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

22. Difficult Conversations

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

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Lin tucked his hair behind his ear as he walked down the hallway towards the conference room he'd be meeting Sephiria to find out his fate after leaving battle to follow the Black Cat would be. The fight between the Apostles and Chronos happened three days ago and he was only just now hearing what his punishment would be. This was due to the massive amount of work Sephiria and the Elders had to deal with after confronting the Apostles full on for the first time. She had a lot of information to share with them and everyone needed a chance to recover before they dealt with Lin's Black Cat tunnel vision.

Not to mention what I did wasn't a big deal. Yes, I technically disobeyed orders. But I would argue my free thinking got Chronos a second chance at taking the Apostles down.

Number X smiled as he waved at an eraser, earning a confused stare from the young assassin he passed by. Despite going to find out what his fate would be, he was in a good mood. He had actually been in a good mood ever since their fight with the Apostles and he met Train in person. While he knew he should be worried, he wasn't since he didn't actually leave the battle.

It's not like I left to go get a coffee. I followed Train and fought Doctor and his beast off with him and his friends.

However, he understood why the Elders were upset with him. The mission was to take the Apostles down and capture Creed. When they left to fight the Taoist organization, there was no mention of confronting the Black Cat, let alone trying to bug him. Nor was leaving the battle to follow Train to the Apostles hide-out. While he understood, he didn't agree and rolled his eyes at the thought.

I messaged Sephiria as soon as we broke in and they were able to continue their fight. Not only that, they were able to make the Apostles retreat again.

Lin knew the issue with that situation as well, though. The battle between Chronos and the Apostles had gotten so out of hand the entire mansion was destroyed and they weren't able to gather much information from Doctor's lab. They managed to save a few documents and lab supplies, but not enough that would really amount to anything.

On top of that, the Apostles got away and I know defeating them was the main goal of finding their hide-out. Everyone was in pretty bad shape when they got there, but they should at least be happy they injured that beast to near death.

When they arrived at the castle, the Apostles may not have been ready, but the numbers were not ready for the beast Lin fought with Train and his friends. He didn't have time to warn them about it, but he also assumed Doctor was going to have his hands full with Creed and Train. Even he was surprised when the scientist arrived with the panther. It actually made him worry about Train, but after Sephiria debriefed them, he found out the Black Cat had escaped unharmed, with Creed.

Lin frowned at that thought as he turned a corner. He wasn't too fond of the idea that Train left with Creed. And from what Sephiria had said, it sounded like he planned on keeping the swordsman hidden while things died down. None of it sat well with Lin, but he knew he couldn't demand answers from Number One. He was in enough trouble as it was.

Still, I can't help but wonder why he took Creed with him. Doesn't Train hate him? Doesn't he want Creed dead? Why is he keeping him safe and close?

Number X couldn't ignore the fact that after meeting Train he had quickly become infatuated with him. Before they met, he saw Train as just a legendary assassin with a cute face whom he respected and simply wanted to meet. But, now that he actually saw him in person, had a conversation with him, and saw what he could do in a fight, Lin knew his feelings had grown quite rapidly. Even he was surprised at how quickly his feelings had progressed.

I knew he was cute from his picture, but I wasn't expecting him to be that much more attractive in person. I could barely control myself around him. I'm just happy he didn't push me away as roughly as he did that annoying girl.

After their short interaction, Lin immediately saw why people were drawn to the Black Cat. He understood completely why that annoying teen girl was always clinging to him and he especially understood why Creed had fallen so obviously and devotedly head over heels in love with the cat. Number X also knew if he wasn't careful, he wouldn't be too far behind the ex-Apostles leader. Even though he only met Train once, he could feel his affection for the ex-number growing every day.

Which is why I don't like that he's keeping his ex-lover around… I understand he doesn't feel that way about Creed anymore, but it's already been three days since the battle which means they've had three days to spend together. Is it possible something could have changed during this time?

He didn't even get a chance to say bye to Train before he left since they were in the middle of fighting Chronos when the Black Cat left with his friends. Because he left so quickly, Lin also realized he didn't have a chance to find out where he might have been going. He had a feeling Train wouldn't have outright told him, but with a few leading questions, he might have been able to get a general idea.

I also didn't get a chance to hear what happened between him and Creed before they left. Again, I don't think he'd tell me, but not knowing is killing me! It didn't sound like he was angry at Creed when they left which doesn't help my fearful curiosity.

Lin sighed sadly as he approached the door he knew Sephiria was going to be behind. As much as he wanted to keep mulling over the fate of his new crush, he knew he needed to concentrate and prepare himself for whatever was to come in the next few minutes. Lin took a big breath and knocked on the door. Even though he knew she was expecting him, he knew it would be rude to just barge in without warning.

"Enter." Belze said from the other side.

Lin rolled his eyes.

Of course Belze is there…

Number X pushed through the doors and smiled at Sephiria. She sat behind a small table, Belze standing next to her, arms at his side as he stared Lin down. Lin knew Number II never meant to look down on people, but his demeanor always came off as a bit condescending.

And it doesn't help how big he is. He's probably forced to look down on everyone despite what he might intend.

Sephiria gestured for him to sit in the chair on the other side of the desk. He did as he was told, still smiling at the woman who hadn't even lifted her head yet. Number X crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees, waiting for her to look at him so they could get this over with.

Why would Belze call me in if she wasn't ready? Seems like a waste of time.

Still, he respected Sephiria enough not to complain. Besides that, she was his superior. He wasn't about to start complaining about her taking up his time when she had far more on her plate than he did. The most he had planned was to wonder more about Train and where he might be. He very much wanted to look for the Black Cat, but he couldn't without being ordered to.

Well... Maybe they just don't need to know if I start looking for him. We're allowed to have hobbies, right?

Sephiria cleared her throat, trying to get his attention. Lin didn't realize during his musings of the cat he had looked away and started tapping his foot on the ground. This must have annoyed Number One as she eyed him in frustration and looked down at his leg. Lin smiled apologetically and stopped his leg from moving. The woman sighed and put the papers down, then leaned back in her chair.

"As you know, the Elders have been discussing what your fate will be after abandoning us during battle…"

Lin bit his tongue. He wanted to say he didn't actually leave. All he did was get to the second phase of the fight sooner by going to the Apostles' lair.

That and I led them to where they have been hiding all this time…

Lin said none of this. Instead, he nodded his head and kept his eyes on his leader. He was going to be a good lackey while she was talking.

Sephiria put her hands against her lips as she spoke to her subordinate. "Before I inform you of their decision, I need to know for myself… Why did you follow the Black Cat?"

Lin blinked at her, not sure how to answer that. The real reason wasn't going to be acceptable, but the other reason wasn't entirely a lie either, so he decided to stick with that.

"I wanted to find out where the Apostles' had been hiding so we could attack their home."

Sephiria nodded. "I thought that's what you would say. However, the Apostles have moved again, as you know, so we're back to square one."

Lin held back an annoyed sigh. "But you were able to continue your fight before they ran away again. And we were able to destroy one of their hideouts."

Sephiria sighed. "Yes, but we weren't able to gather any information they may have been hiding before that happened."

"I don't see how that's my fault." Lin regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth, but he couldn't take them back. He saw Belze eye him warningly and decided to apologize right away. "I'm sorry, Number One. What I said was out of line."

Sephiria was quiet for a second, then rubbed her eyes. ""No… You're right. We should have been more careful. The battle got out of hand as soon as soon as that beast showed up."

Lin knew she was talking about Aja and frowned. "I apologize for not warning you about her…"

He knew they saw her at the beginning of battle, but they didn't see how big she had gotten after he fought her with Train on the roof. She seemed manageable before that, but after being injected with nanomachines, it was impossible to stop her.

Sephiria looked at him between her fingers. "You said Doctor injected her with nanomachines?"

Lin nodded. "Yes. He injected her while we fought her on the roof. She also has the Black Cat's DNA in her. That's why she was able to use the same abilities as Train."

"Yes, I remember you telling us that… I wish we had some information on her…" Sephiria flipped through her papers and frowned helplessly.

Lin thought of something and smiled to himself. He decided he would share that information with her after finding out what his punishment was. Maybe it would get him out of trouble.

And it might be a good excuse to be ordered to find Train again.

"Thank you for answering my questions. You said what I expected you to say, and that is also everything I told the Elders." Sephiria pushed the papers aside and folded her hands on the table. "The Elders decided to go easy on you. Seeing as you didn't actually leave the fight and led us to their lair, they've decided to let you off with a warning."

Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

He wasn't expecting anything too bad, but he also wasn't expecting to be let off so easy. Although, he had a feeling that had something to do with Sephiria. She always tried to take the brunt of their fury for her numbers. For whatever reason, she always thought any of their individual failures was her fault.

This thought made him concerned for his superior and he wanted to voice his worry. "Sephiria… How are you doing?"

Number One gave him a cautious look and did not answer the question. Instead, she wanted to know more about what happened with him and the sweepers while they were apart.

"Tell me what happened during your time away from us. Did you find out anything more about what the Black Cat's intentions are with Chronos and Diskenth?"

Lin sighed sadly. "No… Train left before I got a chance to find that out. He seemed confused during the time I saw him interacting with Creed, however, he didn't appear to want to have anything to do with the Apostles."

Sephiria nodded. That was pretty much what she thought the case to be. "What about with Diskenth? Did he still seem out for revenge?"

After the quick conversation she had with Train, she still wasn't sure. It didn't feel right that he had suddenly given up his desire to kill Saya's murderer, but the cat seemed convince. And the fact that Creed looked so unharmed made her wonder even more what was going through her ex-Number's head.

Lin looked to the ground and shook his head. "No… I really have no idea what his intentions with Diskenth are…"

Sephiria frowned at Number X. His normally cheery demeanor changed almost immediately after she brought up Train and Creed. "What are your concerns?"

Lin brushed her questions away. "My concerns are personal. No need to worry about them."

Sephiria eyed him curiously for a second, then her eyes widened as little as she pieced something together. It was clear on the man's face what he was thinking, so she decided to spare him the embarrassment and ask him something else.

"Do you know what the Apostles' intentions with Heartnet and Diskenth are now."

Lin shook his head again. "No. To be honest, Creed seemed just as disconnected with the Tao group as you all are. The only thing he seemed to know about was that creature and that they were coming for Train. I'm he knows more, but I didn't have a chance to talk to any of them."

Sephiria sighed, seeing the man was more upset at not being able to talk to Train more, but that wasn't her concern. She had her hunches as to what they wanted from Creed and Train, but, unfortunately she had no proof.

The Elders don't want to let either of them go so easily. I was able to convince them to give us a few more days while we recovered from the battle, but they're already getting impatient. I don't think I can give Train much longer to hide Creed.

Sephiria saw the sad look in Number X's normally happy face and sighed. She waved him away with her hand. "Well, if you have no other information for me, then you are dismissed."

Lin shook his head and looked back at her. "I actually do have a little more information that might be of use." Seeing her curiosity peek, Lin smiled and continued. "Diskenth has documents that pertain to the beast known as Aja."

Sephiria's eyes widened. "How do you know this?"

Lin smirked. "During battle, I overheard him trying to explain to Train that Doctor intended to kidnap him by using that beast. That's how I found out it had his DNA in it. Train didn't believe Creed because he doesn't trust him, but Creed pulled out some papers and tried to offer them to the Black Cat. However, since we were in the middle of battle, I'm not sure what happened to them. I don't know if Train took them or if Diskenth still has them."

Sephiria narrowed her eyes at him. "Why didn't you share this sooner?"

Lin looked away, a bit embarrassed. "To be honest… I forgot about it until just now…"

Sephiria thought about what he said, nodding in acceptance for his reason for not telling her until now, then smiled "This… This could be good news."

Learning more about that creature will be helpful in defeating it and also allow us to understand the Doctor more. If he's capable of creating something like that… There's no telling what else he could make.

Their battle with the Apostles had shown her how dangerous Kanzaki was and that beast of his was a force to be reckoned with. They may have stood a better chance in taking the Tao group down if the scientist didn't show up with his monster.

"What do you intend to do with Diskenth and the Black Cat?"

Sephiria looked at him curiously. She had a feeling he meant more than what his words implied, but again didn't want to call him out of his obvious affections for the cat. "That's none of your concern."

Lin frowned. "Are you going to hunt them down?"

Sephiria sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Why do I feel like I've had a similar conversation with Creed before?

The biggest difference was Lin was much more stable than Creed. His emotions, while evident, weren't as deep as Creed's were. However, she could already tell that even after a few days, Number X was already quite enamored with the Black Cat. Chances were they were only going to grow stronger, and she just hoped they didn't end up having another Creed Diskenth on their hands.

I don't see it going that far, though. Lin is much more relaxed than Creed. He also doesn't like bloodshed which is why we use him for missions that are less violent. Not that he's not capable of handling such missions, his skills are just better used elsewhere.

Sephiria kept her eyes on Lin as she spoke. "The Elders agreed to leave Train alone. However, they are not comfortable with Creed being loose."

Lin felt himself smile, then stopped before he asked his next question. "Who is going to follow them?"

Sephiria knew where this was going and shook her head. "No."

Lin frowned. "What?"

"I said no, Lin. You're not going to follow the Black Cat and Creed Diskenth. We will find someone else."

Number X pouted, but quickly changed his look to one of determination. "Who, Sephiria? Who else is there? You already know I'm a master of disguise so if need be, I can hide myself."

Sephiria shook her head. "Heartnet and Diskenth would see right through that. Especially with your feelings for the Black Cat."

She regretted saying those last words as soon as they left her mouth, but did not falter her stern demeanor. However, Lin didn't seem to care at all about what she had said. He looked at her as if it was obvious what he wanted from Train and didn't care if it was known.

That makes sense. He's never been a man of secrets.

"My feelings for Train aside, you know it's best to send me. This is the kind of mission you made me a number for. Even if I don't disguise myself, Train and his sweeper friends already trust me. I fought alongside them and helped them rescue Diskenth. If anyone is going to follow them it may as well be someone they know and trust."

Sephiria watched him as he spoke and saw the conviction in his eyes. "You're not going to drop this, are you?" Seeing Lin's face did not change, she sighed. "What makes you think they would believe you are there on friendly terms?"

Lin smiled. "I think you said it yourself just now. My feelings for Train are the perfect excuse to not want to cause him or his friends harm."

Sephiria gave him a stern look as she spoke. "But you would not be there for Hearntet. You would be there to keep an eye on Diskenth and get those documents about Kanzaki's experiment."

Lin nodded. "Yes, and I won't hide that from them. But, they will understand I am not there to cause them harm because I like Train. My feelings for him will be reason enough for them to believe I don't want to hurt any of them. It's simply the final nail in the coffin to let me stick around."

Number One glanced at Belze who shrugged his shoulders subtly, then looked back to Lin. "You know they will not be happy no matter what, right? Knowing Chronos is keeping an eye on them will not help your relationship with Heartnet or any of his friends."

Lin smiled merrily at her. "Then I'll just have to use my natural charm to win Train and his friends over."

Sephiria sighed. "Once more, I must reiterate that you are not there for Hearnet."

Lin nodded, eagerly. "Yes. I understand. Train is just an added benefit."

And if I can win over his affections, that'll just be the cherry on top of this deliciously sweet Black Cat cake.

Sephiria wasn't sure what to say about the situation. While she knew sending Lin might not have been the best choice considering his feelings for Train, he was right in that this mission is exactly what they made him a number for. He was intelligent and charming, which made him the best option when they needed to work civilly with their targets. Not just that, but if things did go south, he was able to get away with little bloodshed and could even disguise himself and try again.

As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. There really are no other numbers that wouldn't just kill them both and if Creed really isn't a threat, I would prefer not to have that happen.

She didn't want to kill someone unnecessarily, even if that someone was Creed Diskenth. Seeing as Lin was already able to get close to them and even befriend the Black Cat, this made him all the better choice to send after the sweeper group Train had aligned himself with.

As long as Lin doesn't let his personal feelings get in the way of the mission, he should be fine.

Number One kept her eyes on Lin for a few more seconds, before finally sighing in defeat. "Very well then. Seeing as I have no other options, this will be your mission. Go pack whatever supplies you will be needing. You're to find them and leave immediately."

Lin nodded. "How long will I be gone for?"

Sephiria looked back down at the papers she had pushed aside as she spoke to him. "That remains to be seen. The Elders want an eye kept on Creed until they are sure he isn't a danger. There's no way to tell how long that will be."

Lin smiled widely at that statement and stood.

That might give me enough time to win over Train…

Shaolee bowed and turned on his heel, heading towards the door quickly. As he walked away, Belze was able to see the happy glint in his eyes and made a strangled face. He waited for the door to shut behind him, then turned to Sephiria.

"Are you sure he'll be able to complete this mission?"

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. His feelings for Train could even benefit us. If he's able to get close to the Black Cat, that will bring out Creed's true colors. We've both seen how he reacts when Train gets close to anyone else. This could be a good test as to if Diskenth really has given up his Apostles and murderous ways to be with Hearnet."

Belze nodded at his leader, then frowned. Despite what she said, he could tell she was a little uneasy. Number II walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly to comfort the woman.

"You're doing a good job, Sephiria. Stop blaming yourself for everything."

Sephiria smiled up at him. Belze always had a knack for reading her thoughts and he had always been her comfort. Ever since their fight with the Apostles, Sephiria had been feeling as if she had failed the Elders by letting them get away and Belze faithfully reminded her it wasn't her fault. While she still didn't believe it, it was nice knowing he cared enough about her to at least try and soothe her worried heart.

She placed her hand on Belze's and leaned her head towards his arm. "Thank you, Belze…."

---

Eve sat on a chair next to the bed that held Creed Diskenth. Every so often she would reach out to check his pulse, just to make sure he was resting easily. After they escaped from the Apostles' mansion, he passed out and had been asleep since then. This marked day five since their escape, and she was actually beginning to worry about him.

Which is a strange feeling to have. After all, as Sven and Train have reminded me over and over, he's a dangerous man. He's not only an ex-assassin for Chronos, but also the former leader of the Apostle of the Stars.

She knew she should probably be more scared of him, but she wasn't. It was actually hard to be scared of someone who looked so sweet and innocent as they slept. He also saved them and she remembered all that time ago when he allowed her to leave with Sven in the first place.

I know that was just because Train told him to let me go, but still… He turned away a great power that day and allowed me to be free. That has to count for something, right?

She knew Train wouldn't agree. He was still quite angry with Creed for killing his friend all those years ago and she knew he had a right to be. However, she couldn't help but hope he'd let go of his anger soon. As it was, he didn't like being in the same room as the sleeping man. They tried to take shifts in who was watching him, but Train usually got the shorter shift since he couldn't stand to hear Creed's luscious whispers that never seemed to end.

"My beautiful Train… My stunning cat… I love you so much…"

Eve rolled her eyes and turned a page in the book she was reading. She was the one who sat in the room the most with him, since she was the most tolerant of his sleep talking. Even Sven couldn't stand hearing how lovingly he talked about Train. Eve wasn't sure why, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with being an adult.

That and I'm sure he's not comfortable keeping him with us either. Not only do we have to wait on gathering sweeps until he at least wakes up, but I know he doesn't feel safe around Creed.

She knew Sven was there when Saya was killed. He saw the whole thing and, even though he wouldn't tell her the full story, she could tell it was bad. Whatever Creed did back then must have been horrible to make even a mild mannered man like Sven uneasy.

"Train…" Creed reached out, his face said and strained as he tried to find Train. "I'm sorry…"

Eve sighed as she read her book. She had gotten used to his apologies as well. His sorrow seemed to bother Train more than his loving words. She figured the cat must have been used to Creed's compliments, but he would get even more furious every time he apologized. Again, Eve wasn't sure why, but she was again sure it had something to do with being an adult.

Being a grown up must be awful. They never tell me anything and always seem upset about something.

"Ich liebe dich so sehr, Train. Bitte verzeih mir." (1)

Eve looked at him as he spoke this time, able to work out the German on her own and frowning. He spoke a lot of different languages which caused her to learn more about various dialects than she ever thought she would need. Although, she couldn't deny it was nice learning other languages. While she couldn't actually speak any of them, Creed generally said the same thing, so she was beginning to get the jist of his adoring and apologetic words.

This does make me want to learn more of them though. He tends to speak German the most, so I think I'll focus on that.

She smirked at the idea of Sven being the only one that didn't understand them. She had a feeling Train would enjoy that as well.

Well, if he can get over his anger towards Creed and learn to live with him for at least a while.

It was obvious Creed wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon. Train made it clear he needed to know Creed wasn't going to hurt anyone before letting him loose. The cat offered many times to hide somewhere else with the swordsman alone, but Sven turned it down every time. The older man insisted that no matter what Train said, they were safer with him there.

And I think he's right. Even if Train leaves with Creed, chances are the Apostles and Chronos will have an easier time tracking us down than them. And after what happened last time, I really don't want to fight them again…

It was clear Chronos didn't mean them any harm, but it didn't stop them from accidentally hurting them. While they didn't want to attack them it seemed as though they didn't care if they got hurt in the cross fires. And with a battle as big as the one they had five days ago, there was a lot of cross fire.

If it wasn't for Creed, I probably would have been killed by that number instead of that boy.

That was another reason she didn't mind watching Creed while he slept. His sleep talking was easy for her to ignore, she didn't have any personal vendetta for him, and she actually was grateful to have him around. Whether Train wanted to admit it or not, he was a strong ally to have on their side and he protected them until Train got there.

I do hope that Train learns to forgive him… Not just for his own sake, but for the sake of our group.

They weren't going to work well together if Train was constantly fighting with Creed or refused to trust him. Creed was going to be a part of their group for a while based on the conversations he and Sven had, so the Black Cat needed to learn to trust him at least a little bit. At least enough that they could get back to their sweeps soon.

It's a good thing Train had some money from the sweeps he was collecting on his own. Otherwise we might be in pretty rough shape right now.

There were six of them hiding in the house right now. Rinslet had been forced to stay with them while Creed was knocked out so they could keep an eye on her as well. None of them were safe for the moment. Not at least until Train heard from Chronos or Creed work up. One of those things needed to happen before they could move so their budget was stretched even thinner than usual.

I swear, if I have to hear Train complain about not having milk one more time we're going to have one less mouth to feed.

They were all suffering right now, but Eve was the only one who wasn't blaming Creed. She knew they wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for him. She only hoped the rest of the group would see that as well soon. Again, if they were going to keep Creed around for awhile, they all needed to learn how to trust him.

Not just Train…

Eve heard quick movements happening next to her and looked over to see Creed had sat up straight, looking around the room frantically, as if searching for someone. The bio-girl sighed, knowing exactly who he was looking for.

"Train's okay. He's in the other room."

Creed jumped when he heard her voice, shocked as if he hadn't even noticed she was there before. He blinked at her in confusion, then breathed a sigh of relief at knowing Train was okay and looked around the room again.

"Where am I?"

Eve closed her book so she could give the man her full attention. "At one of our sweeper hideouts Train deemed safe enough to hide from the Apostles and Chronos."

Creed blinked at her one more time, then looked out the window, as if he was trying to figure out where he was based on that. "How… How long have I been out?"

Eve frowned, not sure how he was going to take this next bit of news. "Five days."

He turned to her quickly and gave her a look of utter disbelief. "WH-WHAT!?"

Eve nodded slowly, trying to give him a sympathetic look. "Yes. After you were brought back to the Apostles' mansion and fought Train-"

"I FOUGHT TRAIN?!"

It was Eve's turn to blink as she gave the swordsman a confused look. "Yes… Don't you remember?"

Creed shook his head wildly. "No! No, I would never fight Train! I would never try to hurt him! Where is he?! I need to apologize! I need to make it right!"

The idea of fighting his beloved scared him senseless. Even when they were in Chronos, they only ever trained together. Creed would never intentionally fight Train no matter what. Even if his cat came at him with everything he had, Creed would take each blow with love in his heart.

No… This must be a misunderstanding! I would never hurt Train!

Not my Kitten. Not my love. I need to find him! What if he hates me even more after that?!

Eve, seeming to read his thoughts, tried to console him. "Train wouldn't have brought you back here if the fight made him more mad at you. He's keeping you hidden from Chronos and the Apostles right now."

Creed still didn't seem convinced and shook his head again. "No… No, I would never hurt Train. I… I would never…"

Eve frowned at his panicked face. "Train wouldn't be risking our lives if he hated you even more than before." Still seeing that wasn't enough, Eve sighed and stood up, saying one last thing to him before she left to get Train. "If you don't calm down you'll only make him more mad. Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Creed looked at her in alarm for a few seconds, then seemed to register what she was saying and nodded his head. He followed her directions and took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself to see his beloved again. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Train, but the idea of seeing him again was enough to calm his nerves enough to smile at Eve.

"Thank you…"

Eve nodded and stepped out of the room. Creed watched the door for a few seconds, hoping his cat would walk in immediately after she left. He even felt himself holding his breath in anticipation, but let it go after he started to feel light headed. The swordsman frowned at the door, not sure why Train wasn't there yet. However, when he heard whispered voices, he understood why.

Eve must be trying to calm him down before he comes in… He really must be mad at me…

Creed rested his head in his hands, sighing painfully as he tried to choke back his tears. He knew he couldn't cry when he saw Train. He also couldn't embrace him like his heart kept telling him to. It was bad enough he kissed him twice during the fight with the Apostle and Chronos, he didn't need to jeopardize whatever emotions he could get from his cat by making him more angry.

I need to put my selfish desires to the side. I need to make sure he comes first. No matter what happens, no matter what he says or does, I need to make sure he knows I care about him. Now more than ever.

While his heart tried to tell him he might be able to win his cat back if he acted that way, he knew he couldn't let that feeling take over. The point of putting Train first was because he loved Train and his love's needs and wants came first. He needed to do it for Train instead of hoping there was the caveat that he would fall in love with him again.

I ruined all hopes of that the moment I killed Saya… Although, ironically, I would have never gotten so close to him if I hadn't killed her…

Creed shook his head to rid himself of the thought. It was true that after he killed her, Train came to his side and allowed himself to be vulnerable with Creed, but that didn't change that what he did was wrong. And then he continued to hurt his beloved by lying to him over and over again, just so he wouldn't leave. Just so he could keep Train all to himself.

I would have even let him kill Sephiria and had all of Chronos after him so he would stay by my side. So he would love me… I really am just garbage.

He was so lost in his own self loathing that he didn't hear the door open and close. Creed was pulling his hair and banging his head with his fists when Train approached and grabbed his wrists. The silver man stopped instantly, knowing who those hands belonged to instantly.

His eyes shot up to meet stern, golden ones and Creed felt his heart stop. He relaxed immediately as Train looked down at him, his strong arms stopping him from abusing himself anymore. Creed was lost again within seconds, but this time it was of blissful thoughts as he gazed longingly into his love's eyes.

"Train…" He moaned, his head falling forward and nuzzling his Train's chest instinctively. He took a deep breath to remember what his cat smelled like and smiled peacefully, forgetting what he had just told himself moments ago.

Creed heard his love make a strangled noise and he pulled back quickly, looking away from his Kitten so as to avoid seeing the anger he knew was there.

"I'm sorry, Train…"

Train watched him for a second then let his wrists go, sitting in the chair Eve had occupied earlier. The Black Cat ran a hand through his hair, a gesture he was learning he did whenever he was frustrated or didn't know what to do. He looked down at Creed wearily, not sure what to say to his ex-partner, but knowing he needed to get the conversation started somehow.

"How are you feeling?"

Creed looked scared by his question, as if there was a catch to it. As if he said he was doing anything but bad, Train was going to hurt him. He looked at his beloved, frightened to give him good news, just in case that would send his Kitten over the edge and try to cause him harm.

Train saw this fearful look in his eyes and sighed, leaning back in the chair as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm being serious, Creed. You've been out for five days. I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up. I'm not a monster, I really want to know how you're feeling."

Creed whined a little at his love's concern, then shook his head violently. "You're not a monster, Train… I never meant to imply-"

"-Just answer my question, Creed. Stop obsessing over me. How are you feeling?"

Creed pouted at his love's angry concern and looked down at his hands, as if he was trying to remember what it was like to hold Train's. "...A little sore and foggy, but okay overall. How about you?"

Train watched Creed as he watched his hands, frowning at the man's ability to circle the conversation back to him. "I told you to stop obsessing over me. Clearly, I'm fine…"

Creed smiled wistfully. "That's good to hear…"

Train wasn't sure what to say next, but he decided to address Creed's statement that he was foggy. "Do… Do you remember anything that happened?"

Eve had filled him in quickly that Creed didn't seem to remember fighting him. She also said how panicked he sounded when she brought it up, which meant it was most likely true. This gave the Black Cat hope that maybe he didn't remember Train kissing him to get him out of his drugged state.

Although that doesn't help us figure out what the Doctor gave him. But, for whatever reason, him not remembering that kiss feels better.

Creed watched his cat in confusion, trying to read his thoughts, then responded to his question. "The last thing I remember is being taken away by the Doctor. There are vague snippets of me lying on that rubber bed in his lab, but that's it."

Train sighed in relief and nodded his head. "That's good…"

Creed blinked at him. "Wh-wh-"

"-I'm fine, Creed. Don't worry about it."

Train felt himself relax a little at Creed's reassurance that he didn't remember anything. That meant he didn't remember the kiss, and he was really grateful for that.

To call it a kiss wouldn't even be a correct description. It was more of a make-out session and I don't want to have to talk about what it meant to Creed.

He knew the man still wanted nothing more than to be with him, so if he found out Train had made out with him, he would have clung even harder to the idea that he was able to win him back. It also didn't help that Train had let it go on far longer than he needed to, simply because the physical contact felt good.

I can't deny the physical pleasure I felt, but that's also not something Creed needs to know. That and I honestly don't feel like causing him more problems right now. I may not trust or like the guy, but telling him what happened wouldn't be right.

That's the logic Train had started working on. No matter how uncomfortable something might make him, or how much it might set him back, Train decided he was going to try and do what was morally right. Even if that meant lying to Creed about an intimate moment they shared that he wished he had never happened.

Although, I guess you could say letting it go on for as long as it did, knowing how he feels about me, wasn't right either…

Train shook his head to stop his thought process. He knew he should be able to forgive himself for that. His intentions were to help Creed, which he did. The drug wore off almost immediately, which meant the silver man didn't have to suffer more when he came to and realized he had hurt or even killed Train. That would have been even worse than knowing Train gave him a meaningless kiss.

And I can't blame myself for the physical pleasure I got. It's a human reaction.

Creed kept staring at his beloved, not sure why he was so lost in his thoughts. "Train… Did… Did I fight you?"

Train jumped at the question, almost forgetting he was still having a conversation with Creed. He sighed at the sad tone in his ex-partner's voice and nodded.

"Yes, you did. We think the Doctor gave you something that set you off. You were more violent and bloodthirsty than I've ever seen you."

Creed felt like crying as he looked his love in the eyes, scared to ask the next question. "Are you… mad at me?"

Train blinked. "You mean for fighting me?"

Creed nodded his head and looked away from his cat, hiding a tear he didn't want his beloved to see. Train frowned and shook his head, even though he knew Creed didn't see it.

"No. I'm not mad at you for that, Creed. You know what I'm mad about."

Train watched as Creed shook a little from his angry tone, enjoying his misery for a moment before rubbing his face to try and stop his thought from becoming too negative.

Remember, morally right. It's not right to enjoy when he's hurt.

"Sorry, Creed. I didn't mean to sound so angry just then. I really am not mad at you for fighting me." Train tried to make his voice sound sympathetic, but he knew his annoyance shined through.

Man, this is going to be harder that I thought…

Creed kept his eyes off Train for a few more seconds, then sighed a breath of relief and looked back at his beloved. "I'm sorry, Train…"

Train narrowed his eyes. "Stop apologizing. It makes me more angry."

Creed frowned again and nodded. "Sor-" He covered his mouth with his hands and gave Train an apologetic look.

For some reason, Train felt himself laugh at his ex-partner's face. He didn't know why, but that deer-in-the-headlights look was very comical, especially considering Creed looked so freaked out with something as simple as an apology.

Creed kept his hands over his mouth as he watched his love laugh, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "What's so funny?"

Train lost it even more when he saw Creed was trying to talk with his hands over his mouth and wiped his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… You're so pathetic sometimes."

Creed frowned, seemingly not aware his hands did not allow his cat to see the expression. However, Train was able to gather what he said was hurtful to the swordsman and took a breath of air to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just forgot how childlike you can be sometimes."

Creed narrowed his eyes and took his hands away. "You're one to talk. How can a man who's favorite drink is milk judge someone else's maturity?"

Train laughed again and Creed's eyes widened and he covered his mouth once more. The innocent, sorrowful look was back again, and Train couldn't help the amusement he felt. Creed watched as his cat laughed and smiled warmly.

Even if it's at my expense, I'm happy to see I can make him laugh…

Creed watched adoringly as his beloved laughed, giving the gunman time to settle himself so they could get back to the hard talk Creed knew they needed to have. The silver man giggled a little as he addressed his cat again.

"You always were so bad at having serious conversations…"

Train wiped his eyes again and looked at Creed's wistful face. He clearly had thought back to a more peaceful time when they were together, and for some reason Train felt himself smiling wistfully as well. He couldn't deny how happy he was when they were together, but he also knew thinking about it reminded him of the pain Creed caused him. He was the happiest he had ever been, then he found out what his ex-lover had done and everything changed.

As much as I wish I could go back to that time, I can't. He lied to me. He killed Saya and then lied to me about it for over a year. And he lied just so he could get what he always wanted…

Train felt the wistful feeling leave him as his thoughts wondered and he felt a bit of his anger for the man returning as he spoke again. He decided to get right to the point, forgetting the happy moment they just shared together.

"We're hiding from Chronos and the Apostles right now. We couldn't move until you woke up and we heard from Sephiria about what they intend to do with you."

Creed felt his heart break at Train's obvious eagerness to forget the amicable moment they had just shared, then cocked his eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Train crossed his arms and looked out the window as he spoke. "After we fought, you passed out. While I was carrying you out, I ran into Sephiria and she questioned what I was planning to do with you. I told her I wasn't sure yet, but I wasn't going to you over so Chronos could kill you."

Creed smiled affectionately at his beloved, his heart soaring with the thought that Train didn't want him dead. "Thank you, Train…"

Train gave him a warning look. "Don't thank me. I would have done it for anyone."

Creed felt his heart fall at his love's tone of voice and nodded. "Yes, Train…"

Train watched him for a moment longer, then continued. "She said she would let us know what their intentions are with you soon, but I'm starting to worry we're hiding too well. We haven't heard anything from her yet and it's been five days."

Creed nodded at his love. "What about the Apostles? What happened to them?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure. We left while they were still fighting Chronos. We haven't heard anything from them either, but I have a feeling they're laying low and licking their wounds for the time being."

Creed smiled and nodded, allowing himself to enjoy the view of the setting sun's rays bouncing exquisitely off his agile frame. "Beautiful…"

"What?" Train asked, looking at Creed curiously, trying to figure out what his ex-partner had just whispered."

Creed blushed brightly and shook his head. "N-nothing, Train… You're probably right. The Apostles are going to have a lot of work to do. Now that I'm officially gone, they have a lot of regrouping to do."

Train nodded in agreement. "Right, which is good because we needed a chance to take a breather as well. This seems like a good time out for everyone."

A thought occurred to Train and he stood up quickly, walking over to the closet and pulling out a firebox Sven had stashed away. It mostly contained private information for him and Eve, but Train decided the documents they pulled out of Creed's pockets when he passed out were important enough to put in there.

He turned back around and threw the papers at Creed, watching as the silver man blinked at the Doctor's notes on Aja and the prison he created for Train.

He sat back down in the chair, this time putting his feet up on the bed, resting his head in his hands as he leaned back. "Good news is I believe you now. Bad news is… Well, everything else I guess. It seems like they decided to use nanomachines after all."

Creed gave his beloved a panicked look. "Train, I had no idea! You have to believe me! It's just like they all said, I really have been useless these last six months. I didn't know about any of this!"

Train put his hand up to stop Creed, fighting back another laugh as his ex-partner's childish dismay began to take over. "It's okay, Creed, I believe you."

Creed smiled happily at his love, feeling his heart swell with relief and joy as he sighed blissfully. "Oh, thank God…"

Train allowed himself a quiet chuckle, then continued. "However, like I said, this really isn't good news. If they're using nanomachines now… They're going to be stronger than ever. Even without us."

Creed gave him a startled look. "You don't plan on going after them, do you?!"

Train returned his scared look with one of determination. "They're plan is to still take Chronos down, correct?"

Creed swallowed, then nodded his head. While he wasn't sure what was going on in their heads completely, he did know their goal to take down Chronos had not changed at all. If anything, it had gotten stronger with Charden in charge.

Train sighed. "Well… We can't really let that happen, can we?"

Creed frowen at his beloved. "Why not? We're not a part of them anymore. They're not our responsibility anymore."

Train shook his head. "Except they are our responsibility. We started the group together, remember?"

Creed continued pouting at his cat. "They would have found each other eventually anyway. Why does the onus of their existence have to fall on us?"

The cat sighed and sat up a little, his feet still on the bed as he spoke. "Because it's not right to let them kill freely, Creed. Especially knowing we're the ones that gave them a head start. We unleashed a true evil onto the world. It's our moral obligation to put an end to them before they kill even more people… Or worse."

Creed didn't need to question his beloved with what he meant. If the Apostles got their way and took Chronos down, the world would fall into chaos immediately and the Taoist organization would bend it to their will. He didn't know what that will was with their leadership change, but he knew it wasn't going to be good.

If I were still in charge, it would be to benefit Train.

Creed shook his head, still not wanting to accept his cat wanted to fight a group that looked as though it was only going to grow in strength. "This world is corrupt anyway. What does it matter if we have a change in who runs it? What if they make it better? What if-"

The silver man stopped himself as his Kitten glared at him. The look in his magnificent golden eyes showed so many different emotions, Creed didn't have time to decipher them all. Instead, he decided to focus on the primary one he saw.

Resolve. My Kitten is reloved to ending the Apostles. And if that's what Train wants… I am more than happy to oblique.

Creed smiled. "If that's what you want, Train… I will follow you into the fire once more."

And over and over again if that's what he wants.

Train didn't seem happy with that response and Creed frowned at his cat as he spoke. "Creed… You need to want it for yourself. For the rest of the world. Not just me. You need to understand why what we created was wrong and why we need to stop it. You need to make up for the wrongs you have done…"

Like Saya would want…

Creed watched as his love smiled nostalgically, knowing it had nothing to do with him and clutching his chest painfully as he realized Train was thinking about Saya again. He fought the urge to apologize again and sighed deeply. There was a question he had been avoiding asking his beloved because he was too scared of what his answer might be. But, after hearing everything he said, he had an idea what it would be which gave him the courage to finally ask it.

"Train… You said before that we're hiding… What I didn't understand was… Why you were hiding me… But, now I think I might have an idea. I just… I would like to hear you say it, if you don't mind…"

Train watched as Creed fidgeted with the blankets and glanced between the window, the bed, and Train. He knew what his ex-partner was asking and took a deep breath before he answered.

"I want you to learn from your mistakes, Creed. I want you to learn why your past actions were wrong and I want you to live a better life. I want you to live with the knowledge of what you did to Saya… to everyone else you killed and I want you to make up for that. And one of the first steps for that, is understanding why the Apostle is our responsibility. And why we need to take them down."

Creed locked eyes with Train as he asked his next question. "And you want to do that without killing any of them, right?"

Train sighed in frustration, aggravated he was still working on the logic of what Train wanted. "Yes, I don't want to kill them. But I want you to want that. I don't want you to do it just because I'm asking you to."

Creed waited a second, then nodded his head. "I understand, Train…"

Train laughed in annoyance. "No, you don't, Creed. That's the point. You may think you know why killing Saya was wrong, or why killing the Apostles is wrong. You may even think you know why all the people we killed while in Chronos was wrong, but you don't. You only think you understand because I am telling you it was wrong. You only care what I think and how I feel about all those people… especially Saya, but that's not the answer. You need to do this for yourself, Creed. I'm just here to help."

Creed took in every word Train said. He listened as intently as he could and realized Train was right. He really didn't understand. Even after realizing killing Saya was wrong, he only realized that because he saw what it did to Train. He only agreed that the Apostles were wrong because of Train. The only reason he was going to stop killing was because of Train. In reality, he didn't truly understand why everything he had done was wrong on a moral level. He only understood what Train said, and Train's word was his gospel.

Still, I haven't actually had the urge to kill anyone in so long I don't even remember what they feel like. While I don't understand why killing them is wrong, I also don't have those violent urges anymore. Even before Train left they were gone.

Creed glanced at Train, then looked at his hands. "If it helps… I don't really want to kill anyone anymore. I may not understand why it's wrong, just like you said, but I can tell you I don't have that… desire, if you could call it that, anymore. I haven't felt that murderous rage since before you even left. Does that count for anything?"

Train sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess… It's a start." He sat up straight and leaned his elbows on his knees. "It's better than nothing, right?"

Creed smiled and nodded, confirming his love's question even though he knew Train wasn't asking for that. He had one more question he needed to ask, and this one was harder than the previous one.

"But… In the meantime… What do you plan to do with me? I'll leave if you want me to and never kill again. I just need to know what you want."

Train felt himself growl, not willing to hide his growing irritation with the man. "That's not the point, Creed. If you did that, then you're still just doing this because I told you to. That's literally the exact opposite of what I want. I need to be convinced that you're living life a different way on your own volition. Not because I asked you to."

Creed looked at him again, then looked away quickly, not able to look him in the eye as he asked again. "Then… Where am I to go?"

"You're going to travel with us for a while. At least until you have found peace within yourself. Then you're free to do or go wherever you please."

Creed nodded. "And… What if that place is still with you… Will… Will you still have me if I want to stay with you?"

Creed knew this wasn't an 'if' question and he had a feeling Train did as well. He only worded it this way to hopefully spare his love the discomfort.

"If… If you're stuck with me forever… Is that okay?" Creed finally worked up the confidence to look his beloved in the eyes, holding back his yearning tears as he gazed into those golden orbs he needed more than air to live. "Could you still be happy if my peace is to be by your side forever?"

Train had thought about that a lot since he knew that is what Creed would want. He also knew his ex-lover was only making the situation hypothetical to spare his feelings. While he appreciated it, it didn't actually make the reality any better than what it was. If he truly wanted Creed to live a peaceful, calm life, he was going to have to keep him close for the rest of his life. If Train really wanted what was best for this man, then he had to accept that meant giving up a bit of his own comfort to make that happen.

"Yes. I came to terms with that already."

Creed smiled gratefully at his love. "I won't expect you to ever love me again. I was ready to live without that long ago, but… I can never promise I'll be at peace without you. And I know you don't want to hear it, but… I'm sorry for my neediness, Train…"

Train sighed and sat up straight. "As I said, I already came to terms with that. As long as you know where I stand and don't force anything on me, I'll be fine."

Creed let a tear go despite himself. "You've always been my guiding light, Train… And I'm sorry for that…"

Train rolled his eyes. "I told you to stop apologizing." He paused before he said his next sentence, hoping it wasn't going to get him in trouble with the swordsman strong feelings for him. "And… I don't know if it helps, I can't promise I'll ever be able to trust you fully again, but I can say I'll at least try. After all, there has to be some regain in trust if we're going to be sweepers together."

Creed tilted his head in confusion. "Sweepers?"

Train sighed and lowered his head in defeat. "Yes, Creed, sweepers. I know how much you hate them, but whether you like it or not, it's the only career option we have as ex-assassins."

Creed tried to give his love a sweet smile. "Actually, after seeing how they work, I can't say I haven't gained a bit of respect for them. I think I'm starting to understand why you're so attracted to them."

Train smiled and patted Creed on the head. "That's a good ex-Apostles' leader."

Creed knew Train was just messing with him, but he couldn't help and swoon at the brief contact. That was going to be the most he could expect from his beloved from now on, so he had to enjoy whatever he could get from his cat, no matter how small it was. He purred happily unknowingly, not noticing when Train rolled his eyes, but frowned sadly when he stepped away.

"But, what about going after the Apostles? Isn't that the plan?" Creed understood that being a sweeper was their best way to make money, but he thought the goal was to take down Apostles. Why were they wasting time?

Train laughed heartily, which set Creed's heart on fire. "Do you really think we can take on the Apostles right now? They've got nanomachines and that… Black Cat wannabe monster."

"Right, but waiting will only give them more time to get stronger. I know it'll give us time to train as well, but they outmatch us and right now they're weak. I say we hit them while they're down."

Train shook his head. "No, for a second reason. Your only motivation to do it right now is me. Before we go after them, I need to know you won't kill them no matter what. Which means you need to do some soul searching before we can take them on."

Creed sighed and nodded in defeat. "Yes, Train…"

Train smiled cheekily at him and patted his back. "Cheer up, Creed. If there's one thing I've learned in my absence, is that taking in some low grade criminals really clears your mind. And with the two of us working together, we'll be rolling in dough and peaceful morality in no time."

Creed felt his heart race faster as Train patted his back and felt himself melt at his words. He was scared to feel hopeful, but it seemed like his love didn't hate him as much as he let on. It seemed like Train was more ready to forgive him than he let on, which made Creed the happiest he had felt in six months.

Stop it, Creed, don't tease your heart like that. Train is just being nice because he's a wonderful person. Being mean to you will get him nowhere, especially if you're going to be working together. He's just being cordial, that's all.

"Can you stand?"

Creed was jolted out of his thoughts and smiled at his cat. "I can try…"

He hadn't used his leg muscles in five days, so he wasn't sure. It wasn't until now that he realized how sore they were and frowned as he looked down at them.

"Yeah… Sorry, but I shot you in the legs. I had to get you to stop attacking me somehow." Train smiled embarrassedly at him as he spoke.

Creed shook his head. "Don't apologize, Train. You had to do what you had to do to stop me. I'm just happy it worked and I didn't hurt you."

Train chuckled nervously as he spoke. "Yeah… Me too…"

Creed looked at his cat curiously as Train made a strange look and refused to make eye contact with him. Deciding it wasn't worth questioning his love since he was clearly uncomfortable with whatever they were talking about, he pushed himself up on his hands so he sat up straight, groaning slightly at the soreness he felt and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He scooted himself forward until his feet touched the ground and tried to stand, then fell back to the bed. Creed grimaced from embarrassment, not pain and tried again. When it didn't work a second time he fell back on the bed in frustration and stared at the ceiling.

Before he could fall into his normal self-hating thoughts, he saw his love's powerful hands in front of him, offering them to Creed for support.

"Let me help. It's been a while since you moved them and while Eve was able to remove the bullets without a problem, I can't imagine they still aren't weak."

Creed looked at his love wearily, desperately wanting to use him for support, but not wanting to make his Kitten uncomfortable. "Are you sure, Train?"

Train rolled his eyes and took his ex-partner's hands by force. "I told you I'm not a monster. Just because we aren't on the best terms just yet, doesn't mean I'm going to watch you struggle."

Creed felt his heart lift from Train's ambiguous comment about their relationship, but quickly shoved it back down as he accepted his beloved's hands earnestly. Train pulled him up and held him by his shoulders, watching the silver man's legs to see if he could steady himself. Creed smiled felicitously at his love, too lost in Train's touch to realize he was beginning to fall forward. Luckily, Train caught him and sighed in annoyance.

"Did you even try?"

Creed didn't register his words at first as his face had landed right on his Kitten's shoulder. He felt his body moving on its own once more as he nuzzled his face into Train's hair, relishing the feel of his love's silky, chocolate locks against his cheek. Suddenly realizing Train had said something, Creed pulled back and tried to steady himself with the help of his cat's strong arms.

"S-sorry… Trying now."

Train rolled his eyes and watched Creed's feet settle on the floor, letting go tentatively to see if he could stand on his own. Once he saw the silver man had his balance, he let go and stepped back. Nodding, Train looked him in the face and smiled.

"Well? Let's see Creedy's first steps."

Creed giggled at his beloved's joke and took a step forward. It was shaky, but he was able to do it a second and a third time, finally reaching Train who clapped as if he was a toddler who just learned how to walk.

"That's awesome! I was worried this was going to be like that time we first took on Chronos all over again. Good to see you'll be making a speedy recovery." Train kept stepping back as Creed walked forward, the swordsman seeming to get more confident with each step. He was ready to catch him just in case, but it was starting to look like that wouldn't be necessary.

Creed smiled at his cat's proud face, just happy to be able to interact civilly with him again. "I don't think I'm nearly as hurt as I was back then. Just sore after not using them for a while is all."

Train nodded as they walked down the hall to the common room where the rest of his friends were waiting. As they turned the corner, Creed looked up to see the rest of Train's sweeper friends and felt his blood pulse race, worried what they would say to him. However, with his beloved's cheery smile on him as he walked into the room, he felt the strength and courage he needed to confront the rest of the group. They were going to be his new team, after all.

Sven put his newspaper down and watched Creed and Train enter the room slowly. "He has risen. About time too. I was starting to think we saved his ass for nothing."

Rinslet threw a pillow at him, earning an angry scowl from the older man. "Be nice, Sven! We wouldn't be here without him."

Eve nodded as she closed her book. "She's right, Sven. He's also the newest member of our group. I think we should at least try to start off on the right foot."

Sven looked at the two girls wearily, then glanced at Creed, then Train. "I mean… Is that what's happening, Train?"

The Black Cat sighed as he guided Creed to the couch so he could lean on it for support. "We already discussed this, Sven. It's either that, or Creed and I leave together. I can't leave him alone and you already said that's not an acceptable answer."

Sven shook his head. "No, it isn't. We are safer with you here than with you gone."

Train smiled and nodded. "Then there doesn't need to be any more discussion about it. Besides, with two ex-Chronos members, you'll be raking in money while barely lifting a finger!"

Sven rolled his eyes and went back to his paper. "If you listen to my plans that is…"

"Sorry, Sveny-baby. I'm a free cat. You need to just plan around my strong willed thinking. Right, Creed?"

Creed pouted at Train calling the green haired sweeper a pet name, but nodded in agreement with his beloved. "You need to plan for Train to do the unexpected, then throw that plan out the window because he won't do that either."

Rinslet looked at him in confusion. "That makes no sense."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "He said what he said. Creed is the Black Cat expert, after all."

Creed sighed blissfully at his love and nodded his head, feeling himself already getting lost in his golden eyes. He was just so ecstatic to be near his cat again. It had been six months since he'd been in the same room as Train, and he didn't expect his beloved to be ready to speak so normally to him so soon. He had a feeling it wouldn't be this way all the time, but he was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Besides, I can't help but be happy when he's standing so close to me. Let alone talking to me as if nothing happened. I know it's not what I want and it never will be again, but would it be too much to ask if he could consider me a friend again?

His happy moment ended quickly as an annoying voice he knew all too well entered his ears.

"KURO-SAMA!"

Kyoko came running out of the kitchen and tackled Train to the ground. Creed held back a growl as he watched his love struggle and yell at the girl who had pinned him down.

"WHAT THE HELL, KYOKO?! I WAS GONE FOR LITERALLY TWENTY MINUTES!"

Kyoko giggled and squeezed him tight. "And that's too long for Kyo-OW!"

Train decided that was long enough of her nonsense and shocked her with his Tao. She pouted and moved away from her crush, whining as she spoke. "Kuro-sama is so mean to Kyoko…"

Train glared at her from the ground. "Only when you literally tackle me to the ground! Just be normal and maybe I'd like you."

Kyoko ran back and stared at him with hope in her eyes. "REALLY?!"

"NO! Not like that!" Train pushed past her and to the kitchen. "Is there food?"

Sven nodded even though he knew Train couldn't see it. "Yeah, in the fridge. There's a plate for you and Creed."

Creed turned his glare on the teen into a confused frown at Sven. "You didn't have to worry about me…"

Sven waved at him. "You haven't eaten in five days. We're not monsters. We're not gonna let you starve."

Creed blinked at him in confusion, then smiled as Train waved him over to the kitchen. He thanked Sven again as he followed after his beloved, beaming with joy as Train handed him a plate of food. Creed watched as Train turned to the counter that separated the kitchen and dining room, his love leaning his elbows on the surface as he began shoving his face full of food.

The swordsman allowed himself this moment of euphoria as he gazed longingly at his Kitten. Even though Train was eating so inelegantly, Creed couldn't help but be overcome by the sheer brilliance of his love's presence. He always felt like everything Train did was wonderful, but now after having been denied his company for so long, Creed felt a whole new level of love for Train. He knew he was never going to take his Kitten for granted again, and made a promise to himself to not screw up a second time.

Even if this time around it means only having him at arm's length, it's enough. I'll be fine as long as he allows me to be by his side.

Creed stepped to stand next to his cat, happy to see Train wasn't bothered by his closeness and smiled wider than he had in six months.

"So, what's next? Can we finally leave?" Rinslet asked as she braided Eve's hair, the bio-girl's face showing she had clearly not given the woman permission.

Sven turned a page in the paper he was reading. "I hope so. I don't know how much longer we can last with such little money. Not to mention without strangling each other."

Train laughed through a bite of food, ignoring Creed's contented sigh as he watched him. "I still would like to hear from Sephiria about what her plan is, but I agree with Sven. We need the money and I'm about to throw Rinslet out the window."

The thief looked at him in offense. "WHY ME?!"

Train pointed his fork at her. "You take way too long in the bathroom! Who are you trying to look good for?! It's just us!"

Rinslet glared at him. "Excuse me for trying to not let myself go while we're locked down in here! At least I try to keep my hair tame."

Train winked at her. "Sorry, the hair is part of the Black Cat charm. It won't be changing anytime soon."

Kyoko perked up from her spot on the couch, smiling adoringly at Train. "That's right! Don't sensor Kuro-sama, Rins-chan!"

Rinslet glared at her now. "Stop calling me that! I'm much older than you!"

Kyoko laughed at her. "Trust me, Kyoko knows that!"

Before Rinslet could yell at the girl a knock at the door turned all eyes to it. The group's demeanor shifted immediately to alert since no one knew where they were. No one moved and Train glanced at Sven.

"Did you order take out?" The cat whispered as he reached for Hades, stepping to the entrance of the kitchen, and allowing his body to spark.

Sven turned and glared at him. "Why would I do that?!"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Wishful thinking…"

Creed spoke to his love, but did not turn to him, making sure his eyes were on the door the whole time. "Train… Where's my sword?"

Train looked at him wearily, not sure if he should tell him or not. Creed gave him an annoyed look and the cat caved. "Your room, dresser, bottom drawer."

Creed pushed aside the butterflies that formed in his stomach at hearing Train calling one of the rooms 'his' and walked as quickly as his legs allowed him back down the hall. He was thankful to see they had returned mostly to normal, he was just a bit slower than usual, and he hoped that wasn't about to get him, his beloved, or their group hurt.

Eve blinked at the door, then at the rest of the group. "If it's someone that wanted to hurt us, why would they knock?"

Sven looked at her, then back at the door. "I don't know, Eve, but we can't be too careful."

Eve frowned. "That doesn't make sense. If they wanted us dead, they'd already be in here trying to do it."

Ignoring the rest of her group's cries of protest, Eve walked to the door and opened it. She peeked through a crack first, then sighed as she opened it for the rest of the room to see.

"See? It's no one."

Lin looked down at the girl, offended by her words. "How dare you?! Is that the thanks I get for helping you fend off the Apostles?"

"LIN?!" Sven and Train said together, but Number X only looked at Train when they spoke.

The assassin smiled and put his bags down, walking into the house uninvited and approached Train immediately. Before the cat knew what was happening, Lin had wrapped his arms around Train's neck, pulling him into a tight hug as he smiled brightly.

"It's so good to see you again, Train…"

Train felt his face get a little hot and he looked down at the man, confused at what was happening. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Sephiria sent me." Was Lin's simple response as he snuggled his head into the Black Cat's neck.

Sven gawked at him as he spoke. "That doesn't answer the question! How did you find us?!"

"And what is your business here?!" Rinslet added as she reached for her gun.

"AND WHY ARE YOU HUGGING KURO-SAMA?!" Kyoko added as she took a fighting stance.

Creed stepped back into the room then and froze at what he saw. His new teammates were all gaping at Number X who was embracing his beloved far too tightly for his taste. What really made his blood cold was seeing Train's face turn a bright shade of red at the contact. He felt himself grip the hilt of his sword tightly, his nails digging into his palm aggressively as he voiced his own question.

"And what does Sephiria want?"

Lin turned to look at Creed but did not let go of Train which only made the swordsman angrier. He knew he had no claims to Train, but that didn't mean he wanted to see another man hold him so lovingly.

Number X smiled at Creed, refusing to let go of Train. "She wants me to babysit you, Diskenth."

Creed blinked. "What?!"

Lin nodded. "You heard correctly. I'm your new babysitter. And I think it's way past your bedtime. Off you go!"

When Lin turned his attention back to Train, Creed growled and the Black Cat shook his head, finally removing the man's arms from his neck.

"You're going to have to give us more of an explanation than that, Lin. Answer all those questions right now." Train kept his hand on Hades, just in case. Lin had proven to be friendly before, but that didn't mean there wasn't something else going on. Train wasn't about to trust Chronos that easily.

Not when we're hiding the number one person on their wanted list.

Lin frowned at his crush, then sighed as he tried to think of each question in order. "Right, first question I didn't answer goes to the old man-"

"-HEY!" Sven shouted, his eye twitching with rage.

"-It took me a few days, but I was able to track you down much easier this time since I've now met the Black Cat and understand more how he thinks. Now, second answer goes to the busty thief-"

"-WHAT THE HELL?!" Rinslet yelled, glaring daggers at the man.

"-My business is with Creed and I mean no one harm. Not even Creed. Next question goes to the annoy teen-"

"-JERK!" Kyoko screamed as she balled her hands into fists and contained her rage within her small frame.

"I'm hugging Train because I can and I missed him." He hugged Train again as if to prove his point, then looked back at Creed who looked even angrier than Kyoko did at him touching the cat. "Last answer goes to my mission. Sephiria wants me to babysit you like I just said."

Train rolled his eyes and pushed the man off again. "Okay, but what does that mean? Isn't he still on Chronos' wanted list?"

Lin smiled up at him and poked his cheek playfully. "Nope. Not anymore. He's still on a list, but not the wanted list. His spot has been filled with Charden Flamberg and Echidna Parass since they seem to be the ones in charge now."

Train blinked at him, ignoring the small blush he had when the man poked his face. "The Apostles had made a move?"

Lin shook his head and straightened out Train's shirt that had become wrinkled from his hug. "Not entirely. But they did send out a message about their change in leadership. I'm surprised you haven't seen it."

"We've been laying low and trying to be as quiet as possible." Sven sounded ashamed of himself for not realizing thar sooner. He had been reading an old newspaper since he couldn't leave to find a new one and the television in this house didn't work. "Guess we probably should have tried to find out something."

Lin waved his words away and finally turned to address the rest of the group. "It only happened earlier today. It's still fresh news, don't worry."

"But what do you mean by 'babysit'?" Creed spoke, trying to get the number's attention so he wouldn't put it back on Train. "Are your orders to keep an eye on me in case I try to go back to the Apostles?"

Lin winked at him and pointed to his nose as he turned back to Train and leaned the side of his head against the gunman's chest. "Precisely. Chronos is going to leave you alone as long as my reports come back as satisfactory to their tastes."

"What does that mean?" Train said as he looked down at the man, still confused with his sudden news.

Lin smiled merrily at him. "It means that once I am convinced that Creed is no longer a violent killer, I will leave and Creed can live the rest of his life however he sees fit. As long as that life does not involve the destruction of Chronos."

Train looked at Creed and saw how upset he was at Lin's closeness to him and decided to throw his ex-partner a bone by pushing the man away again. "And what if we decide to take the Apostles down? Is that enough to convince Sephiria Creed isn't a threat anymore?"

Lin looked sad at being pushed away, then mused over his crush's words. "I suppose… But I think that's going to take a while to do. After all, they have nanomachines now."

Train and Creed shared a look, then the cat addressed Lin once more. "Guess we don't really get a say in the matter?"

Lin smiled sweetly at him and pinched his cheek. "Nope!"

The cat smacked his hand away and cupped the cheek he pinched. He looked at Creed, then Sven and the rest of his friends and frowned. "Sorry… This seems to be out of my hands."

Creed growled loudly and had to bite his tongue to stop himself from screaming obscenities. Kyoko didn't look much better off as she crossed her arms and stormed down the hallway to her room, stomping her feet like a child as she slammed her bedroom door behind her. Rinslet was resting her head in her hands, groaning tiredly as she questioned to herself why she sticks around with these people. Sven lit a cigarette, not able to deal with the situation properly until he had his fix.

Eve didn't seem bothered by the news and finally asked her own question. "Does that mean you'll be staying with us too?"

Sven shot his head up and looked at the girl. "NO!"

Lin smirked. "Maybe not always. But, seeing how late it is now… for tonight at least, yes. I'll probably have to leave every so often for other missions, but for the most part, I'll be tagging along with you all." He turned to Train and opened his arms. "Consider me an honorary Black Cat sweeper!"

"NO!" Sven shouted again. "We do not have the room to host another person, nor do we have the funds to feed another mo-!

"Does this mean we're free to leave?" Rinslet asked Lin, hope dancing in her eyes.

Lin nodded. "I think it means you're safe from Chronos. And I don't expect the Apostles will be looking for you any time soon either."

That was all the convincing the woman needed and she walked down the hall and to Eve's room where she had been staying to grab her things. "Consider this one less mouth to feed, Sven! I'm outta here!"

She was gone rather quickly since she had never fully unpacked anyway and didn't have much stuff to begin with. The group watched as she walked out the door, closing it loudly behind her. Once she was gone, Sven turned back to the number.

"That changes nothing! Where the hell is he supposed to sleep?!"

Lin looked over his shoulder at Sven and smiled sweetly again. "I can share a room with Train."

"NO!" This answer came from Creed, who immediately regretted yelling at as all eyes fell on him. He felt his face redden and he looked away. "If he's staying here so unexpectedly, the couch is available."

Lin looked at Train for his response, knowing Creed's word was not his word and waited for his response. Train felt himself blush again and looked away from the man. "You're not sharing a room with me. If you insist on staying here tonight, the couch will have to do."

Lin sighed sadly and walked back to the door where he left his bags. "Guess I'll have more work to do than I realized…"

Train blinked in confusion, but Creed growled louder, knowing exactly what he meant and not liking where the number's head was at. Sven watched in shock as Lin pulled out a blanket and settled it on the couch, trying to make the furniture as comfortable as possible.

"Am I the only one who sees who insane this is?!" Sven yelled, looking at the rest of his group desperately.

"Any more insane than having two ex-assassion and terrorist leaders join our group?" Eve added, looking at her guardian curiously.

"Or than picking up a bio-girl who was created to be used as a deadly weapon and raising her as if she were your own child?" Lin added as he fluffed a pillow on the arm of the couch.

Eve nodded. "Or adding a fire breathing teenager to the group because a legendary assassin asked you to?"

Sven gaped at the two of them, then turned to Train and pointed an accusing finger at him. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Train looked at him in shock. "WHAT DID I DO?!"

"EVERYTHING!" Sven yelled as he threw his hands in the air.

"Do you guys have anything to eat? I haven't had anything at all today." Lin asked as he sat up and looked at the group.

Sven screamed in irritation. "DAMNIT, TRAIN!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT, SVEN!"

---

Charden sat outside their newest hideout, enjoying watching the sun set as he twirled the contents of a glass of wine in his hand. Their new hideout was far smaller than what Creed had set up for them time and time again. While he knew the location of all the places his former leader had set up for them to move, he knew that was a bad idea. Now that Chronos had found one of their layers, chances of them finding another one that was near identical to this one were pretty good.

Not to mention we don't need all that space. That makes us stand out even more. Creed has far too elaborate tastes for my liking.

Added to this, Creed and Train knew where every location was. If they were going to come after them, they needed to be in a new location. He knew they weren't going to attack them so soon after running away, but he also didn't want to take any risks. If he was going to be in charge of the Apostles, he was going to do it the right way.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if the Black Cat simply saved Creed and then released him to the wild. If that's the case, then they might not be planning anything together. But still, we can't take that chance. I'm sure Heartnet will come after us. With the way Creed described him, I'm sure his new moral code won't have us in it.

Since Creed and Train had been the ones to start the group, Charden was pretty sure the cat was going to want to claim responsibility for the terrorist group and vow to take them down. And since Creed did whatever Train wanted, it was clear they were both going to be coming after them at some point in the future.

They may come after us in the far future, but the future nonetheless.

They needed the break anyway. They needed to gather reinforcements and hopefully more Tao users if they were going to take on Chronos and his former leaders. Even with just two of them, that was going to be enough to take them down as they were now. He knew this was true especially after seeing how tough their fight against Chronos was.

Not to mention Train was nearly impossible to hit. Plus, Creed apparently has awakened the next level of his ability. And that was after six months of doing nothing.

Although they were taking a breather, Charden made sure to keep them busy during this time. They had gotten rid of all the videos Creed had made and created their own that declared Charden and Echidna the new leaders. While he wasn't happy with how they explained the leadership change, there wasn't really anything else they could do. When it came down to it, Charden didn't see another option than to just tell them the truth.

I wish I could have thought of something better than that. But, my hopes are that people will be drawn to us by our honesty. And explaining that they were traitors might work to our favor.

Right now, the blood Taoist was concentrating on finding reinforcements while Doctor kept working on the nanomachines. Kanzaki was also working on something else that involved Creed's blood and the new drug they obtained from Chronos. He still had plans on testing it out on the Black Cat, and Charden couldn't argue that wasn't a bad idea. He was probably the only one that could take Creed down.

And if we can pin them against each other… That's all the better for us.

Charden smiled and took a sip of wine. He was currently waiting for Echidna to join him as he watched the orange sky turn to a dark blue, the moon already beaming brightly in the wide twilight abyss. She was going to be bringing a list of potentials Shiki and the other had been working tirelessly on. It was comforting to know even when they were taking a break, they were still working hard to achieve their goals.

Far different than when Creed and Train were in charge. The Black Cat only seemed interested in taking Sephiria down and Creed was too preoccupied with his obsession with Train to truly care about anything outside of that.

There had been too many quiet moments when they were here. It was as if Creed was in no rush at all. As long as he had the Black Cat, he didn't care how long it took to take Chronos down. Charden knew now with them out of the way, they were going to achieve their goal in no time.

"Enjoying the view without me?"

Charden smiled as Echidna walked up next to him, stack of papers in one hand, glass of wine in another. "It's never complete without you, my dear."

The actres smiled warmly at him and took the seat next to him. She handed him half of the papers, leaving the rest for herself to look through. "I've already looked through some and saw some potential. I gave those to you. They're at the top."

Charden smiled at his partner and opened the first file. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Echidna chuckled quietly and sipped her wine. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Darling."

The blood Taoist gave her one more smile before looking at the documents. Ever since that battle with Chronos, Echidna had seemed to have completely forgotten about Creed. In fact, she seemed happier than ever to finally be acknowledged by someone she cared about. All Creed ever did was scorn her advances and openly declare his love for Train in front of her. But, Charden knew with time she would come around. She was a very intelligent woman after all.

Charden smirked as he looked through the first three potentials, but one of them stood out the most to him. It was a young woman with purple hair and tan skin. Her eyes were a bright green and there was a certain deviousness behind her smirk that intrigued Charden. He turned to Echidna and handed her the profile of the girl. This was the one she had already looked through, but he wanted to hear her personal opinion.

"What are your thoughts on this woman?"

Echidna glanced at the paper. "Aliane Propp? She's good. She's actually already on Chronos wanted listed for acts of terrorism against them. She's known about us for a while, but was waiting for the right time to reach out. Now that we're under new leadership, I have a feeling we'll be more enticing to her."

Charden nodded and took the paper back from her. "Quite a beauty, I must say…"

Echidna made a disgruntled noise and Charden laughed quietly. He reached out and took her hand delicately in his own and kissed it gently. "Don't worry, my dear. I only have eyes for you."

The woman blushed and handed him another paper. "This is Kenneth Carter. I know he's old, but he's had a grudge against Chronos his whole life. He's even tried to start his own organization, but he's a bit… eccentric, so no one would ever follow him."

Charden took the document and frowned. The man was completely bald and looked to be about eighty. His eyes were a dark brown and he was hunched over slightly. "His age doesn't bother me, but do you think we could handle someone unstable again?"

Echidna knew her partner was hinting at Creed and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "He's not unstable in that way. His dedication to Chronos destruction is true and under the right leadership, I'm sure he'll be a great asset."

Charden smiled at her and nodded. "I trust your judgement. Let's set him aside along with Ms. Propp and Ms. Kao. I see potential in her as well."

She looked to be a bit older than Alaine, but there was something about the look in her blues eyes that made Charden think she would make a great ally. Echidna nodded and continued looking through a few more documents, enjoying the company of Charden and the breathtaking view of the night sky slowly forming in front of them. She was happy with their new location. All the places Creed had taken them too was far more than she ever wanted.

Then again, he didn't do it for me. Everything he did was for that damned cat.

Echidna was surprised at how little she cared about that anymore. At this point, she had become so invested in their goal and in Charden it didn't matter anymore. In fact, she was a bit embarrassed at her past self for adoring a man who was so obviously too intoxicated with another man to ever pay her any mind. She knew she deserved better, and now she had better.

As she flipped through a few more papers, she stopped at one in particular and smiled. The man staring at her had such a malice conviction she couldn't ignore him. She read through his history and found that he was better the more she learned about him. Smirking, she gave the file to her partner, waiting for his response.

Charden smiled and nodded. "Another great potential. You have a great eye, my dear."

Echidna felt herself blush as she looked through a few more files, stopping every so often to get approval from her partner, then moving on to the next one. They sat there for several hours, spending the night under the stars, going through the files of potential Taoists as they sipped their wine contentedly.

After a few hours, Echidna leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. "I think that's all of them…"

Charden made a neat pile of potentials and rejects then stood and faced the woman. He offered her his hand and she took it readily. As he guided her out of her chair, he pulled her close to his body immediately, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressed his lips against her smooth ones. Echidna was surprised by the kiss at first, since it was the first one they had shared. However, she accepted it quickly and returned it almost immediately.

They remained like that for a few minutes for the blood Taoist pulled away and ran his hand through her green hair. Echidna smiled at him, resting her head on his shoulder as she looked up at the star lit sky, thankful things had turned out the way they did.

---

Translations:

(1) "I love you so much, Train. Please forgive me."