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

20. Who's the Enemy?

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

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Train scanned the area to take in the battle, noticing all eyes were on him, yet no one was moving. It seemed his arrival had caused the battle between Chronos and the Apostles to stop, making Train roll his eyes and run a hand through his hair, his chocolate locks sparking with electricity as he sighed deeply.

"What? Nothing? I'm gone for six months and you all start a fight over me and I'm met with silence and stillness? How anti-climatic." Train dropped the man he was carrying and outstretched his arms to his enemies and friends. "Come on, who wants the first hug?"

"KYOKO DOES, KURO-SAMA!"

Since Train had knocked away all the Apostles attacking, Kyoko thought this was the best opportunity to reunite with her crush. She leapt towards him quickly, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, making Train groan uncomfortably.

"Of course you do…" Train's body turned a brighter blue creating a shock that made the teen let go.

Kyoko yelped and stepped back, flattening her hair and pouting at Train. "Ouch! Kuro-sama, that hurt!"

Train brushed her words away. "Oh, you're fine. That's just my anti-Kyoko shield."

The cat looked over his shoulder at Rinslet, who was laying on the ground, gun pointed at Maro who seemed to be more preoccupied with Train than the thief. "It's Rinslet, right?"

The woman gave him a confused look, then nodded her head nervously, glancing between the Taoist and the Black Cat.

Train smiled and lifted the man he had tied up, throwing him in her direction. "Here. I caught Leggan after you all failed. I get ninety percent of the reward."

Rinslet watched dumbfounded as the thug landed next to her, shock making her unable to move or speak until she finally heard what Train had said. "NINETY PERCENT?! OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

Train scowled at her. "Hey! I did all the work! And I took out his whole gang too!"

"There's more than just the one gang, moron! And what about Allie Hue?!" Rinslet yelled, completely forgetting she was just fighting for her life just minutes ago.

Train rolled his eyes and scratched his shoulder. "She wasn't there. You guys scared her away. Don't worry, I'll find her."

"Damn right you will! And there's no way you're getting ninety percent!" Rinslet yelled again, sitting up a little so she could get a better view of the cat.

"BUT I DID ALL THE WORK!" Train shouted, pointing an angry finger at her.

"HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW WE WERE LOOKING FOR HIM?!" Rinslet yelled in response, finally realizing it made no sense Train knew what their current sweep was.

Train smiled cheekily at her put his hands on his hips. "Like I was really going to leave my sweeper friends unprotected? I've had eyes on you all since I left."

"YOU HAVE?!" Kyoko said, running to embrace him again, but stopped when Train sparked slightly, warning her he wasn't afraid to zap her again.

Train jumped out of the crater he made and turned to Sven, waving in a friendly manner. "What's good, Sveny-baby!"

The sweeper growled at the cat, his Attache Case still aimed at Echidna who was watching the Black Cat in shock. "WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG?!"

"I just said I was dealing with your sweep!" Train yelled, pointing to the man lying next to Rinslet.

"Don't you think there were more pressing matters at hand?!" Sven said as he gestured towards the Apostles and Chronos.

Train brushed his concern away. "Eh, you seemed like you had it handled…"

"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE WE HAVE IT HANDLED?!" Sven screamed, his eyebrow twitching as he glared at the cat.

Rinslet turned her rage and confusion to Sven now. "Wait… Wait… Are you telling me you've known where the Black Cat was all this time?!"

"NO!" Sven yelled at her, also ignoring the fact that he was fighting for his life just seconds ago. "But… He has kept in contact. And I had a way to reach him just in case something like this happened…"

Rinslet saw the sweeper glance down at his Attache Case, noticing his thumb on a small black button, which was now blinking brightly.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! You mean I could have met the Black Cat sooner?!" Rinslet yelled. She had been hiding it, but she was actually curious about Train and wanted to officially meet him.

Train turned back to her. "Aww, did you want to meet me that badly?"

"SHUT UP! I just wanted to see what the big deal was!" Rinslet resumed her rage at the cat, gun still aimed at the sumo Taoist.

"SVEN YOU KNEW HOW TO GET KURO-SAMA BACK THIS WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!" Kyoko shouted at the sweeper, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"It was for emergencies only! And this seemed like an emergency!" Sven responded in frustration.

"Yeah, good thing I just happened to be in town. Might have been too late if I was still traveling…" Train rolled his shoulders, subtly preparing himself to join the fight. "We've actually seen more of each other than Sven's let on. We meet once a month to catch up."

"WHAT?!" Kyoko yelled, her fire breath coming out as she screamed. "YOU'VE BEEN HAVING SECRET DATES WITH KURO-SAMA?!"

Train laughed nervously. "A date implied he went willinging. I just short of... kidnapped him and the Lil' Princess and demanded company for a few hours."

The teen looked up at Eve who was blushing brightly between the fingers she was trying to hide her face behind. "YOU TOO EVE?!"

"WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE HASN'T MET TRAIN?!" Rinslet yelled as she threw her hands in the air.

"Actually, you did. At Freesia's birthday." Eve pointed out as she looked down at the woman.

"BARELY!" She shouted back.

"WHY IS IT SUCH A BIG DEAL?!" Sven yelled at the thief.

"THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!" She hollered back, but her attention was turned to Shiki who seemed to be sick of all of this useless banter.

"ENOUGH OF THIS! DOCTOR!" Shiki yelled as he launched himself back at Chronos and the sweepers.

"Erfassung!" (1) Doctor yelled as he disappeared with Aja.

"TRAIN!" Creed yelled as he finally came out of his stupor at seeing his beloved again, throwing himself at Train to knock him out of the way of the panther.

Train shouted in surprise as he was pushed to the side by his ex-partner, rolling on the pavement in Creed's arms who was burying his face deep into the cat's chest. Train was able to see Doctor and a large panther appear where he once was, noticing the scientist's frustrated look when he saw Creed had pushed him away.

Train blinked, not sure what he was looking at. "What the hell is that?!"

The cat then noticed Creed was still holding him tight and growled angrily, flashing himself out of the swordsman's embrace and reappearing in front of his ex-lover. Train glared down at the silver man, his body sparking with electricity, thunder rumbling in the distance as his eyes shone a bright, deadly shade of blue.

"Don't touch me…" He snarled at Creed, not caring about the tears forming in the man's eyes.

The elation that Creed felt at seeing his cat again left immediately when he saw the enraged look in his beloved's eyes. "Train, you don't understand! I-"

"You just could leave me alone, could you?! You just couldn't let me have my freedom! You just had to lure me back here by attacking my friends!"

Creed sobbed pathetically and reached out to his love. "That's not it, Train! The Apostles came of their own accord! I had nothi-"

"NEIN!" Train yelled as he interrupted the man again. "I don't want to hear it! I'm taking my friends and leaving! This is between you and Chronos!"

Creed sobbed again, then felt his hair stand on end as he heard Doctor shout another command at Aja. The swordsman leapt to his feet and grabbed his cat once more, jumping away with him tight in his arms, trying to control his impulses from burying his face in his Kitten again. Creed wasn't paying much attention where he was moving with his beloved since he just wanted to make sure Train was as far away from Doctor as possible

As they slammed into a building, Creed watched as his beloved blinked in confusion, his eyes unfocused as his head hit the brick behind them. The force of how he hit the wall wasn't hard enough to hurt Train, but enough to daze him. In that quick second Train was in a stupod, the silver man felt himself lose control and pressed his lips against his love's. He heard his cat growl savagely and felt his lips burn hotly. Creed pulled back and released his beloved, holding his lips as he apologized immediately.

"I-I'm so sorry, Train! I didn't meant-"

"SHUT UP!" Train yelled as he pushed him away, making sure his hands were electrified so he could burn Creed a little. Then, the cat noticed what he was wearing and snarled at him. "Are you wearing my clothes?!"

Creed looked down at the tattered remains of what he wore and flinched at his love's angry words. The swordsman whimpered and nodded his head pathetically. "I just missed you so much, Train…"

Train clenched his fists and looked behind his ex-partner and saw his friends fighting for their lives again. The Black Cat shoved past Creed, his shoulder still sparking which created another burn on the silver man's shoulder.

"Whatever, I don't care. I'm taking my friends and leaving." Train glanced over his shoulder, his face flickering heatedly with the same bright blue he had surrounded himself in the moment he arrived. "Don't follow me."

Creed clutched his chest as Train flashed away again, then shook his head to stop himself from crying madly at his beloved's cold words and painful actions against him. He still needed to warn Train about what Aja could do and Doctor's plans to kidnap him before it was too late.

Even if he won't listen, I can't let them take my cat. I need to protect him at all cost so he can live the rest of his life freely.

Creed looked around to see if he could tell where Kanzaki was and cursed when he saw he couldn't see him. There was so much chaos happening between Chronos and the Apostle that Creed could barely see anything let alone Doctor.

Still, that creature is huge! How can I miss it?!

Creed was pretty sure he knew the answer to that. It could transport just as quickly as his love could, which meant it could also probably hide as well as he beloved did. Which was dangerous considering how deadly and large the panther was.

And that she's being controlled by Doctor who is intent on bringing my cat back with them.

He decided instead to try and find Train and ran back into the middle of the fight, ignoring his own pain and blood blocking his line of sight as he dodged a stray bullet that flew through the air. Creed heard a shout of pain coming from his left and saw Kyoko clutching her side, her shirt burning brightly as Eathes snickered in front of her.

Creed cursed loudly and ran for the girl, shoving her aside as Eathes' next attack scorched the silver man's back. He bit his lip and bared the pain, then glared at the monkey who was looking at him in confusion.

"What is going on, Diskenth-sama?! Are you really betraying us for that cat?!"

Creed sliced his sword at the Tao animal and leapt to the side, scoping the teen in his arms as he ran away with her. Kyoko looked at him curiously, not sure if she should be trying to get away from Creed or not, but when he leapt in the air and placed her on top of a tall building, the girl was dumbstruck.

"Wh-wha-"

Before she could finish her question, a bolt of lightning appeared next to them and Train stood there with Rinslet on one shoulder and Leggan on the other. He dropped them both insipidly on the roof, ignoring the thief's protests as he eyed Creed with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"What are you doing, Creed…" His voice was a low growl as he spoke, his eyes still glowing with rage as he addressed the swordsman.

Creed sighed sadly and forced back another sob at seeing his love's furious eyes on him. "I told you I had nothing to do with this. I'm just trying to help, Train."

Train clenched his fists and turned away from his ex-partner. "Like I'll ever believe a word you say."

The Black Cat glanced over his shoulder at Creed and noticed how beat up he was. His clothes, that Train annoying noted were his clothes, were almost torn to shreds. Creed's silver head had turned almost completely red from blood and his shoulder looked like it had been dislocated. Half of his face was already swelling up and he could see cuts, burns, and bruises all over his body.

He's faking it. There's no way he would help 'sweeper trash', as he likes to call them.

Train gave him one last angry look as he flashed away again, this time seaking out Eve. The girl had been thrown into a building roughly by Leon, screaming in pain as blood spat from her mouth. Train was next to her in an instant, wrapping his arms tightly around her and bringing them both to the roof Rinslet and Kyoko were trying to recover on.

The cat let go of her and gave her a cheeky smile. "Never fear, Lil' Princess! Your knight in shining armor is here!

Eve rolled her eyes and stood up. "I didn't need your help…"

Train cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really? Because the blood on her lips say otherwise."

Eve rubbed the blood away and folded her arms. "I don't want that number to hurt that boy. He's just a kid."

Train patted her head and walked to the edge of the roof. "This is a battle between Creed's Apostles and Chronos. We shouldn't get involved." He sighed sadly and felt his body shake with guilt. "...It's my fault you guys got wrapped up in all this…"

Eve watched his back as Train eyed the battle below, most likely looking for Sven so he could bring him to safety as well. However, there was a part of the cat's statement that the bio-girl felt like she needed to correct.

"Train… Are you sure Creed is with the Apostles?"

Train turned around and gave her an angry look she knew wasn't meant for her. Eve ignored the look and forced her thoughts onto the ex-assassin.

"You weren't here, Train. You didn't see what he was doing for us. He was protecting us. He tried to warn us." Eve made sure her voice was calm as she spoke, knowing Train didn't want to hear anything nice about Creed.

She watched as Train turned away from her again, his fist sparking with electricity as he searched for Sven once more.

"Don't let him fool you, Eve. He's just trying to get me back. This is all an act, trust me."

"I don't know about that, Train." Rinslet spoke this time, brushing off her clothes as she stood up. "He's pretty beat up right now and we're almost completely unharmed."

Train looked at the three girls who sat on the roof and noticed that, despite their torn and dirty clothes, she was right. There were a few cuts and bruises, but all in all, they seemed fine. Considering how gruesome the battle was turning out to be and who it was between, he actually expected them to be worse for wear. The cat glared at her, his eyes sparking with rage as he thought about Creed. He was amazed at how quickly his demeanor could change when they talked about his ex-partner.

"You don't know him, Rinslet. You don't know what he's capable of!" Train shouted at her, then looked at Kyoko as she stood up.

"But I do, Kuro-sama… I… I think they might be right. I think Diskethn-sama really is trying to help." Kyoko looked at him nervously, knowing her crush wasn't going to take kindly to them even half defending his enemy.

Train growled loudly and turned away again, looking over the building for Sven once more.

"Creed's a convincing liar, that's all. The fact that you all fell for it just proves that he's just as manipulative as he always was…"

And I'll never trust that bastard again.

During his time away Train had come to the conclusion that he could never forgive or trust Creed again, but he also didn't want to kill him. His intention for coming back was to rejoin Sven and Eve and live the rest of his life a free cat. He had no desire to ever see Creed again and the fact that the first thing Train had to do when he came back was deal with his ex-partner only made him more angry with the swordsman.

How dare he disobey my request! I told him not to follow me, and that goes for my friends too! He damn well knew that! He just refuses to let me go!

Train growled and scanned the battle, eyes widening when he finally spotted Sven. The sweeper was fighting off Echidna along with Kranz, which relieved Train a little to know he had the Chronos as back up. He also noted none of Chronos was attacking his friends.

It's good to know Sephiria is staying true to her word and isn't going after me or my friends. Still, the numbers might not be enough to protect Sven. I need to go get him.

Just as Train was about to jump off the building, he saw Creed jump in front of Echidna's bullet that was aimed at Sven's back. The cat blinked in confusion as Creed clutched his shoulder tightly, the one he knew was dislocated and glanced at Sven to see him just as shocked as Train was. Creed then dove in front of Sven again, taking another shot from Echidna's gun, this one lodging itself in his arm.

He's helping Sven? If he wants anyone else dead, it's Sven. There's got to be a catch.

Train shook his head, already knowing the catch was to trick Train into going back to him. The Cat growled angrily and punched the edge of the roof.

"Damnit!" Train said as he leapt off the building and to Sven.

While in the air, he flashed himself to stand over Sven and Creed, coming eye to eye with the actress he had never gotten along with.

"Heartnet…" She scowled, her gun now aimed directly at his head.

Train smirked. "Hello, Echidna. I see you haven't changed."

The woman looked him up and down. "It seems you have. What's wrong? Can't dress yourself properly without Creed?"

Train frowned and looked down at himself, knowing she was talking about his jacket. Wherever he went, people would make comments about the circles on his jacket, never understanding why he wore it. Even Sven and Eve made fun of him when they first saw him in his outfit.

Train pointed to the objects on his jacket and narrowed his eyes at her. "Hey! Be nice! They serve a purpose! They're made of rubber so they prevent me from electrocuting myself!"

In his time away, the cat had learned that if he wasn't careful, he would electrocute himself. He had done it enough times to learn that he needed something to protect him from constantly getting hurt by his own abilities.

Echidna rolled her eyes and cocked her gun. "I truly don't care, Black Cat. Are you going to come with us or not?"

"Not." Train said with a smile on his face. "I said it to Creed and I'll say it to you. Leave me and my friends alone."

The green haired woman scowled at him, then pointed the gun at Sven. Train noticed this and glared, ignoring the fact that Creed had moved his bloody body to protect Sven, the sweeper blinking in confusion at the swordsman's defensive position on top of him.

"Your battle is with me, Echidna. Leave Sven out of this…." He warned, glancing back at Creed who appeared to be trying to stand up and bring Sven to safety, but his body was too weak to move let alone carry another person.

Echidna narrowed her eyes as Train positioned himself between her and the green haired man. "I'm not stupid enough to shoot the legendary Black Cat. Especially after you've had all this time to perfect your abilities."

Train smirked. "Yeah, that's right. You still don't know what I'm capable of yet, do you?"

Echidna harshened her glare at him and gripped her gun tighter, suddenly not caring if she shot Creed to get to Sven. She opened two small portals for both her hands and stuck one hand and a gun through each of them. Train looked back and saw the woman was pressing guns at both Creed and Sven's head, cackling quietly as she addressed the cat.

"Last chance, Black Cat. Come with us and we'll let your friends go."

Train cocked an eyebrow at her. "Am I really supposed to believe that you'll shoot Creed?"

He remembered her infatuation with the man and was more impressed she had the ability to point a gun at her own leader.

Echidna scoffed. "Creed is utterly useless. He has been since you left. If you don't come back we may as well kill him."

Train blinked at that statement then turned back to Creed. The swordsman's tears were mixing miserably with his blood and he refused to look at Train, as if he was embarrassed the actress had revealed how worthless and pathetic he was without Train.

Whatever. Like I care what he's going through. This is all just an act he told the rest of the Apostles to go along with.

He turned to Echidna, his blue eyes turning white as he smirked at her. "Then what makes you think I care if you shoot Creed?"

The woman barely registered his word as she watched his eyes turn a vicious white, not sure why she was beginning to feel cold. Train laughed and threw his arms forward, shooting a blast of ice at Echidna, forcing her backwards and her hands away from both Creed and Sven as she froze in place, trapped in a wall of ice the Black Cat had created.

Train clutched his stomach and pointed at the woman, laughing merrily at the look on her frozen face. "Oh, that is priceless! Man, I wish I had time to take a picture!"

Train turned to Sven and threw him over his shoulder. He glanced at a dumbfound Creed who was looking at him sadly, then flashed away with the sweeper, ignoring his ex-partner as he tried to tell him something before he left. Eve jumped as Train reappeared next to him, then sighed in relief as he placed Sven next to her.

Sven took a deep breath and patted Train on the shoulder. "Thanks…"

Train winked at him. "No problem."

"KURO-SAMA!" Kyoko leapt at her crush, wrapping her arms tightly around him, ignoring how cold he was. "Kuro-sama, why are you so cold? And you aren't zapping Kyoko away!"

Train sighed and pushed her off. "That's because it's hard to switch between different weather patterns that quickly. It takes about a minute for me to prepare a different form of attack."

Sven knelt in front of Eve, checking her over as he spoke to Train. "Is that why you entertained that actress by speaking with her?"

Train smirked at the sweeper. "What a clever old man you are! I guess I could have just zapped her with a bolt of lightning, but I really wanted to show off what else I can do. Now she's probably panicking, wondering what else I can do."

Eve pushed Sven's worried hands aside and looked down at the fight that was still happening. She watched as Creed spoke to the woman named Echidna, who Eathes had noticed was frozen and melted the ice around her. Tears were evident in the swordsman's blood shot eyes as he shouted at the woman who pointed a gun at his face. Eve grimaced when she saw Creed cough out blood, the actress rolling her eyes at him and obviously saying something extremely hurtful.

"What about Creed?"

Train and Sven both turned to her, the green haired sweeper sighing painfully as Train sparked with rage again. Eve saw this and noted that the change in his emotions seemed to help convert the weather he controlled quicker, but she wasn't sure he was aware of that yet. Right now it didn't matter, since she was more concerned about the silver man below.

Eve turned to face them both. "We can't let the Apostles or Chronos get him, can we?"

Train growled. "Sure we can…"

Eve gave him a stern look. "They'll kill him, Train."

"So?" Train knew he didn't want to kill Creed, but he also wasn't sure how much he cared if he lived.

That's not fair and you know it. You spent all this time repenting for your sins and made the choice to never kill again. How is it any better to allow someone else to get killed?

Eve was shocked at his response. She knew Train had softened greatly and even learned that he didn't want to kill anyone anymore. He told them of his new moral code the first time they met up after his disappearance.

"Train…" She tried to reason as she glanced down at Creed. "You know it's not right…"

Train turned his back to her, too stubborn to give into his internal thought or the small girl. Eve scowled at him then turned to Sven.

"Sven… You know we can't just leave him."

Sven rubbed the dirt from his eyes and spoke to the girl. "Creed can take care of himself. I think we need to get out of here."

"He's already lost too much blood, Sven. He can't take on Chronos and the Apostles on his own! You know he can't last much longer on his own." Eve insisted, growing a little irritated at not being taken seriously.

"He's been through worse, trust me." Train added as he stepped away from the battle. "And Sven's right, we need to get out of here. Chronos can distract the Apostles long enough while we get away." He turned to Sven. "Sorry for getting you wrapped up in this."

Sven brushed his apology away and walked next to him. "We knew what we signed up for when we first met. Thanks for showing up."

Eve watched angrily as they walked away, then turned her hands into hammers and slammed them as loud as she could on the roof. Train and Sven turned around quickly, gawking at the normally calm girl as she glared at them both.

"We can't let him die!"

Sven sighed and tried to reason with the girl again. "Eve… He's a killer…"

"He saved us! We're walking away unharmed because of him!" Eve didn't want to hear any of her guardian's excuses.

Rinslet stepped in tentatively. "I know I may not get a say in the matter since I don't fully understand the situation, but Eve's right. He really did save our asses back there. We'd be dead if it wasn't for him."

Train turned an angry gaze at her, clearly losing his patience with his friends trying to save the man who killed Saya.

He doesn't deserve to live if she has to stay dead…

Train was surprised at his own deadly thoughts. He knew he was angry with Creed, would be angry with him for the rest of his life, but he thought he had moved beyond wishing he was dead.

"He's not innocent, Rins! You don't know what he's capable of! You haven't seen what he can do!" Sven was getting annoyed with the thief and Eve tag teaming now.

"It doesn't matter who he is or what he's done, he doesn't deserve to die!" Eve said stubbornly.

Train looked at her now, frowning when he realized her thoughts were directly contradicting his own.

"Isn't Diskenth-sama still the leader of the Apostles?" Kyoko added, her own voice conveying her confusion on the matter. "Did Diskenth-sama really order them to come and find Kuro-sama?"

Sven nodded. "Yes. He's a liar, as Train said. We can't trust what he has to say or even what he does. He's just trying to get Train back."

Eve tightened her fists. "The Apostles sure weren't acting like it. From what I saw, that blonde man is leading them now!"

Kyoko blinked at the girl. "Charden?"

Eve nodded and turned to Train, whose back was still facing them, his emotions showing through the different weather patterns that seemed to be passing through his body. Eve saw him spark with electrical rage, heard thunder rumbling, then that would quickly change what seemed to be a blizzard which the bio-girl assumed meant he was having cold thoughts.

I think he can switch his weather control quicker than he realizes.

"Train… You know it's not right to just let him die…"

Sven sighed, glancing at Train and answering the girl for him. He could also tell the cat was going through a lot of dark thoughts right now and wanted to leave before he lost his cool completely. "You don't understand, Eve… You're just a kid."

"Me being a child has nothing to do with it! We can't just let someone die!"

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!"

Everyone looked at Train who was still sparking, but could see his breath as he breathed in and out, signaling he had surrounded himself with a cold chill. They even felt the roof tremble a little, not sure if that was coming from the Black Cat or the battle below.

Train turned to his friends, his eyes glowing bright with a mix of white and blue, as if he didn't know how to feel right now. He was battling with his rage against Creed and the new moral code.

I don't want to kill anyone… I don't want to kill Creed… But, does that mean I want someone else to kill him? Does that mean I don't care if he lives or dies? I know I'll never forgive him and I'll hate him forever… But does that mean he deserves to die?

Train took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down since he knew his thoughts were showing in his eyes and his body. That was the biggest issue with his newfound abilities. He was no longer able to hide how he was feeling. While he had great control of his powers, Train knew he still had a lot of pain and turmoil he had to work through, and his Tao skills did not help. That was another reason he needed to leave for as long as he did. To learn how to control his emotions and his Tao.

Calm down and think. What would Saya do? What would Saya want?

The Black Cat closed his eyes and pictured the girl standing in front of him, having a conversation in his head with his friend to help him find the answer he was looking for. His time away had gotten him more in touch with the sweeper girl, which helped him to discover what he wanted out of life.

Freedom… I want the freedom to choose my own path, not follow someone else's. Not be controlled by someone else. I've realized revenge won't get me anything, which is why I don't want to kill Creed. But if I don't want him dead, then what do I want for him?

The closest Train got to thinking about what he wanted for Creed was he didn't want to kill him. He hadn't forgiven his ex-partner, but he was able to move on from his need to avenge Saya. Train knew that's not what she would want, so he decided to put an end to his desire to see Creed die.

But, would Saya want me to save him? Would she try to save him?

Train knew the answer to that question before he even asked it. She saved him all those years ago without a second thought as to who he was, what he had done, or how dangerous he was. Saya loved life and didn't believe it should be taken from anyone. No matter who they were.

And even though Creed killed her, she wouldn't want him to die. That's just what an amazing person she was.

Train opened his eyes and looked at his friends' concerned faces, then sighed in defeat. "Eve's right…"

Sven blinked. "What?!"

Train eyed him strangely, then shrugged his shoulders. "Eve's right, Sven. He may be a bastard, he may be a liar, he may be a killer, but that doesn't mean he deserves to die. No one has the right to snuff out another life."

And even though Creed snuffed out the life of the most caring, loving person I have ever met still doesn't mean he deserves to die.

Sven was at a loss for words. However, he thought about what the cat said, then looked at Eve's proud face and dropped his face into his hands.

"You're… You're right. Both of you are right. We can't let him die."

Train smirked at Sven and stood at the edge of the roof, looking down and noticing Creed had somehow managed to get into a fight with Doctor and that beast. The gunman wasn't sure what that thing was, but for whatever reason, it felt familiar to him. As if he knew who it was and he shared some kind of connection to it.

It even transports itself with electricity like I do. And Creed pushed me out of the way twice before it got to me. Not to mention the Doctor keeps yelling, "capture" at it in German.

He frowned as he watched Creed slice at Doctor, who simply commanded the beast to warp away and behind the swordsman, knocking him down with an electrified tail to Creed's back. The silver man tumbled across the street and into a brick building, barely conscious as he once more tried to get up and stop the Doctor from achieving some kind of goal.

Why is he so insistent on stopping Doctor specifically? Aren't the rest of them just as much of a danger to him if he really did leave the group?

Train also couldn't deny it was weird that Echidna was willing to kill Creed. She always had such strong feelings for the man and respected him more than anyone else in the group, why would she suddenly be fine with shooting him?

And the way she spoke about him. It's like Kyoko said. Is he really no longer in charge of this group?

Train glanced at Charden who seemed to be displaying quite new and impressive abilities as he took on both Sephiria and Belze, something that the Black Cat even struggled with.

Is Charden really in control? If so, why would they still come after me? If Creed is betraying them, then what need do they have for me?

Train knew they might want him dead just in case he decided to get revenge on them, but if Creed was leaving, there would be no need for that.

They might think I would still want to take out my rage on them. Guess it makes sense they wouldn't want someone like me going off and doing God knows what. They probably want to know what my plans are which is why they're trying to bring me back.

Train had a feeling they might also want to use him as a reason to get Creed to come back, but that wasn't going to happen. The only thing Train couldn't figure out was why Creed was so focused on Doctor. He watched again as Creed screamed something at the scientist and launched another attack at him which was blocked easily as the bloodied man was zapped again, his clothes smoking from the blue burn he just received.

He really doesn't look good… He won't last much longer if he keeps this up.

Train looked back at his friends and gave them a cheeky smile. "You stay here. I'll be right back."

The cat ignored Sven's protests about him going alone and shot out a sheet of ice in front of him that moved forward on its own and down the building they stood on. He normally traveled through his electricity, but he wanted to have a bit of fun with Chronos and the Apostles. He knew they all must have all been dying to know what had become of his abilities, so he decided to let them see.

Train moved down his ice slide he created, this hand continuing to push out a steady stream of ice as he twisted and turned the slide around, whooping happily as he enjoyed the ride while it lasted. The cat finally ended his trip when he reached Creed, the silver man coughing weakly on the ground. Train jumped off his slide and stood in front of his ex-lover, barely recognizing the bloody man as Creed.

Train frowned as he got a closer look at the swordsman, seeing he wasn't just beaten to near death, but he also looked emotionally vacant. It was hard to see his face behind all the swelling, but Train could tell his eyes were void of emotions and he looked thinner than usual. As if he hadn't picked up his sword in months.

And based on how weakly he's fighting, that might be the case.

While Train felt he was at his top shape, it was obvious Creed had bottomed out. The swordsman rolled onto his back and opened his eyes weakly, trying to figure out why Doctor hadn't made another attack at him. He looked over and saw his beloved's eyes, his heart skipping a beat as his hand instinctively reached for his cat.

"Kitten…"

Train growled at him and let a bit of electricity flash through his eyes that he knew had previously been white. "Don't call me that…"

Creed grimaced at the pain in his heart and the pain his body felt when Train said that. He nodded his head nonetheless and retreated his hand, not realizing he tried to touch his beloved in his injured state.

"S-sorry…"

Pathetic. I'm completely pathetic. I can't even warn my beloved of the danger he's in. I can't even tell him what the Doctor has ready for him at the mansion.

Train grimaced at the state Creed was in, wondering if that time they first fought Chronos together was worse. He shook the thought aside, knowing thinking of the time he spent with Creed and the Apostles only brought terrible memories and thoughts which he couldn't deal with right now. If he started to think about what Creed did to him and how much he hated the man, he would lose the nerve to save him.

The cat turned to Doctor, ignoring the smirk on his face as he breathed a breath of cold air at the man and the creature he rode. He aimed the frozen air at the panther's feet, stopping her as she dashed towards the two of them. Just to be sure she wasn't going to move again, Train spun his index finger in a circle, then pointed up, moving the ice up the large cat's feet and to her legs, wrapping around her knees and holding her in place, giving Train enough time to turn back to Creed.

Creed watched as his love turned towards him, his heart filling with joy as he looked into those powerful eyes he missed so much. "Train, you n-need to get out of here… D-Doctor… The D-Doctor is going to-" His words would cut off as he coughed again, unable to even finish his warning to his cat.

The cat leaned forward and scooped Creed up in his arms. "Shut up. We need to leave."

Creed's eyes shot open when his love picked him up, his arms intuitively wrapping at his Kitten's neck, burying his face as deep into Train's chest as he could.

"T-Train…" He whimpered, his body already feeling better despite the brutal attack he had just taken to keep his love's friends safe.

Oh God, he still smells so good. I needed this… I need him… I need him so badly…

Creed sighed blissfully and smiled despite himself, forgetting how uncomfortable his cat probably was as he snuggled as close to his beloved as he could.

"Oh, Train… I missed you so much…"

Train growled as Creed tightened his hold around his neck and buried his face as deep into his chest as he could. Train electrified his body a little, not enough to hurt the man he held, but enough to let him know he wasn't doing this out of care for him and did not want him getting too comfortable.

"Don't read into this, Creed. I don't want to see anyone die…"

Creed nodded and forced himself to pull back, knowing his beloved was making it very clear he had no personal attachment to him. Train was glaring down at him, but all Creed could think about was how much he missed and needed his cat in order to feel whole. But, he knew his feelings didn't matter. His love for Train didn't matter at all.

He'd do this for anyone… It has nothing to do with me… He hates me...

"Thank you… Train…"

Train ignored his ex-partner as he subconsciously gripped at his shirt, seeing Creed was trying desperately not to pull himself closer to the cat's body and grateful for the self control. It was bad enough he had to carry Creed, he didn't want the man clinging to him like a helpless child.

He's pathetic enough as it is. I don't need him getting attached again.

Although, Train could tell Creed's attachment and need for him hadn't changed. That kiss Creed slipped in was proof of that and Train felt himself groan at the thought.

Luckily I have a way to keep both him and Kyoko as bay now.

"Well, hello Black Cat… Long time no see."

Train realized he was getting too wrapped up in his uneasy thoughts that he gave Doctor's creature a chance to melt the ice away with its electrical abilities. The cat narrowed his eyes up at Kanzaki, then smiled wickedly.

"Doctor… You're looking well. I see you have a new pet."

The scientist fixed his glasses and smirked at the cat. "Do you like her? You could say you two have a... unique connection."

Train looked at the man in confusion, then made eye contact with the beast. As he stared into the panther's eyes, he felt himself getting lost, as if he could read what it was thinking and feel what it was feeling. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about this panther that made Train feel like he wasn't alone. That he would be safe if he went with the large cat.

Creed opened his eyes when he heard Doctor talking to his beloved and looked at Train's face. He didn't understand the look his love had in his eyes, but managed to turn his aching head over to see Train had made eye contact with Aja. In that moment, Creed worked out quickly that this beast was able hypnotize Train. It was a starling realization, but he could tell just by looking into his cat's eyes, that's exactly what was happening. He even felt his Kitten moving close to the creature, lowering his arms and dropping Creed to the ground.

The silver man let out a quiet yelp as he landed on the pavement, but stood quickly as his beloved reached out a hand to the panther, inches away from touching it. Creed ran over to his love, wrapping his arms around Train's waist and pulling him away. As he leapt off with his beloved, Creed screamed in pain as Aja slashed her claws at his back, tearing through his flesh like tissue paper.

He landed on the ground on top of Train, ignoring his own pain in favor of his love's comfort.

"Train! Train, are you okay?!"

Creed put both his hands on the side of his Kitten's face, looking into those golden eyes he loved more than anything else and feeling himself panic at the lost look his beloved had. The swordsman cursed and shook his cat wildly, trying to break him of whatever trance that beast put him in.

"Train, snap out of it!" Despite how much it hurt him to cause his love pain, Creed slapped him across the face, similar to how he had done a year and a half ago when he tried to wake his beloved up from a bad dream.

Train blinked his eyes and clutched the cheek Creed slapped, then narrowed his eyes at his ex-partner. "What the hell did you just do to me?!"

"I didn't do anything, Train! I've been trying to tell you the Doctor is-"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Train yelled as he pushed Creed off him and to the side, standing quickly as he glared down at the man.

Creed sobbed and coughed again, not caring about the blood that exited his mouth. "Train, please listen to me! The Doctor is-"

This time he was interrupted as Train grabbed his arm and leapt to the side, pinning him against a building as he dodged another blow from the panther's tail. Creed forgot about his pain again as he stared into his love's eyes, once more losing control of his urges as he kissed his Kitten again.

He yelped in pain as Train shocked him again, shoving off him quickly as he gave him another deadly look. "STOP DOING THAT!"

Creed clutched his lips, looking away from his cat, angry at himself for continuing to put his own desires ahead of Train's.

What the hell is wrong with you?! You don't deserve to have Train's eyes on you let alone giving him unwanted kisses.

"I-I'm sorry, Train!"

Train glared at him and wiped his lips free of the feeling Creed had forced on him. "Don't apologize, just stop doing that before I change my mind about saving you!"

Creed nodded and allowed Train to take his arm again, fighting the urge to fall into his cat and lose himself completely in his love's strength. Just before Train could flash them both away, Doctor was on them again, slicing the air at Train wildly, causing the Black Cat to let go of Creed as he flipped away from her other claw.

Train shot himself up in the air and hovered above Kanzaki as he addressed his ex-partner. "What the hell is this thing?!"

Creed tried to answer his love, but was slapped to the side by Aja's tail and thrown through a window. He knew the adrenaline of protecting his cat had worn off and felt himself losing consciousness again.

No… No, I have to stay awake… I have to protect Train…

He pushed himself up, instantly forgetting about the glass that embedded itself in his flesh as he leaned out the window. Creed threw one leg over the edge, throwing himself through the giant hole and falling several feet to the ground. He didn't realize how high up this window was when he was thrown through it, but also didn't care. He needed to get to Train before the thing hypnotized him again and Doctor took him away.

Creed propped himself up on his hands and knees, shaking as he looked around desperately for his love. He noticed the rest of his Apostles had their hands full with Chronos as was for once thankful for the numbers' presence. He was also happy to see they were leaving him alone. It seemed like Sephiria believed him when he said he was on Train's side.

And Train is clearly not with the Apostles anymore. Which means neither am I.

Creed nodded at his new resolve, spitting out a wad of blood as he used the building to help him stand up. He looked over at his love and saw him easily dodging Aja's attacks, laughing wonderfully as if he was just having fun with Doctor and his pet. Creed smiled wistfully at his cat, happy to see his beloved's smile again.

Stop it! Don't get distracted by Train. No matter how beautiful he is… All Doctor has to do is get that creature to make eye contact with him again and Train will be lost.

As he took a deep breath and tried to move on his own, he felt his body give out and collapsed to the ground. He tried to stand again, but fell quickly and coughed up another heep of blood. Creed punched the pavement and looked at his cat, seeing Doctor had managed to get his beloved to look in the creatures eyes again. Creed watched in horror as Train floated slowly to the ground, his eyes changing from blue to gold, showing Creed that his love was falling to that beast's hypnosis again and no longer using his Tao ability.

Does this only work on Train? It doesn't seem to affect anyone else this way. Not that I've seen anyone else look this thing in the eyes, but I think it's safe to say it has a different effect on my Kitten than anyone else.

Creed didn't care. All he knew was his cat was about to be taken away by Doctor and he wasn't going to let that happen. He forced himself up again and stumbled towards his cat.

"TRAIN!" He yelled as he fell to the ground, his vision blurring even more as he tried to stand once more.

As soon as he was on his feet, he took a step forward and fell back to the ground. He saw as Train walked slowly to the creature, Doctor smirking sickly with every step his cat took. Creed wasn't sure why Kanzaki wasn't making the panther move to get closer to Train, but he had a feeling that the scientist didn't want to break the connection the panther had created with his beloved.

Creed groaned painfully as he tried to push himself back up and cried out when he fell again.

"Train…" He whimpered pathetically, feeling the world going black around him as he helplessly watched the man he loved reach a hand out to the beast that wanted to take him away.

Creed suddenly felt a rage take over him as he saw Doctor's smirk widen, his eyes twinkling with a depravity that shook the silver man to his core. The swordsman balled his bloody hands into fists, his eyes glowing the menacing crimson they use to glow when they were in Chronos. He now began to shake with a fury he hadn't felt in ages, staring turbulently at Kanzaki who was now laughing triumphantly.

As the fury inside him boiled over it escaped his mouth, turning into a scream that cut through the blazing, afternoon sun. He felt a burst of energy erupt around his frame, his body bursting with a bright, golden hue as his arm burned with a fiery agony he had never felt before. His screams of fury mixed with his screams of pain as he felt his arm warp into a demonic shape, his Imagine Blade latching onto his limb perilously as a flare of red encased half of his body.

After several minutes of screaming, Creed finally saw the light around him fade and noticed all fighting has stopped in order to watch him. However, none of the curious eyes mattered to him. All that mattered to him was Train's safety and seeing even though the Doctor was distracted by whatever had happened to Creed, his beloved was still locked onto the panther. He was relieved to see that Train had stopped moving, but his Kitten was still trapped in the creature's trance.

Creed glanced at his arm that was still burning hotly, but not painfully. He noticed a demon eye embedded in his shoulder and stared back at him, then looked away quickly, scanning the area as if it was also trying to figure out what had just happened. He followed his arm down and saw it had grown to ten times its normal size, his hand matching its mass as his blade split apart from the manic limb, allowing him full and separate control of both parts.

He didn't know what was going on, but also didn't care. Doctor's eyes were locked onto his, but Aja's remained on his beloved, refusing to free his cat from her hypnotizing gaze. Creed gritted his teeth and launched himself at the panther, slicing at her face and screaming as she jumped back to avoid another attack. Creed threw himself at the beast again, stabbing it in the eye, then cutting it's snot angrily.

With each slice, Creed noticed the beast recovered almost immediately, which is when it occurred to him this was the nanomachines doing. It didn't matter to him as he slashed his new blade at the panther again, feeling it dig into the large cat's shoulder deeply. Creed pulled it away and sliced at her other shoulder, ignoring the blood that still fell from his head, barely hanging onto consciousness with each blow he landed on the beast.

After several minutes of abuse, Doctor finally decided to command the beast to disappear so it could have a minute to recover. Creed took this time to turn back to his love, noticing Train was beginning to snap out of it as he shook his head, steadying himself and looking around frantically as if he had just forgotten what happened. When his eyes landed on Creed, they widened and he took a fighting stance, the golden orbs changing back to a cold white with sparks of blue. This fight had seemed to teach him how to control two weather patterns at once, which is something he had been trying to master for several months now.

Creed saw the uncertainty and rage pass through his eyes, knowing his beloved was blaming him for whatever just happened and seeing the silver man standing there with a new level of his Tao did not help matters. Creed relaxed his body, which was easy to do now that he saw his love was back to normal and felt his arm and sword go back to normal. With his last bit of strength, Creed ran over to his beloved grabbing his shoulders and looking him up and down worriedly.

"Train! Are you okay?!"

Train blinked at his ex-partner, then growled at the deja vu he was feeling, angry as the memories of his time with Creed passed before his eyes and reminded the betrayal and pain the swordsman caused him. He sparked with fury and pushed the man away, not caring how much physical pain he was already in. He did not want Creed touching him ever again.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop touching me?!"

Creed sighed in relief to see his cat was okay and even managed a smile despite his love's harsh words. "Thank God…"

Train yelped quietly as Creed fell forward and into his arms, his body no longer able to stand as he passed out, landing directly into his chest. The cat wasn't able to react as Creed snuggled into him, something the man always did no matter how hurt he was if Train was close. He blinked down at his ex partner as he cuddled as close as he could, his latent feelings of love taking over as he smiled into the gunman's chest, sighing peacefully as he rested his aching body.

"Train…"

Train felt a bit of rage build in him as he watched Creed. He couldn't help but think the man was taking advantage of his weak state to use as an excuse to get closer to him, but he also didn't have time to reflect on the manner anymore as Doctor appeared in front of him again with a newly healed Aja.

"Well… Looks like your ability isn't the only one that's leveled up."

Train growled at Kanzaki and avoided looking at the panther. It seemed like every time he did he blacked out and he didn't need to do it a third time to confirm what his gut was telling him. He learned to trust his instinct over everything else, and right now his instincts told him to get the hell out of there before things got worse.

"Oh, this was only the beginning of my abilities. Trust me when I say you haven't even scatched the surface of my strength…"

Train wrapped one arm around Creed who was still whispering his name quietly, saluted at Kanzaki and flashed away with his ex-partner, reappearing on the roof with his friends. They must have seen the whole thing, since they were all staring at Creed's arm in shock, as if it was going to reawaken and attack them.

The cat sighed and let go of Creed, even though he would not let go of Train. "It's fine. He passed out."

Rinslet blinked. "If he's passed out, why is he still holding on to you?"

Train grimaced at Creed's bloody hands that would not let him go. "He's always been this way. Whether he's awake or unconscious, Creed always attaches himself to me and refuses to let go."

Eve frowned at the bloody mess that was Creed. She reached out and pressed her fingers to his neck, checking for his pulse. "His pulse is weak. Train, set him down so I can heal him."

Train looked at her strangely, then nodded as he remembered her nanomachines gave her healing abilities. The cat leaned down and set Creed on the roof, growling as the swordsman whined and wrapped his arms around Train's neck, pulling him closer as he begged the cat not to let him go. The gunman grabbed Creed's wrists that locked behind his neck and pulled them apart, not caring whether or not it hurt the man. He couldn't believe after all this time and in as much pain as he was in, he still was so obsessed with Train that he forbade his arms from freeing the cat.

Sven watched as Train struggled to get Creed off him. "Are you sure he's passed out?"

The cat was finally able to break free of Creed's tight grasp and pushed his ex-lover's hands away before they could latch back on. "Yes, I'm positive. He's always been like that."

Train jumped away before Creed's arms could unconsciously reach for him again and allowed Eve to do her work. The bio-girl's hair floated in the air above Creed for a second, then entered his body, creating a golden aura to surround the silver man's lithe form. Train was surprised to see the color return to Creed's face, several cuts and bruises disappearing as his hagged breathing became more steady.

The blood that covered his body did not leave so it was still hard to see his face behind the matted silver locks, but what little Train could see was not pleasant. Creed's face was ragged, dull, and lifeless, and Train knew it didn't have anything to do with the battle he just had. It looked like he had spent the last six months doing nothing by crying. His face was pale before, but it was clear the man had seen very little of the sun in the half a year Train was gone.

For whatever reason, this made Train mad.

He's not supposed to wallow in his own self pity. How dare he be so pathetic and weak!

Train still wasn't sure what he wanted for Creed, but now that he saw how emotionally beaten he was, he knew the self abuse the silver man had obviously inflicted on himself was not it. Train frowned and sighed, his head beginning to hurt from his internal struggle.

What the hell do I want from him?

This was another reason Train decided to save him. He knew it wasn't right to just leave him to die and he knew Saya wouldn't want him to do that, but he also realized he wasn't quite done with Creed yet. While he knew he didn't want Creed back in his life, he also felt like things still weren't settled between them yet. He thought maybe if he talked to his ex-partner, he'd get the closure he was looking for and finally be able to move on.

He'll try to follow and try to cling to me, I know. But I'm not doing this for him. I'm doing this for my own peace of mind and Saya. I owe it to her to put this tragedy behind me.

Train knew that would hurt Creed, but he didn't care. After what he put Train through, he knew Creed owed him.

And I know he'll be more than happy to talk to me.

After a few minutes, Creed seemed to be almost completely back to normal. However, before Eve could finish her healing magic, the silver man sat up straight and looked around the roof frantically, blinking madly as he searched for his beloved.

"TRAIN?!" He yelled, ignoring the concerned looks of his love's sweeper friends in favor of searching for his cat.

Train sighed and raised his hand from behind Sven. He made sure to step away from the man after putting him down, so he wouldn't reach out and latch on again. "Right here, Creed…"

Creed turned his crazed eyes on his Kitten and felt them fill with grateful tears. "Thank God…" He whispered quietly.

He then turned to Eve who was looking at him tenaciously. "Diskenth-sama, lay back down. I'm not done healing you yet."

Creed blinked at her, then looked back at Train. "Are you okay, Train?"

His beloved rubbed his eyes in frustration and turned away from him. "I'm fine. Just do as Eve says."

Creed smiled warmly at his cat, his heart still sad knowing his beloved didn't want to look at him and nodded. He laid back down on the roof and did as Train told him. It didn't matter if the bio-girl was only healing him so Train could kill him. He would do anything his cat asked of him.

Sven looked over the roof and saw the battle raging on. "Do they know where we are?"

Rinslet stood next to him. "I think the better question is, do they know where they are?" She gestured to Train and Creed, knowing they were the target of this attack.

Train walked over and joined them, pushing off Kyoko who had managed to latch onto him when he let his guard down to order Creed to listen to Eve. "I'm sure they do. I just think Chronos is keeping them busy. We need to leave before they have a chance to catch up."

"Does that mean you're coming with us, Kuro-sama?!" Kyoko asked eagerly as she grabbed Train's arm tightly.

Train sighed and thought about that. "I was going to… But now I'm not so sure how safe that is for you."

Sven smiled at him. "We were actually less safe until you showed up. Whether you're physically here or not, as long as we're friends they're going to track us down. We're better off with you than without you."

Train laughed and looked at his green friend. "Then I guess we can't be friends anymore."

Sven rolled his eyes. "As if you can make friends outside of us. You know no one else will put up with you."

The cat tried to laugh again, but felt uneasy as he thought about joining them. "Still…. I'm not so sure it's a good idea. I don't want to put you guys in any more danger."

Rinslet rolled her eyes. "Oh stop with the melodrama. Do you want to join us or not?"

Train blinked at the woman he barely knew, then glanced at Sven. "Since when are you a part of the group?"

She looked offended. "I'm an honorary member!"

Sven chuckled from behind her. "Sure, keep telling yourself that…"

Rinslet turned to him and smacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up! You know you're useless without me!"

Train laughed at Sven's face and addressed the thief. "Are you sure you're not just looking to get to know me better?"

Rinslet turned to him, blushing a bright red as she smacked him now. "SHUT UP! Who asked you?!"

Train laughed again and flicked her forehead. "I'm pretty sure you did!"

Creed felt his blood boil at the teasing tone his love used on the woman and the blush he could see on her face, showing there was at least a small part of her that enjoyed the attention his beloved was showing her. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath, trying not to move as the bio-girl kept working on him. Eve noticed his discomfort with Train and Rinslet's interaction and frowned.

"Don't worry, Rins is with Jenos."

Creed looked at her curiously, then turned away. "It doesn't matter… Train is free to do as he pleases… And be with anyone he wants… I have no claims to him..."

Eve wasn't sure why she felt pity for the man. She knew she shouldn't. While he didn't deserve to die, she also didn't think he deserved her pity.

Though I feel like if he did know I'm pitying him, it wouldn't make him happy. He doesn't strike me as the type that wants to be pitied.

It was hard not to, though. He looked so defeated as he wistfully watched Train. The complete despondency he had in his eyes was heartbreaking. As if he didn't know what happiness was outside of Train. She had been told by both Sven and Train that Creed was a possessive, obsessive monster, but seeing the empty man laying in front of her, she couldn't help but question that.

Despite the sad look in his eyes, when he's looking at Train there's a mystifying light that shines too brightly to ignore. It's hard not to see how much he really cares about Train…

Eve watched as Creed smiled at Train, obviously happy to see the Black Cat enjoying the company of his friends, even if the nanomachine girl could tell he was jealous of the closeness he had with them. Even though Train didn't know Rinslet well, Eve could tell they were becoming fast friends. She just hoped Creed wasn't going to interpret any of their relationships the wrong way and hurt them like he did that sweeper girl Train cared for.

No. No, I don't think that will happen. He wouldn't have protected us like he did if that was the case. He would have let us die and taken Train for himself.

"He's so beautiful…"

Eve's thoughts were interrupted by Creed's forlorn words. She looked at his face and saw that he was crying behind his smile. He even managed to stretch his arm out to Train, then pull it back self-consciously, seeming to feel ashamed of himself for merely thinking about touching Train. Eve sighed and continued healing him

He hasn't seen Train in six months, so this is probably the happiest he's been this last half year.

Still feeling pity for him, Eve finished and turned her hair into a towel, wiping away the blood from his face. Creed jumped and looked at her, as if he had forgotten the girl was even there. Eve kept her face serious, not wanting him to know she felt bad for him, but also not wanting to see the blood covering his face anymore.

"Thank you for helping us back there. You didn't have to."

Creed frowned at her, then looked back at Train and frowned. "Train wouldn't want you to get hurt. That would hurt him. And I don't want him to feel anymore pain ever again…"

Eve sighed and continued cleaning him off, seeing it wasn't worth starting a conversation with him that didn't involve Train.

"Well… I can't say it wouldn't be helpful to have you around…" Rinslet said as she looked at Leggan who was still tied up on the roof, beginning to come to. "...But I'm still not giving you ninety percent for this low life."

Train narrowed his eyes. "That's right, you're giving me all of the reward!"

"NO WAY!" She yelled, walking over to the man and hitting him in the head with her gun, making sure he wouldn't wake up before they handed him in.

Sven sighed and lit a cigarette. "Is this really the time to be discussing that? I thought we agreed we needed to get out of here."

Train eyed him wearily. "So you decided to have a smoke?"

Sven glared at him. "Would you get off my back?! This has been a stressful day!"

Train grabbed the cigarette from him, threw it on the ground and stomped on it with his foot. "I can't transport you while you're smoking!"

Sven kept his glare on Train for another second. "Have you ever tried?"

Train rolled his eyes. "No, but I'm not about to risk it failing now."

Sven growled at him, then caved. "Fine. I'll wait until we're out of here." He picked up his Attache Case and turned back to the cat. "Does this mean you're sticking around?"

Train looked at Sven, then Rinslet, then glanced over his shoulder at Eve and smiled. "Yeah… I think I'll stick around for a while."

Kyoko screamed happily and wrapped her arms around the cat. Train groaned and pushed her off again and gave her a warning glare. Sven smiled and patted his shoulder, then looked at Eve as well to make sure she was okay. He frowned when he remembered who she was taking care of and felt his stomach turn.

"What about him?"

Train turned to Creed, feeling annoyed with the love sick look the swordsman was giving him and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "... I have no idea…"

"We could hand him in." Rinslet offered as she moved to stand next to him. "Chronos has a big price on his head. We could hand him in and collect the reward."

Sven didn't want to answer that question since he knew the situation was far more personal to Train than just a simple sweep. "Train?"

Train appreciated having his opinion taken into consideration and thought it over for a second. "I… I don't know…"

Creed heard what they were saying and leaned up on his elbows slowly, trying not to stop the bio-girl from continuing to help him. "Train… If you want to hand me in, I'll do it. I… I won't fight you. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."

Train scowled at him, angry that he was still trying to trick him into feeling something other than anger towards him. He got angrier when Creed whimpered painfully at his bitter look and ran his fingers through his hair again.

"I… Don't think that's a good idea. Chances are they'll kill him. I didn't fight off the Apostles and save his worthless ass just to let Chronos kill him."

The emotions running through Creed's face were hard to decipher. He looked relieved, but also hurt by Train's words.

I shouldn't be surprised. He always has terrible mood swings when I'm around.

"Well, we already decided killing him or letting him die isn't an option. What else is there?" Rinslet looked over the roof and grimaced at the battle on the street. "If we leave him here, someone will find him and kill him."

Sven gapped at her. "Are you suggesting we take him with us?"

Rinslet brushed the question away quickly. "No! It's just an observation is all! If Train doesn't want to leave him to die, then he can't stay here either. Maybe we just take him with us, then decide what to do with him after that."

Sven sighed for what felt like the thousandth time today and fought the urge to light another cigarette. "Well, Train? We leave the decision to you."

Train glanced at the sweeper and thief, then looked at his ex-partner. He had been listening intently to the conversation, but never took his eyes off Train. The Black Cat made sure to read every emotion that crossed the man's face, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but realizing he already knew what he was thinking.

He wants to come with me. He wants it more than anything. I really don't want to travel with him. But… Rinslet is right. We can't just leave him here. That's as good as letting him die which I already decided I don't want.

He felt like pulling out his hair as Creed's eyes filled with tears which only made the cat's body fill with electrical rage.

God, why does he have to be so pathetic right now?! I can't even trust him to take care of himself, even with that new leveled up Imagine Blade. He'll either get himself killed or follow me. I don't want either of those things.

Train growled and turned away from Creed, aware he wouldn't be able to keep his cool if he looked at the man.

Damnit, what the hell do I want?! You'd think after all this soul searching, I wouldn't feel so lost and angry when I saw him again.

Train was shocked that after all the work he did on himself, Creed was still able to make him doubt everything he had discovered about himself. After thinking he may have finally found peace, he saw his ex-partner and it felt like he was back to square one.

Maybe we should take him… Just long enough that we can talk, then he can go off and do whatever he wants. As long as he stays the hell away from me.

Train sighed. "Rinslet is right, we can't leave him here…"

Sven gawked at Train now. "So he's coming with us?!"

The cat glanced at Creed who had hope dancing in his eyes which only made him mad. "Chronos will kill him, and I don't know what the Apostles will do with him… So…"

"Oh, they will most likely kill him as well. That or try to recruit him again, which I doubt will happen without the Black Cat to accompany him."

The new voice came from a petite man with long black hair that Train didn't recognize. He put his hand at Hades and sent sparks from his fingers at it as he looked at Creed out of the corner of his eyes.

Creed looked at his beloved desperately and pointed to the new man's chest. "He's with Chronos, Train. Look at his chest, he's the new Number X."

Train followed his ex-partner's finger and saw the tattoo on his chest. The cat nodded and relaxed a little, hoping Sephiria really was keeping her word about leaving him alone, but beginning to doubt that.

Lin noticed the unease his presence created and put his hands up, smiling cheerfully at the Black Cat. "I mean you no harm. I just wanted to finally meet the infamous Black Cat face to face before he took off again."

Train raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

Lin nodded and smirked deviously at him. "I've been looking for you for some time now. On Chronos order, of course."

Train gritted his teeth, feeling electricity sparking in his glare. "So… Sephiria lied about leaving me alone?"

Number X shook his head. "No, not entirely. The Elders just wanted us to keep an eye on you. To see if you really were no longer a threat. But, it looks as though the rumors are true. The Black Cat has become a sweeper."

All eyes fell on him as if waiting for him to confirm this. Train smiled cheekly, keeping his hand on his gun just in case this man did try to attack.

"That's right. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

There was something about Lin's smile that Train couldn't figure out, but Creed could. The swordsman pushed Eve away, seeing as he felt better now and didn't want this man to do what he thought he was going to do. Creed knew all too well what it looked like when someone had an interest in his beloved, and while he knew he had no claims to his cat, that didn't mean this man did either.

Just because I can't have Train doesn't mean I'm okay with seeing someone else try to take him right in front of me!

Lin took a step towards Train, his smile not wavering as he approached Creed's beloved who was still ready to attack if need be. "As I said, I come in peace, Black Cat. I just wanted to meet the infamous assassin. What's so wrong with that?"

Train sighed and relaxed his stance, moving his hand away from Hades. "Nothing. But that doesn't mean we're staying. We need to get out of here and you should get back to fighting the Apostles. Sephiria won't be pleased to know you left in the middle of a fight."

Lin put his hands down and continued moving towards the cat, happy Train didn't seem to notice how close he was getting. "I'll get back to it soon. The Elders wouldn't be happy if I just let you leave without at least trying to find out where you're off to."

Train took a subtle step back, suddenly not comfortable with how close the man had gotten to him. "You can tell them I'm not sure of that myself either. I'm sure they'll find me again and see that I really am just a wandering cat now."

Number X now stood in front of the gunman, his mischievous smirk still planted on his face as he pulled something out from his sleeve, glad Train hadn't noticed since this object was intended for him. Sven, however, did notice and took a defensive stance, ready for the man to pull out a weapon of some kind.

"I think I have a better idea…" Lin whispered as he reached out and grabbed Train's shirt, pulling the Black Cat down a little so he could kiss the taller man.

Train's eyes widened and he filled his body with electricity to defend himself, but watched as Number X was pushed to the side roughly by Creed instead. The swordsman stood in front of Train, growling loudly at Lin with his hand clenched into fists, ready to attack if he even thought about kissing his beloved again.

Train smacked Creed away, even though he hadn't been the one to touch him. "WHAT THE HELL, CREED?!"

Creed looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry! It didn't look like you wanted that!"

"I didn't want it, or you didn't want it?!"

Creed flinched at his angry words and looked away, stopping himself from asking his love if he did want Lin to kiss him. Sven's voice broke the ex-assassin's out of their thoughts as he bent down and picked up a small, square chip that was blinking brightly.

Sven held it up, eying it curiously. "What's this?"

Rinslet took it from him, flipping it back and forth in her fingers. "Looks like a computer chip…" Something clicked in her head and she looked at the number who was standing and brushing himself off. "Is this a tracker?!"

Train blinked at her, then turned to Number X who looked both amused and embarrassed to have been caught so easily by a group of sweepers.

"Guess Sephiria's right… I shouldn't take sweepers so lightly…"

Train pointed at the man. "YOU TRIED TO BUG ME?!"

Lin smiled at him and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe…"

Creed growled. "Were those Sephiria's orders?"

"No, but I'm getting tired of tracking the Black Cat down. It'll just be easier if I knew where he was at all times."

Sven took the chip from Rinslet and crushed it. "And you really thought we wouldn't notice it on him later?"

Lin sighed. "I hoped…."

Eve stood from her spot and entered the conversation. "You're right, don't underestimate sweepers."

Train was still a little freaked out by what just happened and touched his lips, then pointed a finger at him. "YOU HAD TO KISS ME TO BUG ME?!"

Lin smiled and winked at the cat. "No… But wasn't that more fun?" The number heard Creed growl again and rolled his eyes. "You had your chance, Diskenth. Time to step aside and let someone else have a go."

"KYOKO HAS DIBS!" She latched onto Train's arm, the gunman still too thrown back to really notice what she was doing. "Get in line!"

Lin smiled sweetly at her. "I think Heartnet's history has made his tastes pretty clear." He glanced at Creed when he said this, who looked about ready to strangle him.

Kyoko stuck her tongue out at him, then nuzzled her face into Train's arm. "Kuro-sama just needs time to settle in. You'll see! He'll love me one day!"

Lin giggled. "Keep living in your fantasy world little girl."

"WOULD YOU ALL STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE?!" Train yelled and yanked his arm away from the teen, stepping away from the group so he could breath.

He ran his fingers across his face, then put his hands on his hips. "Right. We're leaving. And I guess… for now… We're taking Creed with us…"

Train turned around quickly and pointed a finger at his ex-partner, making sure Creed saw the electricity in both his eyes and in hand. "Don't think into it, Creed…"

Creed heard the rumbling of thunder and nodded his head slowly, knowing his beloved was trying to show him nothing had changed. "I-I won't, Train…"

"As for you-" Train turned to Lin, who was still smiling innocently at him. "Tell Sephiria she has nothing to worry about. Stop following me."

Lin pouted. "Well, that's rather anticlimactic. I also don't think I can forget you now that I've met you."

Train narrowed his eyes at him. "Well, you better work hard at it because we're leaving."

Before Train could make true on his promise, they heard a loud crash of thunder, then saw Aja and Doctor standing between all of them. Rinslet dived for Leggan's unconscious body and was caught by Sven before she could fall off the building. Creed grabbed Eve's wrist as she flew in the air as Lin rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the panther's tail. Kyoko pushed herself away with her fire breath, stopping just before she hit the edge of the building and preventing herself from falling to her death. Train flipped himself backwards, landing on one knee and hand as he pulled Hades from its holster, his entire body flaring with a mix of white and blue, readying two attacks at once.

Train looked around to make sure his friends were okay and locked eyes with Creed for a second when he saw his ex-partner set the girl down. When Creed tried to smile at him, Train looked away. He wanted to make it very clear to the man he didn't care how many times he saved his friends, he was not going to show him any form of affection, even if it was simply gratitude.

The cat threw a blast of ice at the creature since he figured a lightning attack would be useless against this beast then fired a shot from Hades at the Doctor's head. Train smirked when he saw he was able to pin the panther's feet to the ground, but cursed when Aja flicked the bullet away from Doctor. Train continued with his ice blasts, trying to pin her down even more, seeing as she was already beginning to break the ice that surrounded her.

Creed felt his heart break again when Train ignored his smile, but pulled out his Imagine Blade as soon as he saw his love attacking the creature, slicing at its tails in hope that would help his love get a shot in on Doctor. It seemed to do nothing since with each slice, since the cat was able to regrow the limb quick enough to cancel out his strikes. Creed growled and tried to aim lower, but ended up being smack in the chest by the tip of the tail, throwing him backwards.

Kyoko ran at the creature and blew a large breath of fire at the beast, searing its fur, but not doing any damage the nanomachines couldn't fix. Rinslet fired shots at the beast's face, not knowing the bullets would be useless as Sven threw a grenade in the air, aimed at Doctor. With each bullet that hit the large pather, they fell out, the creature unaffected by each attack. When Doctor saw the grenade falling towards his head, he gave the creature a command and she flashed away again, appearing behind Train which caused the Black Cat to roll away quickly, making sure to not look it in the eyes.

"TRAIN!" Creed shouted as he jumped to his feet, running over to his cat as fast as he could.

Creed saw Aja's tail getting too close to his love and he screamed again, scared he wasn't going to make it in time to take the blow for his beloved. He knew Train still didn't know what Doctor's plan was, but after seeing all those documents about Train and seeing that room Kanzaki made specifically for his love, Creed knew all too well what fate awaited his cat.

He saw Train jump aside to avoid the tail and sighed in relief. Aja disappeared again, this time reappearing about his love for just a second before falling quickly. Creed screamed again and tried to dive for his cat, but missed by several feet. As he scrambled to his feet, he watched as Lin appeared on top of Train, slicing his cloak up and tearing into the beast's stomach.

Creed sighed in relief to see the panther retreat on its own accord, but angry to see Lin turning to Train and smiling a bit too friendly for his tastes.

"Guess you owe me one, Black Cat." Lin offered Train his hand, who took it tentatively.

"I don't like owing people. I'll just have to make it up to you now." Train took his hand back quickly when he noticed Number X's eyes light up.

Lin winked and twirled his cloak in the air. "There's no rush. Just take me out to dinner sometime."

Train's eyebrow twitch, but he grabbed the number's wrist and pulled him to the side quickly, avoiding a slice from the creature who had recovered and returned far quicker than the cat thought it would. As they tumbled to the side, Train didn't notice when his hand fell to the petite man's back as Lin slipped his arm around his waist, pulling himself closer as he continued smirking up at the cat.

"That was fast…" Train muttered, eying the man riding the best curiously.

"I'll say…" Number X said as he slipped his other hand around Train's waist, purposely misunderstanding his words and deliberately misreading his body language

Train suddenly felt the man pressing himself against him and blushed brightly, pushing him away without using his Tao. "NOT ME!" He pointed to the beast. "THAT!"

Lin pouted at Train, then turned to Doctor who was pulling out a syringe and injecting the panther with a clear liquid. He cocked an eyebrow and watched as Doctor threw the empty shot aside. "Interesting… What did he inject that creature with?"

"Nanomachines!" Eve said as she flapped her wings above them.

Lin looked up at her and frowned. "How can you sound so sure?"

Eve glared at him and gestured to herself. "I'm sort of an expert."

"She's right." Creed leapt to stand between Lin and Train, making sure to glare at the number angrily as he turned to his beloved desperately. "Train, that's what I keep trying to tell you. That thing has your DNA in it!"

Train blinked at his ex-partner, then looked back to the creature. "...You're lying."

"I'm not, Train!" Creed shouted, his voice sad as he tried to reason with his cat. "I know you don't trust me, but you have to right now! You don't have a choice!"

Train glared at him, his eyes flickering between blue and white as he locked eyes with the swordsman. "You don't get to tell me what my choices are…"

Creed grimaced under his beloved's gaze but stood strong. He knew what he was saying was for the benefit of Train. "Train, please…"

Creed felt himself being pushed backwards by Aja's strong paw, throwing him to the other side of the rood as the large cat turned to his love. Sven yelled and threw another grenade which was knocked aside by the panther's tail. Rinslet fired a few more shots as she cursed at the beast's unflinching stance and Eve dove down, earning another shout from Sven as she was smacked to the side by the large cat's back leg. Kyoko jumped in the air to avoid Aja's tail and breathed more fire at it, smirking as she hit the beast's tail, then pouting as it was put out quickly.

"This thing is super annoying!" She whined as she spun away from another attack.

Sven rolled out of the way of the creature's paw. "What do you expect from the Apostles!?"

Creed let out a breath of relief as she watched Train flash away before the creature could force his beloved to look her in the eyes. He turned his head sharply to see his love appearing next to Lin, who was throwing his cloak back at the panther, nailing it in the stomach again and smiling deviously at Train. Creed couldn't hear what his cat said, but he felt his heart drop when he saw Number X laughing, signaling his beloved has said something witty which made Creed feel like crying.

Stop it! You don't have rights to him! You don't deserve to be jealous!

Creed stood up and activated his level two Imagine Blade, hearing it whimper and getting angry with himself for being so transparent. He shook his head when he saw Train pull Lin away again, the number obviously enjoying the contact as he tapped the Black Cat's cheek playfully.

Now also isn't the time…

Creed growled when he saw Lin unnecessarily wrapping his arm around Train's waist to pull him aside, avoiding a swipe from the panther Creed knew very well his beloved was capable of dodging. His heart shattered into a million pieces when he actually saw his cat blush and the petite man, then push him away much more gently than he did Kyoko or Creed.

The silver man heard another growl next to him and saw his blade was getting angry as well. Creed smirk ironically, realizing to keep his blade useful, he had to keep allowing his heart this ache of watching another man flirt obviously with his beloved.

...If that's what will keep me useful in this fight… Then so be it.

Creed allowed his mind to wander to thoughts of his cat falling for someone else which seemed to be enough to enrage him and make his weapon useful after six months of sitting on the side. Every so often, he watched as Lin took every chance he could to touch his beloved, Train barely registering the contact or brushing it aside a bit too lightly for Creed's taste. This was all the encouragement he needed to slash and slice at the creature, hitting every vulnerable spot he could to cripple it as quickly as possible.

The surge of pride he felt was quick lived as Aja disappeared for what left like only seconds, reappearing looking completely unharmed.

What the hell?! Why is it recovering so much faster now?!

Creed growled in frustration landed next to his love to catch his breath, holding back a sob when he saw Lin brush some dust off Train's shoulder as the Black Cat jumped away to avoid the cat from making eye contact with him. The swordsman felt himself calm down a bit when his love appeared on the other side of him, sparking beautifully as he prepared himself for another attack against the panther.

Not knowing when the next chance he would have to talk to his cat, Creed grabbed his love's arm, preventing him from jumping away too quickly. "I have proof, Train. If you just listen to me and give me time, I can show you!"

Train glared at him and sent a shock through his arm, forcing Creed to let go. The silver man held back a yelp and felt his eyes swell with tears, despite how hard he tried to keep them at bay.

"...What proof do you have?"

Creed dug in his pockets, happy his pants were not ruined from the fight. While the papers were covered in blood and sweat, they were still legible. "I raided his office. He has a room set up specifically to hold you. I don't know entirely what his plans are, but knowing the Doctor, it isn't good!"

He offered the papers to Train, but before his Kitten could take them, the gunman rolled backwards to avoid another tail swipe. Creed sliced at the limb and saw the sweepers launch a full attack on the beast, Lin joining them but not before giving one more curious glance at Train and Creed.

Creed turned to see Train flash away from where he rolled off to, then back to his side. The swordsman wanted to swoon with how close his beloved was to him, but suppressed the feeling when he saw how angry his cat was.

Thunder roared in the background as Train addressed his ex-partner with a cold, furious tone. "...And what were you doing while he was building me my own private prison?"

Creed felt his stomach turn as his love flared between an irate blue and savage white, those marvelous eyes he was so in love with looking at him as if he was nothing more a roach on the sidewalk.

"I…" Creed felt himself shaking, wanting so badly to wrap his arms around his cat and scream and apologize to him. He wanted nothing more than to remind Train how much he loved him and never meant to hurt him. He wanted to beg for his cat's forgiveness, protect him from harm and remove every bit of pain from his love's life that he could.

"I…" Creed wanted to do all this and more, but couldn't. He knew Train wouldn't listen, so it wasn't worth it. Instead, all he did was stare into his beloved's eyes and weep inwardly, knowing even crying out loud would make his cat mad.

Train bared his teeth. "You were sobbing pathetically by yourself, weren't you?" Seeing Creed didn't respond, he continued.

"You are so utterly obsessed with me that you can't function without me. You are so dependent on my presence, on my affection, that you don't even notice when a sick scientist is creating a testing area meant just for me unless I'm there to keep you focused! You say you care about me, when in reality, you only care about your pain and your feelings! All you care about is whether or not you can win me back!"

Creed did his best to stop himself from crying, but he knew his Imagine Blade was betraying him. Train glanced at the sword and glared.

"You can't hide it, Creed. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, so to speak…"

Train jumped away from the swordsman, dodging another swipe of Aja's paw as he landed again next to Lin. Number X seemed more than happy to have his company as he turned a cheery smile to the cat. Shaolee twirled to avoid an attack from the creature's tail, grabbing Train's wrist to take the cat with him, even though he knew it wasn't necessary.

The Black Cat frowned when Lin stopped, the number's arms once more slithering around his waist as he continued smiling at him. Train rolled his eyes and pushed him away.

"Eyes on the prize, Number X."

Lin smirked. "Oh, they are…"

Creed did not see as Train leapt at Aja with Lin, nor did he see the interaction the number had imposed on his beloved. He was too lost in his love's words, feeling almost as destroyed as he did the night Train left. He felt his knees shake as bile crawl its way up his stomach and to his mouth. Creed swallowed the substance back down, making sure not to let himself get sick in the middle of their fight. He punched himself in the head multiple times, ignoring the pain he felt from both their battle and his beloved's words.

No! Don't fall into that hole again! Train's right… You only care about your pain! You're proving that right now by standing here and worrying about yourself. You're focusing on your feelings right now instead of trying to keep Train safe! And he's all that matters. You failed him when you let Doctor have all this time to plan how to capture and keep him prisoner, now the least you can do is keep him safe… Even if safe means away from you.

Creed took a deep breath and pushed his feelings aside. He knew he was ready to jump back in and protect his beloved when he saw the determination in his Imagine Blade's eyes. Creed looked up to see his cat floating above Aja, sending blasts of ice at its back, shooting Hades at Doctor which seemed useless as the panther was able to block every bullet. Rinslet had given up shooting the panther and was now throwing as many grenades as possible, clearly angry as the large cat was able to brush every single one aside.

"DAMNIT!" She screamed as he pulled out another bomb. "Is it just me, or is this thing getting bigger?!"

Creed tilted his head to the side at her comment, then looked back at the panther and cursed.

Damnit, she's right! This thing is at least three times bigger than when we started! It might collapse the building if we're not careful.

He noticed Doctor had been making it hover in the air more often now, as if he had figured that out as well and didn't want the building to crumble beneath him.

"It's the nanomachines!" Eve shouted, completing Creed's thoughts. "He keeps injecting her with those shots which are making her bigger!"

Creed smiled at her.

Clever girl… I can see why my Kitten likes her.

Sven gasped when he realized the same thing Eve did, then smirked and ran towards Train who landed a few feet away from him. "Train, I have an idea."

The gunman spoke to him, but kept his eyes on the cat. "I'm all ears, Sveny-baby."

"Stop calling me that." Sven said quickly, then went back to his plan. "We clearly can't take down this beast. It's too strong. We need to go for the Doctor."

Train glared at him. "What the hell do you think I've been doing this whole time?!"

"No, I mean we need to stop him from shooting the creature full of nanomachines. If we do that, maybe then we can pin it down and Eve can remove whatever nanomachines are left."

Train smirked and patted his friend on the back. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Sven returned his smirk, then gestured up at Eve. "Go tell Eve, I'll inform the rest of the group."

Train nodded and flew himself in the air to inform the bio-girl on their plans. Sven rolled away from Aja's tail and to where Kyoko and Rinslet were standing. Once he informed them, he dashed over to Creed and Lin, hearing the tail end of their heated conversation.

"Disktenth-sama, I don't see what the problem is. As I said, you had your moment with the Black Cat. Why must you be so greedy?" Lin smirked as he jumped out of the way of a lightning bolt.

Creed growled and allowed his Imagine Blade to eat a bolt and throw it back at the panther. "I may not have claims to Train anymore, but that doesn't give you the right to throw yourself at him!"

Lin chuckled. "Heartnet doesn't seem to mind…"

Sven growled and jumped between the bickering men. "FOCUS! I have a plan." He pointed to the scientist. "Aim for the Doctor. If we can stop him from shooting that thing full of nanomachines and pin the panther down, Eve can remove the nanomachines from it and make this fight more evenly matched."

Creed smiled at the sweeper and nodded.

Maybe they aren't as useless as I thought they were…

"What a brilliant plan! Glad to see the Black Cat has found more worthwhile friends." Lin glanced at Creed and jumped away before the swordsman could react.

Creed glared at the petite man's back, taking a deep breath and activating his blade to its newest level. He pushed Sven out of the way, seeing as the man had stopped paying attention when Creed transformed his arm in front of him and was nearly hit by a bolt of lightning.

Well, maybe only a little useless…

Creed launched himself in the air and towards the Doctor slicing his blade at the scientist's face as his large hand reached over and grabbed a shot he had ready in his hand. Creed threw it to the side, not bothering to see where it had landed as he saw Train flash on Aja's back, hovering in the air so he was not touching the creature and smiling cheekily in the Doctor's face.

"Miss me that bad, eh Doc?" Train winked at the man, but Creed remembered that as one of their codes his beloved used to use when they were partners.

Creed smiled blissfully at his cat.

At least it's nice to fight alongside him again...

Doctor returned the cat's gesture and reached into his pocket again, searching for another shot. "Oh… You have no idea how much we've missed you…"

Creed used the time Train and Doctor spoke to land gracefully on Aja's backside, making sure Kanzaki did not notice him as he jumped back in the air. He launched his arm forward and wrapped his large fingers around the scientist, pinning his arms together before he could shoot his beloved full of nanomachines. Creed lifted his arm up and threw Kanzaki in the air, hearing the man shout a command in German the swordsman was able to translate easily.

"RETRIEVE!"

Creed felt himself falling to the ground as Aja disappeared and caught the Doctor before he fell off the roof. Another flash and the panther was back, this time hovering over Train, locking eyes with his beloved before the Black Cat had a chance to look away. Creed screamed and moved instinctively towards his love, wrapping his cat in his arm and leaping away before Train could fall under its trance again.

As soon as they landed, Train pushed out of Creed's arms and flashed away, making the silver man pout quickly at the absence of his Kitten in his arm, but able to shake it off quickly in order to keep helping his love fight. When he turned back to the battle field, he was able to get a good glance at what his beloved's team was really made of.

Kyoko was thrown in the air by Eve, the girl creating a tunnel of flames that she launched at the Doctor, landing next to Sven who handed her a grenade and smiled. As Kyoko avoided another attack, Eve picked up Sven and flew him above Doctor, the fire teen moving over to Rinslet who was also holding a bomb. The four of them waited as Train flashed above the scientist, smiling cheekily down at the man.

Doctor looked up at the Black Cat and scowled. Train laughed and pointed at his face. "You are just too easy!"

Before the scientist could react to Train's comment, the Black Cat flashed away and looked back down at the panther he sat on. The whirlwind of Kyoko's firebreath had finally made it to him, but the more disturbing part was Sven smiling behind it, throwing a grenade through the center of the teen's attack, right at his face, the flurry of fire making it hard to tell where the bomb would land. He was too distracted by that attack to see Kyoko and Rinslet flashing on the other side of him, both also holding a grenade as Train flashed them away again after dropping the bombs on his lap. For insurance, the gunman created a cloud of fog around Kanzaki, causing the man to cough and sputter, barely able to make a command before an explosion happened.

"SPEICHERN!" (2)

Creed watched as the bombs exploded on the large panther's back, but Doctor was transported away just before they went off. Aja roared in pain as the attacks meant for Kanzaki hit her. Creed smiled as he heard Lin land next to him, whistling proudly at the display of teamwork they just saw.

"Were you ever able to work with the Black Cat like that?"

Creed turned a glare at the man, fighting the urge to grab him with his level three blade and throw him off the building. "Don't even start…"

Lin shrugged. "I'm just saying, that was impressive teamwork."

Creed turned to watch the sweepers gather themselves after that attack and couldn't help but agree. He smiled peacefully when he saw how happy his beloved was, a tear leaving his control despite himself.

He really is doing well without me… And I'm beginning to see what he sees in these people.

However, he snapped himself out of his stupor quickly, seeing the Doctor was coughing across the roof, unable to make any commands from the fog his beloved still had wrapped around him. Looking back at the panther, he saw his cat and the sweeper group were working on pinning Aja down as planned and he ran at Kanzaki, yelling back at Lin.

"Why don't you do something other than oogle or molest Train and help me pin Doctor down?!"

Number X watched as Creed ran away, then quickly followed after, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Creed got to him first and wrapped the hand his level three weapon created around his mouth, stopping him from giving anymore commands to the beast. Lin was next to him quickly, using his cloak to tie around the scientist, preventing him from moving.

Creed smirked and leaned over the Doctor. "I won't let you ever lay a hand on Train."

Kanzaki's eyes showed he was smirking underneath Creed's hand and the silver man could feel him laughing behind his palm. Feeling panicked, Creed looked over at his beloved who was using as much ice as he could to pin the panther down, the nanomachine girl digging her hair into the beast similar as she had to him moments ago. Not sure what the Doctor found so funny, he looked back at him, frightened curiosity in his blue eyes.

Kanzaki merely stared at Creed, glancing over at the Black Cat every so often, as if he was waiting for something. The swordsman finally understood when he heard Eve scream loudly. Both Lin and Creed looked over and saw the girl falling out of the air and to the roof of the building. Sven screamed her name and ran at her, catching her before she hit the ground. Her eyes were shut, signaling she had passed out and Rinslet ran next to her friends immediately. Kyoko ran over as well, the panic in her eyes a sure sign she had grown attached to this group in the last six months.

Train was the only one who didn't move since he was working on keeping Aja still. However, he was distracted by the bio-girl's state and didn't pay attention when the panther broke its tail loose. Creed let go of Doctor and ran at his love quickly, ignoring the shouts from Lin as he focused in on his cat's figure as Aja's tail lifted in the air and hovered over his cat.

"TRAIN!"

Creed got there just in time, pushing his beloved away as the beasts tail wrapped around his waist instead of Train's. Doctor screamed a command in German and the panther disappeared, Lin blinking as his cloak fell limp to the ground, Kanzaki no longer in his grasp.

Train stared at the spot Aja and Creed just were, not sure what to make of the situation. He replayed the word Doctor shouted and realization dawned on him as Lin ran over to him, falling next to the Black Cat to make sure he was okay.

"Are you okay, Heartnet?" Lin put one hand on his cheek, the other on his shoulder and turned Train's gaze at him.

The cat blinked, then brushed the man away in favor of turning to Sven and Eve. The girl was coming to and he breathed a sigh of relief, finally deciding to answer Number X's question, glancing at the petite man's hand that was still on his shoulder.

"I'm fine…" Train shrugged the hand off and walked over to his friends, double checking they were okay.

Sven nodded at Train, assuring him Eve was fine and looking over where Creed, Aja, and Doctor once were. "Where did they go?"

"Does it matter?" Lin said as he approached the group, twirling his cloak around and putting it away smoothly. "We're all alive. What does it matter what's become of the enemy?"

Eve looked tiredly at him. "Because Creed isn't a part of the Apostles anymore…"

Lin sighed at the girl's statement. "Whether he's a part of the group or not, he's still an enemy. He's dangerous man who can't be trusted. I say let the Apostles have him."

"But didn't you say they'd kill him?" Train questioned, looking over his shoulder at the number.

Lin blinked at the Black Cat's question and nodded. "Yes… But again, what does it matter?"

Train growled and put his hands in his head, feeling a battle starting in his head again. "Because I already said I didn't want to leave him for dead…"

Lin frowned at the man and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly to reassure him. "This isn't your fault… We have no way of knowing where they went."

Sven nodded. "I agree. As much as you may not want Creed dead, we can't say where he's been taken to. No one knows where the Apostles are hiding."

Train raised his hand, but kept his head down. "I do." Train ran his fingers through his hair, not happy what the Doctor had commanded the creature to do. "Home. The Doctor ordered the beast to go home."

Rinslet gasped. "You aren't suggesting we go to the Apostles' layer?!"

Kyoko frowned at the empty air her former leader disappeared from. "If Doctor has Diskenth-sama… It's only a matter of time before he's dead…"

Train nodded. "Right, which is why we can't just leave him."

"Train…" Sven warned, not liking where this was going. "Are you seriously suggesting…"

The Black Cat stood and nodded. "You know we can't leave him, Sven. They'll kill him."

Lin was starting to get angry, which was very unusual for the man. "Train... That's a really bad idea. We already know the Apostles are after you. You'll just be knocking on death's door by going there."

"Who says I'll be knocking?" Train smiled cheekily at him, then turned to his friends. "I'm not saying you're coming with me. It's too dangerous."

Sven punched the roof. "Like hell we're gonna let you go off on your own again! We just got you back!"

Eve sat up in Sven's arms and nodded in agreement. "You're not alone, Train."

Rinslet growled and loaded her gun. "Guess I've lived long enough…"

Kyoko beamed at her crush. "Kyoko wants to see what they've done to her room since she's been gone!"

Lin sighed and slipped his arm through Train's, causing the cat to look at him curiously. Number X smiled sweetly at him as he spoke. "I think it would behove Chronos to know what it's like inside the Apostles' layer. Besides, I'm not about to let the Black Cat get away again. Not after I've seen what he's made of."

Train rubbed his eyes and sighed in frustration. "It's a really bad idea to go with me…"

I can't even believe I'm doing this myself. Am I actually going to risk my life for the man that killed Saya?

He looked up at the sky, as if asking Saya for strength, asking if he was making the right choice and smiled as a cloud passed over his head, a sure sign the girl was telling him he was doing exactly what she would do.

Train stared at it a moment longer, then addressed his friends. "Well then… Who wants to see the Black Cat's old stomping grounds?"

Before they zapped away, Rinslet remembered something. "WAIT!"

Train jumped and looked at the woman, startled.

She pointed to the corner of the roof where she had safely hidden Leggan. "What about him?"

Train blinked then laughed, shooting a lightning bolt at the rope binding him so it broke. "We'll catch him again later."

Rinslet was going to protest more, but it went ignored as the Black Cat gathered the group together and flashed them all away.

---

Translation:

(1) Capture

(2) Save