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

27. Sweet Melodies

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

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As soon as Creed's eyes opened they shut immediately, blocking out the shut that came in through his open shades as he groaned and rolled away from the window. He pulled the blankets over his face, clutching his head that throbbed painfully.

Oh great, Train was right. I have a hangover.

His eyes shot back open as last night's events began to replay in his head. Creed pulled the blankets off himself and sat up quickly, groaning at the pain that caused his head, but not caring as he looked around the room to see if there were any traces of his beloved's presence from the previous night. Seeing he was alone, Creed frowned and fell back onto his bed, resting his hand on his forehead as she shut his eyes once more.

"Was it real…?"

He touched his lips lightly, as if trying to still feel Train's mouth against his own and whimpering when he realized he couldn't. Creed then looked at his hands, trying to see if there were any remnants of his Kitten on his fingers as well, then sighed deeply when he saw none.

His hands fell from his face, taking in a deep breath to calm his shaky heart. "Train…"

Thinking of his beloved made Creed feel nostalgic. This was the same situation he was in when they first made love. The only difference this time was Creed had been pretty drunk, so it made it more reasonable that the entire encounter with his cat may have been completely fabricated by his desperately longing mind. Despite this, he tried to reconfirm what he already thought might have been a drunken dream and glanced around the room again for any evidence of his beloved and whined when he saw none.

Even if it really did happen, there would be no evidence since Train put an end to it and left. I even asked him to stay and he said no.

He sighed again and rolled over, staring at the door, wishing his beloved would appear behind it and confirm the night they had almost spent together. When he saw the door opening, his heart skipped a beat and he sat up a little, praying his Kitten would walk through the door, giving him that cheeky smile he adored so much. He moaned sadly when he saw Eve peek her head in, eyes going straight to the bed to see if he was awake. She pulled back and seemed to say something to someone else, then stepped inside the room.

"Good morning, Creed. And happy birthday." Her voice still held it's monotone timbre, despite the words she spoke being of celebration.

Creed smiled and rested his head back on the pillow, doing his best to ignore the pain in his heart that Train had not been the first one to say it to him. "Thank you, Eve. And Merry Christmas as well."

She took a few more steps towards her friend and Creed noticed she had a glass of water and two aspirin. "Train mentioned you might be needing this."

Creed felt his heart skip a beat and his face light up at the mention of his love. "Train? Where is he?"

Eve rolled her eyes at the man's sudden change in demeanor at the mere mention of the Black Cat. "He's just in the other room. I don't know why you are always wondering about his whereabouts."

Creed blushed and took the glass from the girl, then grabbed the aspirin and swallowed them quickly. "Sorry, Eve. I just… Was worried he might not have slept well last night."

Eve tilted her head. "Why's that?"

He was aware that he was still blushing, but hoped the girl wouldn't notice as he sat up a bit more and removed the blankets from his chest. "Just… a hunch I guess. Did he… seem okay?"

Eve frowned in confusion, then shrugged her shoulders. "He seems tired, but otherwise okay. You might be right. He might not have slept well."

Creed felt his heart race a little faster, hoping that meant he and Train did in fact share that intimate moment last night and that's why he was tried.

Although, I shouldn't be happy that I kept my Kitten awake. Today is going to be a long day for everyone. Train needs his sleep.

Just as he was about to get up and find his beloved, Eve handed him an envelope with his name on it. Creed blinked at the object, then at the girl who was continuing to give him an emotionless look. However, Creed knew that's just how the girl was and wasn't put off by her expressionless face at all.

"What's this?" Creed said as he took the envelope from the expectant girl.

"Your birthday present. I offered to wake you up because I wanted to give you your gift privately and before everyone else ." Eve looked away from him, obviously embarrassed as she sat on the chair next to his bed.

Creed gave her another curious look, then smiled happily. "Thank you, Eve."

He knew the bio-girl didn't like to make a big show of things, so it made sense she wanted to give it to him when no one else was around. Creed opened the card carefully, being sure to keep the envelope in one piece as he pulled out the card. When he opened the card, a small piece of paper fell out which he managed to grab before it became lost in the blankets. He picked it up and frowned in confusion as he showed it to the small girl.

"What's this?"

Eve nodded. "It's a subscription to a monthly book club Sven signed me up for a while ago. Now we can both be a part of it and read the books together. I thought since Sven seems more willing to leave us alone together, it might be nice to start reading the same books."

Creed smiled warmly at her, knowing this meant a lot coming from her. Books and gaining knowledge of any kind were important to her, so the fact that she was inviting him to learn and grow with her was huge. It meant she not only trusted him, but also wanted to bond with him more.

"That does sound nice, Eve. Thank you."

The girl gave him a small smile, then stood up and walked towards the door. "Get changed and head to the living room. Train says the duel Christmas and birthday celebration will start as soon as you're out there."

Creed smiled brightly at the thought of his Kitten waiting for him so they could start the day together. His heart swelled with hope that maybe his beloved did share that loving moment with him last night and he jumped off the mattress quickly, not bothering to make his bed. However, when Eve's card fell to the floor, Creed stopped himself from moving towards his dresser and looked down at his opened gift. There was something written on it, but he couldn't read what it was. He bent down to pick it up, then smiled mildly when he read the short message the small girl had left him.

"Thank you for always being there for me.

Happy birthday.

-Eve."

Creed placed it gently on his nightstand, making sure it was propped open so he could remind himself of the girl's friendship every day. He also noticed that it was specifically a birthday card instead of a Christmas card. It may have been a small gesture, but it was enough to mean the world to him.

The silver man walked to his dresser and got changed quickly, deciding to wear something comfortable for the time being since he was going to be wearing a tux later that evening. Once he was ready, he exited his room quickly and walked down the hall in search of his cat. However, once he reached the end of the hall, he stopped when he saw a rather large banner that hung from the ceiling, blocking his way into the common room. He wanted to be mad at the object for blocking any potential view of his love, but found that impossible after he read what it said.

Any anger he might have felt left him immediately when his beloved jumped from behind the large banner, noise maker in his mouth as he blew it directly in Creed's face. The silver man winced and covered his ears, trying to hold back a painful groan the noise created as it aggravated his headache.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Train shouted, echoing the banner's written words as he gave his friend a cheeky smile.

Creed did his best to hide his discomfort at the sudden noise and smiled adoringly at his beloved's cute face. "Thank you, Train. But do you have to be so loud?"

Train frowned, then snickered almost immediately. "I told you that you drank too much last night! And you were saying you'd be fine!"

Creed's body froze at his love's words, knowing his eyes were dancing with optimism as he spoke. "L-Last night, Train?"

Train felt himself blush a little, then shook his head to stop himself from going any further with this conversation. After he went to his room last night, the cat decided not to talk about what happened with Creed. That was going to be another difficult conversation and Train only had the capacity to deal with one arduous talk at a time right now. Which is also why he chose not to tell Creed the decision he made about Lin.

Not that it's really any of his business anyway. Even after last night, we're not together and I still don't think we ever will be. I'm also still trying to figure out what I want from him.

He still didn't know what Saya's sign meant last night which meant he needed more time to figure it out. Besides, today was Creed's birthday. As happy as it might make his ex-lover to know he was about to end his romantic relationship with Lin, today wasn't the day to start any kind of drama.

Even if that drama would be better than any birthday present I could ever give him.

"Come on, Sven's been waiting to have breakfast until you woke up." Train turned around and walked down the hall, pushing aside the banner as he entered their common area.

Creed felt his heart sink when Train didn't confirm what happened between them last night, but followed his love nonetheless. While he walked behind Train, he tried to glance at his neck to see if there were any marks left from what he hoped they did last night, but he hadn't been close enough to Train to get a good look.

He's also still wearing his nightshirt which has a bit of a collar. Damnit, Train, just let me see that beautiful skin of yours to see if I made my mark again!

However, when he heard what his Kitten said, a bit of hope returned to his eyes, praying Train meant what Creed thought he meant. "Did you ask him to wait?"

Train heard the eagerness behind his friend's voice and rolled his eyes. "I asked him if he would and he agreed quite readily. He actually doesn't even seem put off by the request at all."

Creed sighed dejectedly at his beloved's statement, but was comforted by the fact that Sven seemed to be more than willing to wait for him. "That's nice of him…"

Train nodded as they walked into the kitchen. "I'll say. He never even waits for me. I wanted you two to become friends, but it's starting to seem like he prefers you to me lately."

Sven was leaning on the counter, sipping a cup of coffee as he snickered at Train's comment. "You really did that to yourself, Train. Creed is not only clean and polite, but he actually listens to my plans on sweeps and keeps you in line."

Creed giggled and took the cup of coffee Eve offered to him, then sat down at the small table in the kitchen as he watched his cat's face contort in frustration.

"Now that hurts, Sveny-baby! You should know by now I'm not going to listen. Why do you continue to push your plans on me?" Train grabbed the glass of milk he set down and took a sip as he gave the older man a stern look.

Sven rolled his eyes as he took a seat across from Creed. "And when are you going to learn your impulsive actions have never worked and are going to get us killed one day?"

Train looked offended at his comment. "How dare you?! My ingenious off the cusp plans have always worked! We've never missed a sweep because of them!"

Sven glared at the man. "Yes, but you always end up making us owe money to some business due to damages. Not to mention the only reason they ever truly pay off is because Creed's here. If it wasn't for him, I'm sure half out sweeps wouldn't phony up the money."

Creed smiled affectionately at his beloved. "He has a point, Train…"

Train turned his offended look to his ex-partner. "Et tu, Creed?!"

"Oui, moi aussi, Train. Désolé, mais il a raison. Si je n'étais pas là, vous seriez tous morts dix fois." (1) Creed smirked at his love as he took another sip of coffee.

Train narrowed his eyes at the man. "Du verrätst mich, Creed. Und dafür sollst du keinen Kuchen haben." (2)

Creed pouted at his Kitten. "Das ist nicht fair, Train. Ich sage nur Fakten und du nimmst es persönlich." (3)

Train glanced at Sven and noticed the man's rising frustration at not being able to understand what they were saying and changed languages once more. "Ani náhodou. Prostě to všechno budu muset jíst sám." (4)

Creed wined playfully at his beloved, not bothering to hide how much he was flirting with the man since Sven didn't understand them anyway and Train was just being too adorable to not swoon over. "Nedělej to. Bude vás bolet žaludek a kdo mě pak dnes večer povzbudí do zákulisí?" (5)

Train blushed, knowing his ex-partner was toying with him and decided to try and end the conversation before it got too carried away. "Avrai un sacco di persone lì che ti incoraggiano. Non ti preoccupare." (6)

Creed frowned at Train's refusal to flirt back with him, but knew he shouldn't expect anything less. He sighed sadly and took another sip of coffee, losing himself in his reflection of the mug as he felt his depressed thoughts take over again.

Amazing how easily he can still make me change my emotions so suddenly…

Eve frowned at the silver man, only understanding about half of what they said, but decided to respond in the language she had been concentrating on the most. "Lass ihn nicht zu dir kommen. Er ist wirklich sehr aufgeregt über heute Abend." (7)

Creed smiled gratefully at her. "Danken, Eve."

Sven growled loudly and placed his paper on the table as he gave the rest of his sweeper group a stern look. "You know, it's one thing to speak different languages to each other, but it's something completely different when you rope Eve in on it."

Creed tilted his head innocently at the green haired man. "Eve made that choice on her own. We didn't pressure her to learn anything."

Sven pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't think I haven't seen you teaching her on the side. It's a small house, you can't hide everything."

Creed felt himself blush in embarrassment and looked away from the man. "Sorry, Sven..."

Train put a plateful of pancakes in front of Creed and sat down next to him. "Go easy on him, Sven. It's Christmas and his birthday."

Sven glanced at the cat, then smiled at Eve as she gave him a plate of food as well. He put his paper down as he smirked at Creed. "He knows I'm kidding. Right, Creed?"

Creed nodded, but kept his adoring eyes on Train. "Thank you, Train." However, a thought occurred to him as he glanced between his beloved and the plate of food. "So um… D-did you make this, Train?"

Train gave him a serious look as he stabbed a fork into his breakfast. "...Why?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and tried to sound nonchalant as he spoke. "N-no reason…"

Train was unconvinced and watched as Creed pushed the food around on his plate, but did not eat it. "Are you not going to eat it if you think I made it?"

Creed jumped and dropped his fork, trying to brush his Kitten's words aside as he spoke. "No, Train! Not at all. It's just…" He looked down at his plate, then back at his love. "I've… Tasted your cooking before and… Well…"

"Well what, Creed?" Train tried to make his voice sound annoyed, but he was really amused by his friend's unease.

"Well… It's just… You never cook anything long enough. You get impatient and stop before it's done." Seeing his beloved was still giving him a harsh look, he tried to make up for what he said. "I-It's not that it doesn't taste good! It's just… I always feel sick afterwards."

Train glared at the man as he stabbed his fork through even more pancakes and leaned towards his friend. "Is that so? I never heard you complain before."

Creed frowned, not realizing what his love was about to do. "Yes I have! You just never listen! You always-"

His sentence was stopped as Train shoved the fork in his mouth, then clamped his hand over his lips so he would swallow it. Creed panicked for a minute, worried he was about to consume raw batter when he realized it was nothing but fluffy, delectable cake. He frowned at his love as he chewed, relishing the feel of Train's hand against his mouth, but ready to apologize as he swallowed the thick bite.

Before he could, Train's boisterous laugh stopped him as he patted Creed's knee. "Don't worry, Eve cooked. She said she wanted to do something special for your birthday."

Creed blushed at his love's hand on his knee, then looked over at Eve who was avoiding eye contact with them both as she spoke. "I hope you like it. Sven always likes my pancakes, so I thought you might as well."

Sven smirked as he ate his breakfast, reading the paper once more, ignoring the whole conversation that was happening. Creed glanced at the green sweeper, then smiled kindly at Eve.

So, she got me a birthday present and made me breakfast. She really is a great girl.

Creed nodded and began eating his own plate instead of Train's. "It's delicious, Eve. Thank you so much."

Eve smiled slightly and continued eating as well. "I'm glad you like them."

"Well, I think you'll enjoy your cake more. I may not have baked it, but I did pay for it out of my own sweeper savings…"

Creed looked at his love in shock, not sure why he spoke with that jealous tone. It then occurred to him that Train had planned their little celebration for him and he didn't like that Eve seemed to be getting more thanks than he was. The silver man smiled lovingly at his Kitten, resisting the urge to take the man in his arms and sing words of love and devotion to him.

He's so damn cute! Ugh, I can't believe he'd think I'd ever cherish someone else's kindness more than his.

Creed placed a gentle hand on Train's arm, patting him softly as he spoke warmly to the man he loved. "I'm sure it'll be delicious, Train. Everything this morning so far has been perfect."

Creed held back his blissful sigh as he watched his love blush slightly, turning his head away from the swordsman so he wouldn't see the color change in his eyes. "Good. I'm glad."

Creed kept his eyes on his Kitten, trying to catch a glimpse of the other man's eyes when something else occurred to him. "Where's Kyoko? It's strange to not have her bother you yet."

Not that I'm complaining…

Train shrugged his shoulders and felt himself calming down at the change of subject. "She's probably still sleeping. She sleeps in really late when we don't have a sweep."

Creed giggled slightly at the relief in his love's voice as he glanced at the digital clock on the microwave. "It's already past eleven… How late does she normally sleep until?"

"Late enough that we don't have to wait for her to have breakfast." Sven said intently as he finished his coffee and took another bite of his food.

Train nodded in agreement. "Yes. By the time she wakes up, it'll be lunch time. I'm not waiting for her."

Creed giggled at his beloved, then leaned over the table a little to try and peek at his neck. The closer he got, the more concerned Train seemed to grow as the gunman backed away a little and gave the swordsman a strange look.

Train blushed slightly as he spoke. "Can I help you?"

Creed frowned at his love's face then shook his head and backed away. "No, Train. Sorry…"

I still couldn't see. And I can't tell if the fact that he seems to be trying to hide his neck from me is because he doesn't want me to see any marks, or because he doesn't want me to be that close to him again.

He sighed sadly and finished his breakfast, pushing the plate away as he gulped down the rest of the contents of his mug and pushed that away as well. Just as he was about to stand and clean up after himself, Train swooped down and took his empty plate, along with Sven's and his own and put them in the sink. Creed blinked in confusion as Train began to clean them immediately, shocked to see his beloved taking such a mature initiative.

Sven seemed to be confused by the cat's actions as well and decided to question it. "Train… Are you okay?"

Train looked over his shoulder at the sink and frowned at the older man. "Yeah. Why?"

Sven put his paper down and leaned back in his chair to get a better look at what the golden man was doing. "You're cleaning..."

Train's bewildered look did not change. "Yes. And?"

Sven narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You never clean…"

Train shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing. "Yeah, but Creed does. Especially after me. I don't want him to clean on his birthday."

Creed nearly jumped out of his chair and tackled Train to the ground with passionate words of his devotion and love, but managed to grip the bottom of his seat to keep him there. He smiled adoringly at his Kitten's back as he spoke. "Thank you, Train."

His only response he got was a nod from his love, but it was enough to set his heart on fire. Creed sighed enchantedly and rested his elbows on the table, then his head in his hands. He stared at his cat's back, the dreamy smile never leaving his thin lips as he watched Train clean up after him. The world slipped away around him as he watched his Kitten do this simple task, his heart beating fast as he replayed through the previous night's events, taking this moment to not care whether they really happened or not. Unknowingly, he moaned quietly in dire longing for Train and could practically hear love birds singing poignantly in his ears.

He's so perfect…

Creed watched as Train finished washing the dishes and set them to the side so they could dry, not realizing how impassioned his eyes looked when his beloved finally turned around and looked at him. Train paused for a second, not sure how to handle that look he was getting and felt his heart begin to beat a bit faster and his face turn a bright shade of red. He was used to Creed giving him loving looks, but this look seemed to be on a whole other level. This was normally the look Creed gave him then they made love, not when he completed such a simple chore such as washing the dishes.

Creed probably remembers what we did last night, but can't work out if it actually happened or if it was a drunken dream.

A part of him wanted to sit next to Creed, but the more rational side of him knew that might end in his ex-partner jumping him to finish what they started last night, so he decided to take a step back to the sink and lean on the counter.

"So, Creed. Do you want to hear what we have on the docket today?" Train folded his arms as he spoke, making sure to pull his collar up a bit to cover the bite marks Creed left on him.

Creed didn't respond as he continued staring fervidly at Train. The Black Cat sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, knowing the man didn't hear a word he just said. Instead, he decided to direct his words to Sven, since Creed seemed to be on another planet that Train could only assume consisted of the two of them.

"Sven, are you and Eve joining us today?" Train had asked him that question several times the last few days, but the green man kept giving him non-committal answers.

Sven looked at Train, then at Eve who seemed to be giving him a stern look as she shook her head subtly, but not so subtly Train couldn't see it. He frowned at Train and shook his head a bit more obviously to make sure the cat saw it.

"Sorry, Train. We've got a bunch of errands to run today. We'll meet up with you for the concert."

Train narrowed his eyes at the man, not believing what he said. "Errands, huh? I've been planning this day for a week and you have suddenly 'errands' to run? On Christmas?"

Sven covered his face with the newspaper as he responded to Train. "Yup."

Train rolled his eyes in disbelief. "And what 'errands' are so important that you need to take Eve with you as well?"

"We're taking Kyoko too when she wakes up." Eve added in quickly.

Train watched the girl out of the corner of his eye as he spoke. "I wasn't going to invite her anyway…"

"Good! Then we can be a distraction for her. You know she'd go anywhere you go. If you don't want her to come, then let us take her off your hands." Sven's voice was a bit strained as he spoke since he really did not want to deal with the teen girl all day.

But, I promised Eve I would let Creed have Train to himself today. I don't know what she expects to happen. Not only is Train with Lin, but he's never going to be with Creed again.

Despite believing this was true, Sven had noticed Train spending more and more time alone with Creed and even prioritizing the swordsman over his own boyfriend on several occasions. He also went out of his way to plan a birthday celebration for him, even if it was small and just involved their little family.

And I'm pretty sure on Lin's birthday he just went out to dinner with him. Train didn't plan a whole day for him.

Sven's thoughts were cut off as Train pushed the paper out of his face and gave him a serious look. "You didn't answer the question. What errands could you possibly have to run that require Eve? And are even able to be completed on Christmas? And since when are you willing to take Kyoko off my hands so readily?"

Sven made a strangled face and looked to Eve for help. The bio-girl mimicked her guardian's actions by burying her face in a book and refusing to look at him. The green sweeper sighed and put the paper down so he could address the impatient Black Cat.

"It's last minute Christmas shopping." Sven said, but he knew his voice betrayed his lie. He sighed when he saw Train was still unconvinced and glanced at Creed who was still giving Train an ardent look. "Just let me do you and Creed a favor by keeping the girl occupied. Do the errands really matter if we're going to take Kyoko off your hands? Do you really think Creed wants her hanging off you every minute of the day on his birthday?"

Train frowned and looked at Creed as well, sighing when he saw the man was still too lost in his thoughts as he continued staring keenly at him.

I was really hoping to have at least some kind of buffer between me and Creed today after last night. I know he's going to try and ask me if it really happened and I'm not ready to have that conversation yet.

Train growled quietly and stood up straight, stepping away from Sven and out of the kitchen as he spoke.

"Fine. Your loss. Creed, go get changed. We need to leave."

Creed was pushed out of his thoughts when he saw Train was no longer in his line of sight and jumped out of his chair when his brain finally registered what his beloved said. "Wh-where are we going, Train?"

Train was already halfway down the hall as he shouted his response. "Just get changed! Something warm and comfortable."

Creed frowned at his Kitten, then looked at Eve as if she could explain what he just missed. The small girl smiled at him as she placed her book on the table so she could see his confused face fully.

"You're spending the day alone with Train. My Christmas gift to you."

Sven chuckled a little as he resumed his reading of the paper. "Don't expect another gift from me. I got you that piano. No offense, but I think that's enough."

Creed looked at Sven and nodded in agreement. "I didn't expect anything today…" He smiled at Eve. "That's a really kind offer, Eve, but I don't want to exclude you from anything."

Eve brushed his words away and picked her book back up. "You're not excluding us from anything. We're choosing not to go."

Creed was about to say something more, but was interrupted by Sven. "Just shut up and take the day with Train."

The silver man looked between his two friends and smiled warmly. He glanced over his shoulder at where his love had gone and sighed wistfully. "Thank you both so much. You have no idea how much that means to me."

---

"What is going on with this man's cheeks?" Train questioned as he pointed to a picture of a man playing a trumpet.

Creed turned away from a plaque he was reading about Billie Holiday to see what his beloved was talking about and laughed when he saw the man in question. "That's Louis Armstrong. He was famous for puffing his cheeks when he played."

Train frowned and stepped away from the picture. "Well, it looks weird. I've never seen a trumpet player puff their cheeks like that."

Creed giggled again and moved to stand next to his cat. "Louis Armstrong was the exception to many rules including proper playing of the instrument. You're not actually supposed to puff your cheeks when you play any wind instrument. It traps the air in your cheeks."

Train glanced at his friend curiously. "Do you play any instruments other than the piano?"

Creed shook his head. "No. I'm sure I could if I tried."

Train laughed and patted the man's shoulder as he turned around to read more about different jazz musicians. "That's a bit cocky of you, isn't it?"

Creed frowned at his love as he walked away from the trumpet player's plague and to the one Train was reading about Charlie Parker. "I didn't mean to come off as cocky…"

Train laughed again and brushed the man's worries away. "I'm just kidding, Creed, chill out. It's actually refreshing to hear a bit of your confidence come back. I was starting to worry with your new, calm demeanor, you had lost your tenacity."

Creed giggled at his Kitten as he leaned over his shoulder to see the plague he was reading. "Spunk and good looks are all part of the package, Train. No matter what happens, who I am at my core will not change."

Train smiled. "Good. I wouldn't want you to change too much." Realizing what he just said, the cat felt himself blush and walked away from the plague, sliding past Creed when he realized how close the silver man was. "I-I mean we wouldn't want you to change too much."

Sure, that was believable. Who are you trying to convince? Yourself or Creed?

He took a deep breath as Creed followed close behind him, the swordsman seeming to go out of his way to be as close to Train as possible. The gunman felt a wave of heat pass through him as Creed either intentionally or unintentionally brushed his hand against his own. Train pulled his hand away and took a step aside to put some space between him and Creed as they left the jazz portion of the museum. He glanced at his former partner who seemed to be hiding a frown at his abrupt distancing and sighed quietly.

I don't want to keep hurting him… But this is very much starting to feel like a date. And I can't let that happen...

He couldn't deny that a part of him was starting to wonder what would happen if he just gave into his carnal desires and just kissed Creed, but he wasn't going to cave into those urges so easily. He was still technically with Lin and after last night, he knew he really needed to stay on his best behavior.

Besides, Creed still thinks it might have been a drunken dream. He's tried bringing it up a few times and I've just gotten lucky enough to avoid the subject. I know we need to talk about it eventually, but not now. I should let him at least enjoy his birthday before we have yet another hard conversation.

Still, that voice in his head that told him to sleep with Creed again was getting louder and louder the more time they spent alone together. It had been growing in him quite a bit the last few days, but being alone with him for several hours now after almost having sex with him last night made it a lot worse. The lewd voice in his head was getting louder by the minute telling him to just grab Creed and kiss him again.

...And what if I did? What if I did cave into these desires just to get them out and put an end to this once and for all?

Train shook his head to rid himself of the vile thoughts and tried to continue acting like nothing was wrong. After all, it's not like sleeping with Creed would solve all of his problems.

Having sex with Creed won't change anything. I need to work out my emotional desires before I can even think about the erotic ones.

"Do you play any jazz, Creed?" Even though they left the jazz section, he decided to start up a new conversation as they walked down the hall to the next section.

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "A little. Playing jazz is really just knowing music theory really well. If you can play all the chords and stay in the right key, it's mainly improvisation."

Train cocked an eyebrow at him. "Music theory?"

Creed nodded and smiled at his beloved. "It's like math for music."

"Oh." Train said as he turned into the final room of the museum. This one he knew Creed would like since it was mostly Classical music which seemed to be what he mostly played.

Creed followed his cat into the last room and felt his eyes widen slightly when he saw a mini grand piano sitting in the middle of the room. It was creamed colored and opened slightly to allow the sound to escape better. He walked over to it and fingered the keys lightly, smiling blissfully as he pressed down on a single key quietly.

"Train… How did you find this place? And how did you know it would be open on Christmas?" Creed's voice was airy as he spoke, sitting down at the piano bench as he continued to caress the keys delicately.

Train walked around the room, looking at all the composers that were scattered throughout, stopping to read them occasionally. "The internet."

Creed rolled his eyes, but smiled lovingly at his Kitten. "You know what I mean, Train. How were you able to find a music museum that would be open on Christmas day?"

Train turned to his friend and reiterated his point. "Again. Internet. I think we just got lucky with it being open today."

Creed giggled. "You've always been quite the lucky man…"

Train scoffed at his comment. "Hey, there's a level of skill behind this luck. Don't discredit me."

Creed pouted teasingly at his love. "You know I would never do that. I've experienced your skill first hand..."

Train felt himself blush at the obvious flirt and could tell Creed was about to ask about last night again and decided to change the subject. "You play a lot of Mozart, right?"

Creed sighed dismally and nodded. "Yes. It's kind of hard to play the piano without playing Mozart."

"Yeah, I guess. I just didn't know he had a sister who played the… Harpsichord?" Train scratched his head when he read the last word, sounding it out slowly to make sure he said it correctly.

Creed couldn't help but swoon at his beloved's innocent ignorance. "You said it correctly, Train. His sister was Maria Anna. And the harpsichord is kind of like a piano, but was really only played in the sixteenth and eighteenth century."

"Huh…" Train said as he looked at a picture of the instrument that was in the same area Mozart's biography was. "You're playing Mozart tonight, aren't you?"

Creed smiled proudly at his beloved. "Yes, I am, Train. I didn't think you'd remember that."

Train managed to look offended. "Of course I remember! Why would I forget?"

Creed giggled again as he turned back to the piano. "Because you forget everything, Train."

Train let out a long breath. "If I could feel more offended, I would." The cat continued walking around the room, reading about all the musicians until he reached one that intrigued him. "Why does the name Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ring a bell?"

Creed felt his heart swell at Train's perfect pronunciation of the composer's name and answered his love's question. "He's a Russian composer who wrote Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. He's actually one of my favorites."

Train turned to face his friend. "They why aren't you playing him tonight?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "Because Anastasia told me to play Mozart. And you don't disobey Anastasia."

Train chuckled and moved towards the piano. "I may not have spoken to her long, but I can certainly tell that's true."

Seeing his love walk close to him, he smiled brightly and locked his eyes onto those glorious golden ones he cherished so much, fighting the urge to leap up and wrap Train in his arms. "Do you want to tell me what you two talked about yet?"

Creed saw his love's face stiften which was enough of a sign to tell him to stop. He sighed and looked back at the piano. "I wish she'd tell me more… The most I know about her is she adopted Aimee and she was once married, but her wife died. I don't know why she won't tell me anything else…"

Train frowned and sat on the bench next to Creed, momentarily forgetting what he told himself about keeping space between them today. "If it helps, she didn't talk too much about herself. She really just seemed like she wanted to get to know me more."

Creed laughed and resisted the impulse to rest his head on his cat's shoulder. "Guess she's being protective."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a little. I think she really just wants to be there for you. She's lived a long life, Creed. I think she just wants to use whatever time she has left to take care of the people she cares about. And that includes you."

Creed frowned. "Whatever time she has left?"

Train made a strangled noise when he realized what he said and patted Creed's knee, knowing his touch brought him out of pretty much any sullen state. "You know what I mean, Creed. She's not young."

Creed moaned yearningly at his Kitten, nodding in head in agreement. "She's pretty old… Although I know she hates it when I say that, it's true."

He felt an uncontrollable compulsion to grab Train's head and kiss him deeply to try and recreate what he still prayed they did last night. Creed even started to lean forward a bit as his eyes took in only his beloved, staring libidinously at his delectable lips and luscious eyes, knowing he wasn't going to be able to stop himself and not caring. Train retreated his hand the instant he saw Creed leaning towards him and stood up quickly to make sure nothing happened. He took a deep breath and walked a few steps away from the piano, continuing his reading on Tchaikovsky."

"W-Well, she needs to accept it. Like Sven, she can't live what little of life that's left for her in denial." Train tried to make a joke in desperation to change the subject to hopefully quiet the voice in his head as well as Creed's body.

Just get over it and kiss him! If you get it out of your system, maybe it'll all go away.

Train smacked his head a little to get rid of the sexual thoughts and concentrated on reading about the Russian composer. No matter how much his brain taunted him, he wasn't going to give in.

It won't fix anything. It'll probably just make everything worse.

Creed sighed painfully when he saw his beloved walk away. This whole morning had already been so magical for him and it felt like a real date which was something he regretfully realized they never actually had. It was something his Kitten had shared with Lin, but not with him and that knowledge hurt him more than he thought was plausible.

It's not a date. He invited other people to come, but they opted out for me because I'm so hysterically and deliriously in love with Train.

"Train…" Creed said quietly, keeping his eyes on his beloved as he spoke. "Did we… Did you come to my room last night?"

Train felt his heart freeze, but managed to hide his fear from Creed. He ignored the question as he read more facts about Tchaikovsky. "He also wrote the overture for Romeo and Juliet? No wonder his name sounds familiar."

Creed whimpered quietly and lowered his head. He was beginning to think Train's silence meant it did happen and he didn't want to talk about it, which meant it was another mistake his Kitten didn't want to make again. His love was also wearing a sweater which covered most of Train's neck, which made it impossible for Creed to see the marks he had been desperately looking for all morning.

It probably also means he doesn't want to bring it up on my birthday. He doesn't want to ruin the day for me…

Creed sighed heavily as he looked back down at the piano and spoke quietly. "You're too kind to me, Train…"

"What?" Train said, but making sure not to turn around in fear that Creed would see his unease.

Creed shook his head and changed his sentence. "Why don't I play you some Tchaikovsky right now?"

Before Train could answer, he began playing a piece for his love, one that seemed fitting for his Kitten. He started off a little slower than the piece permitted, mostly because he was still a bit distracted by the almost kiss he gave his Kitten. As the piece progressed, he imagined dancing with his love as he did two years ago when they were on what was supposed to be their first date. Creed smiled as he looked at Train, sighing lovingly as his beloved slowly turned around to watch him play.

Creed kept his eyes locked on his love, making sure Train saw the adoring look he had on his face as he reminisced what it was like to hold the man in his arms, to twirl him around the dance floor so elegantly. He felt his heart lift when Train gave him a small, unknowing smile back, as if he was remembering the same night Creed was. The silver man looked back at the piano as he played and felt himself dipping Train again then pulling him up to kiss him tenderly.

However, the mood of the piece changed as did the tempo. It became more of a celebratory piece that was short of bouncing up and down strangely, which reminded Creed of all the playful moments he had with Train. He remembered his Kitten mimicking Freesia and making Creed laugh joyfully. Train had always been the only one ever about to make him laugh with such sincerity and he found himself chuckling a little as well. He saw the visage of his beloved's face laughing as he tickled him enthusiastically on their bed, then smiled fondly as he pictured Train's face contorted in annoyed glee.

It went back to it's slow portion again, which brought Creed back to more romantic memories of his love. Sitting on the roof with him, staring at the rising sun with him, watching his sleeping face as he caressed his hair gently. The melancholy within the piece was fitting for the melancholy Creed felt in his heart, knowing he would never have that again. Knowing he had ruined any blessedness he could have with his Kitten. Then, as if the piece was trying to comfort him, it quickly switched back to it's more playful tune, giving him a few more happy memories before ending on it's sour, sad note.

While he played, Creed barely recognized that Train had moved back to the bench, sitting beside him as he watched his friend's fingers play. He saw the emotions pass through Creed's face and smiled sympathetically for the swordsman, understanding all too well the thoughts that were passing through his head.

I know what he's thinking because it's similar to my own… I wish we could go back to what we were, but I know we can't. It'll never be the same again…

Still, that part of him that wasn't ready to let go screamed in his head to take Creed in his arms and tell him he forgave him. That infuriating voice that kept telling him to just give the man one more shot before he committed to writing him off or good. Train shoved it down again, which was even harder to do when Creed turned to look at him, giving him that same look he gave him during breakfast and the cat feeling as though he was almost returning it. The heat inside him began to boil as Creed smiled at him, reaching a hand out to caress Train's hair tenderly.

Train stayed there for a moment longer, allowing the man's gentle fingers to outline his cheek, even letting Creed grip his chin lightly and massage the supple skin that resided there. However, when he saw Creed's lips getting close to his own, Train stood up rapidly and stepped away from the piano, not bothering to look back as he left the room.

"We should leave. This place is going to close soon. They may be open on Christmas, but not for very long."

Creed stared at the empty space his beloved once occupied and clutched his chest painfully. His other hand fell on the bench as he lowered his head, staring at the vacant air that ridiculed him with its lack of Train. He stayed there for a few more minutes, trying to put his heart back together as best so he could enjoy the rest of the day with his love. Finally, he took a deep breath and stood up to follow Train.

"I'm coming, Train…"

I wish you would just love me again…

---

Allie rolled her eyes in frustration as she stood on a roof with Doctor, Aja changing her size to that of a normal house cat so Kanzaki could hold her. She was purring peacefully in his arms, the scientist petting her head soothingly as he watched his two former leaders leave the museum they had been in for a few hours. Train left first, but was soon followed by Creed and they could both tell by the look on the swordsman face he had been rejected yet again.

We've been tracking them down for a few weeks now and this seems to be a reoccurring theme. Diskenth is always following after the Black Cat like a love sick puppy and Hearnet appears to be doing his best to ignore it. Although, it's easy to see there's a part of the cat that enjoys it.

His affections for Creed seemed to be coming back which is something both she and her fellow scientist noticed. That made it more difficult to actually capture the gunman since he always had Creed around him. And if Creed wasn't around him, that number was, which also made it nearly impossible to grab him.

At least now it's just Creed and Train. We don't have to worry about those other sweepers or that damn number. Still, I don't understand why Doctor hasn't tried to make a move yet. I know Charden told us not to go after the Black Cat, but there was no stopping Kanzaki and I would prefer to just get this over with.

Allie growled a little as she stared at the Doctor cooing kindly at the small panther in his hands. The only reason she agreed to come was to hopefully keep things calm and under control. She may not have known Kanzaki for very long, but she quickly learned that he tended to blow things out of proportion fast. Since there was no talking him out of this, she hoped to at least tame him.

If Charden finds out that not only did we disobey his orders, but we also caused a commotion and pushed the Black Cat and Diskenth farther away… I don't know what he'll do.

Charden wasn't a violent man, but he did have a certain aura about him that made Allie not want to disrespect him. He treated them all fairly and kindly, which was surprising considering they were a terrorist organization, but that made her want to follow his orders all the more. That respect she had for him made her feel guilty for being here.

But, I think I have no choice. Doctor said I could stay behind, but I know this will get out of hand fast if I'm not here to pull him back.

She was also paranoid about failing to capture the Black Cat right now and giving him more insight on what their plan was or how they intended on catching both the former Chronos numbers. Charden still wanted to go after them both and attempt to take the ex-assassin's down before they came after the Apostles, but he seemed to want to find a better moment when they could all go after them with stronger powers and more members.

Which makes sense to me. I wish Doctor wasn't so impatient and belligerent. If he'd just wait, Charden would come up with a plan that would actually work.

She didn't think this plan was going to work, but she also realized it was worth a shot. Mostly because she wanted to keep her eyes on the mad scientist to make sure he didn't blow anything up or reveal their plans and growth in number and strength.

"Well? Are we going to make a move?"

Allie looked over at Shiki who looked almost as annoyed as she was for constantly waiting. Doctor managed to convince the bug Taoist what they were doing were Charden's orders and they needed him to knock out the Black Cat. His original plan was a bit too drastic since he wanted to use Aja to track the gunman down and take Train by force, but Allie was able to push him towards a calmer plan that would require to simply knock the man out.

We can also use Aja's ability to change size to our advantage. If he really wants to catch the Black Cat, then he needs to at least listen to me.

Doctor shook his head as he glanced down and smirked at the pair of ex-Chronos members. "Not yet. Let's let them at least enjoy what little time they have left together."

Shiki growled loudly. "Why?! Creed has been distracted all day from the sheer presence of Heartnet and whatever this weird little date is and right now he seems to be upset about something and is trailing behind the Black Cat. This seems like the best moment."

Doctor glanced at the Taoist as he spoke. "Yes, but Creed is still paying attention to him. The second we make a move, he'll be ready to pounce. We need to find a moment when he's not constantly looking at Train. Also, they are both armed."

Shiki sighed in frustration at the man's response. "They will both always be armed and even if they weren't, the cat's powers are enough to allow him to make a quick exit. And since when do you think Creed will ever not be looking at Heartnet? It's all he ever does!"

Allie nodded her head in agreement. "I may not know either of these men, but Creed does seem to be quite preoccupied by Train on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be better to find a day when they're not around each other?"

Doctor gave her an angry look now. "When he's not around Creed, he's around Number X. That might actually be worse since he's only one phone call away from the rest of Chronos." He turned back to the duo that was now climbing into their car and driving off to their next destination. "Tonight at Creed's little concert will be the best time to act."

They knew about his concert the moment the date was set since Doctor had been keeping a close eye on them ever since he finally tracked them down. Allie wasn't sure how he figured it out, but Doctor managed to figure out what their entire plan for the day was.

The female scientist cocked an eyebrow. "Wouldn't there be even more people around then?"

Doctor nodded as she turned to face the two fully, still petting Aja as he spoke. "Yes, but there will be a lot of civilians as well. Train would never want to hurt an innocent person and with how soft Creed has gotten, I don't imagine he would either. Not to mention that decrepit teacher of his will be there, and they both care about her. And all those musician friends Creed has made who I'm sure he'll want to protect. He won't be able to protect all of them along with the Black Cat."

They couldn't see it, but Shiki rolled his eyes at Doctor's statement. "Creed will always protect Train first. No matter who else is there."

"That may be true, but if we go after his other friends, it will at least distract him enough to lose focus. As I said, Creed has gone soft. My hypothesis is he will do his best to protect everyone."

Allie sighed and rubbed her eyes. "That's a rather risky hypothesis, especially considering Diskenth's history of how far he'll go to protect Train. What makes you so sure?"

Doctor smirked as he put Aja on the ground. "Years of research over them both." He gave a command to the panther that caused her to change size. "Just trust me."

Allie looked at Shiki and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he looked just as annoyed as she was. However, her fear for the man compelled her enough to nod her head and step over to the creature she knew was going to flash them to the sweeper men's next destination.

"Fine, Doctor…"

Shiki eyed them both strangely, not moving from his spot as they both waited for him to grab onto the beast as well. "...Did Charden really tell you to go after the Black Cat now? This plan seems too precarious to be one of his."

Doctor gave him a stern look. "Charden told us to go after the Black Cat and capture him by any means necessary. The idea was his, the plan was mine."

Shiki still did not seem convinced, but sighed and approached the large creature nonetheless, placing a hand on it so they could be warped to their next destination. "Whatever you say, Doctor…"

I don't believe him, but I must say I am getting sick of training the newbies… Hopefully my gut is wrong and Charden isn't being kept in the dark about this.

---

Creed and Train's next stop was at a small location known as 'Christmas City' which was filled with a variety of lights and flowers. When it wasn't lit up for the holidays, it was normally a botanical garden which Creed had wanted to check it out for a while. They had been in this town for quite a bit now and Creed found this place in one of his many endeavors to leave the house to get away from Train and Lin's relationship, but never had the chance to. He was the only adult in the house who couldn't drive, so he relied on Sven and his beloved to get around.

And neither Sven nor my Kitten has been able to drive me here. I guess Train remembered me mentioning this a lot and decided this was the perfect day to take me. What better day than my birthday?

The swordsman smiled peacefully as he knelt down to inspect a section of roses. The flowers took up a rather large portion of this area and formed what looked to be in the shape of a heart. Creed was easily able to figure out that this portion of the garden was meant to be a lover's getaway section, but Train didn't seem to notice that and Creed wasn't about to point it out to him.

Honestly, despite having two men and a teenager fall in love with him, you'd think my Kitten would be more aware of the romantic things around him. I'm positive if he knew this part of the garden was meant for couples, he wouldn't have taken me into it.

Despite that, Creed was enjoying his beloved's blissful ignorance. He had already walked through something that was called the 'Lover's Archway' which consisted of various arched flowers in the shape of hearts and stood on a balcony called 'Romeo and Juliet Terrace' that overlooked the entire garden. They were there for twenty heavenly minutes talking and enjoying each other's company. Creed knew how long they had been there because he counted and cherished every blessed second.

It was one of the most romantic moments we had ever shared and we aren't even together… And I don't think Train is aware of how romantic it actually was.

Creed looked over at his love who seemed to be scrutinizing a batch of poinsettias as if they had done something to insult him. The silver man giggled fondly when Train reached out to touch the flower then made a face when he accidentally broke one of the petals off. His beloved looked around to see if anyone was looking, then quickly shoved it in his pocket as if it was a shameful secret. Creed sighed pleasantly as he walked over to his Kitten.

How can someone be this cute? It should be illegal.

Creed approached his beloved from behind and crossed his arms. "Breaking stuff, Train?"

Train made an adorable, panicked noise and turned around quickly, shaking his head frantically. "No! What makes you think that?!"

Creed giggled and pointed at his beloved's pocket. "Then what's that hanging out of your pocket?"

Train felt himself blush and looked down at the dangling petal, then shoved it deep into his pocket. "N-nothing…"

Creed smiled lovingly at his Kitten as he reached out to grab the petal. "I'm sorry, Train, but I'm gonna have to turn you in. Poinsettias are quite expensive and rare."

Train's panicked look worsened as he grabbed Creed's hand before it reached the petal. "I know you're kidding about half of that sentence, but are they really expensive and rare?!"

Creed laughed loudly at his cat and grabbed Train's wrist with his opposite hand. "Yes, Train, I'm afraid they are. There's a high fine for destroying any."

The Black Cat's eyes widened and he stared down at his pocket in fear. "Shit…"

Creed gave his beloved a playful look and leaned close to his face in an attempt to fluster him more. "Train… Do you really believe me?"

Train blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Seeing the bright blush and reddish-orange hue in his beloved's eyes, Creed decided to push his teasing a little further. Train had been reacting very positively to his flirtatious behavior all day, so he felt encouraged to see how far his love would let him go.

Creed leaned forward and whispered in his Kitten's ears. "Train… I'm just teasing you…"

Train felt his whole body get warm at the feel of Creed's breath on his ear and swallowed heavily as he glanced down at the man's hands that were still wrapped tightly around his wrist. He was too distracted by how close his former lover was to register his words at first, but once he did, he narrowed his eyes at Creed and spoke in an annoyed voice.

"...Seriously?"

Creed laughed heartily and lowered his head so it was resting lightly on his love's shoulder. Train jumped a little at the contact and felt his body get even hotter, but the part of him that was insistent on being intimate with Creed again took a strong hold of him and allowed his ex-partner to move a little closer and nuzzle his head slightly in the spot just below the Black Cat's chin.

Creed took a step forward and moved one of his arms from Train's wrist to his waist, resting it gently against his love while his other stayed firmly wrapped around his Kitten's arm. Train didn't respond, but also didn't stop Creed from pulling him a little closer and brushing his lips lightly against the cat's flesh.

"You're so gullible, Train..." Creed whispered hungrily, his lips delicately caressing his beloved's smooth, warm skin.

When he spoke, Train twitched a little and giggled quietly. Creed suddenly remembered the other cute trait his Kitten had and smirked. Seeing as Train hadn't pushed him away yet, Creed moved the hand on his love's waist slightly so it was hovering over his side. He slowly wiggled his fingers around his cat's stomach, breathing into Train's neck with his lips still intensely close to his beloved's skin. Hearing his love's melodic voice quietly begin to laugh, Creed moved his fingers faster and breathed a little harder, trying to entice his Kitten's cantorous voice to resound against his ears more courageously.

Train laughed a little louder which made Creed tighten his hold on his beloved's wrist and pull him closer. As the Black Cat struggled slightly and increased the volume and speed of his chuckles, Creed lost control of his desires for the man and pressed his lips against the spot just below Train's chin. He sucked on his beloved's skin lightly, circling his tongue quickly as Creed wrapped his arm around Train's back and pulled him closer. Again, his Kitten didn't stop him, so he tightened his hold on his love and pulled him even closer, pressing their chests together.

Train struggled a little more and continued his laughter as he tried to push his ex-lover off of him. However, when Creed moved his lips from the ticklish side of his body to the opposite side, Train caught his breath a little and stopped fighting against him. As Creed sucked and nibbled gently at his neck, Train felt body was reacting on its own as he tilted his head slightly to give Creed more access. The silver man's lips felt amazing and that licentious side of him took over again and he leaned into the embrace.

Creed heard his beloved moan and felt Train's body fall into him and decided to take things a bit farther. Afterall, the garden was mostly empty and Train was allowing him to continue. As Creed lowered his lips, he pushed down the part of the sweater that covered his Kitten's neck and kissed the soft skin there. As he did this, Creed peeked his eyes open to see if there were any marks and widened his eyes a little when he saw a bright red mark on the spot where Train's shoulder met his neck.

Creed smirked and pulled his love closer, making sure his lips still caressed Train's neck as he spoke. "Last night wasn't a dream…"

Train felt his body go cold at Creed's words and froze. When Creed attacked his neck again, Train finally found his sense and pushed the man off rather roughly. As Creed gave him a bereaved look, Train took a step backwards and covered his neck with his hand. Not knowing what else to do or say, the gunman walked away quickly, pulling his sweater back up as he stepped out of the lover's section of the garden.

Creed stared at the spot his beloved once occupied for only a second before he followed after Train quickly. "Train, please! Let's talk about it!"

"No." Train said firmly as he walked towards the exit, refusing to look back at the man.

Creed felt himself get a little agitated as he caught up with his beloved, stepping in front of him and grabbing his shoulders firmly to keep him in place. "Why? Why won't you talk to me? I don't want to do anything you don't want to, but you keep giving me mixed signals."

Train looked away from him and tried to shrug himself out of Creed's hold. "I don't know what you mean…"

Creed growled and shook Train so he was looking at him. "Yes you do! Just tell me what you want, Train. You know I'll do anything for you. Just please, talk to me…"

The agitation in Train rose a bit which was made evident when he spoke. "Guess you know how it feels then…"

Creed knew what he meant by that statement, but wasn't phased by it at all. He pulled Train closer, wrapping his arms around his beloved's back and squeezing him tightly. Creed rested his head on his cat's shoulder, breathing in the savory smell of the man as he buried his face as far into Train's body as he could.

"I love you so much, Train…" Creed held him even tighter, seemingly forgetting the man needed to breathe in order to talk. "This day has been absolutely amazing and you've given me so many hints that you want to be with me again. How do you expect me to control myself when your body is literally inviting my lips?"

Train made a strangled noise and tried to push Creed off him. However, he was only able to push him away enough that he could breathe since Creed was holding him very strongly. "You're reading into things, Creed."

Creed pulled Train away, but still held onto his shoulders. "Really?! That's your response?! Then how do you explain last night?"

Train frowned and blushed. "I finished off that wine… It was the alcohol…"

Creed rolled his eyes. "That's not all and you know it. Just talk to me. Please!"

Train stared at his ex-partner, then sighed heavily as he was finally able to push himself out of Creed's hold. "Not now. Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the day…" The cat walked away again, a little faster this time so they could get to the car and leave. "We need to get going anyway. If we stick around here much longer you won't have time to get ready for your concert."

Creed was not satisfied with that answer and ran up behind his beloved, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulled Train against his chest. "I love you, Train… I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much that I'll take anything you have to give me. Even if it's just sexual, I'll take it with a big smile on my face."

Train felt a little annoyed with his statement. "I'm still with Lin." While he knew he was going to end it soon, that didn't change what was still true in the moment.

Creed growled unknowingly at the reminder and held Train a bit more possessively. "Then why haven't you been acting like it?" His love didn't respond and Creed groaned painfully at the silence. "Just please, tell me what you want me to do and I'll gladly do it!"

Train looked down at Creed's arms, then glanced at the man as he dove his face back into his shoulder once more. The gunman sighed deeply and responded to his ex-lover. "I don't know what I want, Creed…"

Creed whimpered sadly and held his Kitten tighter. "And if that's the best I can get of your affections again… I'll take it. But… please know that I'll always be here if you ever want to talk. And I'll always love you…"

Train felt Creed's tears soak in his sweater and sighed. He patted Creed's arms and frowned deeply. "I know, Creed, I know. And I'm sorry I keep hurting you."

Creed shook his head and managed to squeeze his Kitten even tighter as he lost his face in the warmth of Train's neck. "Don't apologize ever again, Train. Nothing you can do to me will ever equal what I did to you. I just wish I could make it better. I wish I could give her back to you…"

Train felt his conflicting feelings resurface and spoke a little more angrily than he intended. "This is why I didn't want to talk about it, Creed. I don't want to ruin your birthday."

Creed whined again and felt a few more tears fall onto his beloved. "You could never ruin anything for me. You make everything better. You make every day perfect and heavenly… And today is no different." He snuggled his head closer and smiled wistfully, happy his cat was pitying him enough to allow him this close contact. "Thank you for everything today, Train…"

Train nodded, then finally pulled Creed's arms from around his waist and continued walking towards the door. "Let's get going before we make you late for your concert."

Creed watched as his Kitten walked away, one hand reaching out for his love, the other clutching his chest painfully. He mewled morosely and followed his beloved, his heart and body aching to be with Train again, but his mind knowing that wasn't going to happen.

Even if he wants me physically, he'll never want me emotionally again.

Creed took in a few breaths to calm himself down, walking out the door and into the car with Train. As his beloved drove away, Creed placed his cheek on the headrest, gazing longingly at Train as they made their way home. The car ride was silent, yet Creed could feel the unspoken words pass between them. He smiled miserably and tried to imagine a world where he could be with his love again.

---

Train fumbled with his tie in the mirror, frowning awkwardly down at himself as he tried to put the much hated piece of fabric around his neck. He growled as he ripped it off again and tried to start from the beginning. Seeing that it didn't work, he fell backwards and onto his bed, holding the tie in one hand as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Stupid formal wear…"

The cat knew he wasn't really upset at the clothing. He was upset knowing he had actually had a really good time alone with Creed today and was starting to think he was about to let the voice in his head win.

Today was essentially a date with Creed which means I am currently cheating on Lin. Last night might have been able to be brushed off as a one time, slightly drunken mistake, but the entire day was not. Maybe if I didn't let him have at me in the garden it would have just been a day out with a friend, but it happened. And I let it happen.

Not only did he let it happen, but he wanted it to happen. That misguided side of him allowed Creed to do as he wished and even though he did eventually push the man away, it didn't change that he let it happen. Train tried to be more forgiving of himself and cut himself some slack like Anastasia suggested, but that was hard to do when he knew he was betraying Lin's trust.

I should have never given into him either. I knew I wasn't ready for any form of relationship, romantic or otherwise, yet I caved. I so badly didn't want to hurt him I gave Lin what he wanted and now I'm just going to hurt him.

But again, Train knew Lin was most likely not even going to be mad about it. The number forgave him for everything and still claimed he loved him. However, that made Train feel even worse about what he had done with Creed. Lin loved him so utterly that Train felt like he owed him something. That was another reason why he gave into the man's wishes and even though it was going to end up being a short lived relationship, that didn't mean it was going to hurt the Chronos number any less.

I tried to warn him… I tried to tell him I wasn't ready to get involved with anyone and I tried to warn him that I was only going to end up hurting him. But… I can't put blame on him. I knew when I was making that empty promise of commitment to him it was only to push myself further away from Creed.

Train sighed and rubbed his hands across his face. "This is all so messed up…"

"You mean the tie, Train?"

Train did not move from his position on the bed since he knew who the voice belonged to. He tilted his head up a little so he could see Creed's amused smile looking down at him from the doorway. The cat groaned and threw the tie across the bed.

"Sure, let's go with that…" Train said, sourly.

Creed giggled, but Train could still hear the bit of sadness in his voice. He wasn't fully over what happened last night or in the garden today and Train could tell. Right now, the cat could only hope that his ex-partner would be able to use the pain in his heart to perform tonight. Train frowned when Creed took a step into his room and sat up quickly, leaving the bed so as not to create any other sexual situations.

Creed frowned as he beloved took the tie and tried again. "Do you want me to help? I've done it for you before."

Train rolled his eyes. "I'm not an invalid, Creed. I can figure it out."

Why did he have to bring up our past relationship now? After everything that's happened between us since last night? He knows that's going to spark wistful memories in me.

Although, he had a feeling that's what Creed was trying to do. Train thought Creed was trying to put the idea of them being together back in his head since the gunman had been clearly showing signs of attraction to him again.

Guess I can't blame him… He's been after me for so long I'm sure he'll take any chances he can to get me back.

Creed sighed sadly as he watched Train through the mirror. "You don't have to wear a tie, Train."

Train stopped what he was doing and looked at Creed through the mirror as well. "Really?"

The silver man giggled and nodded. "Really. I know you don't like wearing ties and I want you to be comfortable tonight. It's not going to just be me performing and I'm not until the end, so you'll be stuck in that for a few hours."

Train looked down at his tie, then smiled cheekly as he ripped it off and threw it back on the end. He pointed accusingly at it, as if it had offended him greatly and spoke triumphantly. "Not today, Satan!"

Creed giggled again, then sighed adoringly at his beloved. "You're so cute, Train…"

Train blushed, then shook his head to get rid of the warm feeling before it took over his senses. He pointed to Creed and gave him a firm look. "No. Bad Creed."

The swordsman smirked, then turned around to leave the room, speaking quietly as he stepped out the door. "I would have enjoyed that statement if there was a more sensual tone behind it."

Train cocked an eyebrow at the man's back as he tried to hear what he said. "What was that?"

Creed smirked as he walked down the hallway and spoke louder this time. "I said Sven told me to come get you. He said we're going to be late if you don't hurry up."

Train didn't seem convinced, but followed after the man anyway. "Is that really what he said?"

Creed looked over his shoulder as he entered the common area. "No, but I don't have the heart to use such hurtful words towards you."

Train rolled his eyes. "Yeah, guess I can gather what he said." He looked around the room and saw none of the rest of their sweeper group was there. "Where are they?"

Creed walked to the closet and grabbed his coat along with his beloved's. "Warming up the car. We're riding with Sven and Eve and Rinslet offered to take Kyoko so you don't have to deal with her on the ride over."

Train smiled happily, then frowned. "Since when does Rins care about my comfort?"

Creed handed his love his coat and smiled widely. "Since I made her do it as a birthday present for me because she felt bad for not getting me anything."

Train blushed and took his coat a bit too aggressively. "Thanks… But you didn't have to waste perfectly good guilt against her for my sake."

Creed shrugged his shoulders and slipped his coat on. "The best birthday gifts I can get involve your happiness, so I don't think she could have gotten me anything better than your comfort."

Train sighed, knowing his eyes were showing his emotions and made sure to look away from Creed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he began walking back towards his room. "That reminds me! I didn't give you your birthday present."

Creed sighed loudly and grabbed Train's wrist before he left. "No, we need to leave. Sven is going to be really mad and we're late enough as it is."

Train looked at his friend as he pulled him towards the door. "The concert isn't for another two hours and it's only thirty minutes away. Why do we need to get there so early?"

Creed rolled his eyes. "Because we need to warm up and tune. Musicians always get to the performance way before the start time."

Train sighed. "Then can't I just flash us there?"

"You know why you can't do that. It's the same reason we didn't earlier today. The Apostles, remember?"

Train frowned as he slipped his coat on one arm as Creed dragged him outside. He was right, they agreed about a week ago that Train needed to back off on using his abilities for everyday things because the stillness of the Apostles was starting to get unnerving. They both felt like the lack of movement from the Taoist group meant something was going to happen soon, and they wanted to do everything they could to keep themselves hidden.

We don't want them to attack us before we can learn more about what their plans are. That's also why we've stayed in one spot for so long. If they haven't found us here yet, that must mean we're hidden well.

Train sighed and watched as Creed climbed into the backseat of the car. He looked to see Eve was sitting in the front and felt himself get a bit uneasy. He really didn't want to be in the backseat with his ex-lover after everything that happened between them recently.

Seeing the cat was standing with the car door open, but not entering, Sven looked over at Train impatiently. "What's the hold up? We need to get going!"

Train ignored the green haired sweeper in favor of the small girl. "Eve, can we-"

"-No." The bio-girl said firmly. "I'm already in the front seat. I'm not moving." She said firmly, never closing her book as she spoke.

Sven rolled his eyes. "Just get in! Rinslet and Kyoko left so much longer before us they're probably already there!"

"Why does that matter?" Train questioned.

"It doesn't, but I don't want to get leaving any later than we already are. So get in!"

Train frowned. "I'm not late…"

"By musician standards you are." Eve added as she glanced at Creed who smiled gratefully at her.

Train saw the looks they exchanged and rolled his eyes, understanding now why she made sure to sit in the front. "Fine, whatever…" Train climbed in the car next to Creed and buckled himself up.

I should at least be comforted in the fact that Creed won't try anything with Sven and Eve right there.

He looked at Creed out of the corner of his eye and saw the delightly smile on his face as he rested his head back against the car seat to stare at Train. The Black Cat sighed and looked out the window, making sure Creed couldn't see his face and instead tried to see if he could find any particularly bright stars to talk to.

---

They hit more holiday traffic than any of them anticipated and ended up taking an hour to get there. As soon as they arrived, Sven parked quickly and they all jumped out of the car. Creed was the first to enter and he ran towards the back stage after directing Sven and Eve to where their seats would be. He let them know Kyoko and Rinslet's seats would be next to theirs, so they could tell their other friends where they would be sitting.

They had both been there before, so they knew where to go, but they had seats assigned to them, courtesy of Creed. They had plenty of time to find their spots, but Creed needed to make sure Anastasia knew he was there before she grew angry with him.

I've seen her when she's mad and I do not want to see how angry she gets when one of her students is late.

When Train tried to follow Sven and Eve, Creed grabbed his wrist and pulled his beloved along with him. "Oh, no. You're coming backstage with me. I'm too nervous to be left alone."

Train yelped as Creed pulled him along, the silver man not giving him a second to say bye to the other members of their group. He knew he was going to be backstage when Creed was performing, but he thought the swordsman would want time to warm up with the other musicians by himself.

"There's still another hour until the show starts. Do you really need me backstage now?" Train asked curiously as he allowed himself to be dragged.

Creed rolled his eyes. "I think you realize how dumb that question is, Train. Since when do I not need you near me?"

Train sighed in defeat and nodded. "Guess that's true…"

"Strange how such an obvious yes can sound so uncertain when coming from you." Creed said playfully, but still knew his voice sounded a bit nervous.

Train was able to hear the stage fright in his voice and pulled his arm against Creed to make him stop. Creed turned around to look at his beloved and melted at the sincere, kind look Train was giving him. The cat reached out and grabbed each of his shoulders, smiling warmly at his friend.

"Creed… You've got this. There's nothing to be scared of and I'll be in your line of sight the entire time."

Creed swooned in his love's arms and nodded devotedly. "Thank you, Train…"

They heard a sad sigh, followed by a whiney voice Creed knew belonged to Sergey. "Why do you have to be so hopelessly in love with another?"

Creed did not turn to look at him since he didn't want to miss a second of his beloved's amazing eyes. "U tebya nikogda ne budet shansa…." (8)

Sergey rolled his eyes. "Ne nado vtirat'..." (9)

Train, understanding every bit of that let go of Creed and turned to Sergey. "Sozhaleyu. Zhelayu, chtoby ya mog bol'she pomoch' vam." (10)

Sergey smiled lewdly at Train, but kept his longing eyes on Creed. "Cute and speaks more than one language. I get it. Doesn't make it any bett-OW!"

Sergey looked down at Aimee who pinched his arm harshly. She then walked over to Creed and pinched him as well, then looked over to where Anastasia was standing, seeking approval from her adopted mother. The old woman smiled and nodded proudly at her.

"Good girl." She pointed to Creed. "Now get over here so we can warm up as a group. We've waited long enough for you."

Creed ran over to the woman instantly, apologizing profusely to his teacher. She didn't seem to care about anything he had to say as she smacked his leg with her cane. "Stop your grovoling and park your ass on that bench! We've only got forty-five minutes!"

Creed nodded and pouted at his teacher. He then noticed the kind look she gave Train as she walked over to him. When the silver man stopped to watch his teacher approach his beloved, she gave him another stern look which was all he needed to see to continue making his way to the piano on stage. He knew they needed to warm up on stage so they could get used to the acoustics, so he didn't bother questioning which piano the woman meant. It was also where the rest of his friends had set up their instruments. Francisco and Dae were already on stage, and Aimee and Sergey were following close behind him. Creed slapped Sergey's hand away as he tried to take hold of his waist, then sat on the bench and began his scales. The extra musicians that completed the orchestra were already on stage, ready to get started.

Anastasia waited until she heard her students beginning to play the trickiest parts of the Mozart piece before she took a gentle hold on Train's hand. She smiled kindly at him and began walking him towards a chair.

"How have you been?" She asked kindly as she sat him down.

Train frowned and moved himself out of the seat and sat her down instead. "Since yesterday?"

The woman laughed and took a deep breath as she sat. "A lot can happen in a day."

Train sighed. "I'll say…"

She gave him a curious, yet knowing look. "Have you thought about our conversation?"

Train nodded. "It's really all I've been able to think about."

She leaned forward on her cane as she eyed the cat up and down. "And have you come to any conclusions?"

Train gave her a sharp look. "Why do I feel like you already know the answer to that question?"

She laughed and glanced behind him to where Creed was noticing he was still distracted by her conversation with Train. She banged her cane on the ground, getting all of her students' attention and stopping Sergey from trying to grope Creed again.

"Eyes on the piano, Diskenth! I'm taking good care of your beloved!" She chuckled when Creed jumped and looked back at Train who was blushing wildly. "I take it Creed doesn't know what your new intentions with your lover are?"

Train glanced over his shoulder at Creed, noticing that, although he was playing the piano, his eyes were still locked on him. "No. And I don't intend to. At least not until it happens. But, even then, it's none of his business."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Isn't it?"

Train frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean… No? I don't know…"

She laughed again and patted his hand. "I think you will in due time."

The Black Cat sighed and sat on the floor next to the chair, turning his body so he could watch Creed play the piano. He smiled when he saw Creed make eye contact with him, then immediately regretted it as he heard his friend make a rather obvious mistake. The silver man's reaction was so adorable that Train couldn't help but laugh which Anastasia noticed with glee.

"Has your heart really not answered you? Or are you just ignoring it?"

Train looked up at her from where he sat and thought back to the previous night when Creed sang Saya's song to him in his sleep.

Did that really happen, or did I just imagine it?

Train leaned his head against the chair as he watched the musicians practice and fool around with each other. "Have you ever seen something happen that you knew no one else would believe no matter what you told them?"

Anastasia looked down at him. "Like a ghost?"

Train laughed. "I guess kind of." He ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke. "I think Saya was speaking to be through Creed last night."

The old woman nodded. "So, her spirit reached out to you through Creed?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I… Don't know. He was sleeping and started singing a song she always sang. Then he started talking like her. It felt like she was trying to tell me something… But I also don't really believe it."

Anastasia frowned down at him. "Why?"

He sighed heavily. "Because Creed is always talking in his sleep. Especially about me and to me. Besides, he knew that song before he knew Saya used to sing it. And everything he said isn't out of the realm of what he might normally say to me."

The woman smiled politely at him. "And why were you with him while he was sleeping?"

Train blushed and shook his head. "J-Just a coincidence. His window was open and I heard him from outside."

She laughed and patted his head. "You don't need to lie to me. You give far more away in your eyes than you realize."

The cat hid his head in his hands. "So I've been told."

Anastasia shrugged her shoulders and tapped his head so he would look up at him. "Like I said yesterday, listen to your heart. It has all the answers you need." She leaned forward on her cane and tried to stand up. "Now, help me up so I can warm up with these hooligans as well."

Train jumped up and took a gentle hold of her arm, pulling her up slowly and walking her to the stage. She smiled at him as she sat down and took out her flute. Creed gave Train another longing look which the cat ignored in favor of stepping off stage again. He noticed the rest of his group was not in their seats yet, but had a feeling they were not permitted in until the concert started. When he walked backstage again, he heard Creed sigh sadly and felt his heart break.

Train wasn't the only one who heard the depressed sound Creed made as Sergey tried to comfort the man in his own, perverted way. "Don't worry, krasivaya, I can keep you warm at night." (11)

He yelped when Aimee pinched him again and decided to shove his clarinet in his mouth when he saw the stern look Anastasia gave him. The woman turned back to Creed and nodded for him to continue. Creed gave her a small smile and continued playing at the exact spot he knew his teacher wanted them to work on. The whole time they practiced, he kept his eyes on his beloved, making sure his muse stayed in his sight so he could focus better on what he was playing.

After a while, Anastasia shooed them all off the stage except for Creed who she made help her off stage. As soon as they were all back there, Train stood back up and gave his chair back to the woman. She insisted he take it, but the cat was somehow able to win against the stubborn woman. He had a feeling she wasn't feeling well and didn't have the energy to fight with him. Creed watched the whole scene with a serene happiness, overjoyed to see his beloved and teacher getting along so well.

I wish Train would tell me what they keep talking about. I know it's about me, I just want to know what she's saying about me.

Creed watched as his love walked over to the curtain and peeked out to wave to their friends. He could hear the audience beginning to pile in and suddenly felt his anxiety peak. He walked hurriedly over to his Kitten and grabbed his wrist firm. Train turned around to look at his friend and saw the scared look in his eyes. The gunman smirked and placed both his hands on either side of Creed's face.

"You can do this, Creed. I know you can." He pulled the man a little close, but made sure to keep distance between them in case Creed forgot himself again and kissed him. "And I'll be right here the whole time."

Creed felt his knee get weak as he looked into his Kitten's eyes and smiled wonderfully at him. He placed his hands on both of Train's, hoping that would make his love keep them where they were, but whimpered dejectedly when his cat pulled them away and patted his shoulders.

"Let's just sit back and relax while we watch your friends play. Your best friend Sergey is on first, right?" Train gave him a playful look as he spoke.

Creed gave his love a small glare, knowing the look was weak since it was nearly impossible for him to ever look at Train with anything other than complete love and adoration. "Shut up, Train."

They stood backstage and watched as each of the performers went on stage. In between the pieces, Train would make sure to check in on Creed and see how he was doing. He was able to keep the man's spirits high with his jokes and teasings and Creed was eternally grateful to his teacher to allow his cat to be backstage with him. None of the other musicians had anyone back there for support, but he had a feeling that was because none of them were nearly as nervous as Creed was. This may have been his first concert, but everyone else had gotten used to performing on stage.

"You're up next, Creed." Dae said as she stepped off the stage and approached Creed and Train.

Creed felt his heart beat faster and his breath quicken as panic suddenly took hold of him. Train noticed his friend's change in demeanor and grabbed his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze as he smiled confidently at him.

"Break a leg, Creed."

Feeling his beloved's hand squeeze his shoulder and seeing his beautiful smile, Creed knew he was going to be okay. He nodded at his love, then hugged him tightly as he heard his musician friends leave the backstage to get ready to perform with him. Creed buried his face deep into his Kitten and smiled happily.

"I love you, Train…"

Train sighed and decided this was an okay time to return the man's hug. He felt Creed lean into him more when he wrapped his arms around the silver man's back and smiled unknowingly. "Knock 'em dead, Creed."

Creed took one more deep breath, making sure he could hold onto Train's scent before he turned around and walked on stage. As soon as he entered, the audience clapped, but Creed ignored them in favor of sitting at his bench. He knew if he looked out at the crowd, he would get scared and run off the stage and back into Train's arms. Creed looked down at the keys, then up at his love and felt his heart fill with a loving warmth as Train smiled at him.

The silver man looked towards his musician friends, then nodded as he began the piece. Despite how happy he was to have spent the day with Train, that deep sadness in him was able to come out as he played except now, he was able to share that sadness not only with his friends on stage, but with those in the audience. He was also able to let the people he didn't know who were listening to feel how much his heart ached. Creed kept his eyes locked on Train as he played, remembering what they once had and using that as his inspiration to perform. As the piece went on, Creed forgot about anyone else in the room and focused solely on his cat. He wanted Train to feel and understand how sorry he was, how much he wanted to be with him again, how much he wished his Kitten would return his feelings again, but also wanted Train to know that he understood that was not possible.

Please, Train… Even if you can never love me again, at least understand how I feel… At least know how much I love you and how sorry I am…

As Creed played, Train found himself unable to look away from the man. Creed made sure he kept his eyes on Train throughout the entire performance, as if he wanted the Black Cat to know this song was for him. While he knew everything Creed did was for him, there was something about this performance that made him feel like he was under a spell. There was something about the way Creed looked at him and filled his ears with his mirthless, magnificent, melodic music that made Train feel lost in the woods with only the sound of his ex-lover's sorrow to bring him back.

Towards the end of the piece, Train's ears perked as he heard Saya's voice matching the melody of the music. The words of her song remained the same, but it kept tempo and pitch with Creed's playing, as if trying to comfort both him and Train as the silver man finished the performance. When Creed stopped, he smiled warmly at Train and the cat swore he was able to see a bit of the teal from Saya's eyes reflecting in his ex-partner's loving, blue ones.

They both heard the audience clapping and Train was sure they were giving Creed a standing ovation, but neither he nor the swordsman moved. Their eyes remained locked onto each other, lost in their own thoughts, trapped in the connection they shared. It was finally broken when Anastasia poked Creed with her flute, then gestured for him to stand up and take a bow. He did so quickly, a panicked look on his face before he rushed off the stage quickly and ran back into Train's arms.

The cat wasn't sure what to do since he still felt like he was under the spell of Creed's playing. He did not push his friend away, but he also did not return the embrace. The rest of the musicians left the stage as well, their congratulations falling on deaf ears as Creed burrowed himself in his beloved, disappearing into the only person he had ever and would ever love.

When Anastasia finally made her way off stage, she patted Train's arm kindly which seemed to get him out of his daze.

She smiled at his shocked face. "Listen to your heart."

Train blinked down at her, then at Creed and wrapped his arms around the man's back. Creed made an adorably happy sound and held onto his love tighter as he cooed happily when the Black Cat whispered in his ear.

"I told you that you could do it."

Creed laughed and snuggled closer. "Thank you, Train."

They embraced for a few minutes as they heard the audience disperse in the background. After a while, they heard someone clearing their throat which brought Train's attention towards the growing group of people standing behind Creed on the stage. They apparently were lost enough in each other's embrace that it gave time for Creed's friends to clean up the stage after the show and their sweeper group to walk onto the stage to wait for them.

When Train locked eyes with a knowing Anastasia, who was the one who cleared her throat, the cat let go of Creed and felt himself blush brightly. Creed, on the other hand, whimpered sadly and clung a little tighter to Train, not caring at all that their friends were trying to get their attention. Sven looked only slightly uncomfortable with their embrace, which left Train wondering what he actually wanted for his relationship with Creed and Rinslet was doing her best to hold back Kyoko who seemed to be growing angier and angier by the minute. Eve tried to look like she didn't care, but Train could see the small smile painted on her face.

Creed's musician friends all look ecstatic to see the two former lovers embracing save for Sergey who seemed minorly annoyed and decided to speak in an attempt to break it up. "Your friends say we're all invited to Creed's birthday dinner. We going or what?"

Train looked at the Russian man and tried to nod, but found that impossible as Creed had buried himself pretty heavily into his neck and shoulder. "Y-Yeah. We have reservations. Enough for everyone except the extra musicians."

Train looked around and noticed they were gone anyway, so he didn't have to worry about telling them they weren't invited.

Sergey nodded kindly, but the look in his eyes did not change from their jealous stare at the cat. "Then shouldn't we get going?"

Anastasia smacked him with her cane and gave him a warning looking. "We'll get going as soon as Creed has had his fun."

"I think he's had his fill…" Sergey said as he locked the case to his clarinet.

Kyoko was about to agree when Rinslet elbowed her rather harshly. However, the look on her face was a bit concerned and Train had a feeling that had something to do with his relationship with Lin. She was a huge fan of his coupling with Number X and it seemed as though Eve had a conversation with her about what was going on between Train and Creed and was somehow able to convince her to fall in line with getting the former partners together again.

Which can't happen. No matter what my body is telling me. How can I ever be with Creed again?

When Train saw Anastasia about to hit the Russian man again, Train spoke up. "No, he's right. We need to leave. It's not far from here, but the reservation was set for not long after the concert."

Sergey gave Train another jealous look, then picked up his instrument to leave. "Great. Let's go."

Rinslet grabbed Kyoko before she tackled Train and knocked Creed off of him while the rest of the group walked off the stage. Train looked at Creed and tried to encourage him to let go with his words. "Creed, we need to leave. We're going to miss the reservation."

Creed shook his head and held onto his Kitten tighter. "I don't care…"

Train rolled his eyes. "I do. I'm hungry."

Creed whined loudly and nuzzled his head. "Fine. Just thirty more seconds?"

Train sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, mostly in an attempt to prevent himself from wrapping his arms around the man again. "No. We need to leave so we don't fall behind everyone else."

Creed sobbed quietly then regretfully let go of his beloved. Train smiled at him and patted his head kindly which made the silver man smile delightfully. The cat left the backstage to catch the rest of the group with Creed following closely after him. The two of them were able to catch up rather quickly, but the swordsman made sure to walk next to his beloved as they left the building and walked down the street. He wrapped the coat tighter around himself and smiled at his Kitten.

Despite any heartache, today has been absolutely perfect. I don't know what could ruin it…

As they made their way down the street, Creed was able to engage himself in conversation with everyone, smiling blissfully as they all congratulated him on his performance. As much as he wanted to keep watching and talking to Train, he became distracted from the various people who were trying to talk to him. He was able to keep an eye on Kyoko and make sure she didn't tackle Train while he was talking to someone else, but Rinslet seemed to have good control over her and Creed was grateful for that.

Good, because I really want to talk to Train right now, but I can't be rude to my fellow musicians. After all, my performance wouldn't have happened without them.

Creed smacked Sergey's hand away that tried to wrap around his waist and gave him a stern look. "Hands to yourself."

The Russian man pouted and tried again, then whimpered when Creed smacked him again. "That's not fair Just because you love another doesn't mean I don't deserve a shot as well."

Creed narrowed his eyes at the tall man. "It most certainly does. I've told you over and over, I'm a lost cause. I only have eyes for Train."

Sergey looked around, as if searching for something. "If you only have eyes for him, then where is he right now?"

Creed stopped and looked around as well. He felt himself beginning to panic when he saw that he couldn't find Train anywhere.

"Train?!" He yelled in a terrified voice, turning around to see if his Kitten had just fallen behind.

No. Train's faster and more impatient than all of us. He wouldn't fall behind especially if our destination is food.

"TRAIN!" He yelled again, earning the attention of everyone else.

Creed walked back to retrace their steps, hoping to find his beloved was only a few feet away. The rest of the group stopped in their tracks and shared looks with each other, as if silently asking if anyone knew where the Black Cat was. Kyoko looked almost as worried as Creed was, but there was no way to ever match his fear when it came to potentially losing Train. Creed ran back a bit further and found an alley that he didn't notice before.

I must have missed this when Sergey tried to grope me the first time. Damn that man, that must have been when Train disappeared.

Creed ran to the alley and stopped at the entrance. He sighed a breath of relief when he saw Train standing there, leaning against the wall. However, that relief was quickly turned into dread once more when he noticed how lifelessly his beloved was leaning against the wall. There was something about Train's stance that made Creed think something was wrong.

Is he not feeling well…?

"Train?" Creed questioned as he walked down the alley to check on his love. "Are you okay?"

Train didn't respond but began to slowly sink to the ground. As Creed watched him fall, he ran over to his beloved and grabbed him before he fell. "Train?!"

When he caught his cat, he turned him over to see his face. Train's eyes were closed and his breathing seemed to be lessening which worried Creed at first that something was terribly wrong. However, after a few minutes, Creed could tell he had just fallen asleep and sighed a breath of relief.

"Thank God…"

Creed ran his fingers through Train's hair then held him a little tighter against his chest. As he was enjoying the moment, he heard the rest of his friends approach from behind and looked up to give them a reassuring nod. When he did that, he frowned when he saw what looked to be a small black cat standing on top of a trash can. Creed frowned as he eyed the cat curiously.

It doesn't look like a normal cat…

Suddenly, his eyes widened as it changed its size, revealing itself to be the giant panther he and Train encountered what felt like ages ago. Creed clung to his beloved tighter and took a few steps back as he watched his friends scramble to the side to avoid the sudden growth of the beast. Sven grabbed Eve and Anastasia who just happened to be standing closest to him and pulled them to the side. Sergey scooped up Aimee in his arms while Kyoko and Rinslet jumped to the side, the thief pulling out her gun as the teen warmed up her breath. Francisco and Dae were far enough away that they didn't need to move, but still looked horrified with what they were seeing.

"Well… Looks as though I underestimated your attachment to anyone other than the Black Cat…"

Creed looked up to the roof of a building to see Doctor standing there with a woman he recognized as Allie Hue. Next to her was Shiki and Creed was able to piece together immediately what happened to his love.

"Doctor…" Creed growled as he held Train protectively close to his body. He glanced at his other friends, the sweepers ready to fight and his new ones confused beyond belief. "Leave them out of this! They have nothing to do with the Apostles!"

Doctor smirked as he looked down at his former leader. "Yes, but you both do. And anything that concerns you concerns the Apostles."

Creed narrowed his eyes at the scientist and attempted to hide his beloved in his arms. "Don't. Touch. Train."

Doctor chuckled quietly as he watched Creed spit out every word. "I'm sorry to say that we already have…"

Creed looked down at his Kitten, wrapping one arm around his beloved as he other reached for his sword. As soon as that happened, Shiki launched a seal at him while Aja roared loudly and leapt at the two of them. Creed cursed loudly and rolled away, narrowly avoiding both attacks as he gave up on pulling out his Imagine Blade in favor of protecting his beloved and his friends. When he stopped rolling, Creed leapt up to his feet, running over to the rest of the group, signalling them to follow him.

Sven shot a few rounds at their enemies as Rinslet threw a grenade and Kyoko blew a quick breath of fire. As Creed ran down the street with Train in his arms, he looked up to see Eve had taken Anastasia and was flying away with the old woman. The silver man smiled gratefully at her, even though he knew the bio-girl couldn't see him. Eve was smart enough to realize she was the most vulnerable of the group and decided to fly her to safety. Creed watched them disappear into the distance and knew his teacher was going to be safe.

She's such a clever girl. I don't know what I'd do without her.

However, that didn't protect the rest of the group. Aimee seemed to be concerned with her adopted mother as well, but she remained in Sergey's arms as he ran quickly behind Creed. Dae and Francisco were close behind him with the sweepers bringing up the rear, doing everything they could to delay the Apostles. None of the musicians knew the full details of Creed's dramatic past and he knew they must have all been confused.

I owe them an explanation, but not now. I'll make it up to them later.

Creed skidded to a halt when they passed by what looked to be an abandoned building and ran inside quickly. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure everyone else was following him, then looked back down at his beloved. Train's body was completely limp in his arm, making his movement slow and sluggish, but his heart gave him the strength to keep going. As soon as everyone was inside, Sven shut the door behind them and began to block it with whatever leftover furniture was in the room. Sergey set Aimee down to help the sweeper, then the rest of the group turned to Creed for instructions.

The swordsman's mind was running a mile a minute and he had a hard time thinking about anything other than keeping Train and his friends safe. He held Train a little closer, burying his head into his Kitten's hair to breathe in his scent to give himself strength to do what he needed to do. He walked over to Sergey and offered the man he loved to the tall blonde.

"Take Train and follow Sven." As he held out his beloved to the man, he looked to Sven. "Bring them somewhere safe. I don't care where. Just pick a spot and go."

Sven nodded at him. "You'll know where we'll be."

Creed gave the green man a small nod, then looked back at the Russian man in annoyance. "Would you just take Train and go?!"

Sergey jumped at his crush's statement and hurriedly took the Black Cat, giving Creed a curious look as he settled Train in his arms. "Why are you trusting me with your love?"

Creed rolled his eyes and pulled out his Imagine Blade, activating level two as he made his way towards a side door he spotted when they walked in. "Because you're the only one big enough to carry him for a long time. I also know that your feelings for me won't allow you to let him get hurt or taken because you know I'll never forgive you." The silver man pointed his sword at the man and spoke as seriously to him as possible. "Do not touch him in anyway other than protection."

Sergey's face showed fearful understanding and held Train a little closer, but made sure to be clear that it was only to keep the cat safe. "What are you going to do?"

Creed was already walking towards the opposite door, his eyes burning with a fury he hadn't felt in a while. "I'm going to provide a distraction while you all get to safety."

Sergey was about to protest, but was stopped by Rinslet smacking his arm and pointing towards another door Sven and the rest were walking towards. "Shut up and follow us. We know what we're doing."

The Russian man watched as Creed sliced through the wall on the side of the building, then ran when he felt the thief pulling at his arm. Creed ran out of the giant hole he created, leaping into the air and onto the roof of the opposite building to try and find the Doctor. He was able to spot Aja quickly, the best flashing rapidly towards him as soon as she made eye contact. Creed ran at her as well, slicing at her face as he rolled to the side to avoid a seal Shiki threw at him. Allie seemed to have disappeared, which made sense since Creed knew she didn't have any fighting abilities

As Creed landed on top of another building, he was forced to immediately avoid a batch of bees Shiki launched at him, then sliced through the air to destroy them all. The silver man glared at his former comrades, his blade licking its lips as Creed addressed the two Taoist.

"What do you want with Train?!"

Doctor smirked as he fixed his glasses, clutching Aja's fur tightly as the panther increased its size. "The same thing I've always wanted… And maybe a little bit more.

Shiki gave the scientist a frustrated look. "We're here on Charden's orders. Just hand over the Black Cat and we'll leave the rest of your friends alone. Our fight is not with you… yet."

Creed glanced between the two of them and quickly noticed there was something the Doctor was not telling the bug Taoist. "Are you sure about that, Shiki? This doesn't seem like a plan Charden would come up with."

Shiki ignored Creed's comment and threw another seal at him. Creed sliced the seal in half and leapt off the building and onto the streets below. He ran in the opposite direction of where he knew his friends took Train, stopping every so often to avoid a lightning bolt from Aja or a seal from Shiki. He ran as fast as he could to make sure they were as far away from Train and his friends as possible, but after a while, it seemed as though they realized what his plan was and began to ignore the direction Creed was going in favor of where they believed Sven had led everyone else.

Creed changed his tactics from defensive to offensive and ran after the two of them. He leapt in front of them and sliced at Aja's throat, knowing the Doctor was extremely attached to the beast. If he was able to harm her, maybe Kanzaki would become distraught enough to leave to tend to her wounds. Creed stabbed at the creature, cutting through the back of its legs violently as his Imagine Blade ripped out a bit of the beast's flesh.

Creed smiled triumphantly and watched Aja roar in pain and fall to the ground. "I won't let you lay a finger on Train!"

"That beast isn't your only opponent, Diskenth!"

Creed cursed and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding another seal that released a large moth looking creature. The silver man felt himself being knocked over by the force of the bug's flapping, then swiped his sword through the air to cancel out the wind that was threatening to knock him over. Creed rolled to the side, dodging another lightning bolt as he leapt towards Aja again. He made contact with the large creature, stabbing it in the stomach, his blade now taking a large bite of the panther's stomach, cackling wildly as Creed smirked proudly.

The silver man shouted when the moth Shiki controlled gripped him by the shoulders and lifted him in the air. Creed extended his blade and swiped at the bug's legs which caused it to release him and drop him to the ground. He was able to get on his feet quickly and avoid another blow from Aja's tail that swung in the air towards him. However, the appendage was hard to avoid and Creed ended up slamming his back into a building harshly, biting his lip to prevent himself from crying out too loudly.

Creed felt his vision blur slightly, but managed to find his opponents trying to run off in the direction they felt his cat had been taken. Without hesitation, Creed jumped out of the bricks and towards the Doctor and Shiki. He stabbed in the air at the bug Taoist, slicing through his cloth which made the small man curse and grip his face. Creed had managed to cut open half of the wrappings that covered Shiki's face, which seemed to bother the man more than Creed expected.

Shiki turned his annoyance to Doctor. "This isn't working, Kanzaki! I told you we needed more reinforcements!"

Doctor glared at him. "Just stick with the plan and find the Black Cat!"

Shiki screamed and called his giant moth back. "They're long gone by now! You said it yourself, Creed has had time to hone his skills. We can't take him on by ourselves!"

Creed smirked and made another slice at Shiki, cutting deeply into his arm as the bug Taoist cried out. "He's right, Doctor! Give it up and leave Train alone! I'll never let you take him!"

Shiki growled in frustration and threw another seal in the air which revealed another large bug. Creed readied himself for an onslaught of attacks, but tilted his head in confusion when Shiki jumped on the creature and began to fly away.

"I'm leaving, Doctor. This was a terrible and impulsive plan!"

Doctor watched as he left, then growled and commanded Aja to continue running off where the sweepers had taken Train. Creed ran after them and sliced at the back of the panther's legs again, hoping he could injure it enough to prevent it from trying to track down his beloved. He knew it recovered quickly and could track down Train relatively easily, plus Kanzaki cared about it a lot. If he could stop the beast, he could stop the Doctor.

He smirked when he saw the beast fall to the ground and slice at her legs again, watching as it cried in pain even louder than before and whimpered on the ground sadly. "Give it up, Doctor! I'll never let you have Train!"

Doctor cursed and commanded Aja again which Creed reacted on instantly. He ran forward and jumped in the air, stabbed the giant cat in the stomach, twisting his blade as he watched its teeth bite and carve out another piece of her. Feeling that wasn't enough and knowing his actions weren't going to kill the beast since the nanomachines gave her a quick recovery, Creed launched himself forward again, flipping over the creature and stabbing into the other side of his stomach. With another flip and twirl, Creed sliced at Aja's ankles, his Imagine Blade biting into all four of them and laughing proudly as he watched the creature fall to the ground.

"Shiki was right. This was a bad plan. I know Charden didn't order you here and you know I'll never hand over Train!"

Doctor glowered at the man, about to speak but was interrupted by an out of breath Allie who had finally managed to find them.

"Doctor! Enough is enough. We need to leave, now!"

Kanzaki glared at her, then looked back at Creed who had not ended his attack against the creature. It seemed as though the swordsman had not let up on his practicing and he had a feeling when Train came too he would be even worse to handle. Hearing his beloved experiment crying in pain, the scientist frowned angrily and glanced at Creed.

"I'll be back…"

With another German command, Doctor flashed away with Aja, Allie quickly behind as she leapt towards the creature, grabbing its tail before it disappeared. Creed took a deep breath and put his blade away. He ran off in the direction he knew Sven had taken Train, not even thinking as he jumped from building to building, desperate to get to his Kitten before he woke up. He didn't know how strong of a sedation Shiki's bug used on him, but Creed did care. He wanted to be there when it happened.

Every town we go to we always find a spot to meet up at if things get too dangerous and this time we all agreed on a desolate area in the woods. I know that's where Sven took him. I need to get there fast.

The ironic thing was Doctor had actually gotten pretty close to where Creed knew they were going to meet up, which made him all the more grateful he was able to fight them off. Since he knew what she was capable of, it was easier to handle her. He also knew now that she could change her size and Creed had a feeling that was how Aja was able to distract Train enough to lead him away from the group and allow Shiki to knock him out.

That really was a dumb plan. There's no way in hell Charden thought of it on his own. This was Doctor's plan and he was able to convince Shiki it was their leader's.

This impulsive plan also confirmed to Creed where Allie Hue had been and what else Aja was capable of. There were so many levels of stupidity behind this idea that Creed felt like laughing. Doctor must have been desperate to get Train if he was willing to reveal so much about themselves to their enemies.

Creed's thoughts stopped as he reached the woods, running through the trees quickly as he reached the spot he knew his sweeper and musician friends would be at. When he saw Sven waving at them from the distance, he breathed a sigh of relief. Rinslet was leaning against a tree, catching her breath as Aimee and Francisco congratulated and thanked her. Kyoko was standing far too close to Train, who was still sleeping in Sergey's arms. Eve was sitting on the ground with Anasatasia, her wings wrapping around his teacher protectively, ready to flee if necessary. Seeing the small girl protect his teacher made Creed smile.

What a clever girl. She must have come here before anyone else, knowing this is where we would end up.

As he got closer, Creed growled loudly as he watched Sergey unbuttoning his beloved shirt slightly, his eyes shining with a curious gleam Creed did not appreciate. This was one time he was happy Kyoko was almost as obsessed with Train as he was, since she was the only thing stopping him from examining his Kittens' flawless body.

"I just want to see what the big deal is! Calm down, child! I'm not gonna do anything." Sergey said as he peeked underneath the Black Cat's shirt.

Kyoko glared at him and tried to pull Train out of his arms. "HANDS OFF KURO-SAMA!"

"I echo her statement." Creed said threateningly, running up to the Russian man quickly and putting out his arms expectantly. "Hand him over."

Sergey frowned at his crush, then offered Creed his beloved. "Glad to see you're okay…"

Creed glared at him. "I'd say the same, but after seeing your grope Train, I wish you at least had a bruise on you."

Sergey frowned and sighed, deciding to step away from the swordsman to check on Anastasia. Creed took Train in his arms quickly, holding his cat close as he knelt to the ground. He squeezed his love in his arms as he buried his face deep into the chocolate locks he loved so much. The swordsman took in a deep breath and felt his body relax a little, his panic and worry only pacified by the knowledge that Train was safe.

"I love you so much, Train…" Creed whispered, pulling his love as close to his body as he could. "I'm so happy you're safe…

He knew he had Sergey to thank for that, but it was hard to thank the man since Creed caught him practically molesting his beloved. Creed felt himself rocking back and forth, as if he was trying to lull his beloved into a peaceful sleep, feeling himself fall deeper and deeper into the presence of his Kitten.

"Did anyone contact Lin?" Rinslet asked as he finally caught her breath and brushed away the worried musicians.

Dae blinked. "Who?"

Rinslet rolled her eyes. "Train's boyfriend. He deserves to at least know the Apostles tried to kidnap him."

Sven sighed and rubbed his face. "Why would any of us think to contact him?!"

"Because, as I stated, he deserves to know!" Rinslet yelled, feeling a bit agitated that she was the only one who seemed to honor the relationship Train and the number were still in.

Eve stood, but kept her wings around the old woman. "But Train is fine. Creed was able to protect him. Plus, alerting Lin would alone alert Chronos."

Rinslet narrowed her eyes at the bio-girl. "I fail to see the problem… The Apostles are their problem, not ours."

Sven growled. "No. They are clearly still our problem and I agree with Eve. Train is fine, there's no reason to alert another dangerous group and cause more problems."

Sergey looked at the sweepers in confusion as he hovered over Anastasia protectively. "Apostles? Chronos? Just who the hell are you people?!"

Sven glanced at him quickly. "We're just sweepers."

"Then why do I feel like we're inviting more problems by telling Train's boyfriend what happened?!" Sergey said as he turned to address the group.

"Can we please stop talking about Train's new lover?!" Creed yelled, his fingers digging avariciously into his beloved, his voice shaking with sorrow as he tried to lose himself in Train's essence. He sighed sadly and nuzzled closer to his Kitten. "Just let me live in my fantasy for a bit longer…."

While they were talking, Creed was trying to forget about reality and remember what it was like to have Train as his own. He was still rocking back and forth, begging the world to drown out his friends' voices as he clung to the memory of when Train's heart belonged to him. However, the more and more they brought up his Kitten's new lover, the harder it was for Creed to forget what was the truth and what was fiction in his mind.

"Just let me pretend Train is mine again… at least for this second..." Creed ran his fingers through Train's hair lovingly, nuzzling as close to his cat as his body would let him. With Train unconscious and Lin nowhere to be found, Creed felt like he was free to at least pretend the Black Cat still belonged to him.

I did just save him from the Doctor's sick experiments. Don't I deserve to live in my delusion for at least a little bit?

"Let me pretend for a bit longer… We can tell Lin later…" Creed smiled and brushed his lips against Train's cheek as he spoke in an adoring tone. "Just let me have this moment…"

The rest of the group watched sympathetically as Creed whimpered quietly. They allowed the silver man to rock his love in his arms, catching their breath as he cooed loving words into the Black Cat's sleeping ears. Creed kissed his beloved's ear, then his cheek, snuggling his face into Train's cheek as he sighed soothingly at his Kitten.

"You're safe now, Train…" Creed whispered as he rested his forehead against Train's, smiling peacefully as he squeezed this cat in his arms. "I'll never let anyone hurt you."

After a few minutes of being lost in his beloved, Creed felt a small, gentle hand tap his shoulder kindly as Eve tried to snap him out of his loving stupor. "Creed… We can't stay here long. We need to leave. They could still be out there."

Creed shook his head, but did not remove it from snuggling into Train. "No. I chased them off. I don't think they were there on Charden's orders. Doctor was acting on his own."

"That doesn't mean they won't still be after us." Sven said, walking up behind the two of them to join their conversation.

"I disagree, Sven. I think they'll need a while to regroup. They just revealed what they're plans are. I also have a feeling Doctor is going to get an earful and be on lockdown for a while." Creed addressed Sven, but did not look at him. He wanted to make sure he stayed as close to Train as possible.

Eve nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. They'll need to come up with another plan which means we're safe for a while."

Sven frowned at the two of them. "That may be true, but I don't feel comfortable going back to the hideout. What if that was just a distraction and they plan on ambushing us when we get home?"

Creed felt his heart stop and clung Train to his chest a little more.

Shit, I didn't think of that.

"Is there anywhere else we can go?" Rinslet asked as she finally seemed to regain her composure and approached the rest of the sweeper group.

A silent pause was shared between them as they thought about the thief's question. Creed sighed, then lifted his head slightly as he spoke, but kept his eyes on his beloved. "I know of a place not too far from here. I don't think you'll like it, but it's most likely already stocked with food and other supplies. I'm also confident the Apostles won't think to look there. It'll also fit everyone comfortably with room to spare."

"What do you mean by 'everyone'?" Sergey asked from his position near Anastasia. He was still kneeling on the ground next to her and the rest of the musicians gathered around as well to make sure she was okay.

Anastasia rolled her eyes and smacked the man with her cane. "He means us too. He wants to keep us all safe in case that terrorist group comes after us."

"Terrorist group?" Dae said as she gave Creed a confused look. "Was that the Tao terrorist group we've been seeing videos about?"

Sven rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Yes… And it looks like they're still after Creed and Train."

"Why?" Sergey said, his voice a bit panicked as he spoke. "What could they possibly want from you two? And what was that sword just now? That wasn't a normal blade and we've never seen you move like that."

Creed glanced at him, his face still close to Train as he gave Anastasia a quick look as well. He smiled gratefully at her for not telling his other friends his story, then turned back to his Kitten. He pulled Train close so his love's head was resting on his shoulder and Creed could set his cheek delicately on the top of Train's head.

"Train and I started the group after we left Chronos." Creed spoke very matter-of-factly, his body and mind too tired and relieved to have Train in his arms.

"WHAT?!" Sergey and Dae said together, giving the man a look of complete and utter dismay.

"Can we talk about this later? Creed, what place are you talking about?" Rinslet was getting annoyed with the derailment of their conversation and decided to change the subject back to something more important.

Creed turned his head a little so he could see Sven, but still did not pull away from his Kitten. "It was one of our Apostles hideouts…"

Sven's eyes widened in fear. "WHAT?! What makes you think it's safe there?!"

"Because I'm positive Charden wouldn't use the same places I had set up since he knew we were going to come after them eventually. And as I said before, it's big enough for all of us and is already stocked with food. They'd never think to check their either, since it's actually a pretty dumb idea."

Sven shook his head. "If it's a dumb idea, then we shouldn't do it!"

"The fact that it's a dumb idea is precisely why we should do it. If they are still looking for us tonight, which I doubt they are, they wouldn't even think I would suggest going there, so they'll never check it." Creed ran his fingers through Train's hair, smiling lovingly at his sleeping love. "We'll be safest there. Trust me."

Sven gave Creed another unconvinced look, then glanced down at Eve who seemed to be agreeing with the silver man. When he looked at Rinslet, the woman rubbed her eyes as she nodded her head in agreement.

Sven sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Guess if no one else has any other ideas… We should get going."

Creed straightened up and stood slowly, making sure Train stayed in his arms as he began to walk down the woods in the direction of the hideout. "Eve, can you please fly Anatasia above us? If we are ambushed, I don't want her anywhere near the fight."

Eve nodded, even though she knew Creed didn't see it and walked over to Anastasia again. She helped the woman up, ignoring the confused look from her students as she grew wings out of her back and changed her arms into large platforms the woman could stand on. Eve gestured for Sergey to help her get on them, which he did, but was still staring at her as if she was a monster. Eve rolled her eyes and flew herself in the air, not bothering to answer the man's unasked questions.

"Are you coming or what?" Creed yelled from over his shoulder at the musicians, the sweepers already following after the swordsman.

Sergey hesitated for a second, then looked at Dae. The woman shrugged her shoulders and walked after them, pulling Francisco along with her. Aimee tugged at Sergey's arm which caused the man to look down at her, then sigh as he followed after her.

"Can we at least get more answers on the way?" He asked as he caught up to Creed, walking beside him as he eyed the sleeping Black Cat in his arms. "And how exactly your beloved is able to sleep through all this excitement?"

Creed smiled at his Kitten, then leaned down to kiss the man's forehead gently. "That's due to Shiki's bug."

Sergey blinked at him. "What?"

Creed sighed. "Tell me, Sergey. What do you know about Tao?"

---

It took a few hours for them to reach the mansion which gave Creed enough time to clue his musician friends in on his past. He told them about their time at Chronos, their departure from the assassin organization and how they started the terrorist group. Creed told them about the Tao and his and Train's abilities, but he left out the part about how he killed Saya. That was not something he was willing to reveal yet.

Creed didn't really want to air out his and Train's dirty laundry, but after what just happened, he knew he owed them an explanation. He also knew this was something Train would forgive him for, since he was sure his love would have done the same thing. It also wasn't fair to keep them in the dark of their dramatic past since they were going to have to hide out in a strange location with people they barely knew for the night.

Maybe longer if necessary, but at least I know it's safe here and there's plenty of food.

When they arrived, Creed was happy to see it looked not only unoccupied, but as if no one had ever been there. That meant he was right and the Apostles were using hideouts other than the ones Creed had set up all those years ago. Rinslet was able to pick the lock to get them inside, since Creed had long since lost the keys and knew no one would be inside. Once they were inside, Creed made his way towards the common room to set his love down for a minute. As much as he enjoyed holding Train, his arms were starting to get tired and if he wanted to carry him up to bed, he needed to take a break.

Before he entered the room, Sergey grabbed his arm to stop him and gave him a concerned look. "Is he going to be okay?"

Creed looked down at Train and nodded. "Yes. But he'll be out for a while. I'm sure Shiki gave him something strong enough to keep him knocked out, but not hurt him. Doctor wouldn't want him hurt."

Sergey frowned at his crush's said face and tried to comfort him, but Creed ignored him and walked away and into the common room where everyone seemed to be gathering. The silver man gently set Train down on the couch, then kissed his forehead as he kneeled next to him, running his fingers lovingly through his hair.

"The kitchen is attached to this room just over there. If anyone wants food or water, feel free to have at it." He moved his fingers to Train's neck to check his pulse, and sighed in relief when he saw he was still okay.

Sven eyed the room uneasily, as if he was worried someone or something was going to jump out and attack them. "Where do we sleep?"

Creed smiled at Train, but spoke to Sven. "There's enough rooms for everyone to pick one. You all can also sleep down here if you're concerned about splitting up, but I'm going to take Train up to the top floor where his room would have been. That way if the Apostles do come, we'll be far away from everyone else."

Sven nodded, then collapsed on a large armchair, sinking into it as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'll make sure to sleep near Anastasia to keep an eye on her."

Creed looked at Sven and gave him a grateful look. "Thank you." The silver man shook his arms, then slid them back under Train's knees and back to pick him back up again. "I'm going to take Train upstairs now. Avoid sleeping on the top floor so you can be as far away from us as possible."

Rinslet gave him a concerned look. "Are you going to sleep with him?"

Creed narrowed his eyes at her. "Not in the same bed, I know he wouldn't want that. But I'll stay in the room with him."

Before anyone else could stop him, Creed began making his way back down the hall and towards the stairs. He heard Sergey call out to him again, but ignored it in favor of walking up the stairs. Once he reached Train's room, he used one arm to open it, then walked quickly to the bed. He tried to set his beloved down gently, but his arms were too tired and he was a bit rougher than he intended. Creed sighed and sat in the chair next to the bed, giving himself another minute to recover before he made sure his Kitten was comfortable.

When he felt ready, Creed stood back up and approached his beloved. He smiled and caressed Train's cheek, nuzzling his forehead against his cat's as he breathed in the gunman's scent longingly. "You're safe now, Train…"

He stayed like that for a moment longer before pulling Train up so he could slide his suit jacket off. The swordsman placed it on the chair, then moved again to the end of the bed. Creed untied Train's shoes, placing them on the floor followed soon by his socks. He looked down at his beloved, feeling his body getting warm and his heart beating fast as he eyed the magnificent man who slept peacefully. He noticed Train seemed to be slowly coming too, but he wanted his beloved to be comfortable enough to keep sleeping.

I know Train may not like this, but…

Creed moved himself so both his knees were on either side of Train's legs and began undoing his belt. As he did this, he felt movement from his Kitten and stopped suddenly for fear he was waking his Kitten up. Once he saw his love settle back down again, Creed continued what he was doing, unzipping Train's pants and pulling them down and off his lower body. He tossed them to the side of the bed, not bothering to see where they landed as he became quickly distracted by his beloved's glorious body.

The silver man felt his hands moving on their own as they inched closer to his cat's body, then stopped himself and pulled away quickly, sitting back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. "Lord, give me strength not to devour Train in his sleep."

Creed heard his love moan and jostle a little underneath him, making the silver man bite his lip to prevent his body from reacting any more than it already was. When he saw Train's eyes slowly flutter open, Creed felt his heart skip a beat and knew his lower body was functioning normally as he made eye contact with the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Creed snuffled back a little so Train wouldn't feel his body reacting to the cat's movements and jumped off the bed quickly. He knew if he stayed there much longer, he wouldn't be able to control himself when Train woke up.

"Train?" Creed said eagerly as he ran back to the side of the bed, kneeling on the floor as he reached out and touched Train's face lightly. "Train? Are you awake?"

The Black Cat moaned again and blinked a few more times, trying to find the source of the voice he knew belonged to his ex-lover. "C-Creed? Wh-what happened?"

Creed rested his head on the bed in relief, but left his hands on his beloved's face. "Doctor and Shiki tried to take you. Don't worry, you're safe now."

As soon as he heard the bug Taoist's name, Train knew immediately why he had been knocked out. However, he felt himself begin to panic as he looked around the room, realizing it was not the one he was used to. In fact, based on the way it was set up, Train recognized it from the time he and Creed spent with the Apostles.

He sat up and looked around the room, pushing Creed's hands off him as he readied himself to jump off the bed. "Where the hell are we?!"

Creed leaned forward and grabbed his beloved before he jumped off the bed, climbing on the bed after him and pulling Train back to a lay position. "Calm down, Train. We're hiding out at one of the mansions I set up years ago for us. I told you we're safe."

Train gave him a furious look and froze on the bed as Creed tried to pull him back down. "Safe?! How the hell are we safe in an Apostles hideout?!"

Creed sighed and yanked Train down. "Because Charden would never use these locations since we knew where they all were. And before you ask, everyone else is here too. Our sweeper friends and my musician friends. They're all safe, no one was harmed. I was able to fight off Shiki and Doctor on my own."

Train blinked up at Creed as he pushed him down on the bed and wrapped the blankets around him. "What?"

Creed smiled adoringly at his beloved. "They had a bad plan. I'm sure Charden had nothing to do with it, so I think we'll be safe for a while, but we wanted to be safe and hide out here for at least the night."

Train shook his head and sat up a little, which stopped Creed from leaving the bed immediately. "No, my question was to you taking on Doctor and Shiki on your own. Why did you do that? How did you do that?"

Creed giggled and patted his love's cheek. "You know I'd do anything for you, Train and I wasn't going to let them hurt anyone else. I acted as a distraction and led Doctor and Shiki away while everyone else got to safety." He sighed peacefully as he realized Train didn't push his affectionate gestures away and continued caressing his love's cheek. "Besides, they didn't seem prepared to fight. It looks like they were just trying to sneak off with you without us knowing."

Train felt himself blushing as Creed ran his fingers through his hair, his mind too preoccupied with what the man had said to stop him. "I guess that explains the cat…"

"What cat, Train?" Creed said breathlessly as he traced Train's face with his fingers.

Train sighed and fell back on the bed, his head resting on the thick pillow. "There was this small black cat that got my attention. I don't know what came over me, but I found myself drawn to it. It's the last thing I remember before passing out."

Creed laid down next to his Kitten, his fingers twirling lovingly around Train's hair, happy he was still not being pushed away. "That must have been Aja. It looks as though she can change her size. I saw it happen a few times during the fight."

Train frowned and covered his face with his hands. "I'm so stupid. Why did I chase after it?"

Creed sighed and moved closer to his beloved, pulling his hands away so Train could see the sincerity in his eyes. "It's not your fault, Train We already know she can hypnotize you. Besides, you love cats. No one can be mad at you for wanting to follow one."

Train felt his body beginning to get warmer as Creed stared deeply into his eyes, then laughed bitterly at his words. "No one can be mad at me, or you can't be?"

Creed chuckled and smiled warmly at his love. "I won't let anyone be mad at you. After all, they all owe me now for saving them."

Train still did not push Creed away and decided to just enjoy the caresses the man was giving him. "I can't believe you were able to fight them off on your own…"

Creed laughed again and laid back down next to his love, continuing to outline Train's face with his hand. "Like I said, I don't think they were ready for a fight. And there was no way in hell I was going to let them take you."

Train looked over at Creed, eyeing him up and down, his body still on fire as his ex-partner smiled sweetly at him. "You don't even look like you got a scratch on you."

Creed looked down at himself and nodded. "They were too interested in tracking you down. That's another reason I think it was easy to take them both on. They weren't concentrating on me."

Train sighed and rolled over, allowing Creed to rest his hand on his shoulder lightly. He figured it was the least he could do after what the swordsman just did for him and their friends. "Yeah, but weren't you distracted by trying to keep everyone else safe as well?"

Creed nodded. "A little. But I trusted Sven, Eve, and Rinslet. I knew they'd get everyone to safety."

Train blinked in confusion. "You trust them?"

Creed cocked an eyebrow. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

Train chuckled. "I guess it's just… strange to hear you say. You used to always say how much you hated sweepers. Now, not only are you one, but you're trusting a group of them."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "Things change, Train." He rested his head on the pillow next to his love and traced his index finger along Train's arm. "They're my friends too. I care about them…"

Train smiled despite himself, knowing he should stop Creed from touching him, but realizing he didn't really want to. That side of him that had been telling him to be with Creed one more time was slowly creeping up again and after hearing this story and the man's genuine words, Train found himself beginning to lose the fight against this voice. Not just lose, but not even wanting to argue with it.

"Why did they only come after me? What do they want me for?" Train asked quietly, feeling himself moving a little close to Creed as he spoke.

Creed felt his body get hotter as Train moved closer, knowing he was going to do something his love didn't want if he got any closer. "I can think of a few things…"

As Train moved himself even closer, Creed swallowed thickly, trying to control himself from latching his lips onto his beloved. However, when his cat leaned closer and brushed his lips against Creed's, the swordsman knew it was a lost cause and pressed his lips against Train's. He heard the Black Cat moan and pull Creed's shirt, deepening the kiss immediately making the swordsman moan wonderfully as he began to explore his beloved's mouth. When he wrapped his arms around Train's back, he felt his cat wrap his ankles around Creed's, pressing their bodies flat against each other which allowed Creed to feel the excitement Train's lower body was experiencing.

Creed continued licking his love's tongue, moaning loudly as he felt Train kiss him back just as eagerly, then pushed his Kitten so his back was flat on the bed. Train moved his hands from Creed's shirt to his hair, running his fingers through them wildly as he arched his back and deepened the kiss even more. Creed slowly began grinding his lower body against Train's, his hands exploring Train's face and hair as he pushed harder into his love.

After a few more minutes, Creed felt Train's fingers moving to his shirt, unbuttoning it rapidly, sending pleasurable chills down his back. Once his shirt was completely undone, Train slipped it down Creed's arms, the silver man leaning back slightly to allow his cat to slide it off his body, making sure their lips never parted. Creed increased his lower body's movements against Train's, moaning passionately as he felt his beloved's hands now travel to his pants, quickly removing his belt and beginning to remove them as well.

Creed decided to help his cat and pulled his own pants away, his fingers now working on Train's shirt. Once he threw his pants to the side of the bed he continued gyrating against his love's groin, moving even faster as he worked on the last few buttons on his love's shirt. Creed felt all of his senses leaving him as Train's skillful fingers glided across his bare chest, tracing every inch of his muscles, stopping at his nipples and caressing them gently with his fingers. Train's thumb brushes against them lightly, then spun around them which made Creed moan loudly into the Black Cat's mouth, plunging his tongue deeper into his beloved's mouth when Train pinched them both at the same time.

Creed nibbled at his Kitten's lips and pulled away slightly, enough that his lips still touched Train's as he spoke. "Train… Are you sure?"

Train shook his head, but did not stop the magic his fingers were working against Creed's chest. "No…"

Creed stopped his hips and gazed longingly into his love's eyes. "Then do you want me to stop?"

Train moaned sadly when Creed stopped and moved his hands from the silver man's chest to his back. He slid his fingers down to Creed's boxers, slipping inside of them as he grabbed his rear harshly, thrusting his hips violently upwards. Creed gasped and collapsed on his love, biting down on Train's neck furiously, then sucked powerfully at his smooth skin.

"No…" Train managed to get out between gasps. "No… I don't want you to stop…"

Creed moaned eagerly as he continued his movements against his love once more. Train's fingers were still wrapped tightly around his ass which encouraged Creed to move his groin faster against his Kitten's, his tongue licking Train's neck, his lips sucking frantically against his skin, and his teeth nibbling every inch of the man that he could. He made sure to focus on that side of his beloved's neck, since he knew the other side was ticklish and if he began to make the cat laugh, it might end this glorious moment too soon.

Getting frustrated with the fabric that separated their bodies, Creed slipped his hands down and removed his own boxers. Much to his surprise, Train took this cue to remove his own as well, leaving the two of them fully nude as Creed attached his lips to Train's once more. The silver man licked and nibbled at his lips madly, desperate to make this moment reach the intense levels he had been craving for so long and praying Train would continue to return his feverish attacks. When he felt his Kitten thrust upwards into him again making their bare members brush lightly against each other, Creed let out a loud gasp and pushed harder down into his love.

"Oh, Train…" He said, his hips gyrating uncontrollably against his beloved's, reveling in the feel of the Black Cat cock against his own. "I've missed you so much…"

Train didn't respond with his words, but moved his lips against Creed's neck, feeling his body starting to spark with electricity as he kissed the swordsman's soft skin. The silver man cried out when Train bit into his flesh, then sucked at his skin eagerly, his eletric fingers sliding up Creed's back and to his shoulders. Train pulled Creed closer so their chests pressed against each other and trailed his tongue along the swordsman's neck, up to his ear which he nibbled at gingerly. When Creed tilted his head, Train trailed his sparking lips along the man's neck to his chin, reaching the other side of Creed and continuing his actions against that side of his former lover.

Creed didn't know how he kept his hips moving against Train when he felt his love's lips working wonders against his flesh. It seemed as though his Kitten had learned a few things in his time with Lin, which Creed was now grateful for. Everything Train did to him before felt amazing, but now that he had a bit more experience under his belt, Creed knew his beloved was going to be able to add even more sensational feelings to their love making.

If that's where this is going. It's certainly trending that way…

Wanting to test the waters a bit more, Creed moved his hand lower, allowing his love to continue attacking his neck as he kept one hand locked into Train's chocolate locks. His other hand slipped between Train's legs and gripped his stiff shaft tightly. The Black Cat cried out and spread his legs, then reattached his lips to Creed's neck which still sparked intensely. Creed moaned loudly when he felt Train's teeth dig into his flesh again and moved his hand back and forth slowly. As Train twirled his electric tongue around his neck, Creed moved his hand faster and faster, making sure he worked from the tip of Train's cock to the base.

Train moaned and moved his hands back to Creed's chest and brushed his thumbs against his nipples again. He felt Creed reposition himself slightly so his nipples were closer to Train's mouth, but his hands continued jerking him off eagerly. Train complied to Creed's silent request and moved his lips to the man's nipples instead. He sucked at them intensely, twirling his sparking tongue around the sensitive skin quickly, his body on fire as Creed increased the motions he made against his ever growing cock. When he felt Creed squeeze a little tighter, Train bit down on the man's nipple, earning him a loud gasp followed by a pleasurable moan as Creed moved his hand even faster. Train bit down again, then twirled his electric tongue around the man's hard nipple and gasped when Creed spun his thumb around the tip of his penis.

Creed stopped for a second and moved his hand away from his love, whimpering sadly as Train let out a terribly depressed groan at the absence of his hand. The silver man moved fast, fumbling at the nightstand next to them to pull out the lube he knew was going to be there. Even before they were lovers, Creed made sure to have some in both his and Train's rooms, just in case something sexual ever happened between them. Once his hand was properly lubed up, Creed wrapped his fingers back around his love's cock and continued to jerk him off.

The ache Train felt when Creed moved away was quickly turned back to pleasure as Creed's hand returned and continued its previous motions. As the silver man moved his hand with eager excitement against him, Train cried out and glanced over to see the lub was resting next to his head. The cat grabbed it and greased up his own hand, then threw the bottle aside as he took a tight hold of Creed's throbbing cock. The swordsman gasped loudly and felt his body tremble excitedly as his beloved began working madly against his penis.

"Oh, God, Train…" Creed moaned, moving his body so it rested on the side of Train's, knowing he wasn't going to last long with his Kitten moving so quickly against his member. "Train… It feels so good…"

Train gasped and moaned as well, moving closer to Creed so he could kiss him deeply again. Creed returned the kiss earnestly, his hand still moving against Train's, relishing the feel of his cat's electrified fingers wrapped tightly around his throbbing cock. The men moaned passionately into each other's mouths, their hands never stopping their motions as they both gripped tighter together, moving as fast as they could until neither of them could take any more. With a few more pumps each, they cried out into each other's mouths, exploding onto the hands that gave them each this deep level of pleasure.

Creed caught his breath first and opened his eyes to see Train's panting face. It only took a few seconds for him to get excited again, and he pulled his Kitten's body closer to his own. Train reacted immediately and returned Creed's powerful kiss, wrapping his arms around the man's back as he pushed the cat back onto the bed once more. Train spread his legs again when he felt Creed's hand wandered down his body, outlining every inch of his muscles as they feverishly memorized every inch of the Black Cat.

Creed moved his lips from Train's and to his neck, sucking at the skin there before moving down to his shoulder, then his chest. He sucked and nibbled at Train's nipples, moaning pleasurably at every twitch and gasp his beloved made. He trailed his lips down the rest of Train's body until he reached the man's cock. Creed saw it was getting harder again and he smirked, overjoyed to see Train was ready to continue going even after already cumming. The silver man licked away what remained of his love's semen, then spun his tongue around the tip of his beloved's penis.

Train gasped loudly and gripped at Creed's hair tightly, trying to push the man down onto his cock as he arched his back upwards. "C-Creed…" He moaned quietly, tangling his fingers into the silver man's hair. "Oh, Creed… Keep going…"

Creed smiled and twirled his tongue around Train's tip once more before blowing gently on it. "I almost forgot how good you tasted, Kitten…"

Train felt his heart catch on fire when Creed used his pet name for him. Before he could say anything in response, he cried out again when Creed wrapped his lips tightly around his tip, sucking violently at it as his fingers moved underneath him. Train moaned blissfully when Creed entered one greased finger inside of him slowly, his mouth mimicking the speed of his fingers as it gradually devoured the rest of his cock. Train spread his legs even more, eager to let the man continue as he pushed the back of Creed's head roughly.

"Oh, God, Creed…" He lifted his lower body up slightly so Creed could enter another finger, gasping excitedly as he felt the silver man brushing lightly against the pleasurable spot deep inside him. "Creed… Give me more…"

When Train felt his ex-lover insert another finger, a thrilling shock ran up his back, jolting his eyes wide open as his hands dug deeper into Creed's hair. He arched his back upwards and felt his whole body erupt in a sensational electric flare as he cried out again, unable to control the volume of his voice as Creed seemed to instinctively find his pleasurable spot. With another thrust he felt Creed wiggled his finger a little, which made Train's body shake with desire, but his mind began to fill with guilty thoughts.

Lin… No… No I need to stop. This isn't right. I haven't ended it with Lin yet. I can't do this…

However, when he felt Creed smirk and suck even harder at his penis, twirling his tongue around as he thrust his fingers deeper into him, Train's mind went blank again as his whole body flared with a passionate, electric spark. Creed plunged his fingers in deeply as he increased the speed of his mouth, pushing against his spot over and over as he eagerly devoured Train's hard member. After a few minutes, Creed stopped his mouth's motion, giving his love one more lick as he interrupted the man's beautiful symphony of gasps.

"You are so beautiful, Train…" Creed watched as his beloved's flushed face cried out with each of his motions, the silver man licking his lips longingly as he remembered what it was like to be inside his Kitten. "Your voice is awe-inspiring and you taste better than the sweetest chocolates. Your skin is softer than silk and your flesh is warmer than freshly brewed tea. I've missed feeling you against my finger and lips. I missed how you feel in my mouth and I missed how magnificent your face looks when I give you this immense pleasure."

For emphasis, Creed moved his fingers so they stabbed directly at Train's sensitive spot, causing the cat to scream and throw his head back as he dug his fingers into the mattress beneath them.

"Creed…" He said again in half pleasure, half regret as his body pushed harder into the man's finger as Creed continued poking at the sensitive spot in his ass.

Creed licked Train's penis a few more times before responding to his beloved. "Yes, my love?"

Train gasped and moaned when Creed sucked at the tip of his member again, his fingers moving even faster into his entrance, making it difficult for him to concentrate on speaking to the man giving him indescribable sensation. "Creed… I shouldn't be doing this…"

Creed froze at his love's words, his whole body aching to continue, but unable to if Train didn't want him to. "I love you so much, Train… It hurts so much when you're not near…"

Train felt himself panting, feeling his body throb painfully as it begged for the man to continue, but regret began to wreck his heart. What made everything worse was knowing that he had been the one to start this and even told Creed not to stop the first time he asked. However, as things were beginning to quickly turn to a more intimate encounter, Train felt like he needed to at least try and stop himself.

"I-I know, Creed… It's just…" Train looked down at the man and moaned sadly when he saw the desperate look on Creed's face. "I-I should… Because of Lin…"

Train's body craved for the man to keep going and even felt himself moving himself against Creed's fingers. The swordsman felt Train doing this and moved his fingers again, brushing against his sensitive spot once more as the cat gasped pleasurably.

"Oh, Creed…" He said when he felt his ex-partner latch back onto his cock, now realizing how much better Creed felt than his new lover did.

Creed poked at the spot over and over again, feeling the electricity Train created around his finger, the cat's cock sparking brightly in his mouth. He knew it probably should have hurt, but it seemed like Train was able to control when the electricity hurt and when it was pleasurable. And right now, because he was giving the Black Cat such potent levels of bliss, his Tao abilities were probably reacting to that.

"Train… I love you so much…" Creed said as he pulled his mouth away and gazed yearningly at his beloved. "Please don't make me stop…"

Train shook his head, but continued running his hands along Creed's hair, raising his lower back a little so Creed had more access to his ass. "Creed… This is wrong. I-I can't do this…"

Creed sighed and moved his eyes so they met Train's, pleading with his love to give him a more clear sign of what he actually wanted. He stopped his fingers, but did not remove them as he spoke breathlessly to the only man he ever loved.

"Train… I'll do whatever you want, but I'm so confused. Your mouth is telling me to stop, but your body is begging me to continue. Every time I stop or pull away, you pull me closer or move on your own against me." He looked into his love's eyes, watching as Train bounced his body against his fingers again, his nails digging into his hair lustfully. "Even now, you're gripping my hair tighter and I can feel you moving yourself against my fingers. What do you want, Train?"

Creed moved his fingers in and out of Train again, relishing the moans his love let out as he continued poking his Kitten's pleasurable spot. He rested his head against Train's hard cock, kissing it and feeling chills go down his back as his beloved's penis gave him electric pleasures that gently caressed his cheek. Creed kept his eyes locked onto his cat's, reminding himself this wasn't a dream and Train wasn't just a fantasy.

"If you want me to make love to you, I will. If you want me to stop and never touch you again, I will. Just please… You need to be more firm one way or the other. You're giving me such mixed signals, I don't know what you actually want."

Train gasped with every stab Creed's fingers made at his entrance, his body on fire with want as he gazed lustfully into his ex-lover's eyes. "I-I… I don't know, Creed…" He cried out forcefully when Creed poked directly at his pleasurable spot again, his hands pulling Creed's hair as he ran them longingly through the velvety, silver locks. "This just… Feels too good to stop. It feels better with you than with Lin."

Train felt his body freeze when he said those words out loud, realizing how true they were the moment they left his mouth. He saw Creed smile and knew his former partner heard them loud and clear as he began to move his fingers a bit more vigorously inside him. Creed wrapped his lips around Train's shaft tightly, as if thanking him for admitting that. As if Train's confession gave him more pleasure than any of the touches they were sharing.

He moved his head a few times, then stopped once more to address his beloved. "Then I won't stop, Train. Just tell me what you want. I'll do whatever you want, just tell me." Creed moved his fingers in and out of Train quickly, praying his Kitten would tell him to make love to him. Hoping against hope that his beloved would open up his body to him, even if his heart was still closed.

Train cried out loudly with each thrust Creed's fingers made into him, knowing he was quickly losing the battle against the voice in his head. As he looked down at Creed's bobbing head, feeling his fingers moving in and out of him rapidly, he felt the last of his senses leave him and relaxed his body fully. He pulled Creed off his member, dragging him up so their eyes met and gave him a serious, passionate look.

"Do it, Creed. Make love to me. Right now."

Creed smiled and nodded his head wildly as he grabbed the lube that rested on the end of the bed. He kissed Train deeply again as he greased his penis generously. As he twirled his tongue around Train's, he felt his beloved lifting his lower body up so Creed could slide his cock inside of him. The silver man responded immediately and slowly inserted himself into Train, making sure his motions were slow so as not to hurt his love. As he entered his Kitten slowly, he felt Train's body tense up slightly and pulled away so he could ask his love a question.

"Have you not done it this way in a while?" Creed's voice was sympathetic as he spoke, but could hear his voice shaking with excitement the deeper he got into his Kitten.

Train shook his head. "No. The roles have been reversed for me…"

Creed chuckled, stopping his body as he finally felt the base of his penis hit Train's ass. He brushed his lips against Train's as he spoke, smiling as he nuzzled his face into his love's. "Then you might have to show me your new skills in the future."

Train didn't know how to respond to that since he wasn't sure he was ever going to let this happen again. Right now, he just wanted to get this out of his system to potentially shut up the insistent voice in his head. He was hoping if he had sex with Creed now, the desires to be with him would go away and he could have some time to think about what he wanted to do with himself.

Feelings Creed's throbbing cock inside of him brought out an animalistic side of him and he wrapped his arms underneath Creed's shoulder's, allowing his body to hang a little off the man hovering over him. He moved his legs so they wrapped around Creed's thighs slightly, allowing the man more room to move in and out of him.

"Just shut up and fuck me already, will ya?"

Creed blinked in confusion at his beloved's eager words, then nodded and smirked pervertedly. "Your wish is my command, Kitten."

Creed moved Train up a little so his back was resting against the headboard of the bed and the cat was sitting on his lap. He then placed one hand on Train's lower back, making sure to hold his body still as the other gripped the top of the headboard tightly. Creed kneeled back on his legs, desperate to thrust up into his beloved, but needing to make sure Train was absolutely ready for him.

"Are you ready, Train?"

Train growled in frustration, then nodded his head eagerly. "What did I just say? Stop talking and do it!"

Creed smiled and did as he was told. He thrust in and out of him slowly at first, moaning pleasurably at the tightenness his love's ass still had, reveling in the feel of his cat, intoxicated by the sights, sounds, and sensations Train was giving him. He brushed against the spot again, his motions still slow as he kissed his love on the lips gently, moving his cock in and out of him gleefully.

"Oh, Train, this feels so good…" He moaned, kissing his love again and again, still just simply brushing against the sensitive spot inside of him. "I love you so much… Thank you for letting me be with you again…"

Train gasped with each of the man's thrusts, returning all of Creed's kisses as he gripped tightly at the man's shoulders. "Creed… You feel amazing inside of me…"

Creed didn't know where this new level of dirty talk had come from, but he also knew he was enjoying it. It seemed like Train had decided to let himself go fully, most likely because he probably wasn't sure if he was going to ever let Creed do this again. With that in mind, Creed wanted to make sure to make this night memorable. He brushed against Train's spot a few more times, before poking it gently with his next few thrusts. Creed moaned with his love, poking at it again and again, gently at first as he continued kissing his love's lips frantically.

"Oh, Train… Thank you so much…" He gasped when he felt Train tighten up, then moved a little faster into him, hitting his love's spot with more power and strength. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Train gasped louder with each of the man's thrusts, his fingers digging into Creed's shoulders, threatening to break his skin. "Creed… Creed, faster… Faster…"

Creed followed his love's instructions and plunged deeper into him, gripping his lower back tighter to keep him in one place, poking at his pleasurable spot again and again, crying out as his beloved's ass got even tighter. Train kissed Creed deeply, diving his tongue into the silver man's mouth, then pulled away and bit his lower lip eagerly as Creed increased his speed.

"Harder… Harder, Creed... Faster, Stallion… FASTER!" Train yelled, allowing his carnal side to take over as Creed continued obeying his orders.

Creed's heart lit on fire as Train used his pet name for him. "Yes, my love…"

He moved even faster, stabbing at Train's pleasurable spot with as much force as he could muster, feeling himself ready to explode, but not wanting this moment to end. Chances were this would never happen again, and he wanted to make it last as long as he could. However, he knew Train wanted more, so he continued the speed and velocity of his current thrusts, hoping that would be enough to satisfy his love for a while.

Train cried out again and moved his lips to bite down on Creed's neck. The silver man screamed at the contact, but did not stop the motions his cock was making inside of Train. The Black Cat felt his body begin to spark with electricity again and knew it was having a pleasurable effect on the man fucking him, so he allowed his Tao to take over of a second. Creed shouted again and unknowingly moved even faster and harder into Train, the electricity that surrounded his beloved's making it nearly impossible to keep the semen inside his body.

"Creed!" Train shouted, his nail scratching passionately at the man's shoulders. "Oh, God, Creed! Faster! Harder, my Stallion!"

Creed knew he wasn't going to be able to last much longer, but managed to obey his beloved while keeping himself from bursting before he was ready for the moment to end. As he fucked his Kitten as roughly as Train commanded, he managed to recite a poem to his love, hoping that would make the man he was inside of remember why he was doing this, praying Train still knew how completely and utterly in love with him he was.

"When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state..."

Creed moved himself even faster in and out of Train, attacking the spot inside his beloved knew was giving him intense pleasure, speaking his poetic love to the man that sparked with passion around him.

"And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries. And look upon myself and curse my fate. Wishing me like to one more rich in hope. Featured like him, like him with friends possessed..."

Creed cried out when Train sucked on his neck, shutting his eyes and preventing himself from releasing into his love. This was made harder as Train gasped loudly into his ear and tightened his body even more, sending out a more powerful electric shock that sent a thrilling sensation Creed had never left down his spine.

Despite this, Creed was able to continue his poem, praying Train understood the meaning of it and remembered how much he was loved. "Desiring this man's art and that man's scope. With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising. Haply I think on thee, and then my state..."

Creed felt himself on the brink of exploding and knew Train was there too. His Kitten was still sparking wildly, screaming out into the empty room, allowing the last of his common sense to leave and knew his beloved didn't have a single thought of Lin left in his mind. This gave Creed the strength he needed to continue thrusting in and out of Train even more forcefully, feeling the bed beneath them rocking back and forth violently as the silver man fucked his love to another planet.

"Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven's gate…"

Creed's voice was getting weaker as he spoke, knowing he was going to cum any second, but needing to finish whispering the poem lovingly into his cat's ears. There was a part of him that was also concerned he was going to break the bed or Train was going to set it on fire. With each thrust he made, he found a way to do it faster and harder, knowing his Kitten wanted him to fuck him roughly and quickly. Creed desperately wanted to comply as best he could, however, that only made the bed sway fiercely and Train spark wildly. Their love making was beginning to take a dangerous turn, but neither of them cared since they knew it was going to end soon and it felt too incredible to stop.

Creed gasped and rested his forehead on Train's locking eyes with his love as he continued moving his cock in and out of him forcefully. "...For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings…"

Creed kissed him deeply and felt Train cry out loudly into his mouth, knowing his love had broken the skin on his shoulders and not caring. He plunged his tongue deep into the man and shoved his member as deep inside him as he could, hitting that pleasurable spot over and over again until he knew his love couldn't take it anymore.

Before he knew Train was going to cum, Ceed pulled his lips away and finished his poem. "That then I scorn to change my state with kings…"

Train screamed loudly and felt himself explode onto the silver man's stomach. "CREED!"

Once the last of his semen left his body, Creed thrust in a few more times, feeling his love collapse in his arms and knowing he needed to finish as well. With one more forceful thrust, Creed exploded inside his cat, shouting the man's name as well.

"TRAIN!"

Creed fell on top of his beloved, panting violently as he tried to catch his breath. His penis was still inside of Train, and he found that he didn't want to remove it just yet. He knew that when he did, his time with Train would be over and his love would be in Lin's arms once more. Creed kissed everywhere on Train's neck and face that he could, his heart weeping with the knowledge that he was going to lose Train soon.

"I love you so much, Train…" Creed said between his kisses. "I love you so, so much… Thank you for letting me make love to you again."

Train allowed Creed to kiss him, since it helped him forget how guilty he felt for letting the man do that to him. The only thing that comforted him outside of the silver man's caresses was the fact that he already committed to the idea of ending it with Lin. He was also hoping this meant he would stop having such sexual thoughts about Creed and maybe finally be able to move on from his ex-lover.

"Creed…" He said between gasps of breath, swallowing as the swordsman kissed his collar bone, but refused to remove himself from inside of Train. "Was that Shakespeare?"

Creed chuckled between kisses, then nodded. "Yes. Sonnet 29. That poem is famous for its themes of love and hopelessness. It's about the speaker, initially downcast about fate, but becomes excited when he recalls his beloved."

Train laughed a little as Creed continued his kisses against his body. "Seems fitting…"

"That's why I chose it…" Creed said, but never stopped moving his lips against Train's neck and chest. "Oh, Train, I love you so much. I don't want this moment to ever end…"

Train sighed and ran his fingers through Creed's hair. "I'm sorry, Creed. But it'll have to eventually…"

Creed stopped and cupped each of his love's cheeks, giving him the most pitiful look he could muster. "Will it ever happen again?"

Train stared at the man and frowned. "No."

He wasn't sure of the truth behind that statement, but he knew if he gave Creed anything about a stern no, it would make everything he was going to do the next time he saw Lin harder.

Creed sighed and rested his head against Train's neck, wrapping his arms around his beloved as he kissed him over and over again once more. "Why did you let me do it?"

Train sighed and gently placed his arms around Creed's back, doing his best to comfort the man who spoke with such painful volumes of sadness. "I… I needed to get that out of my system. I needed the closure so I could move on."

Creed whimpered and buried himself further into Train. "So you can be happy with Lin…"

Train shook his head. "No. I can't keep that going either. Not after this."

Creed felt a sudden happiness take him over as he pulled away from Train and stared at him wide eyed. "Are you going to end it with Lin?!"

Train blinked at the silver man as he shook him slightly from excitement. "I can't stay with him after that. I clearly don't have strong enough feelings with him to stay loyal, so I need to end it."

Creed felt himself smile as he cupped each of Train's cheeks again and moved his lips so they brushed against his love's as he spoke. "Does that mean I have another shot to be with you, Train?!"

The cat felt himself blush, but managed to shake his head firmly. "No. I just told you this will never happen again. I just needed closure."

Are you trying to convince yourself, or Creed?

Creed whined sadly, then finally pulled himself out of Train since he had gone almost completely soft by now. "I understand, Train…"

Train sighed as Creed pulled him back down on the bed and snuggled on top of him, wrapping his arms around his neck again as he buried his face deep into his smooth skin. "I'm sorry, Creed. I didn't want to hurt you… Again. Especially on your birthday."

The cat felt his eyes widen at what he said and sat up slightly, the swordsman still clinging tightly to him. "I didn't get to give you your present!"

Creed laughed heartily and pushed his love back down, snuggling into him once more. "Trust me, there's nothing better you can give me after the love making we just shared…"

Train blinked at the man cuddling against him. "You would say that…"

Creed frowned and kissed his beloved's neck again. "Tell you what, let me sleep in the bed with you tonight and pretend I have a shot with you again for just one night and we'll call it even. Deal?"

Train seemed unsure of it, but felt his heart skip several beats as Creed gave him a sweet, desperate, innocent look. He sighed, then smiled. "Deal."

Creed squeed happily and buried himself as far into his love's body as he could. "Thank you, Train…"

The Black Cat rolled over to his side, pulling Creed with him as he wrapped his arms around his ex-partner's back. He pulled Creed against his chest, letting the swordsman snuggling his face into his chest as Train rested his head on top of the man's silky, silver hair. Despite himself, Train smiled and shut his eyes, allowing himself to fall in the same fantasy Creed was in that moment.

"Happy birthday, Creed…" Train felt the urge to kiss the top of his head, and decided to give into that desire, allowing the kiss to linger for a minute as his heart fluttered wildly in his chest. "And thank you for keeping us all safe…"

With that, Train fell asleep, his heart and mind slipping to happy memories he had with Creed, dreaming of what could have been if the silver man never betrayed him.

---

Translations:

(1) "Yes, me too, Train. Sorry, but he's right. If I wasn't here you'd all be dead ten times over."

(2) "You betray me, Creed. And for this, you shall not have cake."

(3) "That's not fair, Train. I'm simply stating facts and you're taking it personally."

(4) "Nope. I'm just going to have to eat it all myself."

(5) "Don't do that. You'll get a stomach ache and then who will cheer me on backstage tonight?"

(6) "You'll have plenty of people there cheering you on. Don't worry about it."

(7) "Don't let him get to you. He's actually really excited about tonight."

(8) "You'll never have a chance in the world."

(9) "You don't have to rub it in…"

(10) "Sorry. Wish I could be of more help to you."

(11) "Beautiful."