morning. Creed looked absolutely pathetic and none of the Apostles were scared of his gestures. While they were all on guard and concerned about what he would do next, there wasn't a bit of malice or rage when he spoke. He was a broken man who wanted nothing more than to see the only person he had ever loved.

An awkward silence was shared between them that Echidna didn't know how to break. There was nothing she could say or do to comfort her leader, so she felt completely useless. She sighed again and continued eating, waiting for the rest of the group to get back to her. She sent out a message to everyone that she convinced Creed to come back to their base and told them to wait until she left with the silver man again before they returned. If any of them came back while Creed was here, he might snap. Another reason the swordsman stopped looking was because Echidna told them everyone else still was.

Which is true, as of right now. But I can't tell them to stay away much longer.

While she knew Doctor, Charden and Eathes were still looking, she had a feeling Shiki, Maro, Durham, and Leon had given up hours ago. Shiki, Mario, and Durham didn't want Train to come back and Leon was just a kid. He didn't really care nor fully understand what the issue with Train leaving was. Doctor and Charden knew Creed was useless without Train which made the cat imperative for the group and Eathes apparently enjoyed the excitement after sitting still for so long.

Echidna checked her phone again and sighed as her thoughts were confirmed. Charden had sent her a message stating he and Doctor still hadn't found Train and Shiki continued to ask if they could come back yet, along with several choice words about the cat the actress wouldn't dare repeat to Creed.

She shut her phone and looked back at her leader, who still seemed frozen in place. It was like he was there, but he also wasn't. Creed's physical being was present, but his heart and soul were somewhere else, and Echidna had that feeling that somewhere was with Train. Even when he didn't know where the gunman was, he somehow was able to imagine himself with his precious partner.

Creed couldn't stop shaking, but then again he couldn't really feel the gesture anyway. He couldn't feel anything. His feelings left when his love did and they wouldn't return unless his cat came back. Even if he came back full of nothing but hatred for Creed, it would be better than this unknown dred. Anything Train would give him was better than his beloved feeling nothing for him.

Train… Just talk to me… Please… I'll tell you the truth, just please, come back to me…

The silver man felt his chest quake with another sob, forgetting Echidna was still sitting across from him. Even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. He didn't care about anything other than his Kitten right now. Not only did he miss him terribly and was scared beyond belief if Train would return, but he also didn't know if Train was okay.

What if he never even made it to that sweeper? What if Sephiria got to him before he was even able to make contact with Sven?

This thought somehow made him feel more hopeful, and he looked up at Echidna to gage her reaction to the idea. "What is Chronos has him?"

Echidna blinked. "What?"

Creed leaned forward, hoping the actress would take the idea. "What if Chronos has him? What if we can't find him because Sephiria got to him and now he's locked away in Chronos' headquarters?"

Not caring if she took his idea, Creed stood, ready to take action. "We need to go to Chronos headquarters."

Echidna gawked at her leader. "Creed… You have to know that's insane… It's just the two of us right now, and even if we do all go, the rest of the group is exhausted. We wouldn't stand a chance against them. Especially if we walked right into their hive."

Creed didn't care and he growled loudly, punched the table again, knocking his uneaten food to the ground. "I DON'T CARE! WE HAVE TO HELP TRAIN!"

Echidna didn't move and didn't say a word. Her phone buzzed in front of her on the table and she glanced at it, then back at Creed. For whatever reason, the man nodded for her to check.

"If they found Train, I want to know immediately."

The woman nodded, understanding now why he wanted her to check and did so quickly. She made a strangled face which she hoped Creed didn't see, but unfortunately he did.

"What…?" He said through gritted teeth, even though he knew he didn't sound angry.

Echidna sighed, not wanting to lie to her leader so she told the truth. "It's Charden. They're coming back. They can't keep going anymore, Creed…"

Creed punched the table again, breaking it in half despite his tried state. Echidna tried to give no reaction, but knew her face looked shocked. The swordsman did not look at her. His hair covered his face and he felt more tears fall down his cheek.

"...Then we need to continue our search. I won't stop until I've found him."

Echidna was about to protest when she heard a voice coming from the front door.

"The Black Cat has returned!"

Creed shot his eyes over to the guard who was standing at the door, looking out the window on Creed's order. The man looked at his leader quickly, then pointed out the window.

"See for yourself, Lord Creed. The Black Cat is approaching."

Creed didn't need to be told a third time and he ran over to the door, throwing it open as he saw Train stalking to the mansion. Not bothering to notice the enraged look on his face, Creed ran to his beloved arms outstretched, ready to embrace his beloved.

"TRAIN!" Creed screamed as he got close to his cat, not bothering to hold back the tears that poured out of his eyes.

"Stop." Train said firmly, halting his walk as he stared Creed down. A crack of thunder could be heard in the clear night sky, neither men aware of the invisible storm approaching.

Echidna stepped out of the mansion, but stayed by the door. She was able to see and hear everything from her position and she didn't want to get any close to the Black Cat. The rage that was shording his aura was hideous and the actress didn't need to be warned twice when to back off. Behind the cat, she could see Shiki, Maro, Leon, and Durham had returned. They must have given up their search before the rest of the group, which is why they were back sooner.

The woman shot them an alarming looking signaling them not to move any close and they obeyed. They could also feel the rage emitting from Train, and they did not want to be on the receiving end of the Black Cat's fury.

Creed could feel his beloved's enmity as well and did as he was told. He clutched his chest as if Train had stabbed him in heart and reached his other hand out to his cat.

"T-Train… I've been looking for you everywhere…" Creed felt his already shaky body tremble even more as Train glared venomously at him.

Train growled quietly and felt an electrical fury rush through him. Another crack of thunder could be heard echoing across the sky and a drip of water fell next to him.

"You killed Saya…"

Creed felt the knife plunge deeper into his heart at Train's statement.

He knows…

Creed froze in place, not sure what to say. However, his silence only infuriated the cat even more and an even louder crack of thunder could be heard as Train balled his hands into fists, his impassioned golden eyes shooting fire at Creed's desperate blue ones.

"You. Killed. Saya."

Creed could feel blood seeping from his heart as Train emphasised each word, his beloved's eyes flashing with a hint of electrical blue as he spoke. Creed paid it no mind, as his cat's words rang in his head eerily.

"T-Train… I-I…"

"NO!" Train yelled at Creed as the silver man took another step forward, attempting to embrace him again.

When Train screamed at him, Creed had to jump back as a lightning bolt struck the ground in front of him. It was so close Creed couldn't help but think it wasn't a coincidence. However, he didn't care and ignored the thunder that rang in his ear, as if warning him the next one wouldn't miss.

Echidna jumped when she saw how close the lightning was to her leader and looked up at the skies that were once clear. She widened her eyes at the clouds that began to form above Creed's head specifically. There was nothing above Train's or any of the other approaching Apostle members, nor hers. In the distance, she saw Charden, Doctor and Eathes approaching, giving them a look that told them to stay back. They too noticed the clouds brewing above Creed and glanced at Train curiously.

"Train…" Creed said as he took another tentative step towards his beloved. "Train… Please…"

"SHUT UP!" Train yelled and Creed felt his hair singed from a bolt that crashed mere inches away from him.

He looked at his love as the wind around him began to pick up, drops of rain splashing against his head as another thunder crash could be heard explode next to him. Again, Creed didn't care and he tried to move close to his love. He found it to be impossible as the wind became more furious, his vision of his cat begging to blur as fog obscured his view.

Train growled again and another lightning bolt fractured the ground next to Creed. "Enough with the lies! I want to hear you say it. I want you to finally tell me the truth…"

Creed slipped a little as the rain above him began to pour now, creating mud beneath his feet, almost completely unable to see his cat beyond the fog that surrounded him.

"Train-"

"SAY IT!" Train screamed, feeling the wind pick up around himself as well, not sure where this storm was coming from, but knowing it somehow helped him portray his emotions. "TELL ME THE TRUTH! I DESERVE TO HEAR THE TRUTH!"

Creed squinted, desperate to see his beloved beyond his storm that had formed around only him. Even if he saw nothing but hatred in his love's eyes, Creed still needed to see them. Those golden irises were the only thing that gave him life which he had been lacking since Train left. It didn't matter if Train killed him with his deadly gaze, he wanted to see his cat.

The swordsman was able to peek his head out of the storm for a second and saw Train's body was sparking with electricity, his hair blowing in the wind ghoulishly and his eyes flashing with a hint of blue every time Creed heard a thunder crack or saw lightning strike.

Train locked eyes with the man and felt his rage boil to an unexplainable level. He screamed again and saw another lightning bolt fall in front of Creed's face. Train now knew this storm was coming from him, so he allowed his ex-partner to look into his eyes as he roared out his next words.

"SAY IT, CREED!"

"I KILLED SAYA!" Creed said and felt his body collapse in the storm, his wailing pain now taking over his body as he tried again to reach his cat, unable to fight the storm his love's pain was creating.

"I… I killed Saya…" His words were weak this time around, and he felt the storm die down around him.

Creed fell on his hands and knees as the wind stopped and the cloud above his head left. The rumbling of thunder ceased as well and the skies were clear once more. He looked down at his muddy hands and wept again, covering his face as he sobbed uncontrollably, unable to stop his disastrous confession from leaving his lips.

"I killed Saya! I killed her! She was going to take you away from me! She was going to make you leave me! I… I couldn't let her!" Creed looked up at his love, not caring how pathetic he looked covered in mud, eyes frantic as he whimpered feebly at his beloved's furious eyes. "I love you, Train… I love you so much that I… I couldn't let her have you. I… I refused to lose you to that witch!"

As soon as he said those last words, Train stepped in front of him and pointed his gun at his forehead. Creed continued staring into his beloved's eyes as Hades sparked with electricity he now knew came from his cat's rage.

"Don't. Ever. Call her that again."

The calm rage of his voice twisted the knife in Creed's heart and he threw himself at Train's feet, clinging to them desperately as he tried to reason with his cat.

"I'm sorry, Train! If I knew how much she meant to you, I never would have done it! I never meant to hurt you! I love you! I would never do anything to hurt you! I love you, Train! I LOVE YOU!"

Train cocked Hades and pointed it to the back of Creed's head. The silver man could feel the cool barrell against his skull, the sparks burning his hair slightly as Train leaned down and whispered harshly in his ear.

"Ich könnte niemals ein Monster wie dich lieben." (1)

With that, Train stood back up and kicked Creed off his feet. He turned around and saw the entirety of the Apostles staring horrified at him. Train felt his body glow a murderous blue, his hair fringing slightly at the electrical sparks that covered his body.

"Don't try to stop me." A lightning bolt landed next to him when he said this.

None of them moved, but Train saw a few of them shake with fear and actually step to the side for him to leave. Before he could, Creed ran after him and wrapped his arms around Train's waist, burying his face deep into his beloved's back.

"Train! Please! Don't leave! Stay with me! Let me explain!"

Train growled loudly and pushed him away, lightning striking next to Creed again as he kept his back to the man.

"Don't touch me." He looked over his shoulder at the man. "You will never touch me again."

As if he didn't hear his love's last words, Creed tried to embrace him again and was met with a small lightning bolt to the face. The silver man grasped his cheek and smelled burning flesh as he tried to reach out to Train again. Creed didn't care how much his cat hurt him, he didn't want him to leave. He knew he couldn't live without him, so if his beloved was intent on leaving, then he may as well kill him.

When Creed reached out to him again, Train shoved him off, turning around to punch him in the face, his fist flaring with a blue light, burning his ex-partner's other cheek painfully. Creed didn't care and he got to his feet quickly, trying to grasp at his cat once more.

"You said you would never leave me, Train! You promised!" Creed's voice was desperate as he desperately tried to grab Train, to stop him from leaving.

Train shoved him away again and turned back around. "And you said you would never hurt me. You broke your promise first! YOU BROKE IT BEFORE YOU EVEN TRICKED ME INTO MAKING MINE!"

Creed wailed uncontrollably again and wrapped his arms back around Train's waist begging him to stay. Pleading for him not to leave. Train didn't even bother touching him as he used the next level of his abilities to push him away. Creed still didn't care and he was on his feet again, once more trying to prevent his beloved from leaving.

"STOP!"

Train shouted, pushing Creed away again by controlling the wind around his partner. He threw another bolt at the man, this time only grazing his cheek as the swordsman froze from the look in his cat's eyes.

Train was crying, which made the knife in Creed's heart slice the organ in two and fall to the ground, sinking into the mud below his feet. Creed was unable to move at the look his cat was giving him. This time, instead of staring at Creed with anger or hatred, Train looked at him in utter pain and desolation. Creed could see the deep level of betrayal his beloved felt, and knew he had hurt the only person he ever loved in a way he could never make up for. Creed was so concerned with his own selfish desires to be with Train, he had hurt him so deeply, that he knew Train could never love him again.

Creed sobbed loudly and reached for his love again, his last bit of hope leaving him as he spoke. Even if Train hated him, even if his love wanted him dead, Creed needed Train to know how much he meant to him. He needed Train to know how much he loved him and how he couldn't go on without him.

"Je t'aime, mon chaton. Tu auras toujours mon cœur …" (2)

Train glared at him, feeling tears fall from his eyes as rain poured from the sky above only him and his now ex-lover.

"Vous n'êtes pas un étalon. Tu es un diable. Et tu n'auras plus jamais mon cœur." (3)

Train stepped away and glared at Creed's pathetic, sobbing figure. "Don't follow me."

Train turned away again, a flash of lightning struck where he stood as he vanished right before Creed's eyes. Creed felt all the strength he had left leave him and he screamed loudly into the night sky, falling into the mud, ripping his hair out as the shattered remains of his heart entombed themselves in the cold ground.

"Train…"

Creed felt cold and he knew it wasn't from his soaking clothes or wet mud he laid in.

"Train…"

Creed buried his face in the ground, shaking violently as he watched his soul float away, leaving him an empty shell without Train.

"TRAIN!"

After he screamed, his consciousness was no longer able to stand the pain in his heart anymore and Creed blacked out.

---

Translations:

German: I could never love a monster like you.

French: I love you, my Kitten. You will always have my heart.

French: You are no stallion. You are a demon. And you will never have my heart again.