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

30. Spoiled Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

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"Does this mean we can leave?!" Train said, hope shining bright in his eyes as he gave Belze a pleading look.

Number II scowled at him. "Why do I feel like you didn't listen to a word I just said?" He sighed when he saw the confused look on the Black Cat's face and covered his eyes with his hand. "Because you didn't..."

Creed giggled lovingly at his Kitten and placed a gentle hand on Train's knee. "Belze only said that they haven't heard from the Apostles. That doesn't mean they aren't still looking for us."

Train frowned and sank into his chair, folding his arms across his chest like a toddler who was told he couldn't open his Christmas present yet. "I'm going to blow my brains out if I'm stuck here for another week."

It had been another five days they had been staying at the mansion, totalling them at a little over two weeks. Creed pouted at his beloved and squeezed his knee gently. "It's okay, Train. I'm sure it'll be safe to leave soon."

Lin, not enjoying the cosy situation Creed was creating with Train, decided to scoot his chair closer to his Sweetness and place a caring hand on his shoulder. "Sephiria knows she can't order you all to stay here. You're not a prisoner. You can leave whenever you want."

Creed looked across his cat at the number with a serious look in his eyes. "That doesn't mean we'll be safe."

Lin stared at him as well, but with more of a glare than a serious look. "Not everyone in this room is fine with keeping Train captive like you…"

Hearing the man's tone of voice brought Train's attention towards him and he cocked an eyebrow at him. "You know that's not what Creed's doing."

Lin frowned at Train, but did not remove his hand, his voice bitter as he spoke. "Sure seems like it…"

Train glanced at Creed who looked like he was a combination of hurt and frustrated, then looked back at Lin who looked was staring at Creed in both anger and jealousy. Train sighed and brushed both of their hands off him and crossed his arms again.

I thought Lin wanted me to be happy. Why is he still so jealous of Creed and trying to make him look bad in front of me?

He was pretty sure he knew the answer to that. Just because he was getting closer to Creed again and had ended his relationship with Lin didn't mean the number wasn't going to try and win him back. His love for Train had not moved even an inch and he was constantly trying to be alone with the cat or recreate as many intimate moments as possible. The hand on his shoulder was just one of the many things Lin tried to do to hopefully bring Train back around.

And I'm sure he thinks I'm going to go back to Creed. It's been getting worse since he caught us in the kitchen and despite what he said after that, I can tell there's a part of him that still hopes he's wrong. He's still clinging to the wish that I don't have feelings for Creed and just need to be alone while I work out my feelings for him.

That was why he believed Lin was trying to make Creed look like he was being possessive again. Train was positive that Lin thought if he could make his ex-partner look crazy enough, he might forget about working through his feelings for the swordsman and concentrate on Lin again. Train knew that wasn't going to happen. He knew Creed wasn't being controlling, he was trying to keep him and everyone else safe.

I also know that he's not going to change my feelings for Creed. I'm beginning to see more and more how I really feel about him, and I don't think there's anything anyone can change about that. Right now, it's just a matter of what I do with those feelings: Move on, or embrace them.

His heart desperately wanted him to embrace them, but his mind would not let him. Every time he began to think about what it would be like to be with Creed again, his brain would immediately go into panic mode and remind him of what happened between them. That's when the night terrors would come back and he was beginning to have even more sleepless nights. That's what kept him from telling Creed he wanted to be with him again. His mind was at war with his heart, and he had no idea who was going to win.

When my head tells my heart no, my heart breaks and I fall into a different kind of depression. Then, when my heart tells me head yes, my brain goes into overdrive and tries to shut my body down, making it impossible to do or think about anything else other than seeing the images of Creed killing Saya.

Belze decided to interrupt Creed and Lin's silent dispute over the Black Cat since he really didn't want to listen to it anymore or get involved in it. "You're both right. Chronos cannot order anyone to stay, but we also can't assure you that it'll be safe if you leave."

Train sat up a little, the hope returning to his defeated eyes. "Then, doesn't that mean we should leave? Weren't we just as unsafe outside of this castle as we were before?"

Jenos sighed and decided to finally enter the conversation. "I don't think that's what Belze or Sephiria are trying to say. It's not that the danger is non-existent, it's that it will be present no matter what and at least if we're here, they don't know where you all are."

Train frowned at Jenos. "I thought you wanted to leave just as much as everyone else?"

Jenos made a large gesture with his hands to show his aggravation. "I am! But I also know that I need to follow my orders and keep you all safe while looking out for any Apostles activity."

Train rolled his eyes. "That's not going to happen if we're purposefully hiding from them…"

Train, Creed, Lin and Jenos were in the conference room with Belze since Number II didn't see the point in including everyone in this. He assumed Creed and Train would fill everyone else in on what they discussed once they were done.

Belze nodded at the cat. "Correct. And we are positive they are still searching for Hearnet and possibly the sweepers specifically and not your music friends."

Creed gave the man a confused look. "How can you be so sure?"

Belze's serious look did not change, but as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, they could all tell he was going to be delivering some pretty bad news. "Because they destroyed your most recent hide-out."

Train blinked and stood up quickly. "WHAT?!"

Belze did not change his stance or look as he addressed the Black Cat. "Yes. It's completely destroyed. I hope that wasn't your only option for a living location."

Creed sat frozen to his seat. "When you say destroyed… Do you mean they pillaged the inside, or…"

Belze looked him in the eyes. "It's gone."

Train felt his body go cold and he sat in the seat heavily, resting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. Lin saw his pain and tried to provide him with physical comfort, but as soon as soon as Train pushed him away, Lin knew his touches were not wanted. All he was permitted to do was frown dejectedly at him, trying to give his sweet love the most sympathetic, cordial look he could.

Creed felt himself growing a bit numb and he knew he was about to ask a really selfish question, but needing to know the answer to it nonetheless. "Was there… Anything that was saved?"

Train heard the emptiness in Creed's voice and raised his head to look at him. He knew he was asking about his piano. He also knew that the quietness of his voice meant he was scared to ask because he knew the answer was most likely going to be bad for him, and Creed also knew it was a selfish feeling to have.

It's not selfish, though. That piano was special to him. It was a gift from Sven which finally proved to him that he didn't hate Creed anymore and wanted to do what he could to help it. IT was also his therapy… This is going to be rough for him.

Belze shook his head. "We didn't check the ashes, but I doubt anything would have survived."

Creed felt himself grow even more numb as the world began to spin around him. "Ashes…?"

When he saw Number II nod again, Creed lowered his head and covered his face, trying to prevent himself from crying or passing out. Train saw this and frowned deeply at his ex-lover, trying to think of what he could say to comfort him.

"Could we… Possibly bring the piano you have here to our new place?" Train offered quietly as he turned to face the silver man.

Creed shook his head. "No. Moving pianos requires professionals. The one at the hideout was electric, which is why Sven and I could do it ourselves. Even with your gravity controlling powers we wouldn't be able to move it without potentially breaking the strings or hammers inside. There's special equipment for that."

Train sighed. "Then we can just hire someone."

Creed laughed bitterly. "I don't think it's smart to send strangers to an old Apostles hideout to move a grand piano to a new sweeper hideout. Besides, chances are it wouldn't even fit. They're huge."

Train's frown deepened. "Then we'll buy you a new one, Creed…"

Seeing his words did not help his friend feel better, Train moved his body so he was sitting on the edge of his seat and closer to the silverette. He leaned forward and cupped Creed's chin in his fingers, then lifted his head up so their eyes met. Train gave his ex-partner the kindest, warmest, most affectionate smile he could possibly give and caressed his chin a little with his thumb.

"We'll work something out, Creed. We know how much that piano means to you and we're not going to leave you high and dry. Trust me…"

Hearing the warm words his beloved said to him, feeling his Kitten's strong fingers holding and caressing his face lovingly, Creed sighed peacefully and felt all his pain and misery leave him within seconds. He could also tell from Train's tone of voice he wasn't necessarily talking about Eve and Sven. While Creed knew they would feel bad for him as well, he didn't know if Sven would be on board with buying him another one. But, he could tell by Train's demeanor and sweet, sentimental words that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure Sven said yes.

And with how stubborn Train is, he'll make it happen. Even if he has to put his own share of money aside for a while, he'll do it… And he'll do it because he cares so deeply about me…

Creed placed both of his hands on Train's strong one and returned his beloved's tender smile. "Thank you, Train… And of course I trust you."

Lin felt his heart shatter at the maudlin moment shared between the ex-lovers and felt his hands twitch and clench into fists to prevent himself from jumping between Creed and Train and wrapping his arms around the Black Cat, demanding they be together again. He felt his breath increasing as he continued watching them give each other the most solicitous looks he had ever seen and bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from speaking jealousy or crying.

Train has never looked at me that way. Not even an ounce of that love he's showing for Creed in his eyes was ever directed at me. And he's never used that tone of voice or spoken such tender words towards me… This is almost unbearable. I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep this up for much longer.

"If it's okay with you… I'd like to move on. I have more than just this meeting to attend to today."

Lin was finally able to tear his eyes away from Creed and Train and towards Number II, relieved that he had said something to break him out of his stupor and separate his Sweetness from the swordsman. Number X watched as Belze waited for everyone to look at him again, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms against his chest.

"I wanted to let you know that before I told you the next thing Sephiria wants to propose to you…"

Creed was pretty sure he knew what the man was going to say and he felt his heart begin to race and grabbed onto Train's arm and leg protectively. "No."

Belze narrowed his eyes at Creed. "You don't even know what I'm going to say yet."

"Yes, but I have a pretty good feeling and the answer is no." Creed said firmly as he held on to Train a little tighter. "Train is not bait."

Train was giving Creed a confused look until he said those last words and suddenly realized what his ex-lover was beginning to work out was most likely Chronos plan.

"Oh." Train said rather dumbly, not really sure what else to say. "What was her plan exactly?"

Seeing Train appeared to be more willing to talk about it than Creed, Belze turned to him instead. "Contrary to what you all have made clear you think our plans are, we actually do not want you to stay here anymore. Again, we cannot control what you do, but Sephiria said it would be in Chronos best interest to tell you that you can leave."

Train cocked an eyebrow at him. "Then why did you make it sound so scary? I mean, you just told us our house was essentially burnt to the ground. What part of that makes us want to leave?"

Belze's seriousness had not changed from the moment he walked it, and it seemed as though it was going to continue on that austere path. "The Elders said to tell you it was safe to leave. Sephiria wanted me to tell you about your hideout."

A lightbulb seemed to click in Train's head and he nodded slowly, a small smile on his face. "So, the Elders wanted you to just tell us to leave in hopes it would draw the Apostles out, but Sephiria wants to make sure we know what we're potentially getting ourselves into."

Belze's face did not change. "I am not at liberty to say. But, I will say you know how Sephiria is."

Train's smile widened and he leaned back in his chair a little. "She's always had a soft spot for her numbers…"

Belze did not like the tone of voice he heard and knew he was implying something of his relationship with her and finally changed his look enough to let the cat know he was about to step into dangerous territory.

Train gave him a cheeky smile and brushed away his expressions. "You can tell Sephiria I understand the danger, but I want to leave anyway. Being trapped inside this mansion for much longer might end up proving more dangerous than leaving and dealing with the Apostles."

Lin turned to Train and frowned. "You don't know how much stronger the Apostles have gotten or how much they might have grown. Chances are their numbers are even higher than what we previously thought which means you won't know what everyone is capable of."

Belze cleared his throat to get Lin's attention and glared at him for a second, as if scolding him for revealing too much information to the Black Cat. When he saw Number X turn away and close his mouth, Number II addressed the gunman.

Seeing Lin shut up, Belze continued. "That actually brings me to my next point. There is a strong possibility that they only destroyed your house to make you come out of hiding. They probably know that's the first place you would check out and they might be ready for you."

Creed was still holding tight to Train, giving Belze a stubborn look as he spoke. "Then we shouldn't go there. They might have a trap set for Train."

Train sighed and looked at his ex-partner. "Why are you so insistent that I can't take care of myself? Christmas night was a fluke. Our guards were down because of the festivities of the day and they simply got the drop on me. That's all. It won't happen again." He smiled at Creed and patted his arm. "Besides, we've all been improving our skills too, remember? Those training rooms have still been in working order and we've been making great use of them in our time away from home."

Creed frowned at his love and shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Like Lin said, we don't know how much they've improved."

Train rolled his eyes. "Same thing could be said for them about us."

Everyone who was capable of fighting had been using the training rooms almost non-stop to prepare themselves for the inevitable fight they knew was coming with Chronos. Sven had even been practicing perfecting his Vision Eye and Eve had taken to giving fighting lessons to the musicians. They weren't looking to join the upcoming battle, but they wanted to know how to at least defend themselves.

Lin and Jenos have been helping with that as well and training with those of us who already know how to fight.

Creed was not convinced and made sure his love knew it. "I assure you, there are more of them than there are of us. They already have the media on their side thanks to Echidna, I'm sure that's brought more people into their fold."

Belze gave Creed a curious look, wondering if the man had come to that conclusion on his own, or if Sephiria was right and Lin was letting them look at any Apostles related documents before he handed it over to Chronos. However, the Apostles had made their messages available for the rest of the world to see and Echidna was in all of them, so it made sense that they would be able to get the media on their side. Along with that, Creed was an incredibly intelligent man, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to believe he figured all that out of his own. However, Belze couldn't discredit what his superior thought might be true.

With all that in mind, Belze decided that was enough information for him to let them know they were right. After all, Sephiria wanted them to be aware of the level of danger they might be stepping into if they agreed to their plan. "That brings me to my next point. We are positive there are new members, however their silence and invisibility has made it impossible to know who those new members are or what their abilities are."

Creed nodded as he clung to Train a little harder. "Which means we can't trust any new people we might meet."

Belze nodded. "Correct. If you choose to leave, which again, we cannot force you to do either, you need to be on your toes."

Train sighed in frustration. "So, no new friends? That's going to make life as a sweeper difficult. You do realize we have to talk to strangers almost on a daily basis in our line of work."

Belze nodded. "Which gives them a perfect opportunity to strike."

Jenos, who had been silent for the most part decided to finally speak again. "No one is telling you to stop doing your job. They're just saying to be careful." He turned and addressed his question at Number II. "What about me? Am I to continue following them as well?"

Belze knew Jenos was asking because he wanted to stay as close to Rinslet as possible, but he knew he was going to upset Number VII with his next words. "No. They already know Number X is following them. If they see you with them as well, they'll know you've been in contact with us and most likely won't trust and moments they see Heartnet out in the open."

"What about Lin?" Jenos asked, a little annoyed. "Don't you think they would figure out they told him and know he would have had to report that to Chronos?"

Belze shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, that is a possibility. However, there is also a possibility that they would realize how stubborn Train and Creed are and could figure they wouldn't say anything to Number X. It's absolutely within the realm of reality that they wouldn't want to get Chronos involved and deal with it themselves. That gives them more reason to strike against the sweepers the first chance they get."

Jenos was still not satisfied and kept pushing his point. "Even knowing what Lin and Train's relationship was?"

Train felt his body freeze and Jenos' words and could taste the awkwardness saturated in the air the moment he said them. He looked at Lin from the corner of his eye and saw the man beginning to sulk at the memory of being with the Black Cat. It was then Train realized how insensitive he was by letting Creed cling to him and decided to gently push his former partner off him. Seeing the sad look in Creed's eyes, Train motioned to Lin with his, which seemed to be enough to settle the swordsman down.

I shouldn't be letting him do that anyway. Even if Lin isn't around. We're not together and I need to stop acting like we are otherwise he's going to get the wrong idea.

Even if Creed knew they weren't together and never would be, Train knew he had been letting his former lover get away with a lot lately in terms of flirting and touching. Lin had noticed it as well and Train tried to make sure to put a stop to it whenever he was around, but he knew if he kept this up, he might be in the same situation with Creed that he was with Lin.

I think that would bother me more than it does with Lin. The idea of breaking Creed's heart a second time and having to watch him give me constant sad, puppy dog looks like when I was with Lin would be too much to bear. It hurts just thinking about it…

Train shook his head, trying to push the thought away so he could focus on Number II. He knew he was probably going to have to have another talk with Creed later about the teasing nature their friendship had seemed to start to take on, but not while Chronos was talking to them. He also was aware he needed to think more deeply into why he continued to let it happen and even enjoyed it when he still refused to be with Creed.

Belze did not pay attention to any of that and instead answered Jenos' question. "Yes. That does not change their stubbornness or urgency to not want Chronos to get involved."

Train rolled his eyes. "Come on, we're not that bad."

Belze narrowed his eyes slightly at him. "You once snuck milk into a disciplinary meeting about your inability to check in after missions or confirm the Chronos meals had been delivered to your apartment. And you did that knowing full well milk was absolutely off limits on a Chronos diet."

Train pouted at him. "But Creed always tried to keep me honest…"

Belze allowed his voice to sound a bit angry as he spoke. "Creed is the one that brought you the milk in the first place."

Train glanced at Creed who was blushing and looking away, then turned back to Belze. "You can't prove that…"

Belze rolled his eyes and sighed. "Be quiet and trust us on this. Both scenarios are possible. Either they believe you did not contact Chronos and attacked your hideout to lure you out, or they believe you did contact Chronos and destroyed your home to try and kill you as soon as possible. Either way, we believe they will be making a lot of movement soon."

Train nodded. "Right, I understand. So, Chronos wants us to reveal ourselves, correct?"

Belze nodded. "Yes, but again-"

"-Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can't tell us what to do. You're starting to talk in circles, we don't need a reminder." Train smirked at Number II's angry look at being interrupted. "Like I said before. If we stay here much longer, I'm going to throw myself off the roof. I at least need to do a sweep again before I totally lose my mind."

"Train…" Creed said quietly, patting his knee in a way that Lin could not see. "Are you sure…? We don't know who they're going to send at us… And we don't know what they'll be capable of…"

Train gave him a perky smile as he nodded. "I'm sure, Creed. I want to leave. And I know I'm not the only one."

"I assume it's okay for the musicians to leave, correct?" Lin added, trying to make sure his voice was heard before another loving moment was created between Creed and Train. "You're confident they aren't after them?"

Belze shook his head. "We can never be confident about anything, but we can say it is safer for them than it is for Heartnet and the sweepers. However, we will still be sure to have surveillance and security following them. To keep them safe."

"And to see if the Apostles show up around them…" Creed added a bit sourly. "They're not going to like it…"

Belze glared at the man. "And they won't know if you don't tell them."

Creed narrowed his eyes slightly at the number. "They're smarter than they look."

Train, sensing the animosity beginning to rise between them, stepped in by patting Creed's back playfully. "Chill out, Creed. Like he said, it's for their safety. Even if they figure it out, they'll have to get over it at least for now. I'm all about being free, but they won't be able to live freely if they're killed or kidnapped because of it. Besides, would you really be able to forgive yourself if something happened to them because of us?"

Creed sighed and shook his head. "No… But I also worry they will blame me for losing their privacy."

Train smiled warmly at him and squeezed his shoulder quickly before retreating his hand. "It's only temporary, Creed. The Apostles will be dealt with soon."

Belze watched as Train winked at him and cocked his eyebrow slightly. He kept Sephiria's words in mind and wondered if the Black Cat was hinting at their true intentions with the Taoist group. They both agreed neither Creed nor Train showed signs of rejoining them, but they also believed they might intend to bring them down on their own. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with that, but if they had a common goal, Sephiria wanted to know. But, Belze knew they would never tell him.

Number II stood and addressed the room. "If there's nothing else on your end, I have nothing more to say." He turned to Jenos. "If they choose to leave, you are to report back to headquarters immediately for your next orders."

Jenos sighed sadly, but nodded his head nonetheless. "Understood…"

"What about me?" Lin asked quietly, as if he was scared of the answer. "What are my orders?"

Belze frowned at him, knowing the shorter man wanted nothing more than to stay with the Black Cat, but also knowing that whether he stayed or left his heart would still be in pain. "They are the same as they have been. Keep an eye on Diskenth and work with the sweepers on their missions to obtain any information on the Apostles. Whether they choose to stay or leave, you are to remain with them."

Lin sighed in relief and nodded his head. "Understood."

Belze watched him for a second to make sure he really did understand, then nodded his head and left the room quickly, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. As soon as he left the room, Jenos stood up and pointed a finger at Train.

"You better keep me in the loop about Rins. If anything happens to her, I won't forgive you…" He turned to Creed as well. "You either."

Creed frowned. "She's our friend, you know… We don't want anything to happen to her any more than you do."

Jenos glared at him. "It's not the same and you know it."

Creed sighed and nodded his head. Train, on the other hand, was a little annoyed at the man's lack of faith in them and spoke to Number VII in a stern tone. "And just how are we going to keep you in the loop? It's not like we can contact you with sensitive information whenever we want."

"I can." Lin said as he stood, ready to leave the room as well. "I'll let you know if anything happens to her. We've become friends as well and I don't want her to get hurt either."

Jenos thought about that for a second, then nodded his head. "Thank you."

Lin smiled at him, then turned to Train with a longing, heartbroken look in his eyes. "So… I assume we will be leaving?"

Train nodded. "Yeah. But we're going to have to pack up whatever supplies we can here. Including clothes. Sounds like we lost everything…" He grabbed Creed's knee under the table to comfort him, making sure Lin did not see it.

Creed was about to start brooding again, but when he felt his beloved's hand squeeze his knee, he was able to stay in reality with the rest of the people in the room. "I don't know if Eve is going to like that she needs to keep wearing Leon's clothes."

Train laughed loudly. "We were the only lucky ones. At least we already had clothes here."

Creed laughed with his beloved. "But I'm sure you don't like Sven wearing your clothes."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, he had the choice of yours or Durham's. He chose mine."

"Yeah, because mine were too elaborate and Durham's were just all tattered, dirty rags. I don't think he had much else of a choice. Shiki and Maro's wouldn't fit." Creed turned his smirk to Jenos. "And I know Rinslet has been dying in Echidna's dresses."

Jenos smiled cheekily and nodded his head. "Yes, but I'm not complaining. Did that woman just walk around half naked all the time?"

"Pretty much." Train said through his laughter. "Tell Rins I think it suits her. It'll drive her crazy."

Jenos nodded and walked towards the door. "I know it will, so I will." With that, he waved and left the room.

Train smiled at the door, then noticed Lin was feeling a bit left out of the conversation and patted his back kindly. "Just be grateful you and Jenos had clothes brought to you. You don't have to worry about wearing someone else's clothes."

Lin smiled sadly at him and nodded. "I don't think anyone else's would have fit me. I'm too small for yours and Creed's and too big for Shiki or Leon's. I really did luck out."

Creed smiled. "I've found it strange that Aimee chose to wear Shiki's. Although, it's quite entertaining to see her wrapped in his long robes and jackets."

"Anastasia has been sharing Leon's clothes with Eve, right?" Seeing Creed's nod, Train thought about that for a second. "I think Maro's have been the only clothes not used… Even Dae is using Echidna's and Francisco is switching between everyone's."

Creed giggled. "Maro's clothes wouldn't have fit anyone."

Train nodded. "And I certainly don't want to see anyone walking around in a diaper."

Lin giggled and felt himself beginning to smile a bit more genuinely despite how sad he still was over seeing the man he loved flirt quite openly with someone else.

Even if Train isn't aware he's doing it, it's still happening and it still hurts. I hope I'm wrong about his feelings for Creed and what he wants from him, but… I can't shake the feeling that I'm not. Still, I can dream, right? Maybe I can keep reminding him of what Creed did to him and he'll realize he can be happy with me if he just gives me another chance.

Lin let out a blissful sigh upon seeing his sweet cat's bright smile and nodded. "Agreed." He walked to the door as well, giving Train another longing look as he spoke. "Let me know when you plan on leaving. I'll tell everyone else to pack their things since I assume it will be soon."

Train thought about his words for a second, then glanced at Creed. "I'm sure they'll be happy to hear the good news… But maybe we shouldn't leave today."

Creed blinked at him. "What do you mean, Train?"

Train turned his body so he could look between the two of them, speaking to them both since he wanted their opinions on what he was about to say. "Belze has a point. What if the destruction of our house was just to lure us out? What if it is a trap?"

Creed nodded in understanding. "You're saying we should set up our own plan in case we're ambushed?"

Train nodded. "Correct. It just seems like the smart thing to do, right?"

Creed smirked and leaned back in his chair, eying his love up and down. "Since when do you come up with plans?"

Train glared at him. "I'm not stupid. I know a potential trap when I see one and I don't want to go walking into it."

Creed laughed at his beloved. "That never stopped you before. I've had to cover you from so many easily avoidable traps over the many years just because you didn't want to stop for two second to make a plan. I have the scars and heart attack records to prove it. What makes this different?"

Train gave his ex-partner a lugubrious look as he spoke. "You told me a few days ago that you allowed yourself to be tortured on purpose so I wouldn't fall for a trap. I'm not letting something like that happen again." Train saw the sad look Creed gave him and changed his express to give him his trademark cheeky smile. "And now, it's more than just your and my ass on the line. I know I can take care of myself and I know you can as well and while the others can handle themselves to an extent, they aren't really a match for Chronos."

"That didn't matter when we broke into the Apostles castle to get Creed." Lin butted in, hoping that would get Train's attention on him so he would stop giving Creed that look that broke his heart. "What made you stop to make a plan then?"

Train looked at him and turned his smile to a warm one. "You did, remember? You weren't willing to let me put my life on the line and insisted we come up with a plan. If it wasn't for that, I might have not been able to rescue Creed or make it out alive." Seeing the brightness begin to return to the man's eyes, Train finished his sentence. "Besides, the plan I did have back then wasn't to get anyone else involved other than Creed and myself. And as I said before, we can handle ourselves."

I'm not going to mention Sven wanted to come up with a plan as well back then since I'm hoping this helps him feel better and realize he isn't invisible to me.

"Except back then, I needed you all…" Creed said a bit wistfully, then turned to look at Number X. "Thank you for helping back then, Lin. I know you had no reason to help other than Train, but it really means a lot to me and I want you to know I appreciate what you did for me."

Lin frowned at him, not sure why Creed was going out of his way to voice his appreciation for something that happened so long ago. "I didn't do it for you…"

Creed smiled. "I know. And I understand. Still, thank you. I owe you."

Lin wanted to say he could make it up to him by leaving and letting him have Train again, but he knew that wasn't right. Instead, he did his best to smile, then glanced at Train and left the room. As much as he hated leaving the two of them alone, he knew he couldn't keep clinging to Train. If he thought he ever had a shot again, he needed to give his Sweetness space to figure out his feelings.

When he left, Creed sighed at the closed door. "I think that's the most friendly we've ever been."

Train eyed his friend wearily. "That's good though, isn't it?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "I guess, but I'm sure it was only a show for you."

The cat sighed and stood up. "Even if it is, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Just keep being nice to him."

Creed smiled lovingly at his Kitten, then stood and walked to the door with him. "You know I will, Train. I'll do anything for you."

Train rolled his eyes and opened the door. "You don't need to keep reminding me of that."

Creed smirked at him. "You like it, don't even try to pretend."

Train blushed and looked away from the man as they walked down the hallway. "I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth."

Creed giggled and smiled at his beloved. "Anything for you, Train…"

"What did I just say?!"

Creed dodged a slap from Train, then pushed him away and ran down the hall. Train smirked and ran after his friend, feeling sentimental as he chased the man around the mansion just as they used to when they lived there together. He knew he probably shouldn't be enjoying this playful moment with the man, especially after scolding himself for being too affectionate with Creed, but he also couldn't help himself.

I need to listen to my heart, right? Besides, if Saya were here, she'd be joining us.

With that thought in mind, he felt free to chase after Creed and try to pin him down, laughing each time the silver man avoided his tackles and returned a playful attack of his own. It had been a long time since he felt this happy, and he wasn't ready to give it up just yet.

---

Train was sitting on top of a tree, staring down at the remains of their house, his heart filling with rage and relief. While he was angry at what the Apostles had done to their home, he was grateful no one was there when it happened. However, he also knew that was probably why they did it. It looked like it was caused by a fire and Train was confident they wouldn't try to take them down with something as simple as a house fire.

They knew we'd be able to get out of that without a problem. This reeks of a trap.

He heard someone landing gently and quietly on the branch next to him and didn't need to look over to know who it was. "Did Anastasia and everyone else get back to their homes okay?"

Creed nodded. "Yes. And I checked all their houses and the music school for traps. Nothing was there. Although, it looks like Anastasia may have a new student."

Train gave him a confused look. "Why does that matter?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't. She and her family tried to contact her a few days ago, but couldn't track us down. They left a note explaining she's an oboe player and I've always been fascinated by the oboe. I wanted to talk to her, but I didn't get the chance."

Train smirked. "Trying to get to know you future students?"

Creed pouted at his love. "Can we not mention that right now? I don't want to think about that… Especially knowing at what cost it will come with."

The night Creed found out Anastasia was leaving the school for him after she passed, he immediately told Train. He didn't know how to take the news and Train was the only person he felt comfortable enough with to express how he felt. It was hard for the cat to talk to the swordsman about that particular subject since he knew something about the woman's health that Creed didn't and Anastasia made him promise not to tell him.

Seriously, it's really not fair. Creed has gone out of his way to tell me every little thing and this is something huge I'm sitting on and can't tell him…

Train frowned at his friend and nodded. "Understood. We need to concentrate anyway." Wanting to make Creed smile, he gave the man a playful smirk as he spoke his next words. "Besides, you're going to have to outlive her anyway. That might not be much longer if we fall for the Apostles' trap."

I probably shouldn't have said that. I know he'll know I'm kidding and my joking always makes him happy, but I feel like I'm just lying to him now. While I have a good reason, it doesn't make me feel good. But… I have to. For Anastasia.

Creed smiled back at his love, grateful Train was trying to make him feel better. "Anastasia said something similar."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not surprised. We're pretty similar."

Creed nodded and sighed fondly at his beloved. "Yes, you are. But no one can ever entirely replicate your brilliance."

Train felt himself blush and his heart skipped a beat at the loving tone Creed spoke to him in, but he was able to ignore it in favor of what they were doing. "You ready?"

Creed nodded. "Is everyone else in position?"

"Almost. Still waiting for the go ahead signal from Lin." Train said, then frowned as he thought about what they were going to do. "Do you really think this'll work?"

Creed smiled at his Kitten. "Even if it doesn't, we already know Lin is going to call for Chronos backup. I wouldn't be surprised if a few numbers are already here. In fact..." He glanced over at another tree and smirked. "I'm pretty sure Baldor is already here."

Train frowned at his ex-partner, then followed his gaze to where Creed was looking and snickered. "Why would they send one of their biggest, loudest numbers for a mission that they want to be sneaky and quiet?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's also one of their strongest. Kranz is probably here as well."

Train felt his heart sink a little. "Do you think Lin told them we were planning something?"

Creed heard his love's anxiety and shook his head violently to make sure he saw it. "No, absolutely not. Sephiria is smart enough to realize we would come up with something. Lin might have known and didn't say anything, but he wouldn't tell them we had a plan."

Train sighed. "What makes you so sure?"

Creed smiled warmly at his cat. "Because he loves you, Train. And if anyone knows the power you have over someone's heart, it's me." Seeing Train relax a little, he added a bit more just to ease his beloved's mind. "I also don't think he would tell us about Chronos' plan. He still works for them, after all, and he's left them in the dark enough with what information he's given us."

Train flinched a little out of guilt. "I haven't told him we plan on going after the Apostles, yet… And I'm still not sure I will."

Creed tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I figure the less he knows about what we're planning, the less of a chance he has to get in trouble with Chronos. I know he wouldn't tell them anything I plan on doing just like I'm sure he hasn't told them we've been looking at the documents, and he can get in enough trouble for that. At least if he doesn't know the real reason why we want to see the documents, he can play ignorant for a bit and hopefully spare him any harsh punishments."

Creed nodded in understanding, a little hurt to hear how much his Kitten cared about Number X, but knowing now wasn't the time nor place to voice his pain. "What would you do if Chronos did try to punish him?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "That would probably depend on what the punishment was. If it was just him being locked up for a bit, I would do whatever I could to make him forgive me and know how sorry I was when he got out."

Creed swallowed a nervous sound he was about to make. "I think we all know what he would ask for…"

Train brushed away his words. "Whatever, I'd figure something else out. However, if Chronos was going to give him a more severe punishment… I might break him out of there and hide him, or knock him out and make sure he doesn't go back to headquarters and keep him hidden."

Creed held back a whimper, his heart breaking a little at the serious tone Train used. He could tell by the way his beloved spoke that he meant what he said and Creed couldn't ignore how similar that situation was to the situation he was currently in. The difference was Train wasn't hiding him. He had to do a lot of soul searching and convincing of Sephiria to leave Creed alone, but if his Kitten ever hid Lin, that meant they would have to be on the run from another organization.

And if that's the case, that means he does care for Lin more than I realized. That… That really worries me...

It was still clear Train didn't love Lin and he most certainly had more than just friendly feelings towards Creed, but that sentiment from his love meant that maybe there was a chance of his cat falling for another man. If that was the case, Creed would have to go through that same heartache all over again and lose his beloved for a second time.

If that happens then it happens, but… I can enjoy the attention he's giving me right now at least, right?

"But, before I did any of that, I would make sure Chronos knew it was all my fault. I would make sure they didn't put any blame on Lin and I would take whatever punishment they'd have to give me." Train made sure to speak quickly since he saw the sadness and hurt in Creed's face.

Creed gave him a slightly panicked look. "You can't do that, Train. You know what they'd most likely do."

Train shook his head and gave him a cheeky smile. "If Sephiria convinced them not to kill me or you before, she can do it again. Especially since all I was doing was taking advantage of one of their numbers' feelings for me. That's a shitty thing to do, but not something worth killing us over."

Creed smiled a little at Train's use of words. His love made sure to mention him in this idea since he knew Creed would never let him do that alone and he was right. If Train tried to throw his head on the tracks to save Lin, Creed would jump in front of the oncoming train and attempt to stop it with his bare hands. He would do that and more to keep his beloved safe.

"You know I'll always have your back, Train…"

Train smiled warmly at him then turned to see a flash of light obstructing his vision for a split second. Knowing that Lin was trying to get his attention to let him know he was ready, Train looked back at Creed one more time, then nodded his head.

"I'm jumping down." He gave his friend a small wave and another cheeky smile. "See you soon."

With that, Train leapt quietly out of the tree that landed a few yards away. The plan was for Train to approach on his own to try and lure the Apostles out. While he was uncertain of how good the plan was, he did agree that it made sense he would be the first to show up and it was within his character to go alone. Train had a habit of acting like the hero in every situation and also hated being stuck in one place for a long time. The idea that he would run off on his own to pay a visit to their own home despite how dangerous it was to go out alone wasn't far off from something he would do.

And something I thought about doing while we were locked away in that castle… And something I've done before in the past. No one can keep this cat locked up.

Train walked towards the remains of their house, making sure to ignore all the locations he knew his friends were and concentrated on the pile of rubble. As he approached, he couldn't help the furor and despondency he felt at seeing up close what the Apostles had done to them. Chronos had apparently not bothered to clean it up at all, but Train knew that was probably because they didn't want to mess with a potential crime scene.

They pretty much control all the police in every city. Chances are they told them to back off and let Chronos handle it. Ironic that they believe this could be a trap set up by the Apostles, but Chronos is using it as a trap to engage the Apostles.

As much as Train hated being used as bait, he was glad it was him instead of anyone else. Even if it was Creed, he would have had a hard time going through with the plan. He was sure Creed would do it as well, especially if that meant keeping him and their friends safe, but the idea of anyone other than him putting their head in the beast's mouth didn't sit well with him.

The closer he got to the house, the worse shape he realized it was in and frowned even deeper. Once he reached the remains, he stood in front of them for a second, then stepped over a bit of rubble to get a better look. He walked around the outline of where the house used to be, remembering what each room held, stopping where the kitchen used to be and stood in front of the fridge. Noticing it was burnt and black, but still standing, Train decided to try and open it. As soon as he did, the door fell off and to the floor, making him jump back a little and watch it land gracelessly.

He gave the broken object a strange look, then peaked inside to see everything had spoiled or melted. The racks were completely gone and it was utterly black on the inside. Scanning the object, Train tried to look for the remains of his precious milk and narrowed his eyes when he saw none.

Now they've gone too far!

Train growled and left the kitchen, then turned to look in the direction he knew Creed's room was in. Seeing a particularly large pile of rubble, he felt his heart skip a beat and quickly made his way over to it. He was praying that the lump he saw was going to be what he thought it was and ran a bit faster. Once he got there, he shoved off the debris that was on top of the object, then sighed in frustration when he saw the condition of the instrument. Similar to the fridge, it looked as though it was intact, but the keys were either burnt off or melted and the back of it was completely gone. It looked like the electrical wires that made it work had exploded and left half of it completely gone.

The cat frowned deeply and knelt next to the instrument, fingering it delicately as it slowly fell apart from his touch. "Sorry, Creed… Looks like we're going to just have to buy you a new one…"

"Or, you and Creed could come back with us and we'll make sure there's one waiting for him."

Train turned around at the familiar voice, his body sparking with electricity as he reached for his gun and stared Charden straight in the eyes. The Blood Taoist smiled kindly at him, then bowed politely at the black Cat.

"Long time no see, Black Cat. How long has it been since you revealed yourself again after leaving us? A year?" Charden's voice was calm as always, his pale face smiling cordially at him, as if they were old friends.

Train narrowed his eyes at the man, but did not change his fighting stance. "What do you want?"

Charden chuckled lightly and stood up straight. "Doctor is desperate to have you back. Almost as desperate as Creed once was, but I think we knew their intentions with you are far different."

Train tightened his glare and moved his hand a little closer to Hades. "If Creed's reason wasn't good enough to bring me back, then what makes you think that a sick scientist will have a better shot?"

Charden put his hands up defensively and shook his head. "I'll admit, the first time around was a weak idea. Poor planning on my part."

Train cocked an eyebrow at him. "So… Doctor was acting on your orders?"

Charden nodded in embarrassment. "Not my best idea and yes, he did take some liberties, but the plan was indeed mine. I guess I shouldn't be surprised it didn't work."

Train was unconvinced and made sure the man knew it. "That's a real messy plan for someone as smart as you… What's wrong? Finding it hard to lead a bunch of psychopaths efficiently?"

Charden laughed again and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like either you or Creed left a manual on how to do it. We're sort of making it up as we go along."

"Yeah, seems like you're struggling to take down Chronos. Looks like the most you've done is make more videos." Train made sure to keep his eyes moving from between Charden to everywhere around him.

He wasn't going to give the signal for anyone to jump out an attack until he felt like he needed it. Train knew Echidna wouldn't be far behind Charden and once the woman made her appearance, he was going to let everyone else know it was the time. However, he had a feeling Lin and Creed might not wait that long, so he wanted to talk fast before either of the men came out to protect him unnecessarily.

"Well, we had to do something after you two left. It's hard recruiting powerful members when they know the Black Cat is no longer part of the fold." Charden noticed the gunman's alerted stance, but made sure his face did not show any signs of his observation.

Train smirked. "What's wrong? Is Echidna's fanbase not as strong as you might have thought?"

Charden waved his words away. "Quite the contrary. They've proven quite useful. Though they may not be as strong as your followers, they are diligent and faithful. They'll do anything for the actress they adore."

Train wasn't sure if he was lying about recruiting weaker members so he could underestimate them, but he wasn't going to take chances. "Getting a lot of human meat shields for the cause?"

Charden did his best to look offended. "You should know me better than that, Black Cat. I'm not like Creed or Doctor. I wouldn't use people for my own personal gain."

Train scowled at the man for making assumptions about Creed. "Creed's different… He wouldn't do that again…"

Chardon smirked at him. "Are you sure? What makes you think he's changed so much?"

Train shook his head. "We're not getting into that. What Creed has become is none of your business."

Charden sighed and took his glasses off to clean them, allowing Train to see his eyes for the first time. "Tell me… What is your and Creed's intention with the Apostles?"

Train needed to tread lightly. Not only was Lin listening, but Baldor as well and he knew outright telling Charden they planned on taking them down was also not a good idea. Instead, he decided to keep it short and sweet, making his point and being sure to keep those that were in the dark stayed in the dark.

"Not to rejoin. We're living freely now."

Charden nodded and put his glasses back on his face. "A wayward cat and his steed? Somehow seems fitting."

Train moved his hand a little closer to his gun, making sure his body was still sparking. "Does that mean you'll leave us alone?"

Charden laughed again, a bit louder this time as he addressed the gunman. "We both know I can't do that and you know why. However, even if we did decide to leave you alone, I have a feeling you'll be dealing with Doctor for the rest of your life."

Train rolled his eyes. "Why do I always attract the freaks?"

Charden shrugged his shoulders. "They feel a commonality with you."

Train was silent for a minute, then finally decided to address the elephant in the room. "You alone?"

Charden's smirk turned a bit more devious. "What do you think?"

Train's ears perked when he heard a portal open behind him and immediately turned around and grabbed Echidna's wrist, causing her to shoot her gun in the air. Their eyes locked for a second, Train's body sparking with electricity and causing the woman to cry out as he pulled her wrist away and disappeared back into her black hole. Train heard Charden making a move as well and rolled out of the way of his blood attack, spinning around so he could face the man just in time to fling himself in the air, avoiding another powerful shot that was aimed at his head.

Train allowed himself to hover in the air, smirking down at the leader of the Apostles and his partner who had appeared from a portal next to him. "Aww, you two look so cute together!"

Before Train could make any other witty remarks, he flew himself to the side, dodging a swarm of bees Shiki sent at him. The cat spun around in the air and shot a blast of ice at them, freezing them all in place as he watched them fall to the ground. He glanced over and saw Shiki glaring at him and launching a seal towards his chest which Train shot at and laughed as it exploded from the electrical bullet he sent at it.

"Really? All this time you've been apart and you still haven't figured out how to catch me with your bugs? At this point it's just sad."

"Don't you know cats belong on the ground?!"

Train was about to turn and look down at Maro, but found that impossible as the man had already taken a hold of him with his gravitational pull. The gunman's body suddenly felt heavy as his arms pinned together and he fell quickly to the ground. As he picked up speed, he cursed silently and readied a lightning attack, but saw Creed jumping out of the tree and slicing at the air towards Marom with his blade. The large Taoist leapt backwards and screamed as the tip of Creed's blade made contact with his body, causing a shallow cut to bleed against his obsese stomach.

Just before Train hit the ground, he felt something slide underneath him. As he landed softly on the silky object, the cat blinked and looked down, noticing it was the cloak Lin used in battle. Train frowned and looked up to yell at the man, but was cut off as Number X ran forward, jumped onto his floating cloak, and wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug and breathing heavily, as if he was scared something that almost happened.

Lin pulled away and grabbed either side of Train's face, his eyes bright with fear as he spoke shakily to the man he loved. "Are you okay?!"

Train rolled his eyes and pushed the number off him. "I'm fine! Jeez, you and Creed couldn't wait five more minutes?! I had everything under control."

Lin shook his head and wrapped his arms around Train's neck again, burying his face deep into his shoulder and neck. "You weren't in as much control as you thought! Look under us!"

Train blinked then did as he was told and made a distrubed sound. Echidna had set up a portal where he was going to fall, and he realized that he almost fell for a really obvious trap. While they now knew for sure they had set up this whole thing to lure Train out, that moment made it absolutely clear what their goals were with this encounter.

She must have set it up while I was messing around with Maro and Shiki. Creed's right, I need to pay more attention in fights. No matter how confident I feel.

Feeling the man holding him shaking in anguish, Train frowned and patted Lin's back kindly. "I'm okay, Lin. Don't you see that I'm still here?"

"But you almost weren't! Please pay attention next time." He squeezed Train a little tight and buried his face further into his neck. "I don't know what I'll do if they get you…"

The cat looked down at Number X sadly, then finally pushed him away and pinched his cheek. "That won't happen. I promise."

Lin felt himself getting lost in Train' eyes, but was quickly thrown out of it as the gunman wrapped his arm around his waist and jumped out of the way of another blood blast from Charden. Train quickly let Lin go, much to the number's dismay, but realized immediately it wasn't worth being upset for long since he had to pull his cloak away and block both him and his Sweetness from another blood attack.

Lin turned to make sure Train was okay, but noticed he was already jumping back in the air, shooting another seal out of the sky as he flung himself over to where Creed was fighting Maro and Echidna. Lin felt his heart break a little, but didn't have time to address his heartache as he had to fling his cloak in another direction to block a shot from Durham. Lin looked over his shoulder and the bird beaked man and rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, are you the best they could do after Train left? This doesn't even seem like a fair fight."

Durham growled and launched another series of attacks at him which Number X was able to easily block and dodge. Lin then flicked his cloak towards the man, slicing his arm open as he jumped then twirled to the side to avoid another barrage of bullets. He felt a burst of heat from above him and looked up to see Kyoko had jumped out of her position as well and burnt up a swarm of wasps and seals Shiki had launched down at him. He nodded in gratitude at her, then gestured for her to take over with Durham while he went after Shiki. Lin knew the gunman was a far easier opponent to take on than the bug Taoist, so he wanted to leave the smaller prey for her.

I want to keep an eye on Train anyway and I have a feeling their strongest members are going to be going after him.

As Lin began his assault against Shiki, he glanced over and watched as Train and Creed took on Maro, Echidna, and Charden on their own. Just as he was about to abandon his fight and help his sweet love, he saw Baldor and Kranz finally make their appearance and began an all out assault on Charden. Their attacks caused Echidna to leave the fight with the former Apostles leaders as well as she went to assist her lover take on Chronos.

Lin breathed a sigh of relief when he realized Train wasn't going to have to take on the woman who was the best way to capture him, then turned back to his battle with Shiki and gasped in shock. Floating above him were two versions of the short Taoist, leading Lin to believe the talking monkey had joined the fray.

"Out of all the beautiful people here you could impersonate, you choose the gremlin who refuses to reveal his face?" Lin smirked at Eathes as he spoke, easily able to tell the two apart. Their personalities were completely different which made it hard for the monkey to fully disguise himself as the short Taoist.

The Shiki that was Eathes laughed, then slowly began to change his form. He lowered himself to the ground and Lin watched his height and hair changed. The Taoist suddenly became much taller and his hair turned into messy, dark brown locks that framed slightly tanned skin playfully. Lin watched as his eyes turned into golden ones that always set Number X's heart on fire and froze at the copy of Train he saw standing before him.

"Would you rather I take the shape of the man who stole your heart?" Eathes licked his lips that were now the Black Cat's and widened his smirk. "Seems fitting to be killed by the man that is already constantly hurting you."

Lin clenched his fists then jumped out of the way of an attack thrown at him from both Shiki and the Train copy. He cursed quietly to himself as he sliced a seal in half that nearly hit him in the face. He realized that he was getting too distracted by the sudden change of the monkey's appearance and found himself having a hard time concentrating any attacks on the transforming Taoist. He knew it wasn't truly Train, but he loved the Black Cat too much to even harm something that looked like him. As he defended himself and dodged attacks, he tried to get himself to get over it, praying his feelings wouldn't get the better of him in his fight.

Eve had entered the fight around the time Chronos did and she looked down to notice Lin taking on Shiki and what looked to be Train. She frowned then glanced over at the Train that was fighting alongside Creed and put the pieces together immediately. She remembered there was a Taoist that was able to change his form to be anyone and knew he was using Lin's feelings for Train to distract him.

The girl flew to the side to avoid an attack from Leon, then glared at him as she launched herself to the ground. Just as the boy was about to follow after her, he heard Maro call out to him and turned his attention that way.

"Would you forget the blonde bio-girl and help me pin the cat down?!" Maro lost his hold on Train as Creed had snuck behind him and made a slice at his back.

Train laughed at the man's words as he created a whirlwind tunnel to surround him, enjoying the look on the large man's face as he spun in the air. Train dropped him unceremoniously and threw himself up in the air and over the downed Taoist, landing next to Creed who had been watching him during this attack. Train smirked at the man's idolizing smile, then yelped as he grabbed Creed's wrist and made them both jump backwards, narrowly avoiding an air blast attack Leon sent at them.

Train frowned and looked up at the boy, still holding on to Creed's wrist as he turned to his ex-partner to ask him a question. "Did you feel a breeze, Creed? I wasn't expecting a storm today."

Creed smirked at his love, swooning inwardly at the feel of his Kitten's hand still holding his wrist. "No… But I do see an overcast in the sky…"

Train smirked back at his friend, his eyes glowing with a bright blue as he sparked his whole body with electricity. He let go of Creed so he wouldn't hurt him and slowly levitated himself in the air, making sure he met the same level as the boy who had attempted to attack them. Thunder could be heard in the background as he crossed his arms across his chest and addressed the boy in front of him. He knew he must have looked pretty menacing, since he could see his hair brushing against his eyes, his chocolate locks sparking frantically as his amber orbs glowed with a bright blue.

"You know, I really don't like hurting children… So if you don't mind, I'd rather you left the fight."

Train shoved his hand forward, pushing the boy back as far as he could with a blast of electric air. Leon shouted out as he flew through the sky, fading off into the distance to the point where the Black Cat could no longer see him. Once he was out of sight, Train nodded and turned back to the sumo Taoist below. He smirked when he saw Creed holding his own and decided to turn his attention back to Charden, Echidna, and Chronos. Seeing they also seemed to have it under control, he sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"Who the hell needs my help?!" Train shouted in the air, hoping he could make use of himself somewhere.

"OY, TRAIN! OVER HERE!"

Train knew the voice belonged to Sven and saw him standing to the side, shooting bullets at Shiki as Rinslet threw a grenade at the ground towards what he now saw was a copy of himself. Train's eyes widened when he saw Lin blocking attacks from the clone cat, his heart sinking when he saw the look in his ex-boyfriend's eyes. Lin looked like he was having an internal struggle and he had a feeling that had something to do with Eathes' appearance and what the monkey man was most likely saying to him.

Lin should know better. Why is he letting a copy get to him?

Train decided to push the thought aside when he saw Eathes shoot a lightning bolt at him. The cat cursed and ran over to the number, jumping in front of him to block an attack from the Taoist by creating a shield of ice between them. Seeing that was enough to hold him back while Eve held off Shiki and Rinslet and Sven threw a continuous barrage of various kinds of grenades at the Black Cat clone, Train grabbed Lin and flashed away with him, making the two of them appear behind a large tree so he could try to talk some sense into the man.

Train grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him violently. "Lin, what the hell is wrong with you?! You know that's not me, right?"

Lin blinked a few times, feeling the tears in his eyes as he looked up at Train sadly. "I-I know, I know… It's just… His words are so true…"

Train frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

Lin let out a shaky sob and shook his head. "You never wanted to be with me in the first place. I was just a rebound… A bucket in which you discarded your misplaced emotions in… I… I manipulated you. I trapped you. I tried to tie you down when you specifically told me that wasn't what you wanted… I'm… I'm horrible."

Train stared down at the man as he lowered his head and pulled at his hair, clearly fighting a battle the cat knew he wasn't going to win. He knew the monkey well enough to know he didn't come up with all those terrible words on his own. Chances were this was part of their plan. Charden probably told him to get into Number X's head by using his feelings for Train against him. They knew what a strong opponent Lin would be, so if they could distract him, that would weaken their party.

His feelings for me are going to get him killed. He shouldn't be struggling so much against Eathes. I know his Tao is limited and he can't even use all my abilities. If he gets killed because of me, I'll never forgive myself.

"Lin… You know that's not true… You know I care about you." Train tried to sound as soothing as possible as he spoke.

Lin shook his head wildly and stared at Train desperately. "But you know it is! Don't lie to me! You said it from the beginning, you didn't want to be with me. You just felt bad for me and I used that guilt against you to get what I wanted! I held you hostage for that short time we were together. You didn't love me… You don't love me and I tried to force you to. I-"

Train pulled the man into his arms and squeezed him tightly. Lin froze when the cat held him close to his chest, but felt his body melt into his Sweetness within seconds. When he felt Train's strong hand run tenderly through his hair, Lin whimpered sadly and nuzzled his face close, wrapping his arms around Train's neck as he breathed in the scent of the man he loved more than anything else in the world.

"Just because I don't love you and just because I wasn't ready to be with you doesn't mean I don't care. It doesn't mean I want you to die." He squeezed him tighter and pressed his head onto the top of his head. "You keep saying your heart is not my responsibility, but it is if it's in my hands and going to get you hurt or worse, killed. You're better than this, Lin. You're stronger than this. Don't let muscle in your chest be your demise."

Lin listened to each of Train's words, letting them wash over him like a fresh rain after a drought. He wrapped his arms firm around his sweet love, snuggled his face as close to Train's chest as he could and took in a deep breath to allow the man to fully envelop all of his senses with the cat. Even with the fight happening in the background, all he heard was Train and all he could feel were his sweet cat's arms holding him close.

Lin nodded and let out another shaky breath. "Okay, Train… I won't…"

Train sighed in relief then let the man go, pushing him away enough that he could see his face. The cat smiled down at the shorter man, one hand still on his shoulder as he used his other to wipe away a tear. "Now go kick ass before I kick yours."

Lin chuckled and leaned into Train's hand that brushed his tears away. "I'd rather you do something else to it…"

Train felt his face drain of color and let the man go completely as he turned around. "Now's not the time to hit on me. We're in the middle of an epic fight, you know."

Lin smiled at Train's back. "Then I guess I'll save my flirting for later."

Train wanted to tell him he'd prefer it if he didn't, but kept his mouth shut since he was worried that would set the man off again. However, he was happy to see a bit of the old Lin returning. He had been so despondent lately, Train was worried he was completely broken. Hearing the man make a blatant sexual comment at him gave the cat hope he was going to recover from his heartbreak.

Train leapt back into the air, throwing as many lightning bolts as possible at each enemy he saw. He hoped that would allow them to all know he was back and draw some of their fire off his friends and back onto him. For the most part, it worked, but generally everyone continued attacking the people they were already fighting. Train floated in the air for a bit, trying to see where he would be of best help.

The first location he looked at was towards his friends who he knew would struggle more against the Apostles. Sven and Rinslet were fighting against Durham, Shiki, and Eathes, but had the help of Kyoko, Eve, and now a newly revived Lin which made the cat feel comfortable. Despite what Sven thought, Eve was able to handle herself a bit better than her adult partners and Train smirked as he watched the girl fight the Taoists all while protecting her sweeper partners. Leon had managed to make his way back as well and seemed to be concentrating on the sweepers and Lin. Deciding they were hanging on rather well, Train turned towards the other end of the fight, making sure to glance back at his sweepers friends every so often.

Baldor and Kranz were handling Charden and Echidna, however the fight was slowly starting to merge with Creed's fight with Maro. It seemed that the blood Taoist was eager to duel with Creed so Echidna and Maro were slowly beginning to distract the numbers enough to aim their attacks towards them. Train wondered if anyone else was going to be joining the fight, but seeing as most of the Apostles were here, he wondered what their actual plan was.

This obviously isn't the final showdown for them or us, but I'm confused what the goal here is. I know the Apostles hope to take me in, but what is Chronos goal? Are they simply testing the waters of their abilities? Did Sephiria find their hideout and is searching there?

It was then Train realized the Doctor wasn't there and felt a bit of dread wash throughout his body. He also noticed none of their supposed new members were here either, but there were countless reasons for that. Chances were they didn't want to take everyone with them in case Chronos came after their base, but there was also the likelihood the new members weren't ready to take on the sweeper group and Chronos. However, it was odd that Kanzaki was missing. After all, he was the one that sounded like he was the most desperate to get Train.

He also has Aja and an unknown Tao ability. The fact that he's not here makes me think he's going to pop out any minute and pull the wool over all of our eyes.

Train thoughts were cut off when he heard Creed shout out and looked down quickly to see the silver man had jumped in the way of a bullet Echidna had intended to pierce the back of Baldor's skull. Instead, it grazed his shoulder, causing the swordsman to almost drop his weapon from the force of the bullet. Train watched in shock as his ex-partner turned to look at the woman, his face not showing the rage and fury he thought it would have after receiving a blow like that. It also appeared as though Baldor hadn't even noticed Creed just saved his life and Train cursed inwardly.

If they want to know that he's changed then they need to pay attention. I know Creed would want to protect his friends and people he cares about, but he has no reason to protect Baldor. Especially with how much they hated each other back in Chronos. I guess this means he actually does value human life now…

Train felt himself smile as he watched Creed then shook his head when he realized he needed to rejoin the fight to help his friend out before he got more seriously injured. The shot he just took from Echidna looked like it just scratched his skin, but that didn't mean the next one wouldn't be aimed at his head.

Train threw himself forward in the air, launching a blast of ice that wrapped around Echidna's wrist, freezing her hand and preventing her from firing off another shot. When he reached the group, he lowered himself to the ground, smirked, and allowed electricity to flow through him as he swiped his hand to create a lightning bolt in front of Maro, stopping him from raising his hands and pinning Creed to the ground.

When Creed saw his beloved attack to protect him, he smiled and turned to face Train as his cat landed next to him. "Is everyone else okay?"

Train nodded his head. "Yes."

Creed glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "What about Lin?"

Train didn't bother to follow Creed's eyes since he knew where they were. "He's fine. Now."

Seeing Number X launch powerful attacks at the copy of Train, Creed nodded his head in agreement then turned back to the fight at hand. Baldor and Kranz were fighting Charden, but the blood Taoist seemed more interested in what Creed and Train were doing, almost as if he was watching them. Creed's assumptions were confirmed when a portal appeared behind the new Apostles' leader and he disappeared into it only to reappear in front of him and Train. Just as the numbers were about to follow and attack the blonde man again, Maro caught them both in his gravity field and held them in place. As if on cue, Shiki flew above them on a large bug and threw seals that wrapped around their arms, pinning them to their bodies.

Shiki laughed loudly. "Is this all Chronos has to offer? Where's Sephiria Arks?"

Baldor growled and stared up at the flying man. "Preoccupied. Don't worry, you'll have your chance with her."

He then swung his wrist in a manner that allowed his weapon to crash into the seal to break it. However, the force of his blow was frantic and unstable since his arms were pinned down and he wasn't able to control it as skillfully as he normally could. His fractious swing of his weapon caused it to crash into his shoulder a bit deeper than he intended, embedded in his flesh for a second before he pulled it out and swung it more gracefully at his partner, freeing Kranz as well. Blador hid his grimace of pain as he eyed the flying man in the sky, knowing Kranz had already leapt away to lead Maro away from them.

Shiki gave the number a cocky look, even though he knew it would go unseen by the man he intended it for. "Impressive. I see Chronos has improved their skills."

Baldor was sweating from the pain, but managed to smirk at the short Taoist. "Wish I could say the same for you. Are Diskenth and Heartnet the only ones whose abilities can level up?"

Shiki growled and threw another seal at the man which he was ready for and was able to destroy before it reached him. He then rolled to the side to dodge a swarm of bugs, throwing his weapon in the air at the Taoist, barely missing as the spikes on his Heimdall cut through a bit of the wrapping on his face. It wasn't enough to stop Shiki since he was able to throw a gust of air at him with the wings of the bug he sat on. As Shiki flew to the side, Baldor was unaware that he and Maro were leading them away from Charden and Echidna, leaving the former Apostles' leaders to deal with the new ones.

Train stared at Charden, the cheeky smile on his face contradicting the seriousness of the situation as he spoke in a carefree tone he knew used to bother most of the Apostles. "You really think you can take us both on at once? I haven't seen any new skills from either of you and I'm pretty sure I could take Echidna down with my eyes closed."

Charden put a hand up to stop the woman from reacting and smirked at the cat and Creed. "While we have you both here, I have to ask… Do you intend to ever rejoin us?"

Train laughed loudly, interrupting Creed before he could speak. "Seriously?! That's what you want to ask us?! That was such a waste of oxygen I feel bad for the air!"

Creed smirked at his beloved, then turned back to Charden. "I think what Train is trying to say is no. But, then again, I'm pretty sure you already knew that."

Chardon shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't hurt to ask."

"Actually, I think it did. I just pulled a muscle in my side." Train said as he clutched his stomach, then peeked up when he saw a portal open on top of him.

Train rolled his eyes and shot at the woman's hand, causing it to retreat quickly as he turned back to the pair. Just as he was about to make another smart remark, his eyes widened when he saw the sky fill with thousands of portals, each one of them revealing the woman's feminine hand holding a grenade that had not been pulled yet. As he tried to jump away, he found that he was rooted to the spot and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. His body was frozen and he wasn't sure why. Glancing over at Maro, he saw the man was engaged with Kranz, so he knew it couldn't be him.

I've been pinned down by Maro thousands of times. This is different.

That was when he noticed Creed was also unable to move and had a look of panic on his face, Train knew it wasn't just him. Hearing Charden snicker, Train narrowed his eyes and looked back at the man.

"Charden… What's going on?" Train's voice was deadly as he spoke, trying to use his rage at being unable to move to cover up his unease.

Creed answered for the blonde man. "It's his leveled up Tao." The silver man's voice was strained as he spoke, showing that he was trying to break himself free before Echidna let go of the grenades. "You didn't see it at the fight a year ago. Charden can… Control the blood inside of people now."

Train's eyes widened. "Inside us?!" He looked down at himself in disgust, which made him realize that the blood Taoist was only controlling the blood from his shoulders down, which is probably why he could still talk."

Creed nodded, which told Train he was holding his friend in place in the same way. "He was almost able to take Sephiria down back then because of it. I'm sorry, Train. I should have told you."

Train wanted to tell Creed it was okay, but there was a part of him that was actually a little mad at the swordsman for leaving him in the dark about this. Instead of doing either of those things, the cat kept his eyes on Charden, watching the man's proud face as his arms reached out toward them. It appeared as though he couldn't control their blood with his mind. It looked like he still needed to use his arms and hands to keep them under his Tao ability. He was even squatting a bit, his face slightly strained showed them both that, while he was able to do this, it was difficult.

"Now that you seem to be more open to talking… I have a request…" Charden was doing his best to hide how stiff his voice was and kept his face calm and relaxed.

Train rolled his eyes since he had a feeling he knew what the request was. "We won't come back and I refuse to go with you, so what's the end game here? You think pinning us down and threatening us with grenades will work?"

Charden's smirk widened. "Not at all. It's merely a distraction and bait for a certain number."

Train gave him a confused look, but then heard a portal open behind him. Unable to turn around, he could only hear what he knew to be the Doctor's snicker and breath slithering down his neck. He glanced over at Creed and saw his ex-partner's eyes widen. Knowing the silver man had a better view of the mad scientist than he did, Train opened his mouth to question what Creed's flummoxed look was about, but then felt himself being shoved forward.

As he fell, he felt his body regain control of itself, realizing the sudden forcible movement of his body meant Charden no longer had control of him. The moment his face hit the ground, he turned around to pull Creed and break him out of the blood Taoist's spell as well, but froze at what he saw hovering dishearteningly above him.

The grenades still clouded the sky, but Train could see the new portal that had opened right where he once was. Doctor stood there, but this time he was not accompanied by Aja. Instead, there was a large, white wolf by his side. The stranger thing about the scene was the fact that the wolf's tail formed into what looked like Creed's Imagine Blade. The giant canine's eyes were also the same piercing blue that the swordsman's were and looking at Creed's frozen face, Train noticed that he had a hypnotized look in his eyes. The cat had a feeling that must have been how he looked whenever he made eye contact with Aja.

However, all of this was not the most frightening thing about the situation. Standing above him, a strained look on his face, blood seeping out of his mouth as his face slowly paled, was Lin. Train locked eyes with him, his body going cold as he slowly looked down to the man's abdomen and saw the beast's tail was going straight through his stomach. The tip of the tail sword was peeking out through the number's shirt as Lin struggled to breathe, his arms outstretched on either side of his body, as if he was trying to expand his body as much as possible to protect Train.

Train felt his body shaking, his voice weak and shaky as he spoke. "L-Lin… Wh-what're you…"

Lin smiled down at him, then moved his hands so they were on either side of Train's face. "A-are y-you…. H-hurt, T-Train?"

Train could only gawk at the man as the sword slowly left his body, the number making gurgling noises as his body was released from the blade, causing him to fall forward and on top of the cat. Train wrapped his arms instinctively around Lin, trying to apply as much pressure as possible to the giant, gaping wound that had formed on his stomach. It was too big for Train to be of much use, but he did his best. His mind went blank and all he could see was Lin's limp body curled against his chest.

"LIN! KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN DAMNIT!" Train yelled, squeezing the man as close to his chest as he could.

Charden sighed in exasperation and approached Kanzaki. "You showed up too soon."

Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "But I got the number, didn't I? Wasn't that the goal?"

Hearing those words brought Train back to reality and he shot his eyes forward, seeing Creed was still frozen to the spot and his eyes were vacant, telling the cat he was still under what he could only believe was the wolf's spell. Seeing the blade that his tail formed, even in his grief over what happened to Lin, Train was able to work out what the Doctor had concocted over the last year.

"Doctor…" Train growled, his body beginning to spark with electricity. "You… You planned this…?! This was to go after Lin?!"

Doctor's only response was a smirk as he fully stepped out of the portal, the wolf following as Kanzaki pet its head in the same manner he always pet Aja's. When Doctor arrived, the rest of the fighting seemed to have stopped as all eyes had turned to the scene unfolding before them. Sven and Eve were the first on the scene, yanking Creed's arm and therefore away from the wolf's gaze and out of his stupor. It also pulled him out of Charden's control and he was able to move his body on his own.

The first thing his eyes looked for was Train and he felt himself begin to panic when he saw a pool of blood pooling underneath his beloved. Just as he was about to throw himself forward and onto his Kitten to make sure he was okay, he felt someone holding his wrist. Looking behind himself, he saw Sven's face drained of color, shaking his head. Creed knew his friend was trying to stop him before he accidentally fell under whatever daze he had just fallen into again and to also give Train space as he attempted to engage in heated conversation with Doctor.

That was when Creed finally noticed the small figure Train was holding in his arms. Lying in a bloody mess on the Black Cat, was Lin. The number was barely breathing and Creed could already tell he had lost a lot of blood. He felt his heart drop when he saw the crazed, woebegone look on his beloved's face and desperately wanted to comfort him, but knew he couldn't do that. Echidna still had grenades surrounding them and he knew she wouldn't hesitate to drop them. He also knew he couldn't be of any help to Lin, so he decided to stay put and try to think of what they could do to get Number X out of there.

The rest of the Apostles had begun to slowly gather around Charden and Echidna with the exception of Shiki and Maro who were still engaged in a battle with Baldor and Kranz. Rinslet and Kyko made their way to their fellow sweepers' side as well, trying to give Train and Lin space, but at the same time trying to see if the number was okay. Seeing Echidna still holding the grenades in the air, the rest of the sweepers froze in place, not sure what to do.

Clutching the bleeding man to his chest a bit more, Train growled at Doctor and Charden, who were standing side-by-side as they gazed down at the scene before them with proud looks on their faces. "Tell me! Was this all bait to kill Lin?!"

That can't be the case… I can't be the reason Lin is bleeding to death in my arms right now.

Charden smirked as he adjusted his glasses. "Well… We can't have Chronos following you around, now can we?"

Train growled and spat his next word at the man. "BASTARD!"

Shiki was suddenly next to the man, jumping off the giant bug as he addressed his leader. "Does this mean we should take our leave?"

"No." Doctor answered for the man. "The Black Cat needs to come with us."

Charden gave him a warning look for answering on his behalf, then turned back to Train. "We can heal him. If you agree to come with us, we can assure you that he won't die."

Train narrowed his eyes at the man, his voice a venomous whisper as he spoke. "...What?"

Doctor answered for the man again. "If you come with us, I will heal your precious Number X and make sure he doesn't die."

"Train…" Creed stepped in, his eyes on his beloved throughout this entire conversation and he could see a small part of Train's golden eyes shine at the idea of turning himself over to the enemy to save Lin. "Train… Don't do it…"

Train glanced at his former partner, eyes burning with a bright, electrical blue as he addressed Creed. "Do you have any other ideas to make sure he doesn't die?!"

"I-I can try, Train…" Even said quietly, hoping the Apostles wouldn't hear her.

Doctor's ears perked at her statement and he smirked. "Doubtful. Though your nanomachines are impressive, I doubt you can heal a wound this deadly on your own… We're Number X's only hope…"

"That's not true!" The shout came from Kranz who was still fighting off Maro and one of Shiki's large bugs, but apparently still knew what was going on with everyone else. "Chronos can save him! Don't go with them, Black Cat!"

Hearing the man speak, Charden gave Shiki a stern look and the bug Taoist was off again, keeping the number distracted. He was soon joined by the rest of the Apostles who had gathered, ensuring Baldor and Kranz were thoroughly diverted from the conversation about Lin to their battle. Kranz cursed as he dodged attacks from the Apostles, knowing immediately he and Baldor weren't going to be able to handle all of them on their own, but also knowing he couldn't call for backup. The only solace they had was that Charden, Doctor, and Echidna were not involved in their fight, but he was aware the actress was holding them hostage with her bombs.

Seeing the numbers beginning to lose all focus on Lin and knowing Doctor words were true, Train cursed to himself and glanced down at the man he held. His breathing was getting weaker by the minute and even if Eve could stabilize him, Echidna's grenades were preventing the bio-girl from moving. Train thought about flashing away the Lin, but he wasn't sure how that mode of transportation would work with someone so close to death.

"I can read your thoughts in your eyes, Black Cat. I wouldn't recommend flashing away with Number X in his current condition. Whether you know it or not, each time you flash a certain amount of your and your companions stamina is drained. The more people you transport, the more stamina it uses. It gets easier with each flash, but this is the reason why the first few times it leaves everyone feeling sick."

Train glared at Doctor, letting him see the anger flare in his eyes for a brief moment before he looked back down at Lin, seeing even more color drain from the man's face, his breathing almost completely stopped.

I don't know how he knows that, but I have a feeling it has something to do with analyzing my DNA. However, I know Doctor could be lying, but… Is it worth it risking Lin's life on the chance that he's not telling the truth?

"Train…" Creed's voice was quiet as he spoke, his eyes still locked onto his beloved, making sure to watch every thought that crossed his mind. "Don't… You know Lin wouldn't want that… You can't-"

"-Don't you think I know that, Creed?!" Train yelled at the man, his head clouding up even more as he tried to think of his options. He knew Creed meant well, but he also knew the man was biased.

Of course Creed doesn't want me to go with them. He'd say anything to get me to stay!

"Creed's right, Train. You can't trust them. How do we know they'll even save Lin once you leave with them? With him in this state and you so distracted, this has 'trap' written all over it. What's to stop them from finishing Lin off and doing whatever it is they want with you and then killing you as well?" Sven made sure to make his tone show his urgency, knowing Train might not be listening and might not be taking Creed's words to heart.

Creed gave Sven a grateful glance, but brought his eyes straight back to his Kitten. "Train… Please, listen to us. We can save Lin ourselves. We just need to get out of here."

"HOW?!" Train yelled as he looked up at the sky, then over at Chronos. "How the hell are we supposed to get out of here!? We're trapped, if you haven't noticed!"

"Train…" Creed's voice trailed off as he looked down at Lin, grimacing as he noticed more blood leaving the petite man's body.

"Just shut up and let me think!" Train yelled back, trying to clear his head enough to come up with another plan.

"It's a futile gesture, Black Cat. Just come with us and save Number X's life." Doctor's voice was depraved as he spoke, making Train's skin crawl. "It's your fault he's in this position anyway."

For the first time, Creed decided to look over at the man, making sure to avoid the wolf as he spoke and gave him a malevolent look. "Doctor…"

He looked back at Train and felt his heart break at the culpable look his Kitten had on his face. His love was shaking violently, holding Lin so tight Creed wasn't sure Train was able to concentrate enough on his own body enough to even breathe. The amount of blood the number had lost made Creed question how the man was even still alive, but he knew that wasn't going to be for much longer if they didn't do something soon.

Train's right, we can't leave and even if he did flash away and Lin survived the transport, chances are Echidna would drop these grenades anyway and kill the rest of us. I'm sure Train's thought of that as well and as much as I hate to admit it… Doctor's right, Eve can't save Lin. Not after how long he's been allowed to bleed out for.

A thought popped in Creed's head and he voiced it immediately. "Charden… Take me instead."

Charden gave him a confused look. "What?"

Creed locked eyes with the man. "Take me. You want us both, right? Take me instead of Train and save Lin. I'll… I'll even stay with you if that's what it takes to save him."

Train's eyes shot to Creed and tried to give him an infuriated look. "NO!"

Creed ignored his Kitten in favor of the Apostles leader, waiting to hear what Charden's response was going to be. The blood Taoist glanced at Doctor who did not seem pleased with this trade and shook his head.

"No. Right now what we require is the Black Cat. And what we need from him does not involve you."

Creed clenched his fists then looked over at the portal Doctor came out of, noticing another small figure emerged from it. Charden noticed this as well, but the face he made gave away how upset this new person's presence made him. Stepping out of the portal unceremoniously was a rather skinny teen boy. Echidna cursed loudly and shut the portal immediately, preventing anyone else from entering or exiting it. The boy that just came out of it stumbled a little as he left the portal, then looked around the fighting arena as if he was searching for someone. When he saw Charden, he smiled, but his look of wonder and admiration quickly changed to chagrin.

Charden scowled at the boy. "What are you doing here…?"

The boy frowned deeply. "I… I wanted to help!"

Chardon growled. "I told you to stay put and train with the other Apostles! What part of 'stay put' do you not understand?!"

Seeing the boy flinch at the blood Taoist and seeing the esteem he had in his eyes for Charden, Creed was able to work out this teen looked up to the Apostles leader. And Charden's quick change in his demeanor showed that he cared for the boy as well.

This is clearly not part of the plan. Maybe this is our chance?

Before he could do anything, Baldor managed to leave the fight he was in for a moment and jumped behind the boy, wrapping his arm around the teen's neck as the chain of his weapon circled around his abandonment tightly. Within seconds, the boy was tied up with the number's weapon, Baldor smirking at the Apostles leader as he spoke with a haunting tone in his voice.

"How about a trade, Charden?"

Creed blinked in confusion, not sure how the man was able to work out exactly what he worked out while fighting off the Apostles. It seemed their fight had stopped as well and everyone's eyes were on Baldor as he held the teen captive. Creed looked over at his love, seeing the panicked look in Train's eyes. His cat clearly did not like what was happening, but was not in the right mental state to do anything to stop it.

Creed looked at Baldor through the corner of his eye, making sure to keep his love in his peripheral as well. "Baldor… This isn't right. He's just an innocent kid."

Baldor scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Innocent?! He just came out of that hole that clearly led to the Apostles layer! He's one of them!"

Creed clenched his fists. "No… He's just a kid they're experimenting on. Let him go."

Baldor spat at the man. "I don't take my orders from you, Diskenth. Especially when the life of another number is at stake."

Creed growled and looked back at Train, giving his love a disconsolate look, knowing his cat wasn't going to he pleased with how his conversation with the other man went. He could see his beloved running through a bunch of scenarios in his head, his clever mind trying to think of a way out of this situation. Creed felt his heart freeze when he saw Train's eyes seem to settle on one that wouldn't please anyone except for the Apostles.

Charden's eyes tried to remain calm as he spoke to Baldor. "What are you proposing? We let you all go for the boy?"

Baldor tightened his grip on the teen, causing him to gasp for air as he struggled against the chain that bound him. "I'm more than happy to stay, but you need to let my partner take Number X back to headquarters. Once I am sure of his safety, you can have the boy back."

Charden narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly thinking over the offer. Doctor growled next to him and shouted a command in French at the wolf. The beast let out a howl, then jumped over to Blador and the teen, it's swordtail ready to attack. Just as he approached him, Baldor moved himself so the boy was between him and the wolf, making Charden scream at the Doctor.

"DOCTOR, STOP! DON'T HURT THE BOY!"

Kanzaki shouted another command that made the wolf stop in its tracks and run back to him. Once he was there, Doctor pet the creature, but gave Charden an irked look as he did so. The entire group froze as everyone seemed to think over their options, Train still trying to work out how to get himself, his friends, and a nearly dead Lin out of there as quickly and safely as possible. After a few minutes of acrimonious silence, Charden finally spoke.

"Fine. Hand the boy over and we'll let your partner leave with Number X." He glanced at the man in Train's arms and frowned. "I doubt there's much that can be done to keep him alive at this point anyway…"

"NO!" Doctor screamed. "We're not giving up the Black Cat and giving Shaolee a chance to live all for the sake of an exceedingly useless and replaceable child!"

"Silence, Doctor… This is a discussion for another time…" Charden's voice was hard as he spoke, making sure the scientist knew this was not the time to argue. He looked back at Baldor and nodded. "Hand him over and we'll give your partner Number X."

Baldor nodded in return and slowly loosened his hold on the boy while Kranz made his way over to the Black Cat. The blind man knelt on the ground next to where he knew Train and Lin were and offered his hands out to the gunman. The cat glanced at Baldor, watching as the number smirked and lessened his hold a bit more on the child, but still not fully. Even once Lin was completely in Kranz's grasp and the man was slowly stepping away from Train, Baldor's smirk widened and he looked Charden straight in the eyes.

In the distance, they could faintly hear what sounded like a helicopter approaching at a rapid pace. Charden shot his eyes to the sky and growled when he realized what was happening. Just as he was about to command one of the Apostles to retrieve Lin once more, a helicopter appeared above them, lowering a rope ladder quickly as Baldor looked up and smiled proudly.

He looked back down at the Apostles leader. "You're not the only one that's capable of making a quick getaway." The ladder lowered a little more, enough that Baldor could leap in the air, taking the teen with him as he looked down at the sweepers and Apostles. "Thanks for handing over Number X! And don't worry, we'll take care of your little lackey."

Before Charden could react, Train flashed himself in the air, appearing next to the number with an expostulating look in his eyes. Baldor cursed, knowing what the cat was about to do, but not having enough time to react quickly. Train threw his hand out, sending an electric bolt towards the number as his other hand took a hold on the chain and ripped it away from the teen. Once the boy was free, Train grabbed him by the arm and flashed away, landing back on the ground where he was before.

Kranz, who had jumped up to the helicopter the moment he saw it, had his hands full with Lin and was unable to stop the Black Cat. Baldor growled down at the sweeper, just recovering from the shock the gunman hit him with and realizing they were too far away to try and get the boy back. He also knew it wasn't really worth it, since Lin was now their priority. The numbers disappeared inside of the flying vehicle, which slowly disappeared into the bright sky, taking Chronos with it. Echidna tried to open a portal in the sky big enough for the helicopter, but couldn't form one that big in enough time.

As soon as they reached the ground, Train let the boy go, then gave Doctor and Charden a hate-filled look. Train felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Creed was holding onto him tightly, then saw the rest of his friends were holding onto Creed and each other. The look in Creed's eyes was all Train needed to see to know what he needed to do. He flashed them all away, leaving the Apostles to sulk in their failure by themselves.

When they appeared back at the mansion, Train let everyone go except Creed, who gave his beloved a curious look.

"Train?" Creed questioned, his voice quiet as he spoke, turning to his beloved with concern in his eyes. "Are you… Okay?"

Sven spoke before Train could and gestured wildly at the castle in front of them. "Why did you bring us back here?!"

Train growled. "I didn't know where else to go! Besides, I won't be staying here long. I wanted to know you were all safe before I left again."

Creed frowned at his beloved, his heart shaking with fear at the determined, stubborn look his Kitten had. "Train… Where are you going?"

Train sighed and realized he was being far too cryptic than he meant to. "I need to head to Chronos headquarters and make sure Lin's okay."

Creed turned so he was facing his beloved fully, gripping Train's shoulders as he looked sincerely into his eyes. "Train… Lin is with Chronos now. He'll be fine. They're not going to let him die. If anyone can save his life, it's them."

Train shook his head. "You don't understand. It's my fault. I know you're going to tell me it's not, but it is."

Creed frowned. "Just because he decided to dive in front of that beast and take an attack for you doesn't mean it's your fault."

Train threw his arms in the air, throwing Creed's off his shoulders. "IT'S MY FAULT BECAUSE HE LOVES ME! IT'S MY FAULT BECAUSE I WASN'T CAREFUL ENOUGH AND ALMOST GOT MYSELF KILLED! IT'S MY FAULT I FELL FOR SUCH AN OBVIOUS TRAP! IT'S MY FAUL-"

Creed cut him off by slapping him in the face, causing the Black Cat to shut his mouth and cover the spot the swordsman hit. Creed sighed and placed both his hands on either side of his love's face, resting his forehead against Train's as he spoke.

"Train… None of that is your fault. No one could have predicted they were taking this opportunity to get rid of Lin. They duped all of us, including Chronos. I'm sure if Sephiria knew that was their plan, she would have been there. They clearly weren't taking the situation seriously enough and I'm sure Sephiria is going to blame herself as well."

Train looked into Creed eyes, feeling himself beginning to calm down a little as he gazed into those devout, nurturing, crystal blue orbs and shone with nothing but love and adoration for him and felt the tears he had been holding back finally begin to fall. He wrapped his arms around Creed's neck, burying his face deep into the other man as the cat allowed the salty liquid to drench his ex-lover's filthy shirt.

"I'm sorry, Creed… But I have to go. I need to make sure he's okay."

Creed smiled and sighed as he held his beloved closer, running his fingers through Train's cocoa locks, his other gliding gracefully up and down his love's back. "Then I'll come with you, Train. You shouldn't be alone right now."

Train shook his head, but did not pull away from Creed. "No. You need to stay here. Protect the others. I know the Apostles probably don't know where we are, but if they come back here I need to know everyone else is safe and…" He paused his next words, wondering if they were the right ones to say, but knowing they were true. "...I trust you, Creed. You're the only one I trust enough to keep everyone else alive."

Train pulled away slightly, enough that he could see the man's eyes and allowed his face to show the love he knew was beginning to resurface for the man. "Creed… Please. I can't handle seeing anyone else die today. I… I need you."

Creed knew his face was swaddled in immaculate delectation at Train's declaration of an unequivocal presentation of his feelings for him, but managed to abstain from acting on those rapturous feelings as he nodded his head, making sure his beloved saw the veracity in his eyes.

He held his beloved close again, enshrining his face fully in the illustrious chestnut locks. "You can count on me, Train. I don't want anyone to die any more than you do. I'll protect them with my life."

"No." Train shook his head again, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Creed's neck as he entombed himself back into Creed's silken skin. "Did you not hear what I just said? I can't handle seeing anyone else die. That includes you."

Train didn't say it, but Creed could tell by his tone of voice that he meant that especially true for him. Feeling an overwhelming love and gratitude scorching in his chest, the silverette pulled back from his Kitten, placing his hands back on either side of Train's face, caressing his cat's refined skin as he smiled placidly at his beloved.

"You know me, Train. I'm not going anywhere as long as I know you're still here. I'll always be here for you. And I'll always wait for you."

Train frowned, still not convinced. "I still don't think you heard me. I don't want you to die. Please… Don't die."

Creed couldn't help but smile at him. "So dramatic…" Seeing his love's stubborn look, he nodded firmly. "I won't die. I promise. As long as you'll have me in your life, I refuse to stop existing. And you know I can be more stubborn than you."

Train smiled a little and nodded subtly. "Thank you, Creed. I have to go."

Feeling the urge to kiss his former lover and knowing he didn't have the emotional strength to stop himself, Train allowed his heart to win the fight and leaned forward, pressing his lips against a very welcoming Creed. The swordsman sighed jocundly and returned his beloved's kiss, not knowing if the other sweepers were paying attention to them and also knowing that he didn't care. If his beloved was willing to express his heart's true desires in front of everyone else, Creed wasn't going to stop him.

He was aware that Train was most likely reacting to his recalcitrant emotions, but he also knew his cat needed their intimate contact. He needed to be reminded that he wasn't a terrible person and that even if he was, Creed's feelings for him would never change. He needed to remember that he was loved so hysterically that the person whose heart he controlled would accept him no matter what. Creed knew Train was the only one that blamed himself, but as he kissed his Kitten, he could tell his love was desperately trying to relive how miraculous it felt to be with him, to recall what it was like to be loved so deeply, so entirely that it didn't matter what he did because at the end of the day, that same level of devotion would still be there.

When they finally parted, Creed ran his fingers through Train's hair and then along his face, tracing his beloved's supple skin delicately as he continued smiling endearingly at him.

"Be safe, Train. We'll all be here when you come back. I promise."

Train found himself able to smile at Creed's gracious words and nodded before he stepped away and flashed off to check in on the nearly dead number.