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

31. Alliances

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

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It had been three weeks since their battle with the Apostles and Lin had still not woken up. Train made sure to stay by his side every second of the day with the exception of when he needed to flash out to get food. Sephiria had offered him meals, but he declined for the same reasons he didn't eat them while he was a number. Since he didn't really have any other options, Train made sure the window was always unlocked so he could jump outside, flash somewhere to grab something, then immediately flash back and jump back through the window. Lin was being kept on the second floor of the Chronos hospital, so it was easy enough to get there from the ground.

The difficult part is the guards. Sephiria said I'm not technically allowed to be here, but she's been able to convince the workers inside the building I'm not a danger. However, anyone that's outside could see me as a potential threat and try to dispose of me.

He was grateful to Number One for all that she was trying to do for him to keep him and Lin safe, but Train knew she was not pleased with his presence at the hospital. They hadn't had a full conversation yet, but the gunman could tell that not only did she most likely blame him for Lin's condition, but she also wasn't sure him being there was the best idea.

Guess I can't fault her for that… Trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I used to think being the Black Cat meant I was lucky in some twisted kind of way, but now I'm starting to think differently.

He realized his warped luck was probably still true since he was not in the hospital bed. Train's luck stemmed from having Lin love him so much that he didn't hesitate to jump in front of a nefarious wolf beast with a sword for a tail in order to protect him. Even after Lin was stabbed, Number X used what was left of his strength to make sure Train was okay, even knowing those might have been the last words he ever said.

And still might be…

Train looked at Lin's sleeping form, his chest rising and falling slowly, an oxygen mask attached to his face with an IV drip and heart monitor hooked up to his arms and chest. He was shirtless, but it would have been hard to tell with how many bandages he had wrapped around his body. Every so often, Train heard him mumble in his sleep and readied himself for Lin to wake up, but that had not happened yet. Instead, the cat would reach out, pet his hair gently and tell him he was going to be okay.

Even if I don't believe that much myself anymore…

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, slumping down as he stared up at the ceiling tiles, his vision slightly blurry as he tried to focus on a stain one of the panels had. He hadn't been sleeping well and even though he was flashing out to eat food, it wasn't often and he never bought a lot. There was no extra bed for him to sleep on and while there were blankets and pillows for him to use, he refused since that meant Lin would have less. Train didn't care about his own comfort. As far as he was concerned, he'd sleep on the cold floor and use a rock as a pillow if he had to.

As his eyes slowly shut, a small smile fell on his lips, thinking back to the kiss he shared with Creed before he left to see Lin. He replayed it in his head over and over again, clung to it as if it were his last bit of connection to the outside world. Every time he felt himself beginning to slip into darkness, he remembered that brief moment he shared with Creed and was able to find the light again.

He hated himself so much and, for some reason, knowing that he still had Creed's love was enough to make him hang on just a little longer until Lin woke up. That reaffirming kiss Creed gave him made him feel like he was worth loving and was the only bit of solace he could find as he watched Lin slowly die. It was the only thing that kept him from completely losing his mind in the small, empty hospital room.

There was no television, no clock, not even a chair before Sephiria had one brought in for him. While there was a bathroom, the rest of the room was rather cramped since it wasn't meant for visitors. All of this added to the fact that Sephiria took his phone away meant Train had nothing but time on his hands, leaving him trapped with his remorseful thoughts. Apparently, he decided to use that extra time by thinking about his former lover. What surprised him the most was he was more than happy to think about Creed. Every time he did, he felt his heart lift and his conscience became clear. He repeated the silverette's words to him constantly to try and remind himself that he was not a terrible person and it wasn't his fault that Lin was maimed.

The fact that I keep thinking about Creed willingly, even while Lin is laying here means something…

Train looked at Lin's peaceful face, frowning as he heard the beeping of the heart monitor, a horrendous reminder that the man in the bed was anything but tranquil right now. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he kept his eyes locked onto Lin. Train glanced at his chest to make sure he was still breathing, even though he knew the incessant beeping noise should have been enough to confirm that. That sound was just one more thing that he felt like was slowly driving him mad. When he had a nightmare, which had been every night he was in the hospital, he woke up to the beeping sound and had to force himself to stay put before he threw the monitor across the room.

He stared at a tile on the floor, counting the speckles that were there as he let his mind wander back to thoughts of a certain silver haired swordsman. The fact that he couldn't talk to Creed or the rest of his sweeper friends was also starting to deteriorate his mind. Train enjoyed his alone time, but was also a pretty extroverted person. He enjoyed spending time with people he cared about and this time away from his friend had gotten old far fast.

And I'm finding that I especially miss Creed… It was hard to admit at first, but I think I'm so desperate for some kind of friendly human contact, I'm willing to admit what my heart is longing for.

The only people he spoke to were cashiers he had to pay when getting himself food which was the friendliest conversation he had gotten. When nurses or doctors came in, he tried to exchange pleasantries, but they always just did their job and left quickly. Other than checking Lin's vitals, there wasn't much they could do for Lin in his state until he woke up. Train wasn't surprised they didn't talk to him since they worked for Chronos, and Chronos weren't exactly known for their neighborliness. However, it didn't make his loneliness and desperation for human contact any better.

It's a good thing I was never locked up for too long while I was with Chronos. I might have lost my mind far sooner.

He groaned and tried to distract himself again as he counted the spots on the floor once more. As he did this menial task, his mind once again fell back to Creed. He felt himself smile again as he replayed the kiss and the silver man's words in his head, his body beginning to relax at the thought and sighed in relief. As he calmed down, his thoughts traced back to Creed's birthday when they made love. Train was positive he wanted to be with Creed like that once more, and he was almost absolutely sure how he really felt about his former partner.

I… I love him. I still love Creed.

Train glanced at Lin again and felt his heart drop, knowing it was completely selfish to be thinking about his love for another man while another one who put his life on the line for him was dying next to him. It wasn't fair to Lin that his thoughts kept wandering to Creed and his heart longed to see him or even just hear him again, but he also couldn't help it. All this time alone in a desolate room had given him both clarity and insanity, but there was something about that combination that opened the other doors in his mind.

But… Does this mean I should be with him again? Is that what Saya's been trying to tell me?

He remembered a few days before their battle with the Apostles how he saw Saya's spirit floating behind Creed, balancing a bottle cap on her finger as she smirked at him. That thought led him to think about the night when he heard Creed singing Saya's song in his sleep, which he was starting to believe was his friend using the man he loved as a gateway to get her message across to the stubborn cat.

Or I'm just placing too much emphasis on all this and it's all just a huge coincidence. It could just be my heart so badly wants to be with Creed again that it's making me see things so I'll be with him again.

That made more sense to Train than Saya wanting him to be with the man that killed her. There was no way any sane person would ever approve their friend being with a jealous murderer.

But, she wasn't exactly a sane person, was she? She was eccentric in her own way. I also know that Creed isn't a jealous murderer and it's not fair to label him as that. Saya would agree… Wouldn't she?

That was the last piece of the puzzle Train couldn't put together. His heart had been able to convince his head that Saya's spirit continuously appeared around Creed because she was giving Train her blessings, but his conscience was getting in the way. There was still that part of him that refused to ever fully accept it was right to be with Creed again, no matter how much his heart screamed for it to be true.

I can't tell Creed how I feel… At least not yet. Not until I know what my plans are with him. It wouldn't be fair to get his hopes up when I may decide to keep trying to move on. I already know what I want, but just because I want to be with him again doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Doesn't mean it wouldn't dishonor Saya's memory.

Train sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, resting his hand on Lin's bed as he began talking to the man. "I don't know if you can hear me or if you're getting sick of hearing my voice by now, but I'd like to talk if that's okay."

He waited a second, pretending he could hear Lin responding and smiled. "I figured you'd respond with silence. That's fine. I just need to hear something other than that disturbingly hypnotic beeping. Even if it's the sound of my own voice."

Train glared at the monitor, then looked back at Lin and calmed down a little. "I know you're probably the last person I should be telling this to, and I can only hope you don't remember this when you wake up, but I need to tell someone before I completely lose my mind. Or at least maybe hear these words out loud to see if they sound as crazy as they do in my head."

The cat reached out and patted Lin's head, frowning at how lifeless his skin felt. "I've been seeing Saya again… But only around Creed. And she's not malevolent or angry, not even a little annoyed at him. She's always… smiling. As if she forgave Creed for what he did."

Train laughed ironically and shook his head. "Wow, that does sound crazy. I guess I really am trying to convince myself that I have her blessings…"

The cat took his hand back and slumped in his chair. "You're probably the worst person to be talking about this to, but… I don't know what else to do. I'm losing my mind from guilt and boredom and since you're not awake to tell me you're not mad at me, this is all I have to think about." He paused, seemed to think over his words, then shook his head. "Not that I blame you for being in this condition. I know it's my fault…"

Train let his hand fall back to his hands and pulled at his hair. "It's all my fault…" He watched as a tear fell from his eye and into the palm of his hand. "I'm so sorry, Lin… I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry I put you in the hospital. And… I'm so sorry I don't love you…"

Train felt his body shiver a little. "I tried… I really did try, Lin. I tried so hard to return your feelings, to love you, but I couldn't. I couldn't because my heart belongs to someone else…"

Train looked up at Lin, his chest quaking with remorse as he stared at Lin's inert face. "I still love Creed. And… I'm so sorry for that, Lin. I really, truly am. I fought hard to change those feelings, to ignore them or push them aside. I tried to move on from them, but I just can't… I can't stop myself… I can't control or run from my heart anymore. I need to accept the truth."

Train reached out and took hold of Lin's hand, resting it against his forehead as he continued speaking to the slumbering man. "But… I still don't think I can be with him. Not after what he did. I have no proof that Saya really wants us to be together again and without that last piece, I can't allow myself to be with him again. I won't."

Train looked up at Lin again, resting his hand gently back on the bed as he continued laying out the truth between them. "I wish I did love you, Lin. Everything would have been so much simpler, so much easier. And… I actually think we could have been happy together…"

Train sighed, then laughed sourly as he spoke. "If I had met you before Creed, my life might have turned out much different."

He wasn't sure if it would have been for the better or not. If he met Lin, would that have meant he would have stayed with Chronos? Would he have never met Saya and would he still be a heartless assassin? Or would Lin have been the one to calm his heart and break through his hard shell?

What really would have happened if I met Lin and fell for him instead of Creed?

There was a part of him that knew it would never be possible for him to love Lin or anyone else how he loved Creed. Even if he had met Number X first and did fall for him, it wouldn't be the same as what he felt for Creed and he knew it had nothing to do with never falling in love the same way twice. There was something magnetic and addictive about his love for Creed. There was an extraordinary kinship between them, one which Train was beginning to see could never be replicated with anyone else.

Even if I did meet Lin first and fell in love with him, I don't think I ever would have been truly satisfied. Maybe if I had never met Creed I might not have known what it was like to feel this level of love and then I might have been able to achieve happiness with Lin.

Train knew it was impossible to keep playing these what if games, especially since he knew Creed was an inevitable force in his life. No matter what changes he might try to bring to reality in his past to prevent all the hurt that was happening now, Creed never being in his life was not one of them. Even if he wished he never met or fell in love with Creed, the only way the man would have never been a part of him was if he never existed in the first place.

And… I don't want to live a life without him. Despite everything we've been through and all the hurt our love has created, I wouldn't trade him being out of my life or the world for anything.

Train's eyes locked onto Lin's comatosed body and stood up to pull the blankets over his chest and shoulders. He made sure not to voice any of these thoughts to Lin, just in case he woke up and remembered everything Train said to him. Telling Lin he loved Creed, but he wished he didn't was different. That was a conversation he was pretty sure they were going to have to have at some point in the future, but also one he was pretty sure Lin already knew.

He smiled at Lin's face, wishing he loved the adorable man lying on the desolate bed next to him instead of the erratic man protecting his friends at an excessively superfluous mansion. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, right Lin?"

"Do you think he can hear you?"

Train looked at the door to see Sephiria standing there and smirked tiredly at her. "I read somewhere that people in a coma sometimes wake up when they hear a familiar voice."

Sephiria gave him an unbelieving look. "Where did you read that?"

Train shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. "I don't know, probably the internet. The internet doesn't lie does it?" Seeing Sephiria wasn't going to respond to his joke, Train sighed. "Does it hurt to try?"

Sephiria stared at him for a second, then stepped into the room and next to Lin's bed. "I try not to live in a world of uncertainties."

Train laughed loudly at her. "You should try it sometime! It's quite stressful. I'm pretty sure I have an ulcer."

Sephiria gave him a strange look. "I never did understand your sense of humor, Hearntet."

He gave the Chronos leader a cheeky smile. "Not many do."

"Diskenth does." She saw Train's expression change slightly at the mention of his former partner and frowned. She mentioned the man's name to specifically see how he would react and she didn't like the results she got.

"Have you… Heard from Creed or the others at all…?" Train's voice was quiet, but hopeful as he spoke.

Sephiria frowned at her ex-assassin. "No, but I think that's a good thing."

Train sighed and lowered his head. "I know…"

Sephiria stared sternly at his dejected head. "You miss him?"

Train was about to answer, then stopped himself when he realized the woman only mentioned Creed. He decided to change his wording before he spoke. "I miss them all. Just like I miss Lin right now."

Sephiria glanced down at the slumbering number. "I still don't understand why you insist on being here. I doubt your presence will wake him and you'll only make it more tempting for the Apostles to come and finish him off."

Train smirked at her, knowing the gesture was weak since he was exhausted. "What's wrong? Don't think your guards can protect a comatosed man and the recently turned wacky Black Cat?"

Sephiria narrowed her eyes at his sarcastic comment. "Do you really want the Apostles to know how much to care about him? Won't that paint a bigger target on his back?"

Train felt his heart and body sink as he looked back down at Number X. "They already know and there's no way they'd come after him here even with me by his side. Not only am I positive they don't know where we are, but I'm sure they're not stupid enough to attack a Chronos hospital. This place is crawling with assassins."

The woman watched him for a moment, then finally decided to give up that argument in favor of another. "What would you say if I told you Number X would no longer be following your friends around?"

Train blinked at Lin, then turned to her, his heart feeling heavy at the thought, but knowing he had no say in the matter. "I'd say that's your call… But I'd also ask if that means you trust Creed enough to pull Lin back?"

Sephiria eyed him up and down. "Are you asking that because you're worried about Creed's future with us, or Number X leaving your group?"

Train sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Both? Neither? I have too many issues to work through to worry too much about that specific one."

Number One folded her arms behind her back and straightened up a little. "I don't know if we will be pulling him out. Even if I've decided Creed isn't going to go on a killing spree or return to the Apostles, Number X's time with you has proven useful in the amount of paperwork and information we've uncovered about the Taoists."

Train smiled. "We have certainly found a lot…"

Seeing the look in the Black Cat's eyes, Sephiria decided that moment was the best time to question him about the topic, and she knew being straight forward was the best way to reach Train. "Has Shaolee been showing you any of the documents on the Apostles?"

Train felt his body go stiff and knew he didn't have the emotional strength to hide what was really going on inside him. "...And if he was? What would you do to him?"

Sephiria glanced between the cat and Lin, trying to think of the best response she could give. "Why would he do that?"

Train rolled his eyes. "You know why. So if anyone is going to get punished, it should be me."

Sephiria watched Train's fatigued body, knowing the man was reaching his emotional limit and wasn't sure how to handle his current defeated state. "And how exactly do you think your punishment would go over with Diskenth and your sweeper friends?"

Train laughed again, knowing he had gone completely insane from his lack of sleep and proper nourishment. "Why do you insist on asking questions you already know the answer to? Just put the cuffs on me already and throw me in a cell if that's what you're going to do. Don't you think Lin's been punished enough? It's not his fault he fell for an idiot like me."

Sephiria frowned at the Black Cat, studying his lithe figure sympathetically, knowing he was going through a lot right now, but still feeling a bit frustrated with the man which caused her to not back down. "Lin would be safer if he wasn't around you."

Train made an overly exaggerated scoffing sound. "Ain't that the truth…"

Sephiria coked an eyebrow at him. "You agree?"

Train turned to her, allowing the woman to see how over he was of the drama that was his life. "Why wouldn't I? You're right. If Lin never fell for me in the first place, none of this would have happened. However, you can take some blame in that as well."

Sephiria narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that so?"

Train nodded. "You were the one that assigned him to track me down in the first place, weren't you?"

Sephiria fought the urge to roll her eyes and kept her face straight. "So it's therefore my fault that he developed feelings for you and is in his current state?"

The Black Cat shook his head, his vision blurring slightly from the gesture. "No, but I'm sure you saw what he felt for me when you ordered him to follow us around. What did you think was going to happen?"

Sephiria's eyes bore holes into Train's head. "Number X was persistent in following you. Even if I had told him no, I think he would have found a way to skirt around the rules and chased you anyway."

Train gave her a sardonic smile. "It's hard saying no to him, isn't it?"

Sephiria scowled at him. "Don't compare the way I treat my subordinates to the spell you seem to cast on them. You knew how he felt about you when you agreed to be with him."

Train returned her dirty look. "And you knew how he felt about me when you assigned him to follow us."

"He was the best candidate for the job and you know it." Sephiria was growing a bit irritated with the cat. He and Diskenth were the only ones who had ever managed to fluster her to the point of changing her tone of voice even in the slightest bit.

Train heard her frustration and decided to back off a bit. "So… You agree… What happened to Lin is my fault…"

Sephiria saw the Black Cat sink lower into his chair and felt her heart drop a little. She came in here with the intention of scolding Train for being reckless with her subordinate, but it looked as though he was blaming himself enough. Just by looking at him she could tell he hadn't been sleeping and looked at his emotional wits end.

I guess I can't really blame Train... He's always had a hard time staying in one place for too long and he's been here pretty much nonstop for three weeks with no phone or other forms of entertainment. I'm also not sure how much he's eaten since he refuses any meals we offer him and I know the staff here isn't exactly friendly.

Realizing now that faulting him for Number X's condition was only going to be pouring salt in the wounds, Sephiria decided to change the subject and convince the man to leave. "This hospital wasn't built for visitors…"

Train wasn't sure why he kept laughing, but he started to chuckle again. "You don't say…"

Sephiria sighed quietly as he looked down at the beaten cat. "Why don't you go home and get some proper rest? We will send word when he's awake."

Train gave her a strained look. "Do you think he'll even wake up?"

Sephiria stiffened a little at his words and glanced down at Lin. "We've done everything we could…"

"But will it be enough?" Train pushed, his eyes growing a bit darker as he spoke, his fatigue slowly starting to get the better of him. "Are you certain that if I left, he won't get worse?"

Sephiria blinked at him. "What makes you think your presence is helping him?"

Train laughed again and accepted that his physical and emotional exhaustion had made him lose his mind and decided to just embrace it. "Come on, Sephiria. We both know how he feels about me and we both know my voice is probably helping. Besides, can you honestly tell me he won't go into a panic when he wakes up and doesn't know where I am or if I'm okay?"

Sephiria was quiet for a second as she thought about his words, then responded slowly. "Lin has always been a calm person… I can't see him panicking if you're not here."

Train rolled his eyes and looked back up at the ceiling, feeling his eyelids getting heavy again. "Is that a risk you're willing to take?" Hearing she didn't have a response, Train continued. "The way I see it, my presence here can't hurt him, but it might help him. There's no way the Apostles will find this place and if there's even the slightest chance that my being here can help him, I'm going to stay."

Sephiria frowned at him. "You really do care about him, don't you?"

Train laughed again, a gesture he welcomed as a part of his broken mind. "Of course I do. I don't know why I need to keep defending that. Just because I'm not in love with him doesn't mean I don't care about him."

Number One didn't know how to respond so he decided to keep her mouth shut and watch the tired gunman shut his eyes slowly. She knew she shouldn't be surprised. Even when he was Number XIII, he always had a soft spot that was easily exploitable to anyone that knew what it was. However, back then it was almost entirely focused on women and children. Now, it seemed as though the Black Cat had learned to care for everyone and anyone.

Especially if he considers them a friend. I'm sure he'd be just as distraught if it was one of his sweeper friends in the bed. But, I know that's not something Lin should hear out loud.

She nodded and gave the unconscious number a regretful look. "I can't condemn you entirely for what happened to him. I should have seen what their real intentions were."

Train didn't open his eyes as he spoke, but he allowed the tiredness of his voice to be evident. "How the hell were you supposed to know that was the plan? How the hell was anyone supposed to know?"

Sephiria sighed. "It makes sense they wouldn't want a number hanging around you and Creed. It sounds like they have plans for you both, and after that they intend to kill you. Having Chronos so close by will only make that harder."

Train rubbed his eyes and tried to stay awake. As tired as he was, he was happy to be able to have a conversation with someone that lasted more than five minutes. "They're going after Chronos too, you know. And it's not like you wouldn't follow us anyway. Charden's smart enough to figure out even without Lin around, you'd still be stalking us."

Sephiria made a disgruntled face at his choice of words, but decided it wasn't worth starting a stupid squabble over. She could tell he needed human contact right now and didn't want to ruin that. "Chronos is obviously their end game, but since it seems you two are insistent on getting in the way and they currently have a need for you, I'm sure they want you both out of the picture before they come out of us. As for Lin…"

She turned to look at the man again, her heart heavy for the sleeping number. "...Because he's so close to you, emotionally and physically, they would want to go after him immediately. It's a good way to start picking the numbers off slowly all while showing their own strength and doing a heavy blow to you and your sweeper friends. I assume you all must be close with Lin by now."

Train laughed bitterly and turned his tired eyes onto her. "All right, if you really want to blame yourself, I accept your request into the Guilty We Hate Ourselves Club. We meet every minute of every day and make sure you don't forget to hate yourself every second."

Sephiria knew what Train was trying to say, but noticed his foggy mind made his words come out a bit incomprehensible. "To backtrack a little… Why have you been making Number X show you all the information you've discovered about the Apostles?"

Train blinked his eyes a few times to keep himself awake. "I don't suppose you'd believe we want to know what they're up to, would you?" Seeing her cynical face, the cat continued. "What do you believe the reason is?"

Sephiria watched him for a second, making sure he wasn't going to fall asleep before she responded. "I believe you intend to go after the Apostles. It seems in character for you to want to take down something as evil as the Apostles, especially since you're the one that started it. I can't see that sitting well with your newly found conscience. And I already know Diskenth would do anything you say."

Train stared at her for a second, trying to make sure he understood everything she said before he responded. "What makes you think Creed doesn't want to take them down for the same reason?" He blinked, then smacked himself in the forehead. "Stupid Train! You gave her an answer…"

Sephiria smirked a little at him. She didn't expect him to spill the beans so easily, but it seemed in his tired state, it was harder for him to keep a lid on his plans. "So, you do intend to take them down."

Train tried to give her a weary look, but knew it came off as more drained than defensive. "And what if we do?"

"We could work together." Sephiria stated matter-of-factly. "Help us take down the Apostles and we'll be sure to leave you and Diskenth alone for the rest of your lives."

Train cocked an eyebrow at her. "Oh? For real?" Seeing the seriousness of her face, the cat sighed. "What would your plan entail?"

Sephiria leaned against the wall next to the bed. "I cannot answer that right now, but I would imagine it would be more of what we've already been doing."

Train snickered. "Guess we have been working together more than I realized." He turned his eyes back on her. "That could work on a few conditions…"

Sephiria knew what he was about to say and shook her head. "We can't promise not to kill them and you know that."

Train sighed. "I know, but a guy can dream can't he?" The cat rubbed his eyes again. "You can't ask us to kill anyone and we won't. That includes Creed."

Sephiria gave him an uncertain look. "What makes you so sure Creed won't kill them?"

The Black Cat made an agitated noise. "Why can't you see how much he's changed? Did you know he took a bullet meant for Baldor?"

Sephiria narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he's changed! He doesn't want to kill anyone anymore and he also doesn't want to see anyone killed! Why is that so hard to believe?"

Sephiria sighed. "Why are you so convinced he has changed?"

Train stopped himself before he said something he was going to regret and ran his fingers through his hair. "Has Lin told you anything that makes Creed sound like he's still a killer?"

The Chronos leader frowned. "That's besides the point…"

"Is it though?" Train said, his voice gaining a bit of strength as he spoke. "Isn't that the reason you sent Lin? Because you trust his judgement? Wasn't that literally the entire reason you sent him to follow us in the first place?"

Sephiria sighed, then gave him a curious look. "How long have you felt like he's changed? Since you left the Apostles?"

Train shook his head. "No, he actually started to show some change after we left Chronos. He was still a bit violent and unpredictable while we were running the Apostles, but his demeanor changed a lot the further away we got from Chronos."

Sephiria looked away from Train as she spoke quietly. "That can't be…"

Train gave her an aggravated look. "Why is it so hard to believe he changed after we left Chronos?"

Sephiria shook her head. "No reason…" Seeing Train was unconvinced, Number One tried to change the subject before she voiced the reason behind her anxious voice. "Fine. We understand you will not kill, but you cannot control us or expect us not to. You know what Chronos is about."

Train gave her an opposing look. "...Then I can't say we're going to join you. I can't support killing anymore, Sephiria."

Sephiria returned the cat's look. "You know I don't kill unless necessary… We have a common enemy, it only makes sense we help each other. You can't take them down on your own."

Train smirked at her. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

Sephiria sighed deplorable. "Train… You know Chronos is capable of doing more than you or your sweeper friends can."

Train scoffed. "Just watch me…"

Sephiria stared at him for a second, then tried another tactic to get the Black Cat and his sweeper friends on their side. "...Is the price of yours and Creed's freedom really worth giving up because of your stubborn behavior?"

Train glared at her. "If the price means people will die… Yes."

"Even if those people are psychopathic terrorists bent on bringing the world to its knees and destroying the only organization keeping society together?" She saw Train's face change slightly and pushed her point a little further. "As much as you hate to admit it, you know Chronos is a necessary force in the world. And as much as you hate the idea of us disposing of the Apostles with our usual methods, you know the alternative of letting them live and take control away from us would be a catastrophic, unending nightmare."

Seeing Train still did not respond, but noticing he was listening intently, she drove her point home. "I understand your original intent when you left us was to bring us down as revenge for that sweeper girl, but since you've learned the truth, haven't you realized the urgency of Chronos' presence in the world? Wasn't that why we've grown to be peaceful towards one another after you learned that we did not kill Say?"

Train harshened his glare at her. "Careful with your words, Sephiria…"

The woman sighed deeply at the Black Cat. "You know I'm just stating facts, Heartnet. This is not meant to remind you of the troubles you have with your ex-partner." She crossed her arms against her chest. "And you know the point I'm trying to make. You and Diskenth created a force to be reckoned with for reasons that are no longer valid to you and even with your absence, that force is going strong and getting closer and closer each day to end the world as we know it. And despite how confident you are in your own abilities, you know it's foolish to think you and your friends can take them down on your own."

Train relaxed a little, too tired to keep his angry veneer going. "Won't know until I try…"

Sephiria gave him a stern look. "Haven't you already?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Not entirely… But your point has been taken. You don't need to keep shoving it down my throat." He glanced at Lin, then thought of Creed and his other friends and sighed. "…Will you hear my other conditions?"

Sephiria nodded. "I'm listening…"

Train put up one finger. "First: You need to promise my friends will be safe no matter what. That includes Creed's music friends. In fact, no innocent people get hurt."

Number One nodded again. "Of course. You should know I wouldn't want any of them to be hurt."

Train put up a second finger. "Two: You cannot expect us to kill anyone or even accept your intentions with the Apostles. Although, I guess we already covered that, so I'll move on." He blinked his eyes again, desperately trying to stay awake. "And three: You cannot hurt those kids they have locked up there."

Sephiria's eyes narrowed when he mentioned the children the Apostles had. "I'm happy to hear you bring that up… That's one of the things that brought me here."

Train nodded. "I had a feeling… I don't regret letting that kid free."

Sephiria scowled a little at the cat, but for the most part kept her calm demeanor. "You didn't set him free. You let him go back to the Apostles."

The gunman rolled his eyes and steadied his tired body on the chair. "Like he would have been safe with Chronos?"

"He would have been safer with us than with a terrorist group." Sephiria stood up from against the wall and leaned her arms on the handle of the bed that separated them. "Do you really think I would cause harm to a child?"

Train shook his head. "No. But I'm also not dumb enough to know that you aren't in complete control of the decisions the Elders make. You may have a lot of sway, but if they wanted to interrogate that boy… You know you couldn't have stopped them."

Sephiria knew he was right, but didn't want to voice it. "And what exactly do you think the Apostles are doing with him? I know you've read the documents, so I know you understand they're experimenting on those kids."

Train was silent for a moment, then nodded his head. "I do… But… It seemed different with that kid. Charden… cares about him. As much as we like to think of the Apostles as monsters… they're still humans capable of making human connections. I also don't think Charden would hurt a child either or force them to do anything against their will."

Sephiria raised her eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that those children want to be there?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe… If they're taking the Tao, there's got to be a least a small part of them that wants to be there. You can't drink that concoction unwillingly."

They were silent for a few minutes as Sephiria thought of how to respond to the Black Cat. "...Why are you so sure Charden wouldn't hurt them?"

"Because I know him. He's a bit of an evil genius… But he's like you. Cool and calculated and doesn't kill unless he absolutely has to." Train smirked at her, knowing she wasn't going to like the comparison. "I'm not saying you're evil… But your minds are more similar than you realize."

Sephiria thought about his words, then nodded. "That might not be a bad thing… It'll give me more insight into how he thinks."

Train laughed again, feeling a bit of the madness brought on by his exhaustion returning. "Glad to see you looking on the bright side of things. And I stand by what I did. I don't regret preventing you from taking that boy and I won't hesitate to do that again."

Sephiria pulled back from the bed and folded her arms behind her back. "And that's one of your conditions? We leave the kids alone?" Seeing Train's nod, she frowned. "And what of the children that attack us? We already know they have that wind controlling boy coming after us. Are we supposed to ignore him and let him go?"

Train sighed and rested his head in his hands. "Obviously if you're being attacked you need to defend yourself just… Can you agree to use restraint if it is a child?"

Sephiria watched the enervated cat for a second, then sighed quietly and nodded. "I can't say I want to hurt kids anyway… I'll make sure the numbers use restraint for the children. And we'll do our best to set them free once we take the Apostles down."

Train smiled. "I also want Lin to be safe no matter what. He won't be punished for sharing documents with us."

Sephiria gave him an uncertain look as she spoke. "I'll do my best with that…"

He nodded, then slowly raised his head to look at her. "Then the last condition I have is one you've already promised. Once we take the Apostles down, you leave me and Creed alone. For good."

Sephiria nodded and offered her hand to the man. "Do we have an alliance?"

Train returned her nod and took the hand offered to him. "Yes. I have to say… It's nice being on friendly terms with you again."

Sephiria pulled her hand away. "Were we on friendly terms before?"

Train clutched his chest. "You wound me, Sephiria! I thought we were close when I was at Chronos! I thought you cared! WAS IT ALL A LIE?!"

Sephiria sighed. "I do not consider my numbers friends. They are my subordinates."

Train rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Keep telling yourself that…"

Sephiria frowned at him, mostly because she didn't want him to see she was actually pleased they were on the same team again. Even though Train was not a Chronos assassin anymore, it was refreshing that not only did the Black Cat not hate her anymore, but was actually willing to work with her again. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it hurt when Train turned his back on her and accused her of killing an innocent girl. Sephiria had a soft spot for her numbers, but especially Train. She let him leave Chronos with his life and even trusted him to keep Creed on the straight and narrow path. She hated to admit that he was right, but he was. She didn't see her numbers as just subordinates.

And as long as I'm being honest with myself… Belze alone has proven that wrong.

She shook her head, upset the mere thought of Number II could make her break character so easily. "With you and Diskenth working with us, I'll be better able to protect Lin if they find out he's been sharing Apostles information with you."

Train seemed alarmed by her statement. "You're gonna tell them we're working with you?"

Sephiria nodded. "As I just said, it'll be a way to make sure I can cover for Number X's love stricken blunder. I won't tell them he's been sharing information with you, but if they find out, you know there will be a harsh punishment. Especially since they know how he feels about you and if the Elders know you're on our side… I might be able to convince them to let him off easy."

The Black Cat let out another bitter laugh. "I doubt they'll be okay with two ex-assassins knowing everything about Chronos' enemy. Especially when those ex-assassins created their enemies. I'm sure they'll just want us both dead or think this is a way to recruit us again." He turned to the woman and gave her a curious look. "They know about Lin's feelings for me?"

"Just leave the Elders to me." Sephiria's voice was stern as she spoke, but she gave the cat an insightful look. "And everyone knows about Number X's feelings for you. He wasn't exactly… quiet about them."

Train blushed and covered his face with his hands. "Of course he wouldn't be… I keep telling him he's more like Creed than he realizes."

Sephiria squinted at him, then at Lin. "Despite his assassin status, Lin has never killed anyone. He's also an extremely non-violent person. I don't see the similarity at all."

Train laughed again. "You don't know either of them the way I do. And I thought I already covered Creed isn't like that anymore."

Sephiria's look changed to that of a curious one. "You speak so fondly of him. Has something changed in your relationship?"

Train removed his hands to look at her, then looked at Lin. "That's… A complicated question I don't want to delve into right now."

Sephiria followed his eyes to the number and nodded in understanding. "Do you really mean to stay here until Number X wakes up?"

Train nodded firmly as he reached out and touched the sleeping man's shoulder. "Yes. I need to know he's okay. I won't be able to sleep even in my own bed until I do."

I'm not even sure sleeping next to Creed will help my stressed filled mind.

Train opened his eyes before he fell asleep, then turned his head to give Number One another scrutinizing look. "Do you really intend to take him away from us?"

Sephiria didn't change her expression, but her heart broke a little at the sadness Train had in his voice. "Your relationship with him is over, isn't it? Wouldn't you prefer if he wasn't around anymore?"

Train shook his head wildly, the gesture making his tired head dizzy. "He's part of the family now. No matter what happened between us, I don't think any of us want to see him go… Even Creed."

Sephiria was surprised by that last statement, but chose not to question the cat or show her shock. She didn't want to open the conversation back up to Creed's change in his outlook on life. "Unfortunately, that decision will not be mine to make. The Elders will have to make it."

"No…" The quiet voice didn't come from Sephiria or Train and they both turned quickly to see Lin struggling to talk behind the oxygen mask. "No… Sephiria, don't… Don't take me away from Train… Please…"

Train was on his feet in an instant and next to the man, grabbing the hand that reached in the air for some feel of the people in the room. As soon as he took hold of the weak limb, the number turned his head slowly to face the cat, resting his cheek tiredly on the pillow beneath his head.

Lin smiled at his Sweetness, tears brimming his eyes as he spoke through labored breaths. "Train… Thank you for staying with me…"

Train laughed through his own tears and gave the number a cheeky grin. "I wouldn't leave you alone in a place like this. It's maddening being here by yourself…"

Lin opened his mouth to say something else, but Sephiria broke up the reunion before it could even get started. "I'll go get a doctor. They'll want to know you're awake."

"No…" Lin said again as he reached his other hand weakly to stop her. "No.. Sephiria, you need to listen to me… Please don't take me away from Train… From the sweepers…"

Number One had to cover the shock on her face again when she heard Lin mention the other sweepers. She knew he wanted to stay with the Black Cat, but she was astonished to hear him mention the rest of the group. Sephiria looked at Train who was smiling deliberately at her, as if he knew Lin just proved the point he was trying to make earlier.

Sephiria cocked an eyebrow at the cat. "A family, huh?" Seeing his annoying cheeky grin did not leave his face, the woman sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You know I can't promise that. That's not a decision I can make. Especially with you almost dying for the Black Cat."

Lin felt Train tighten his hold on his hand and knew his sweet love was unknowingly releasing his guilt through his gesture. "That's not Train's fault…"

Sephiria frowned as she watched him struggle to speak, knowing each breath he took was difficult and his words were muffled by the mask. "I need to get a doctor. We can discuss this when I get back."

"No!" Lin managed to raise his voice a little bit and heard his heart monitor increasing its speed as he tried to sit up. "I don't want… to lose Train and… the rest of them so easily… I don't… I…"

Train pushed the number back down and pulled the blankets back over his chest, rubbing his cheek with his thumb to calm him down. "Lin, stop it. Like Sephiria said, she can't control that. I'm sure we can still see each other no matter what your new orders will be." He turned to Number One. "Right?"

Lin began to calm down as he listened to Train's gentle words, relaxing as he felt his sweet cat's fingers caressing his warm skin tenderly. He turned to look at Train, eyes still filled with tears as he gave the gunman the most devoted, loving look he could despite the pain that was coursing through his body. He reached out for Train's hand again, which the cat took quickly and gave him another sincere smile.

Sephiria watched the display with a silent broken heart and knew her next words would hurt, but she needed to say them nonetheless. "I can't promise that either. I can't read the Elders' minds. They may say Lin can never see you again."

Lin turned his head quickly to his leader, his heart monitor beeping even worse than it had before at the thought of never seeing his Sweetness again. Train cursed quietly and put his hands on either side of Lin's face, forcing the man to gently turn his head to look at him. It was easy enough to move him, since he was too weak to fight it and didn't want to push Train away and once he had the number's undivided attention, the Black Cat made sure their eyes were locked before he spoke.

"You know how stubborn I am. No matter what their decision is, I said it before and I'll say it again. I don't want you out of my life." He smiled again, making sure it was genuine so Lin knew he wasn't just saying that to make him happy. "We won't let Chronos kick you out of our family."

When Sephiria heard the heart monitor's beeping slow down, she felt the guilt her words created slowly leave her. She let out a quiet breath of air and watched as Lin slowly nodded his head and placed his hands feebly on the Black Cat's that still rested on his cheeks. The swordswoman gave them a few more seconds, making sure Lin was thoroughly calmed down in the gunman's embrace before she spoke again.

"I'm going to get a doctor."

When the door closed behind her, Train pulled his hands away from Lin's face, much to the number's distress, but made sure to keep a hold on his arm. As soon as Number X saw the smile leave Train's face, he frowned and pulled his oxygen mask off so he could speak to his sweet love.

"Train… Don't even say it…"

Train jumped up again and tried to grab the mask from Lin, but the shorter man threw it to the side and off the bed so he couldn't get it. "I'm fine, Train... Please... just let me talk to you without the help of... a machine."

Train glared at him. "You had a sword go through your stomach. You need that to help you breathe."

Lin smiled lovingly at the cat and shook his head, speaking slowly to make sure he could breathe easier. "No… I don't. You're all the... strength I need to talk."

Train harshened his glare, then sighed and sat down again, pulling his chair closer to the bed so he could continue holding the number's hand. "I swear, if you pass out, I'm going to finish the job that wolf started."

Lin tried to laugh, but felt the gesture hurt too much, so he contented himself with a smile. "Then... who would take… the next sword for you?"

Train rolled his eyes. "You don't want me to answer that question. What don't you want me say?"

Lin was happy his sweet cat changed the subject off Creed before it even got started and sighed slowly. "Don't... say sorry. This isn't... your fault…."

Train frowned at him. "I knew you'd say that…"

Lin tilted his head so he could see Train better. "Then... why discuss it further? We already… know how the… conversation would go… Let's just… fast forward and let me enjoy… this time with you…"

Train sighed, then smiled at Lin as he patted his hand gently. "I'm happy you're awake…"

Lin tried to laugh again and was only able to let out a quiet chuckle. "It sounds like… You were beginning to lose… your mind…"

Train felt himself stiffen and then eyed the man uneasily. "You heard me talking?" Lin nodded his head and the cat knew his heart had frozen. "How much did you hear?"

Lin sighed sadly. "I heard what you… didn't want me to hear…" Seeing his Sweetness about to sputter more apologies, Number X did his best to squeeze his hand comfortingly. "I'm… happy you've finally realized… how you really feel."

"Lin…" Train said slowly, about to reiterate how he wished he loved Lin instead, but found his words caught in his throat.

Lin seemed to know what he was going to say, because the tears that were resting in his eyes slowly began to fall as he spoke. "I… I wish you loved me too… I wish… I could make you happy… Like he does. I wish… I wish I could give you… what he gives you…"

Train felt a tear fall from his eye, but ignored it in favor of comforting the man lying in the bed next to him. He reached out and wiped away the number's tears, allowing his hand to stay there and caressing his cheek fondly. "It would be a lot easier…"

Lin sniffled a little, stopping almost immediately since it hurt his stomach. "Love… Isn't easy, Sweetness… We are both proof of that…'' He leaned into the tender touches Train gave him and shut his eyes blissfully. "Creed is as well…"

Train allowed the man to nuzzle his hand as he spoke. "That doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Lin giggled again, quietly so as not to hurt himself. "It's worth it… Once you received the bliss of it… being returned." He opened his eyes and longed to be able to throw his arms around Train's neck and snuggle into his warm skin firmly. "And… It looks like… I won't ever be able to… receive that bliss…"

Train felt his heart break at the man's words. "Lin… You can absolutely find that with someone else. What's the old saying? There's plenty of fish in the sea?"

"But... none as beautiful... or delicious as you…" Lin smiled zealously when he saw Train's cute blush. "Why… do you have to be… so stinking cute…?"

Train looked away from him for a second, but did not remove his hands from his face or arm. "I'm starting to get sick of hearing that."

Lin sighed peacefully and nuzzled his face deeper into Train's hand. "While… I know I'll… probably find someone… to be with… it'll never be the same as… when I was with you." He locked eyes with Train as he turned back to look at him and smiled knowingly. "You… know that feeling well… don't you, Train?"

Train blinked at the man's insightfulness, knowing he was admitting he understood Train never felt the same with him as he did with Creed. He was already sure Number X knew what happened between him and Creed on the silverette's birthday, but now it sounded like Lin was confessing that he knew Train never felt completely fulfilled while he was with the number.

"It wasn't your fault, Lin. You didn't do anything wrong and there's nothing wrong with you…" Train rubbed the man's fingers with his thumb as he spoke.

Lin's smile never left his lips as he gazed lovingly into the Black Cat's eyes. "I did do something wrong… But, you're right… There's nothing wrong with me… You're actually going to be missing out…"

Train laughed and pinched his cheek lightly. "I know…"

Lin felt another tear fall down his cheek, which Train wiped away immediately. "I know I'm not… innocent… I manipulated you… into being with me… but… I can forgive myself… After all..." He glanced out the window, smiling at the dark sky and twinkling stars, then looking back to his sweet love and mentally comparing his beauty to the beauty of the night. "...I was just a fool in love with a man… whose eyes are more brilliant than… the stars in the sky… I can be forgiven for that… Right?"

Train chuckled again. "I was never mad at you in the first place. However, I don't agree with you about my eyes. They're just a distraction from the rest of me."

Lin shook his head. "No… They're one of your best qualities… But… I can't pick just one about you… Everything about you is… perfect…"

Train felt himself blush, but chose not to look away. "Have you been taking notes from Creed? You're starting to sound a lot like him."

Lin sighed despondently. "If only I were him… Then I could have you…"

"I'm not going back to him, Lin. I can't." Train's voice sounded more wistful than he wanted it to.

Lin rolled his eyes. "Whatever…" He looked out the window again and felt his heart shattering at the next words he was going to say. "...Why don't you go… back to him now?"

Train blinked. "Did you just hear what I said? I'm not going back to him."

At least not until I'm sure if I'm interpreting Saya's message clearly.

"That's not what I mean… I mean… why don't you go back to him… tonight?" Train tilted his head in confusion, which made Lin's aching heart swoon. "You look terrible…"

Train found the audacity to have his feelings hurt. "That coming from the man who was practically dead ten minutes ago?"

Lin scoffed. "I always look amazing… Even when I'm dead." He smiled and continued. "What I'm trying to say is… You look like you haven't… slept since you got here…" He looked around the room and frowned. "You don't even… have a proper bed… and I've heard your stomach grumbling since I woke up…"

Train blushed in embarrassment and looked down at his stomach self-consciously. "I hate Chronos food…"

Lin chuckled. "I've never had it myself… They only force certain people… to eat it…"

"Force?" Train said curiously.

Lin cocked a weak eyebrow at him. "You didn't… know that?" When Train shook his head, he rolled his eyes. "Makes sense… I have my theories on it… but… I don't have the strength to talk about that right now…"

Train ran his fingers sympathetically through his hair. "Then just rest until the doctors get here. I don't know what's taking so long."

Lin giggled quietly again. "As clever as you are… sometimes you're so oblivious…" Before Train could protest, he spoke again. "Sephiria is giving us time to talk… Dummy..."

A light clicked in Train's head and he looked at the door and saw Sephiria's back leaning against it through the small window. "Oh. Makes sense…"

Lin smiled and brought them back to their previous conversation. "Train… Go home… Go be with Creed… You need to rest too…"

Train shook his head. "No. Not until I know you're better and coming back with me. And I'm getting tired of telling you I'm not going back to Creed."

Lin somehow managed to make an annoyed sound. "You can't do… anything for me here… They're most likely just going to tell me to sleep… Or even give me a drug to keep me sleeping… and when I say… go be with Creed… I mean go spend time with him… Go freshen up and… get your head on straight… I know he's the only one that can do that for you…"

Train slowly began to understand what Lin was talking about, but still didn't like it. "Are you trying to tell me I smell?"

Lin giggled. "I did just call you stinking cute… didn't I?"

Train poked his forehead gently and chuckled. "How rude."

"Sorry if the truth hurts… But… You need to take care of yourself, Train… You can't take care of me… if you don't take… care of yourself…" He smiled as he nuzzled his head back against Train's hand. "You can come… visit me tomorrow… for now… go home to Creed and go to sleep…"

Train frowned at Number X and thought about what he said. He imagined what it would be like to be back in a bed in a house with his friends surrounding him. Even though they were staying at an old Apostles' hide-out, Train knew his strange family was there which meant it was home enough for him. He also imagined seeing Creed again and felt himself smiling at the thought of being able to hold him again, to hear his voice again.

Train shook his head before he fell too deep into his thoughts and Lin caught on. "No. I don't want to leave you alone. What if you take a turn for the worse?"

Lin knew his heart was bleeding from the wistful smile Train had at the mention of seeing Creed again, but was able to push it aside in favor of trying to make sure his Sweetness was okay. "What if you… get sick and… end up in a different hospital room…?"

Train put on a cocky smile and sat up straight quickly. "That won't happen! I'm as fit as a fiddle!"

Lin watched as Train slumped back in his chair subtly, his face paling as he clearly tried to stop himself from passing out at the sudden movement he made. "You can't hide your exhaustion from me, Train… I can hear it in your voice… and see it in your eyes… And like I said before… as much as I love having you hear… I'm probably just going to sleep again… You need to do the same…"

Train frowned at the man. "Are you sure…?"

Lin gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. "As long as you... promise to come back tomorrow… yes."

Train returned his smile. "I'll head home after I hear what the doctors have to say. I need to at least know you'll be okay for the night."

Seeing Lin was about to protest again, Train leaned forward and kissed him gently on the forehead to shut him up. Once he saw the loving daze the number fell under, the cat smirked and sat back down. "It's far too easy to get you to shut up."

Lin blinked a few times to break himself out of the tender kiss he received and sighed peacefully. "You're my kryptonite…"

"Well, you're not superman and I'm not an alien material which means I can't kill you and you need a doctor." Train glanced at the door and saw Sephiria's thin figure walk away, signaling she heard what he said and went to finally get a doctor.

Lin smiled adoringly at his sweet love and reached his hand out to touch his face gently. "Thank you for... caring about me, Train…"

Train patted his hand and returned his smile. "Thank you for not being dead."

Lin giggled as best as his contrived breaths would allow him. "Guess I'm thankful for that as well…"

Because I get to see your face again...

---

It took Train a few tries, but he was finally able to flash himself to the correct castle. In his tired state, he had forgotten which mansion they went to and ended up bringing himself to the wrong location several times. All the warping he did only made him more tired which made it difficult for him to even walk through the door. He tried calling all five of his friends that were in the hideout, but none of them answered.

I shouldn't be surprised. The doctors had a lot to say and it's past two in the morning. They've probably been asleep for hours. But even Kyoko isn't answering. Shouldn't her Kuro-sama senses be tingling right now?

He was a bit surprised and hurt that Creed didn't answer his phone. Whenever everyone else was too busy to return his calls or messages, Creed was always the first one to respond almost instantaneously. As if he had nothing better when Train wasn't around except stare at his phone and wait for the Black Cat to call him. However, no matter how many times Train tried him, Creed didn't answer it and worried him a little. He texted him a few times, the last text he sent being a simple sad face, hoping that would get the message across that he was not happy no one was responding to him.

I'm not even sure how much sense my messages have made. I'm pretty sure I'm babbling incoherently in every voicemail and I don't think my texting skills are up to their usual standard right now.

Train yawned as he tried the front door, then growled loudly when he realized it was locked. He sighed and shook his head, aware that he really had no right to be upset. Creed was probably making sure every door and window was double locked, just in case the Apostles came back and tried to attack again.

Can't be mad about that… But how the hell do I get in? Should I just knock a wall down like the Apostles would?

Train looked up at where he knew Creed's room was and smiled when he saw the open window. The silver man alway left it open for him, even on cold nights such as this. Chances were it was probably the only one open since he was sure Creed was being extra cautious, but still wanting to make sure Trian had a way in no matter what.

He always leaves the window open for me. No matter where we are. Question is, do I have the stamina to flash myself up there?

Sighing, he realized he didn't have much of a choice. While he felt fine standing out in the cold with only a light jacket to keep him warm, he knew Creed was right about his ability to get sick despite his Tao. Train spread his legs a bit, focusing all his thoughts on the roof above him and flashed himself into the air. When he appeared on top of the mansion, he yelped when he realized he warped himself too high up and a bit too far out.

"SHIT!" He yelled as he fell, grabbing the edge of the roof and pulling himself up quickly.

Train rolled on his back and put his hand on his chest, feeling his beating heart as he tried to catch his breath. The adrenaline of almost falling from the top of a castle was able to wake him up enough to climb towards Creed's window, kick it open quietly with his foot, then swing himself down, through the panels, and onto the floor.

Once he landed, he looked to the bed to see a still sleeping Creed. He had the blankets pulled up over his shoulder and Train could see he was shivering slightly. Frowning and knowing he was unable to feel how cold it probably was in the room, the cat turned around and shut the window behind him, being sure to lock it and close the curtains as well.

However, closing the curtains made it difficult for him to see and when he turned around and took a step forward, he ended up slamming his toe on a nearby chair. Train bit his lip to prevent him from crying out and waking the sleeping man, then sat in the chair and grabbed his foot. He kept his head low and his eyes shut until the pain subsided, then took his shoe off and threw it on the ground as if it had been the thing to cause him pain. He then took his sock off, squinting pointlessly at his foot that he knew he couldn't see anyway and sighed deeply.

Since he was already sitting, Train decided to take his other shoe off and sock off, then slipped his jack off and onto the chair behind him. He knew Creed wouldn't care if he left his clothes in his room, so he didn't think twice about slipping off his gloves or winter hat as well.

Honestly, he'd probably be more upset that he didn't see me getting undressed than leaving my clothes all over his room.

Train laughed at his own joke, then looked at the bed that held Creed. He felt his heart begin to beat a bit faster when he saw the silver man smile happily and cuddle into the blankets further. When he heard Creed mumble a few words in his sleep, Train smiled and rubbed his eyes to try and focus the sight better. He was tired to point that he wasn't sure how he was able to have lucid thoughts let alone be able to tell what expression Creed had on his face.

I need to go to bed before I start hallucinating.

He stood up, then quickly sat back down when his vision became even more blurred. Giving himself a minute, he took a deep breath and tried again and had a bit more success the second time around. Train put out his arms and tried to feel his way towards the door, then stubbed his foot on the bed, biting his lip again to prevent himself from cursing.

It's the same toe, too! I'm gonna lose that nail for sure!

He looked up and noticed Creed still had not woken up and frowned.

How the hell has he been able to sleep through all this? I don't think I've been particularly quiet.

As he massaged his aching toe again, Train watched his ex-partner sleep with a small, content smile on his face. Each time Creed mumbled something, he tried to make out what it was and laughed quietly every time he heard the swordsman say his name. When he saw Creed pull the blankets up further and smile brightly, Train felt his chest catch on fire and moved to the side of the bed so he was standing closer to Creed. Once he was within arms reach, he placed his hand gently on his former lover's head and petted him lightly. Creed purred and leaned into the gesture, but did not wake up.

Maybe… Maybe if I sleep next to him tonight… I won't have night terrors again…

Before he could even begin to question his own logic, Train pulled the blankets back and crawled into the bed next to Creed. As he moved himself closer to the man, he took a light hold of Creed's arm and placed it gingerly on his shoulder. When he snuggled his face against the swordsman's chest, he felt Creed stretch a little, then jostle around under the blankets.

Creed blinked a few times, then looked down to see spiky brown hair and a lean, strong frame cuddling against his chest. His eyes widened immediately and his heart skipped several beats as he gasped down at his beloved's sleepy figure.

"Train?! You're back?! And you're in my bed?!" Creed couldn't help the elation in his voice as he pulled his love close to his chest, squeezing him tightly as he buried his face into the chocolate locks he adored so much.

Train pouted against Creed's chest, knowing he was blushing wildly and using the other man's body to hide it. "I'm too exhausted to find my room. It's bad enough I had to flash myself to your window, don't make me feel worse."

Creed frowned and his Kitten and ran his fingers tenderly through his hair. "I'm sorry, Train. I had to keep everyone on lock down in case the Apostles found us. I didn't mean to cause you more stress than you've been under…" He used his other hand to tickle Train's back, pulling his cat so he was flush against his body as he continued stroking him delicately. "And don't feel bad about being in my bed. You know I'll never complain."

Train laughed a bit hysterically, then relaxed into the sweet touches Creed was giving him. "File your complaints to the Deliriously Tired Department… Because that's where I work now…"

Creed blinked down at his beloved in confusion. "What?"

Train laughed again and gripped onto Creed's shirt tightly as he spoke. "Just kidding. That's not a real place. Sorry for lying."

Creed frowned down at Train, then felt himself giggled as little as his cat groaned sadly and nestled his head as close to Creed's chest as he could. "Train… you're not making any sense right now…"

Train scoffed at him. "Your face makes no sense."

Creed giggled again, then sighed as he rested his cheek against his beloved's head. "Why are you so tired? Did you not sleep well at the hospital?"

Train shook his head and tightened his grip on Creed's shirt. "No. There was no bed, no extra blankets or pillows, no TV and I wasn't allowed to have my phone. That, combined with all the emotional stress of watching my friend dying and lack of human contact has created one utterly looney cat."

Creed frowned deeply at his love and squeezed him for a second, before going back to his loving caresses. "That's why we haven't heard from you, Train? Chronos took your phone?"

Train grumbled into Creed's shirt. "I did contact you. Just now to let you know I was coming home. No one answered. You didn't answer."

Creed looked at his love for a second, then over at his phone that he had turned off and charging. "I'm sorry, Train. My phone died because I was trying to call you non-stop. It's been dead by the end of the night every night since you've been gone because of that."

Train frowned. "And you didn't panic and try to track me down when you couldn't get a hold of me?"

Creed shook his head. "No, because you told me to watch everyone. You told me I was the only one you trusted to keep everyone else safe. I believed that you would come back in one piece and you did."

Train smiled and clutched onto Creed a little harder. "Thank you..." He sighed, seemingly accepting that answered and nodded. "What about everyone else?"

Creed pressed his lips against Train's head, kissing him lightly so the cat wouldn't notice it in his sleepy state. "I don't know, but I assume Kyoko runs her battery life into the ground every night. You know she's always on that thing."

Train chuckled. "That's not all she runs into the ground every night…"

Creed blinked at his Kitten again. "What?"

Train sighed. "I'm talking about my patients. She runs my patients into the ground. Shut up, I'm deranged right now, remember? You can't expect me to be clever in my batty state."

Creed smiled and squeezed his love again, his fingers still caressing Train's back lovingly. "It's okay, Train… I understand." He sighed blissfully as he felt his cat snuggled against him, his heart racing at the feel of his Kitten's breath cascading down his chest. "I'm sorry you didn't have proper sleeping accommodations for three weeks. Chronos hospital doesn't strike me as a welcoming place for outsiders."

Train laughed bitterly. "It most certainly is not…"

Creed sighed and kissed his love's head again, still making sure it was subtle enough for Train not to notice. "Why didn't you just come home?"

"I wanted to make sure Lin woke up. I needed to know he was okay." Train wrapped his ankles around Creed's, pulling their bodies closer together as he felt his mind beginning to slip away even more.

Creed adjusted his lower body so his beloved could cuddle against him more, then nuzzled his cheek into the top of Train's head. "How is he doing?"

Train sighed heartily when Creed moved so he could burrow himself further into the man. "He's awake and coherent, but not out of the woods yet. They used a lot of medical terms I didn't understand, but it sounds like he's still got a long road ahead of him. I'm going back tomorrow to visit."

Creed nodded and kissed his love again, glad to see Train either didn't care or didn't notice he kept doing that. "Is anyone else allowed to see him?"

Train shook his head. "No. Sephiria said it's bad enough she let me in there. Anyone else would just be too much. And like you just said, it's not really a welcoming place."

Creed sighed. "Makes sense, I guess…"

"They… They might be pulling him out of the mission." Train's voice was distant as he spoke, as if he didn't want to think about losing the man for good. "He might not be permitted to travel with us anymore…"

Creed heard the sadness in his Kitten's voice and held him a little tighter, pausing his caressing motions for a minute. "Why?"

Train whimpered. "Because of me… Because they might think he's making too many irrational choices because he loves me."

"Train…" Creed said and he held him against his chest. "That's not your fault and you know Lin doesn't blame you. You can't keep beating yourself up over something you have no control over."

Train laughed again, knowing he must have sounded like a crazy person by now. "Tell that to my night terrors."

Creed froze a little and looked down at his love, not able to see his face since it was partially embedded in his chest. "You've been having night terrors again?"

Train nodded. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned this to you before. They've been back for a while."

Creed sighed. "You said nightmares before. Night terrors are different and worse."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Tomato, potato. You know what I meant."

Creed sighed again and began caressing his love tenderly again. "Did you mean tomato, tomatoe, Train?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know. What even are words?" Train sighed and moved his head slightly so his face was no longer buried in Creed's chest and he could breathe a little better. "Have I mentioned my ever growing mania? I feel like I've mentioned my every growing mania several times now."

Creed smiled at his love's face, brushing Train's hair to the side so he could get a better look at his Kitten and frowned when he saw how drained his cat looked. Even with his eyes closed, Creed could tell he probably had barely slept a wink min three weeks.

As he caressed Train's cheek, he felt his heart flutter against his chest as his beloved leaned into the gesture, smiling acquiescently at his touch. "Is that why you crawled into bed with me, Train?"

Train frowned, but kept his eyes closed since he was sure he wouldn't be able to keep them open for long anyway. "I told you I was too tired to find my own room. I just fell into the first bed I could find."

Creed snickered as he outlined his love's face with his fingers. "Then why did you start cuddling me?"

Train tried to glare at the man with his eyes closed, but knew it was a weak expression and decided to plant his face back into Creed's chest. "I thought if I slept next to you… I wouldn't have night terrors and might actually wake up feeling better…"

Creed's heart leapt into his throat at his love's words and shoved his face back into Train's hair. "Have you not been feeling well?"

Train laughed again, knowing the gesture was old, but unable to stop himself in his tired state. "Lack of sleep and proper nourishment added to an unending flood of stress would make anyone feel sick. That's why Lin told me to go home. He told me to go be with you."

That peeked Creed's interest and he decided to question his love. "Lin told you to be… with me?"

Train nodded his head. "Yeah, he said I needed to rest before I got sick and he seemed to think the best way to get that rest was to be with you."

Creed didn't know what to say. He felt an eternal gratefulness to Lin for not only making sure his Kitten was well taken care of, but purposefully leading Train back into his arms.

Literally. He literally put Train back in my arms. He actually told Train to come home specifically to me because he was sure I was the only person that could make him feel better.

Creed smiled enthusiastically and ran his fingers through Train's chocolate hair. "Thank you…"

Train made a strange noise and pulled his head away from Creed to try and look him in the face. "For what?"

Creed giggled and pushed his love's head back down. "Nothing, my dear Train. Just go to sleep. I'll make sure you're safe and warm."

Train wanted to tell Creed not to call him that, but he noticed how much the man's endearing words made him feel relaxed and decided against it. He had already admitted to himself and Lin how he really felt about Creed, so he didn't see the point in stopping him from calling him those charming pet names.

It's a problem because I still refuse to be with him. I shouldn't let him get away with stuff like that… Or like this…

Train sighed tranquilly as Creed caressed his hair and back, smiling serenely as he allowed his body to melt into the other man, almost instantly forgetting the words he just told himself.

"Just this once won't hurt… Right?" Train whispered into Creed's chest, not aware he said those words out loud.

"What are you talking about, Kitten?" Creed asked, testing the waters with his pet names to see how far Train was going to let him go.

"Was I talking?" Train said, jolting a little out of a half asleep state.

Creed giggled again and kissed the top of his head once more. "Don't worry about it, Love. I think I know what you're talking about."

Train chuckled. "I'm glad one of us does."

As he started to drift off to sleep again, Train made a strange face, then moved away from Creed a little and began to fumble with his pants. Creed watched in eager awe as his love fought with his clothing, moaning as he saw Train grumble angrily under his breath and rip his pants off. He threw them to the ground and glared at them, then rolled back over to Creed and assumed the position he was in once more.

"I don't love those." Train said confidently, as if his pants had done him wrong.

Creed giggled as he wrapped his arms back around his beloved, pressing his face back against Train's as he went back to his gentle touches. "Your pants?"

Train nodded. "Yes. They're torn and dirty anyway from the fight. Probably garbage at this point. In fact-"

He pushed away from Creed again and ripped his shirt off as well, nodding triumphantly as he curled back up against the silver man's chest. "-That's garbage too. I haven't had a chance to change my clothes in three weeks."

Creed was more than delighted to have a mostly naked Train in his arms. "Have you been able to shower?"

Train nodded. "Yes. They had a bathroom in the room, but no change of clothes. Sorry if I'm making life harder for you."

Creed snickered. "In more ways than one, Train…" He adjusted his lower body so Train wouldn't feel his excitement, but made sure he was still as close to his beloved as he could be. "You'll never hear me complaining about you taking your clothes off, my dear Train."

Train laughed with the man as he pulled himself closer to Creed's body. "I made that same joke to myself earlier…"

"Great minds, Kitten…" Creed whispered as he kissed Train's head again, continuously running his fingers through his beloved's hair as his other hand danced elegantly up and down his muscular back. "Go to sleep now, Love. You'll feel better in the morning."

Train chuckled a bit madly. "It already is morning… Technically."

Creed rolled his eyes and pressed Train's head against his shoulder. "Shut up and sleep."

Train nodded, then felt himself yawn. "Before I do, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you we're going to be working with Chronos to take the Apostles down."

Creed blinked down at his love. "What?"

Train sighed, then yawned again. "It was the best way to keep Lin safe."

Creed shook his head. "Again, what?"

The Black Cat put a sluggish finger up to Creed's lip and made a shushing noise. "Shhh… It's Black Cat sleepy time. Creedy talky time will happen later…"

Creed sighed at his love, then smiled despite his confusion. "Okay, Kitten… We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Train moaned and clutched his head as he rolled away a little from Creed. "But it is tomorrow! Which means we need to talk now! I'm too tired for tomorrow!"

Creed laughed and pulled Train back against his chest. "What happened to Black Cat sleepy time? That needs to happen before tomorrow can happen."

"That makes no sense! Time says it is tomorrow now which means sleep time has already passed and I missed it!" Train moaned miserably as he rolled back against Creed's body.

Creed smiled adoringly at his love and ran his fingers down his arm and back. "Tomorrow happens when the sun is up and that doesn't happen until around seven or eight and since I'd gather it's about three now, that gives you time to sleep."

Train glared up at him, barely seeing Creed as he scolded him. "Don't trick me into doing math! How long do I have?!"

Creed giggled and flicked Train's forehead. "I can tell you're too tired for numbers right now, so just know you have all the time in the world to sleep."

That seemed to appease the cat and he nodded his head, allowing Creed to push it back down against his shoulder. Train purred as he snuggled closer to the swordsman. "Tomorrow doesn't need to come as long as I'm here…"

Creed felt his face turn a bright shade of red and knew his heart was ready to explode at Train's loving words. "That was beautiful, Train…"

"What was?" Train said, seeming to jolt out of another half sleep.

Creed sighed sadly. "Of course you don't remember what you said five seconds ago…"

Train blinked, then yawned. "What did I say?"

Creed shoved Train's head back against his chest and cuddled him close. "Don't worry about it, Love. I'm sure it was a mistake."

Train laughed. "I make a lot of those."

Creed smiled and kissed his head again. "I know…"

The cat sighed musically and nuzzled his face as close to Creed as possible. "You weren't one of them, Creed…" He smiled and clutched the man's shirt tighter, wrapping his legs back around Creed's, seemingly not noticing the excitement the silverette's lower body was experiencing as he pressed his body flush against Creed's.

Train felt his body losing consciousness, his mind slowly drifting away from reality, but his heart knowing all too well where he was and whose arms he was cradled in. That fact ignited his heart into an avid blaze which gave his mouth permission to speak what his heart so desperately wanted to say to the man. Without thinking and falling into a deep, congenial sleep, Train had no ability over the last words that left his mouth before he allowed himself to be taken in by what would hopefully be sweet dreams. His voice was quiet as he spoke, since his mind was already checking out for the night.

"I love you, Creed…"

Creed's eyes were shut when Train said this, but they shot open the second his ears registered them. "Wh-what?!" He pulled his love away from him and gave him a shocked, gleeful look. "What did you say, Train?!"

When he saw his beloved was sound asleep, Creed let out a loud, frustrated moan and lowered his head, pressing it against Train's as he gave his sleeping beauty the most ardent, pleading look he had ever given him.

"Please… Please let that have been real… Please tell me I haven't lost my mind so completely without you that I'm starting to hear things." He pulled Train back against his chest, resting his face on his beloved's hair, breathing in the glorious scent of his Kitten. "Please don't tell me Train said that only because of his deliriously tired mind…"

Knowing he wasn't going to get his answers tonight, he kissed the top of his Kitten's head again, cherishing the feel of his love's breath brushing against his shoulder as he snored loudly against his chest and he closed his eyes slowly.

Just in case Train did say what he was praying he heard, Creed wanted to respond, even if his Kitten didn't hear him. "I love you too, Train… I love you more than words could ever say."

He kissed his head again, running his fingers along his hair and back delicately until his body could no longer hold it's cognizant state. As he slipped off to sleep, he smiled at the pulchritudinous dreams of his beloved that began to cloak his ambitious mind.

---

Creed always managed to wake up before Train and he never complained about it. It always gave him the opportunity to watch his beloved sleep and sneak in a few caresses and kisses before he woke up. However, after last night, Creed was starting to think Train might not mind the intimacy he had privately given his Kitten.

Did he really say that? Did Train really tell me he loves me?

Train was acting pretty insane last night and Creed wasn't even sure of half the things he was saying. Most of it didn't make sense or was so mumbled, Creed would barely make out what he was saying. There were a lot of moments in their conversation where Creed either had to question his love on what he said, or brush it off as incoherent babble.

He even said it so quietly I'm not sure I heard the words right. My desperate, lonely mind might have just made it all up. Maybe I've gone so crazy without Train that my brain is breaking to the point of creating hallucinations.

That worried Creed more than anything else. When they were in Chronos, there were a few moments when Creed read too much into something Train said or did, or completely misinterpreted a situation and it ended up getting him in trouble. Whenever he acted on something he convinced himself Train wanted, it ended in his beloved being angry with him or even starting a fight with him. That was something Creed was not willing to go through again. Especially when he had Train so close to him again.

I don't want to lose him by asking if I heard him right last night, but I also don't know how I'll be able to function without an answer. But, even if he did say it, what if he doesn't remember and can't give me an answer? And what if my asking sets him off and even if he says it, it is no longer true because he gets so mad at me for pestering him?

Creed still had Train nestled safely in his arms and buried his face deep into his love's chocolate locks, trying to forget his distraught thoughts by using his Kitten as a distraction. He took in a deep breath, slowly relaxing his body as Train's scent entered his nostrils. His cat didn't smell like he usually did, since he wasn't using his normal shampoo or soap, but it was enough to remind Creed that Train was real and without a shadow of a doubt sleeping in his arms

He sighed peacefully, then squeezed Train tight, kissing the top of his head several times to make sure he wasn't going to disappear into thin air. Once he was sure he wasn't having a dream and Train's body wasn't an illusion, he wrapped his legs around his cat and adjusted the upper half of his love's body slightly so he could see Train's face.

"I love you, Train…" Creed whispered as he kissed his Kitten's forehead tenderly, running his fingers through his hair gently as he nuzzled his face against Train's cheek. "I love you so much sometimes it hurts…"

The only response he got was a graceless snore which made Creed giggle and pull the gunman back against his chest, wrapping his arms around his lithe form possessively. "I hope you're having sweet dreams, Love…"

As he tickled Train's bare back, he heard his love's stomach grumble and sighed. "Have you eaten much in the last two weeks, Kitten?"

Creed knew Train wasn't going to respond, but he had a feeling he knew the answer already. Since he was at a Chronos hospital, chances were he refused to eat any food that may have been offered to him. He probably found his own way to nourish himself, but Creed doubted it was enough to give him the nutrients a normal human body required.

And I'm sure Train's body requires extra nutrients because of all the training he does. That's probably why he's hungry all the time. His lack of food and sleep combined might get him sick, so I'm glad Lin told him to go home.

With that thought in mind, Creed gave his love a light kiss on the lips, then gently set him back down on the bed. He wrapped the blankets around his bare body, adjusted the pillow underneath of him, then reached out to caress his face lovingly. Creed frowned when he saw Train still shivering a little.

Is he actually feeling cold? Is it because he's getting sick?

Creed ran next door to his love's room and grabbed all the blankets from the bed. When he came back, he threw them on top of his beloved, then tucked him in to make sure his own body heat would stay contained within the bed.

He watched his Kitten until he stopped shaking, then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Train finally begin to rest peacefully once more. He figured lack of sleep and food combined with losing the body heat of Creed made it more difficult for him to stay warm and the extra blankets were a necessity. However, it still concerned the silverette that his love might actually be getting sick and gave Train another quick kiss before leaving the room quickly and heading towards the kitchen.

It was still relatively early, so he didn't think anyone else would be awake yet. He was proven wrong when he entered the kitchen and saw Sven leaning against the counter with the coffee maker on it, reading the book Eve brought with her.

Creed watched him for a second, then decided to question the man. "Why are you reading Eve's book?"

Sven jumped a little at the silver man's sudden appearance, then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who was talking to him. "Well, what else is there to do? I'm not big on watching TV and I have nothing else to read. Eve finished this book and is exploring the plethora of reading materials you already had here, so I figured why the hell not?"

Creed chuckled and walked past him and to the fridge. "Does this mean your joining our little book club?"

Sven shook his head wildly. "God, no. That's your and Eve's thing. I'm content reading and keeping my opinions to myself."

Creed smiled at him as he took eggs and milk from the fridge. "Well, if you ever want an ear to bend about it, I love discussing books."

Sven nodded, then noticed the amount of food Creed was removing from the fridge and cocked an eyebrow. "You feeding everyone this morning?"

"I would never take that treat away from Eve. She loves cooking for you all." Creed put the food on the table and beamed happily at the green haired man. "Train came back last night."

Sven blinked his eyes in confusion. "I didn't hear anything… How did you know? I thought your phone has been dead by the end of every night."

Creed nodded and began grabbing pans and everything else he was going to need to make his Kitten a proper, nutritious meal. "It is and it was last night and he couldn't get in the mansion, but he knew I always leave my window open for him, so he came in through there."

Sven nodded, then realized what Creed said and became a bit uneasy. "You leave your window open? Aren't we trying to keep ourselves on lockdown because of the Apostles?"

Creed sighed as he began cracking eggs into a bowl. "I make sure my door is locked so if anyone comes in they won't be able to leave that easily. I also have a trap set for anyone that tries to break in."

Sven still wasn't happy with what the man was saying and made it be known. "And Train didn't fall for the trap?"

Creed laughed as he beat the eggs. "Train would never fall for a trap I set. I made sure it was one he wouldn't jump into."

Sven blinked in confusion. "What?"

Creed rolled his eyes as he poured the beaten eggs into the hot pan. "Just trust me. I know Train well enough to know what will and will not catch him. Even with how tired he was, I'm not surprised he didn't trip anything."

Sven sighed and poured himself another cup of coffee. "Whatever you say, I guess." He took a sip and looked up at the ceiling, as if he could see where Train was. "What is he doing now?"

"Still sleeping." Creed said as he turned his back to the man to concentrate on his cooking. "After talking to him last night, it sounds like he didn't sleep much and I'm assuming he didn't eat much which is why I'm making breakfast."

Sven nodded. "It also makes sense why it looks like you're feeding an army. I'm actually worried that won't be enough for him."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "Then I'll make him more. It's not like we don't have enough."

Sven sighed. "I'm still not sure how it's possible that none of this food went bad. I don't know how you managed that."

Creed smirked wickedly as he made a meal for his beloved. "Don't question my methods, Sven. Just accept the easy life we've been given for a while."

Sven rolled his eyes as he set the book he was reading down on the counter. "I have no idea why you would think hiding from a terrorist group is 'easy'."

Creed giggled. "Guess running from people is so ingrained in Train and mine's life it feels normal to us." He frowned and looked over his shoulder at the green sweeper. "Sorry we got you all involved in this."

Sven sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I took it on myself when I pretty much adopted Eve. I knew when I took her in that something was going to end up biting my in the ass."

Creed laughed. "Hey, we let you go back then, remember? In fact, we protected her from being captured."

Sven nodded. "Yeah, but even if I never ran into you and Train, I'm sure it would have just been another group coming for us to use her as a weapon."

Creed felt his heart drop a little, remembering how he originally first met Sven and realizing they never actually talked about it. "Sven… Have I told you how sorry I am yet?"

Sven gave him a strange look. "Sorry for what?"

Creed winced a little at the pain he felt in his chest. "You know what…"

Sven stared at the man's back, watching as he shifted uncomfortable and slowed his cooking down. The green man frowned at his back and took a deep breath. "No… But then again, I don't think it's necessary."

That statement made Creed turn around, ignoring his cooking for a minute. "Why?"

Sven smiled sincerely at him. "Because I just don't see you as that person anymore. I know Train says your personality is essentially the same, but you look like a completely different person to me. Whenever I think of that night, I don't think of you. I think of some psychotic stranger that I pretty much consider dead at this point."

Creed blinked. "Dead?"

Sven nodded. "Yes. Dead. I believe that man died when you left the Apostles. After what Train's told me and what I've witnessed, it sounds like he was slowly dying when you both left Chronos, but Train gave you a slap in the face with reality which I think was the final nail in the coffin to end that madman's life."

Creed smiled gratefully at him. "When did you realize all this?"

"Around the time when I first saw you play the piano. Before then, it was hard to see you as anything but the man that killed an innocent girl in an alley." He saw Creed wince at the memory, then continued his thought quickly. "But that day when I saw you playing the piano, especially after knowing how much pain you were in before we left for the music school, I realized you weren't really a monster. You were just a broken man who was taken advantage of at every point in your life."

Creed smiled at him again, then turned back to his cooking before it started to burn. "I don't think I was just taken advantage of… I was used as a weapon. I was trapped in a dark world and Train was the only source of light I had. He kept me from falling completely over the edge and when he became friends with Saya, I was so broken already that I thought I'd lose him forever… I thought I'd have to walk through life alone and in the dark without so much as a candle to light my way…"

He choked back a sob and shook his head. "That's not an excuse, though. I can never make up what I did to you and Train that night. I… traumatized you both and I wish there was something I could do to make it up to you…"

Sven smiled and took a step forward, patting the silver man's shoulder kindly. "Whether you realize it or not, you are. You've saved us on more than one occasion and you've kept us safe despite the stress or harm it may cause you. And I know you haven't just done that because of Train. Despite how unstable your relationship is with Lin, I've seen you protect him as well. And if there's anyone else in the world you'd want to cause harm to, it was him. Besides, what kind of a man would I be if I couldn't learn to forgive?"

"You're a good man, Sven." Creed chuckled and shook his head. "I actually never had the urge to hurt Lin. I was jealous, yes, just like I was with Saya, but… That part of me is just… gone. I want Train to be happy, even if that meant that happiness was with someone else. That impulse to hurt others has completely vanished and I actually feel like I want to protect everyone as much as I can."

Sven laughed and stepped away. "Like I said, that Creed is dead. And this new Creed has not only saved me and Eve on countless occasions, but made sure Train doesn't screw up so badly that we're in debt forever."

Creed laughed again. "He's the ying to my yang. He keeps me grounded in reality and I keep him from acting irrationally and impetuously."

Sven nodded. "Good. Someone has to do it. I'm glad he listens to you."

Creed sighed. "He doesn't listen to me all the time. Sometimes I have to come up with an alternative plan to cover up his mistakes."

"Well, he listens to you more than anyone else. I don't know how you put up with him." Sven leaned back on the counter and picked up the book again.

Creed shrugged his shoulders as he flipped the eggs in the pan. "Honestly, his stubborn attitude doesn't bother me at all. I can be just as stubborn as he is. Besides…" He smiled wistfully as he thought of his beloved. "...I'd put up with anything as long as he'll have me by his side."

Sven rolled his eyes. "Guess that answer doesn't surprise me." He looked over the book at the man's back. "Why don't you think he could have eaten much? Wouldn't they have food for him?"

Creed nodded. "Most likely, but it would be Chronos food. Train hated their food. He stopped eating what they gave him completely after about two years."

Sven tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders as he scooped out the omelette he was making and set it on a plate. "Not sure, but probably because it tasted awful. It had all the proper nutrients needed to perform our duties, but you know how much he loves food. He always set aside his own funds to pay for whatever he wanted to eat. I kept telling him if he just ate what Chronos gave us he could use that money for something else."

Sven chuckled and went back to reading his book. "I'm sure that didn't matter to him. His life's pleasure is food. And if he doesn't like what he's eating, he turns into a brat."

Creed scoffed. "I prefer to think of Train as full of life with a passion for food. And there's nothing wrong with that."

Sven sighed in frustration and turned a page in the book. "Why do I even bother trying to get you to say anything negative about him?"

Creed smirked and gently placed some bacon in a hot pan. "It's a futile gesture." As he poked at the food, another thought occurred to him and he decided to voice it to Sven. "Train told me last night that we're going to start working with Chronos to take the Apostles down."

Sven sputtered and spit out his coffee, throwing the book to the side so he wouldn't get any stains on it. "WHAT?!"

Creed sighed, knowing Sven was going to have that reaction, but decided that he'd rather deal with it than have Train.

My Kitten has been under enough stress as it is…

"We didn't get into too much detail. He said we'd talk about it today. He was too tired to have the conversation last night."

Sven gave him a strange look as he spoke. "...How long did you talk to him last night?"

Creed blushed, aware that Sven was subtly questioning if anything else happened between them last night and he shook his head firmly, as if saying no to the unasked question. "Not very long. Enough for him to mention that and tell me how Lin was doing."

Sven's look changed at the mention of the number, feeling bad about not asking about him earlier and completely forgetting what he was wondering before. "How is Lin?"

Creed smiled. "Sounds like he's stable, but not completely better, which is understandable. But, again, he was so tired I didn't get any more details. However, it sounds like he might not have much information on that anyway. He said it was a lot of medical talk and didn't understand half of it, but he's going to visit him again today."

Sven nodded. "What about the rest of us? Can we visit?"

Creed shook his head again. "No. He said Sephiria is only letting Train in."

Sven blinked again. "Did you ask him that question?!"

Creed felt a little offended and made sure his voice showed it. "Of course I did. I was worried about Lin too."

Sven frowned. "Sorry. Didn't mean to sound so shocked."

Creed brushed his words away as he placed the bacon on his love's plate. "Don't be sorry. That's a reasonable question to ask. It would make sense if I hated Lin, but I don't. I didn't even hate him when they were together. Like I said, I just want him to be happy."

Sven nodded. "That's good to hear. But… I'm not sure about working with Chronos… And I'm shocked Train agreed to it."

Creed sighed. "I'm surprised as well, but knowing Train, he must have set some ground rules with Sephiria. Or at least knows we can get something out of working with them. We do have a common enemy, so it makes sense Sephiria would want to work with us."

"Yeah, I get that. But it doesn't sit well with me to be working with an assassin organization…" Sven bent down to pick up the book he threw, brushing it off and making sure there weren't any marks Eve would notice.

Creed smirked and rolled his eyes at the man, watching as he cursed when he saw one of the pages of the book had torn. "How is that any different than taking in the legendary Black Cat after he started a terrorist group?"

Sven made a strangled noise and froze. "Umm…"

"Or taking in and forgiving another ex-assassin who helped the legendary Black Cat start a terrorist group even after seeing what he was capable of doing first hand?"

Sven swallowed and covered his face with the book, not realizing he was holding it upside down. "I told you I believe that madman is dead… Chronos is still killing."

Creed nodded. "Right, but can you imagine what will happen if the Apostles actually succeed in their goals? As much as we hate to admit it, Chronos is the reason society is running smoothly right now. I hate what they do and their need to control everything, but they are keeping the peace to a better extent than the Apostles would." He flipped a piece of bacon and sighed. "At least when I was running it, I was doing it for Train. And Train wouldn't have created a chaotic world, but whether Charden realizes this or not… he will."

Sven thought about what he said before he responded. "Even if it was you and Train taking down Chronos, the end game was the same, wasn't it? Destruction of Chronos? And aren't you implying that if Chronos is destroyed, it would destroy the world as we know it?"

"Correct. But, Train just wanted revenge on Sephiria at the time. While I'm aware that taking on her means taking on Chronos, Train wouldn't have destroyed all of Chronos. He would have just gone after Sephiria and stopped our fight then they would have replaced Number One and ordered we be killed and our fight would start over again."

Sven felt his eye twitch. "That just sounds like an unending nightmare. And you still think Train wouldn't have wanted to destroy Chronos?"

Creed shook his head firmly. "No. Especially seeing how much he's softened. He also wouldn't have given up, but he wouldn't have tried to take Chronos down."

Sven sighed and rubbed his temples, stressed from just thinking of the scenario. "That doesn't sound like a fun life to live…"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Never said the plan would have worked… That's why back then I told him we'd have to take all of Chronos down if we wanted to live after going after Sephiria. He wasn't happy with it, but that's the only way we'd be able to live freely after he got his revenge."

Sven frowned. "Running from Chronos for the rest of your life doesn't sound like a life Train would want to live…"

"Agreed. That's why I pushed my point with him back then. I'll do anything Train wants, but if what he wants will get him killed, then I won't listen. I'm just happy he decided to let go of his revenge altogether. Now he can live the life he wants."

As long as the Apostles are dealt with and Chronos leaves us alone that is… Then, maybe we can live happily.

"So, what you're saying is Chronos is the lesser of two evils?" Sven was still uncertain and his tone of voice showed it.

Creed nodded again. "Yes. I hate to admit it… But my time living a carefree life as a sweeper has shown me Chronos is a necessary evil. I've been able to see the world through a new lens and now I see that… while it has its flaws… there's a lot of beauty in it. Beauty I wasn't able to see before… Beauty I would have never been able to see without Train… Without all of you…"

I've made friends and learned a lot about what it means to truly be alive. The old me would have never given this world a chance, but… Train was able to convince me otherwise. He was able to make me see there's more to life than destruction and pain. He forced my eyes open and made me look around at the natural artistry this world has… And he was able to do it before I was too far gone…

Creed knew when they left Chronos together he was at his limit. He was about to snap and if that happened, more than an innocent sweeper girl would have suffered. With how much pain and turmoil he was in, he knew he would have tried to break apart and recreate the entire world how he believed it should be and was convinced at the time Train believed it should be as well. If it wasn't for Train meeting Saya and having her change his views, Creed would have never changed his and may have shattered society and rebuilt a horrifying dystopia.

I guess I have her to thank for that as well. Without her, she wouldn't have been able to make Train see what this world has to offer and he wouldn't have been able to make me see it. Back then, Train was the only one I ever listened to or even respected. He was the only one that could get through to me… And he did.

"Without Train and all of you… I don't know what would have happened… Thank you all so much. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for saving my life."

Sven frowned at him. "Your life?"

Creed sighed. "Figure of speech? Kind of? I'm talking more about my soul than my actual life. Train was able to talk me out of doing a lot of things that saved my soul and turned my views of the world around. And the rest of you and my music friends were able to secure that view with me… Even though you owed me nothing. So, thank you."

Sven's frown turned to a smile as he watched the silver man finish his cooking and pour Train a glass of milk. "Ridding the world of one more maniac is all the thanks I need. Which is why I'm not so sure about working with Chronos."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "Me either, but I trust Train more than anyone else in the world. And if he agreed to it, then it's the right call."

Sven rolled his eyes. "What about that conversation we just had about you controlling him when he's being too impulsive? How do you know now isn't one of those times?"

Creed smirked. "He would never sign us up for killing people. This is something I know he thought through. Trust me."

Sven gave Creed a strange look. "How can you be so sure of all this if you haven't even talked to him about it?"

Creed's smirk changed to an innocent smile as he grabbed the plate of food and milk for Train. "Because I know Train."

As Creed walked away, Sven was about to say something else, but knew it wasn't worth it and decided to go back to his coffee and reading instead. Creed saw this and chose to say one more thing to the man before he left.

"We'll talk about it together, but I'm going to tell you now, Train won't change his mind. I know he has his reasons for agreeing to this and I know they'll be good ones."

He allowed the door to close behind him and he made his way back up the stairs and to his room. He was glad Sven didn't push for more information about Train's exhaustion because Creed was pretty sure he would have blurted out they spent the night together. Even though nothing sexual happened, it was still a wonderful night Creed was more than happy to share with his love and prayed it would happen again.

Even if I'm going to be tortured by the idea of whether or not he told me he loves me, it's worth it to have Train in my arms again.

Creed walked back into his room, making sure to open the door quietly which was difficult with his arms full of food for his love. When he walked through the door, he tried to shut it quietly, but as soon as he heard it slam, Creed froze and stared at the bed. He held his breath and looked up to see if that woke his kitten up, then sighed in relief when he saw it didn't. Train was a heavy sleeper, so he wasn't surprised.

I know I need to wake him up to eat and he'll be more than happy to wake up for food, but I don't want it to be a rude awakening.

He approached the bed and placed the food and milk on the nightstand next to the bed, then turned back to his beloved. Creed smiled sublimely as he allowed himself a moment to watch his cat sleep, then reached a hand out and ran it against Train's face lightly.

"Train? Are you hungry?"

Seeing his love did not move, Creed grabbed the milk and placed it next to Train's face. "Do you want milk?"

That seemed to do the trick as he saw Train slowly open his eyes, blinking a few times to focus on what Creed was offering him. He smiled brightly, his eyes still showing signs of how tired he was, but his face beaming at the idea of having his precious drink again. Milk was something Creed was positive Train hadn't had at all during his time at the hospital, so he was delighted to see how happy he could make his Kitten by simply offering him his favorite drink.

Train finished the glass in one glump, allowing his head to fall back on the pillow as he left his hand in the air for Creed to take back the empty glass. His hand fell back to his face, falling on his eyes as he began to fall back asleep almost instantly. When he sniffed the air and smelled food, he sat up again, looking around wildly as if he had no idea where he was.

"Wh-wha?" He yawned uncontrollably, then noticed Creed was sitting next to him. "Oh, that's right. I came back…"

Creed giggled and handed him the plate. "Indeed you did. And I thought you might be hungry."

Train rubbed his eyes, then smiled at the food offered to him and took it eagerly. "Oh, thank God! Something other than a bag of peanuts!"

Creed watched as his love devoured his food, sighing adoringly at the idea of not only being able to take care of his Kitten, but make him happy with his food. "How are you feeling?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I guess. Still tried." He paused his eating and looked around the room. When he saw the piano, he felt his heart beat faster and his eyes widen. "Wait, am I in your room?"

Creed nodded his head. "Yes. You came in through the window last night."

Train furrowed his brow, then nodded slowly. "Yeah… I remember that. It was the only thing open…" He then looked down and noticed he was mostly naked and blushed wildly. He dropped his nearly empty plate and tried to cover himself with the blanket as he gave the silver man a panicked look. "Did we?!"

Creed sighed morosely, realizing Train didn't remember a lot of last night. "No, we didn't have sex, Train. But you did sleep in my bed."

Train calmed down a little and his face lost some of it's red color, but he still seemed to be a bit embarrassed. "Okay… Yeah I remember that. I was too tired to get to my room, so I passed out here."

Creed frowned and felt his heat break a little as he asked his next question. "What do you remember about last night, Train?"

Train still held the blankets against his chest as he pondered what Creed asked him. "I remember Lin waking up and telling me to come home… I also remember coming home through the window and crawling into bed, but… Not much else."

"Do you… Remember anything you told me last night?" Creed's voice was hopeful as he spoke, his heart trembling violently as he waited for his love to answer.

Train frowned at his friend, not sure why he was looking for dejected, but answered his question nonetheless. "I vaguely remember telling you about Lin and how uncomfortable I was at the hospital. I also remember you telling me your phone was dead and that's why you didn't answer my calls. I think I was talking a lot of nonsense, so I'm sorry if I didn't make a lot of sense."

Creed felt like crying, but managed to give his beloved a smile. "You were a bit out of it. I'm just happy you didn't trigger my trap."

Train blinked in confusion at him. "Trap?"

Creed smirked and stood from the bed, then made his way over to the windowsill. He pulled lightly at a thin wire, but did not trigger it and looked over his shoulder at his love. "You didn't think I'd leave the window open without a trap set up, did you?"

Train's eyes widened at the wire as he gave his ex-partner a shocked look. "What if I trigger it?!"

"Then you would have received quite a terrible electric shock. Although, probably not anything you're not already used to." Creed chuckled at his love's outraged face and left the window. "I knew you wouldn't fall for it because you always jump through windows. I don't think I've ever seen you walk through one, so if it was you that came back, you would just swing over it."

Train narrowed his eyes at the man. "I was really tired last night… I could have messed up and tripped on it."

"You're too perfect for that, Train. And you've never been caught by it before." Creed sat down in the chair next to him and continued smirking at him.

Train opened his mouth a little, the shock of the morning getting worse and worse. "HAVE YOU DONE THAT EVERYWHERE?!"

Creed snickered. "Of course. And how many times has it caught you?"

Train mumbled into the blanket he still had covering himself. "Never…"

"And you've jumped through many of my windows. So you have nothing to worry about." Creed crossed his legs and leaned his elbow on his knee, trying to get a better look of his beloved's bare chest.

Train rolled his eyes. "Still would have been nice to know about it… I'm human, Creed. I could have made a mistake."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "Then I would have had something to rub in your face. Either way, it's a win-win for me."

Train sighed and fell back into the bed. "Whatever…"

Creed frowned when he saw Train was still covering himself and decided to address it. "You know I've seen you naked, right, Train?"

Train blushed and gave him a crazed look. "What does that have to do with anything?!"

Creed giggled and pointed to the blanket he had wrapped around himself. "You're covering yourself up and letting your breakfast get cold. And I worked really hard on that omelette..."

Train frowned sarcastically at Creed's dramatic pout. "...You just want to see me naked again."

Creed put up his hands defensively. "Guilty as charged. But… It's still true. I can't imagine you've eaten much in the last couple of weeks. You need your strength."

Train narrowed his eyes. "You sayin' I'm weak?"

"Never!" Creed said forcefully, but still giggled at his love teasing tone. "I just don't want you to get sick. Please… don't cover your shame and just eat."

Train sigh and let the blankets fall, blushing as he felt Creed's eyes drinking him in. "Fine. But only because you're right about my not eating and I'm starving. That peanut comment was not a joke."

Creed frowned at his love, his eyes still staring at Train's upper body as he spoke. "You've really only eaten peanuts?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty much. They were the only quick thing I could find that had protein in it. I may have been joking about the weak comment, but I actually have been starting to feel a bit weak. I'm glad Lin told me to come home and rest."

Creed smiled, then tried to bring the subject back to what Train said last night. "You said he mentioned that this was the only place you'd be able to get proper rest in. Why is that?"

Train felt his heart race again, knowing what the real reason was, but not willing to tell Creed it until he decided what he was going to do about their relationship. "Because I have a bed, blankets, and pillows here. I had none of that there."

Creed sighed cheerlessly and nodded. "Makes sense…"

Train frowned again at his ex-lover, not sure why he was so upset. "Is something wrong?"

Creed shook his head. "No… How was your breakfast?"

Train looked down at his empty plate and smiled. "Great! I told you you didn't need cooking lessons. Your food is delicious."

Creed smiled and took the plate from Train, placing it on the nightstand again. "Thank you, but I still disagree. You can always improve your skills. Dae gave me a few recipes I'll be working on. I'll be making one of them tonight for dinner."

Train smirked. "I'll make sure to be home for that."

Creed was confused at first, then realized what he meant. "What time are you going to visit Lin?"

Train shrugged his shoulder as rolled over on the bed so he could see Creed better. "Not sure yet. I'm actually still really tired and I think if I show up even the slightest bit tired, Lin will rip my head off."

Creed laughed loudly. "I guess that means he was doing a lot better."

Train's smile turned into a frown and he looked away from Creed. "No… He could barely talk yesterday. I'm not even sure he'll be awake today…"

Creed watched the guilty thoughts pass through his love's mind and sighed. "He'll be okay, Train. Chronos won't let one of their best numbers die."

Train snickered. "Weird to hear you give him a compliment."

Creed gave his beloved an offended look. "That statement should be the other way around. I've never been anything but kind to him."

Train brushed his words aside and chuckled again. "Don't get your panties in a twist. It was a joke." He glanced out the window and noticed how high the sun was. "What time is it?"

Creed pulled his phone out of his pocket. "It's a little past nine."

Train groaned and buried his face in the pillow. "Still so early! Lin won't even be awake yet! Why did you wake me up?"

Creed rolled his eyes. "Because your stomach was growling so much I couldn't sleep. I was worried you were going to be devoured by your own stomach."

Train blushed at the reminder that he spent the night with Creed and tried to change the subject. "Did I tell you I made a deal for a temporary alliance with Chronos?"

Creed nodded his head. "I was just talking to Sven about it. He's not too happy…"

Train sighed. "Neither am I… But it was the best way to keep Lin safe… And assure our freedom when this is all over."

Creed frowned. "You said that last night as well. Well, the first part I mean. You didn't mention the second part and you were too tired to talk about it then."

Train yawned again, still feeling tired but wanting to get this conversation out of the way. "Sephiria said if we work together, she would be able to help cover for Lin sharing the Apostles' documents with us."

Creed seemed concerned by his statement. "You told them about that?"

Train glared groggily at Creed. "Not on purpose. It seemed like she figured it out already and she tricked me into saying it. I was too tired to outsmart her…"

Creed smiled warmly at his love's pouty face and pinched his cheek teasingly. "You were too tired for words last night let alone outsmarting Chronos' Number One."

Train rubbed the cheek Creed pinched, but knew he was blushing again. "She also said if we work with them and take Chronos down, she'll make sure they leave us alone forever. Meaning we'd be able to live freely without worry that a terrorist group or an assassin group constantly trailing us."

Creed felt his heart running a marathon in his chest at Train's words and the look he was giving him, knowing what his love really meant. Train wouldn't say it bluntly, but Creed knew he was saying they could be happy. They could finally spend the rest of their lives together without having to look over their shoulders every ten seconds to see what other danger was around the corner. They wouldn't have to deal with the stress and drama their lives had become. No more worrying about killing or fighting for their lives. Just living freely together, as sweepers.

"...I knew you had a reason to agree working with them." Creed's voice was breathless as he spoke, thinking of the future he could have with his love.

Train knew where Creed's mind had gone in that moment of silence and couldn't help the wistful smile that slid onto his lips. "I wouldn't agree to work with killers if we weren't getting something out of it. I also gave her conditions."

Creed nodded, a euphoric smile still on his face. "I assume one of those was no killing and Sephiria said no?"

Train frowned and nodded. "But she agreed that she understood we wouldn't kill. And she also agreed to not harm the children they've been experimenting on and ensure their safety." He smiled at Creed again. "Thank you for trying to save that kid, by the way."

Creed sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Tried and failed… You're the one that saved him."

"Yeah, but you tried. That's what mattered. There wasn't much you could do anyway. I just got lucky."

Creed giggled. "Like you always do…"

Train reached behind him and grabbed a pillow to throw at him. "Shut up." He smirked as Creed caught the pillow and placed it behind his head so he could rest on it. "She also agreed to make sure all of us are safe and no innocent people will get hurt. No matter what. And that includes your music friends."

Creed touched his heart and gave his beloved a grateful look. "You're amazing, Train…"

Train knew he was blushing again and was starting to get sick of the feelings Creed seemed to be able to make him experience without even trying. "Those weren't hard to get her to agree to. She wants the same things we want: Stop the Apostles and make sure no one innocent gets hurt. Our only difference is we won't kill anyone in the Apostles… But that means we also need to make sure Chronos doesn't either."

Creed sighed. "That's gonna be hard, Train… But you know I have your back no matter what." He smiled sweetly at his love, enjoying the redness of his gorgeous cheeks. "I don't want to see anyone die either…"

Train returned his smile. "I know. I saw you take a bullet for Baldor." He frowned and sat up a little. "Are you okay?"

Creed blinked. "From the shot?" Seeing Train nod his head, he beamed merrily at his Kitten for caring about him so much. "I'm fine. It was just a scratch."

Train nodded and laid back down. "Good. Less people I have to worry about."

Creed giggled again and leaned forward in his chair. "I think I was able to make Sven understand a little, and I know Eve will agree and Kyoko will do anything you say, but we'll have to convince Rinslet as well."

Train rolled his eyes. "If she doesn't get on board then she can stay home. It'd be safer for her anyway. How were you able to convince Sven?"

Creed smirked proudly. "By being logical. He knows you don't want to work with Chronos, but I knew you had your reasons and you wouldn't agree without setting ground rules. Which is exactly what you did."

Train frowned. "Do you… Think I'm doing the right thing?"

Creed reached out and caressed his love's cheek lightly. "Yes. You don't need to explain your logic to me, it makes perfect sense."

Still not convinced, Train pushed further. "Are… are you okay with working with them? I know how much you hated them…"

Creed kept his hand where it was, delight to see his love wasn't pushing him away. "I feel the same way you do. I'm not comfortable with it, but I understand the need for Chronos now and I understand why the Apostles need to be taken down. If we want to keep the world as it is, we can't let the Taoists win."

Train grinned cheekily at Creed, then yawned again. "It's nice to hear you speaking fondly of the world now. I'm happy you're finally able to see the beauty in it."

"Thanks to you, Train…" Creed said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Thanks to you… I got to make new friends and see more of what the world has to offer. Thanks to you… could see what Saya made you see." He frowned and allowed his hand to fall. "I only wish I could say thanks to her…"

Train felt his heart racing a mile a minute at Creed's words, but then felt it drop when the silver man stopped touching him. He reached out and grabbed Creed's hand, holding it gently as he spoke. "Next time I see a bright star, I'll make sure to find you so you can thank her yourself."

"I'd like that, Train…" He pulled Train's hand up to his face to nuzzle it, then saw his love yawn again and frowned. "Why don't you go back to sleep? Like you said, Lin probably won't even be awake yet."

Train yawned again and nodded. "I feel like I could sleep for a week…" As he rested the side of his head on the pillow, he pulled the blankets up over his shoulder and realized how many were on top of him. He frowned and looked at Creed. "Did you give me more blankets?"

Creed nodded his head. "You were cold… I didn't want you to get sick…"

Train had a flashback and smiled, then began to chuckle. "I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before…"

Creed blinked at his love, then smiled knowingly. "Some things never change, Train…"

Train felt his heart break as he remembered why that memory of their first night as lovers changed. "But sometimes they have to…"

Creed locked eyes with Train, the silence that passed between them speaking more volumes than words could. In that moment, they both knew what the other wanted, but also understood why they couldn't have it. It pained them both to stare so fondly at one another, knowing that they could not have the one thing they wanted more than anything else in the world. After a few excruciating minutes, Creed finally looked away from his Kitten, sighed, and then stood up to leave.

"Go back to sleep, Train. You can stay in my bed. I'll leave."

As he was standing, Train reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Can you… Can you please stay with me?"

Creed blinked. "Are you sure?"

Train blushed brightly, then looked away, but didn't let go of the swordsman. "I… I haven't slept that soundly in a while… I know it might be because I was so tired I was incapable of having night terrors, but… I… I want you to stay."

Creed watched his beloved's face and even though he couldn't see Train's eyes, he knew they were shining brightly with a deep shade of red. He smiled and sat back in the chair. "Of course, Train."

Train shook his head. "No. In the bed." Again, he made sure not to look at Creed and still held onto his wrist. "I… want you to lay down next to me…"

Creed beamed lustrously at his Kitten and jumped back in the bed with him quickly. "How could I say no to such a cute request?"

Train, still blushing as he moved over to make more room for the man, responded in a bitter tone. "I don't think it mattered how I asked it. You would find any excuse to be in bed with me."

Creed nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely I would!" He rolled over and wrapped his arms around Train, pulling him against his chest. "I'll never pass up any opportunity to hold you in my arms."

Train smiled subtly as he buried his head into Creed's chest, just as he did last night. "Whatever…"

Creed sighed as he ran his fingers through his beloved's hair, holding Train as close and as tightly as he could while making sure he could still breathe. "Sleep now, Train. I'll make sure you wake up with plenty of time to visit Lin."

Train frowned at the mention of the number's name. "Sephiria said he might not be allowed to travel with us anymore…"

Creed sighed and ran his fingers gently along Train's bare back, reveling in the goosebumps that formed on his silky skin. "You mentioned that last night as well."

"Sorry… I don't remember a lot of what I said…" Train snuggled a little closer and shut his eyes.

Creed grimaced a little at his words. "Trust me, I know…"

Train sighed, not sure why Creed continued to sound so sad when he mentioned he didn't remember everything he said last night. "Are you sure you're okay, Creed?"

Creed nodded and smiled as he rested his face against Train's head. "How could I not be with such a stunning man in my arms?"

Train felt his entire body fill with a pleasant warmth and smiled radiantly, relieved that Creed couldn't see it. "Behavior yourself."

Creed snickered and squeezed Train. "No promises. As for Lin… There's nothing we can do about that. We can only wait to hear what Chronos' decision is."

Train rolled his eyes. "Screw that. Chronos can't tell me I can't see my friend. If they say he can't travel with us, then I'll just have to sneak off and pay him a visit myself."

Creed giggled. "You might have company for that. Rins and Eve miss Lin… I even kind of want to see him…"

Train was shocked, but pleased to hear that. "We'll make it a family event."

Creed nodded and cuddled Train closer to his chest. "Sounds like a plan. And if that's your plan, then I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about them pulling him out. Chronos can get in the way of what the Black Cat wants. You've proven that on several occasions."

Train snickered and wrapped his arms around Creed's waist, then locked their ankles together so he was pressed entirely against Creed's body. "That's right. Just try and stop me, Sephiria."

Creed sighed longingly as he felt Train's body press solidly against his, moaning earnestly as he felt his love's heart beating rapidly against his own. Each time their hearts beat as one, Creed whined quietly, pleading fate inwardly to let him call Train his own again one day. When Train yawned again, then sigh as he pressed his head deeply into his chest, firming his grip around Creed's back, the silver man felt like he was going to explode from joy right then and there. He had to fight the urge to shower his love in kisses and demand he belong to Creed again.

"Thank you for laying with me Creed…" Train mumbled as he began to fall asleep again. "It means a lot…"

Creed moaned painfully, knowing Train was once again most likely not going to remember the loving words he was saying to him. "I should be thanking you, Train. However much this means to you, it means more to me."

Train laughed, then felt himself losing consciousness once more, but not before he snuggled even close to the man. A beatific smile adorning his creamy lips as he thought of the man whose arms he slept in. He felt Creed kiss his head, thinking he was asleep already and felt his heart flutter wildly in his chest, choosing not to stop the man as he kissed his head a few more times.

Just because I don't know if I can ever be with him again doesn't mean I can't enjoy the love he gives me… Right?

With that last thought in mind, Train allowed the man to kiss his head and caress his back, dream taking him over that mirrored the exact situation he was in.