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

36. Interruptions

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

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"Come on, Lin! You can do it! Just a few more steps!" Train stood at the end of a pair of parallel bars, patting his hands on his lap to encourage Lin to move forward.

A nurse, who was more than what seemed reasonably annoyed at Train, rolled her eyes and glared at the cat. "He's not a dog, Mr. Heartnet… And he's been doing this just fine without you here."

Another nurse, who seemed less annoyed by Train and more indifferent to everything around him, gave her a curious look. "Why do you sound so angry? You know Number X does better when Heartnet is here."

The woman snarled at him. "There was a reason Ms. Arks wouldn't let him stay here for his other therapy sessions. I don't trust him…"

The male nurse sighed in exhaustion, clearly just wishing he could just go home. "But Ms. Arks let's him stay because she knows how much better Number X does when he's here… Just leave him alone."

The woman clenched her fists. "I don't like it…"

"Would you two morons shut up?! I'm trying to concentrate." Lin said a bit out of breath. It was getting easier to walk, but was still difficult and listening to their useless arguments was only making it harder.

The woman tsked at him in annoyance. "Concentrate on what? Walking or the Black Cat?"

"Both." Lin said, throwing her an irker glare as he gave himself a minute to catch his breath. "Are you here to help or argue? Because as much as this might pain you to hear it, Train is the only one who's helping right now."

Train smiled cheekily at Lin, knowing that specific expression worked well on the number's physical and emotional state. "Ignore them, Lin. Just keep concentrating on what you're doing. You're getting so much stronger, you can't let a couple of idiots take that away from you."

"HEY!" The woman shouted, but the man simply shrugged his shoulders and went back to staring at the clock in boredom.

Lin beamed at his Sweet Cat's smile, Train's supportive words being all the strength he needed to keep moving forward. He was about halfway to the end, and he knew the prize was going to be worth it. Every time he made it to the end, he was allowed to fall into Train's arm and be held for a few minutes by the man he loved. It may have come off as desperate to anyone else in the room and the reward may have seemed far less than what he deserved to receive after the pain he went through to claim it, but Lin didn't care.

Train cares about me no matter how desperate or clingy I get. I know it's still partially out of pity and guilt, but I also can tell it's because he still cares about me deeply.

At first Sephiria didn't let Train stay for his recovery, but after several weeks of Lin breaking her down, she finally caved and agreed to see what happened if he stayed. Lin kept insisting Train's presence would only make his healing process move faster, but Sephiria didn't want to hear it. She said she didn't blame Train for what happened, but he could tell as much as she might deny it, there was a part of her that still faulted the cat for his injury.

It's not Train's fault. It's the Apostles' fault. They sent that wolf to attack with no intention of actually killing Train… They knew how I felt about him and used it as bait to kill me. But, it didn't work. I refused to die until I knew Train was okay.

That was his motivation the whole time he was in a coma. He had continuous dreams of Train dying over and over again which only made him more determined to wake up and make sure his Sweetness was still alive. He remembered Train being okay when he passed out, but before he slipped into unconsciousness, he heard the gunman's voice beginning to contemplate going with the Apostles in order to save him.

As much as it touched me to know he cares enough about me to sacrifice himself, I'm glad he didn't. I'm sure his friends talked him out of it and I'll be eternally grateful to them for that especially since I'm sure Charden would have finished me off the moment we got to their hideout.

Lin felt himself getting weaker at that thought, then looked into Train's eyes and felt his heart give him the strength he needed to keep moving forward. He smiled and took a few more steps forward, trying to remind himself of what it would be like to be in Train's arms again, that being the last reminder he needed in order to take the last few steps, then collapse in a heap in the arms of the only man he had ever loved.

Train smiled down at the shorter man, pulling Lin into his arms and helping the number steady himself. He heard Lin's harsh breathing breathing and pet his hair gently. "You did it, Lin. Relax now, I've got you."

Lin sighed blissfully and snuggled as close to Train's chest as he could. "It was worth it…"

Train laughed as he pulled Lin up a little so he was more secure in his arms. "You say that every time you finish."

Lin smiled gleefully and clung to Train's muscular arms tightly. "Well, it's true every time…"

Train rolled his eyes, then turned to the nurses who seemed to find something else to argue about. "Seeing as you two are preoccupied with your sexual tension, I'll take Number X back to his room myself." Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, the cat smirked. "Don't worry, I'll make him sure he walks most of the way."

Lin looked up at Train pleadingly. "I don't think I have the strength for that, Train. Can't you just carry me?"

Train sighed, knowing those puppy dog eyes all too well and knowing he was making an excuse to be closer to Train.

Creed's given me that look far too many times for me to not recognize it. I know what he's thinking.

"You aren't going to get back to normal if you don't walk on your own more often. And if I get chewed out by Sephiria again for caving in and giving you what you wanted I'm not going to hesitate to throw you under the bus this time."

Lin frowned at his Sweet Cat. "But… I'm already injured. You wouldn't kick a man when he's down, would you?"

Train bit his lip, angry at himself for his next words, but knowing he couldn't say no to those damn beseeching eyes. "Fine. But it won't be the entire way again. And if I see Sephiria, I'm dropping you immediately and saying you fell."

Lin smirked at him. "You'd never do that."

Train glared. "How dare you read through my clever scheme..."

Lin rolled his eyes. "What's so clever about dropping an injured man?"

Train sighed and scooped Lin up in his arms, carrying him bridal style to the door which he kicked open lightly with his foot. "Clever might have been the wrong word… Shrewd, maybe?"

Lin let out a happy squeal as Train walked him down the hall, wrapping his arms around the gunman's neck as he snuggled as close to the Black Cat's body as he could. "Shrewd is better, I suppose. But, I don't think you're shrewd, Train. I think you're just too sweet to turn a cute guy down."

Train growled and pulled his cheek away when Lin pinched it. "I guess that's how I got into this mess in the first place…"

Lin beamed happily at him. "Are you agreeing that you think I'm cute?!"

Train sighed, knowing Lin was able to, once again, get him to say something he didn't intend to. "How do you do that? How are you able to make me do and say things I don't mean to say or do?"

Lin shrugged his shoulders and buried his head into Train's neck. "It's just a matter of knowing how you really feel and finding a way to exploit it. How else do you think I was able to convince you to sleep with me so many times?"

Train blushed brightly and adjusted Lin in his arms a little. "...That was by choice."

Lin chuckled and clung a little tighter to the man. "I know. But you never would have acted on those feelings if I didn't give you a little push. Like I said, it's about knowing what you want and exploiting it. You wanted to make love to me, I just needed to give you a little... encouragement."

Train rolled his eyes and sighed as they approached the number's room, the cat using his elbow to push the doorknob down and nudging it open with his foot. "Are you trying to encourage me to do it again?"

"If only…" Lin smiled wonderfully at him and reached out to run his fingers through Train's hair. "I know where your heart lies, Train. Don't worry, I won't come between you two…"

Train frowned sadly down at the man as he placed him gently in the bed. "It confounds me how you are still able to make me speechless even when I'm speaking."

Lin chuckled a little and unwillingly pulled his hand away from Train. "I was also able to get you to carry me all the way here. Did you not notice that?"

Train blinked. "How the hell did you do that?"

Lin giggled again and winked at the man. "Like I said, knowing what you want and exploiting it. That's how I deal with my enemies too."

Train stared at him for a moment longer before sighing and sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "That sounds more like something you wanted and were just able to convince me into doing. Which, again, I don't know how you're able to do."

That's also something Creed is able to do to almost everyone around him. No matter what the circumstances are, he's always able to convince others to do what he wanted, even if they originally didn't want to. It's a dangerous power and it's a good thing he stopped using it against innocent people.

That was one of the ways Creed was able to get so many people to join the Apostles in the first place. He found individuals who may have been potentially interested in harnessing the power of the Tao and joining the Apostles and was able to sway them in his direction with just a few words. Creed even used those words on Train, back when he was at his lowest, which is what made him agree to starting the terrorist group with him and drink the Tao. Had it been under different circumstances and he knew the truth behind the whole situation, he never would have agreed to it.

I know Creed took advantage of my weakened state back then and purposefully kept secrets from me, but… he's different. He'd never use that against vulnerable people now, I know it. He's saved far too many innocent people for that to be true.

Countless times on sweeps Creed not only kept them safe, but protected a child or an innocent bystander. Creed had time and time again proved he was a different person and Train saw it. He made sure the silver man knew he had seen the change and told him over and over again how proud he was of him.

But… He's not a different person. He just… sees the world differently. His personality is still exactly the same, but he's much gentler and kinder. He's still brilliant in more ways than one and has that twisted, dark, yet charming sense of humor he always had and his artistic skills are clearly still intact. Not only is playing the piano better than ever, but his painting has improved as well.

All in all, Train knew Creed was still the same person he had known all of his adult life and some of his teenage life, but he was more personable now. People were drawn to him before, but for the wrong reasons. Now, even though people were still attracted to his charm, he was no longer using that uncanny ability for his own selfish needs. In fact, he was extra careful of the people that gravitated towards him. Sergey was proof enough of that. The old Creed would have taken advantage of the man's attachment to him in an instant. He did so with Echidna when the actress was completely enthralled with him, but now Creed was more delicate about it.

He let's Sergey down as kindly as possible. Well, unless he's being a bit too forward with Creed. Then he makes sure to put his foot down so he doesn't get the wrong idea. It's entirely different to how he used to be.

Train was thrown out of his thoughts by Lin throwing a pillow at him. "I pray that you're thinking of me with such a loving look on your face, but…. I know better. You're thinking about Creed, aren't you?"

Train felt himself blush and turned away, crossing his legs as he rested his head on his hand. "What makes you think that?"

Lin rolled his eyes. "Because your eyes are shining that bright shade of orange-red they do whenever you're filled with happiness and I've come to accept that means you're thinking about a certain silver swordsman."

Train shrugged his shoulders and looked out the only window in the room. "Is that so? Do you really keep that close of an eye on my eyes?"

Lin nodded. "Of course I do. They're one of the most alluring things about you."

Train rolled his eyes. "I like your choice words of 'one of the'. It's bait to get me to ask you what else is so alluring about me because you know that I'm genuinely wondering why I keep breaking people's hearts."

Lin smiled sadly at his Sweetness. "Yes, I am. Because I know you just compared me to Creed in your head again and I know that will slowly lead you to feeling guilty about not loving me and still having feelings for the man that killed your friend. I'm hoping that maybe if you remembered what's so wonderful about you, you'll be as forgiving of yourself as Creed and I are."

Train sighed bitterly and ran his hand through his hair. "I truly believe it's because you're both absolutely insane."

Lin chuckled. "Maybe. But, that doesn't mean our feelings for you are any less genuine. Creed and I are smart men. He wouldn't fall for anyone we didn't think was anything less than perfect." He sighed wistfully as he stared longingly at the back of Train's head. "However, I do wish the similarities between him and I were enough to coax your heart in my direction…"

Train turned towards Lin, ignoring the delighted look his dark eyes took on when the Black Cat stared at him. "I'm sorry, Lin…"

Lin made a loud and exaggerated angry noise. "Stop that! I already told you that you never have to apologize to me. Didn't I already tell you I wasn't mad at you for sleeping with Creed again?"

Train's face turned red which only made Lin laugh. A while back, they had a conversation about the night of Creed's birthday and Train finally confessed to him what happened. Lin already knew how Train felt about the man, even though Creed didn't yet, so he wanted to be honest with him. Lin confessed that he had figured it out on his own and already forgave Train. He knew what he was getting into when he started his relationship with the Black Cat, but he still appreciated the honesty his Sweetness thought he was owed.

"...Do you really have to remind me about that?" Train asked, a bit hesitant.

Lin rolled over slowly so he could see Train better. "Do you regret it?"

Train froze as he thought about the question. "That's a loaded question, Lin…"

Lin rested his hands under his head and smiled kindly at Train. "Okay, what if I phrase it this way: Do you regret sleeping with Creed at all?"

Train didn't even have a chance to think about that before his mouth answered for him. "No."

Lin nodded knowingly. "Now I'll ask the second part of that perplexing question: Do you regret cheating on me?"

Train didn't need to think about it again, but he also knew that he didn't need to since he already thought about it over and over again. "Yes. No matter what you say, it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."

Lin rolled his eyes. "You were never in love with me and made it very clear from the start you didn't want to be in a relationship. I was able to use my extraordinarily devilish manipulative skills to make you give in to the attraction you had for me and then you used me as a means to keep Creed away from you." Lin put up a hand to stop Train from interrupting him. "I'm not done yet, so save your guilty thoughts for when I'm done. If you still have them."

He waited a minute to make sure Train was going to let him finish. Seeing he was, Lin continued. "Obviously, it's human to feel bad about cheating on someone, but I don't even really see it as cheating. You broke up with me immediately after it happened and I'm now aware you were most likely already planning to end our relationship before that happened, so in your mind, we were already done. You might have never even seen us as an official thing from the beginning…"

Train turned to face Lin fully at those words. "No. Not true. I cared about you, Lin. I still do. I would never diminish what we had."

Lin smiled fondly at him. "I know that, Train, but I also know you didn't see it as special as I did… You never loved me and… you were the first and only person I ever loved…"

Train blinked at him in shock. "What…?"

Lin kept his loving smile and nodded. "Yeah… It's true. No matter who else I was ever with, I never loved them the way I loved you. In fact, being with you only showed me how miniscule my feelings for them were. I may have thought I loved them at the time, but after being with you… those feelings seem like no more than mere crushes in comparison."

Train was stunned silent yet again by the man, not sure how to respond to that. "I… Never knew that. I… I just assumed that-"

"-You just assumed in order for someone to sleep with another they needed to feel strongly about them?" Lin giggled at the innocent look Train gave him. "That may be true for you, but for most of the world it isn't. I thought you would have learned that from Creed if not from our experience with each other."

Train rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you I did care about you and I still do? I didn't sleep with you because I was using you as a shield against my feelings for Creed."

Lin sighed. "The first time you did at least…"

Train was silent for a second as he thought about that, then shook his head. "No… No I don't think I did…" He looked up at Lin, making sure he was listening before he continued. "I may have brought you into my room out of a need to distance myself from Creed… But I confessed to you then what happened between us, remember?"

Lin stared at Train for a second, then nodded. "Yes… I remember…"

"And I still went through with it. I went through with it because I cared about you. I did it because I wanted to, not because I thought it would hurt Creed or make him jealous or whatever. Yeah, I won't lie, there was a part of me that was hoping sleeping with you would make me love you, but that doesn't diminish what I felt for you… What I still feel for you."

Lin felt his heart pick up a bit of speed at Train's words, praying he was about to say he still had feelings for him. "What do you mean, Train?"

Train sighed as he realized he didn't use the right words. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. Yes, I do wish I loved you instead of Creed, but what I feel for you now is the same as what I felt for you then."

Lin felt his heart drop a little. "And what was that?"

Train thought about it, not sure how to put it into words even though he knew how he felt. "I feel… A connection to you that I don't feel with anyone else. It's different from the connection I feel with Creed, but… I also know it's a connection I can't recreate with another. There's a kinship between us that can't be replicated with another, but it's not love. Well, at least not the type of love you want…" Seeing the sad look on Lin's face, Train frowned. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to be as nice as I can…"

Lin nodded his head slowly. "I understand, Train…"

Train rubbed his face, not expecting a deep conversation today, but knowing this couldn't be avoided for much longer. "What I'm trying to say is… You managed to wiggle yourself into my heart in a way no one else ever has. In a way I don't think anyone else could and there's a special spot reserved just for you…"

Lin laughed sourly. "But not in the way I want…"

Train sighed. "No… Not in the way you want, but… In a way that I know I'll never want you out of my life and in a way that I know no one else could ever replace you. And in a way that I wouldn't change for anything else in the world."

Lin felt like crying, but refused to since he had cried over Train enough. "And in a way that I would change for anything else in the world…"

Train frowned at the man. "Lin…" He reached out and grabbed the number's hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around Lin's as he spoke, making sure their eyes met and he saw how sincere he was being. "To me… You're a soulmate. It may not be the kind of soulmate you want, but I believe soulmates go beyond love. A soulmate is someone you have a deep connection with. A connection that no one else in the world can shape. I believe people are capable of meeting more than one soulmate in a life and those soulmates don't always mean love, but they are a hell of a strong relationship that Heaven and Hell could not move."

Seeing a single tear fall from Lin's eye, Train reached out and wiped it away. "I won't lose you, Lin. No matter what, I refuse to have you leave my life. I've already lost one soulmate and I won't lose another. And I know that's not what you want either."

Lin knew the soulmate Train was referring to that he lost was Saya, but didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned into Train's caresses, smiling slightly as he swooned inwardly at the man's words. "Such pretty words spoken by such a beautiful man." He looked the golden man in the eyes and felt like weeping out of yearning. "I appreciate the feelings you have for me… I just wish they were something more…"

Train smiled warmly at him and allowed the man to snuggle against his hand. "I know, Lin. But… I also know you're too awesome of a guy to go unnoticed for too long."

Lin chuckled at that. "I've caught the eye of a few nurses, so there are no concerns in that department. I just know I'll never love another the way I love you so I hope whoever I meet understands that."

Train sighed and rolled his eyes, still not pulling his hand away to give Lin a little more time with the limb. "Well, I've never been one to tell others how they should feel, but… I will say I hope you don't go breaking a bunch of hearts like I have."

Lin shrugged his shoulders and nuzzled into Train's hand further. "No promises. After all, I've already left a few shattered remains behind me."

Train laughed and finally pulled his hand away. "I guess I expect no less from you. You are, as you got m eto admit earlier, very cute."

Lin giggled. "Oh, so now I'm very cute?"

Train sighed and rolled his eyes, looking back out the window again. "You did it again…"

Lin shrugged his shoulders and decided to enjoy the view of Train. "I'll never stop." A thought occurred to him as he spoke it to his Sweetness. "Has Sephiria spoken to you yet?"

Train turned to look at him, curiosity in his amber eyes as he spoke. "No. Why?"

Lin frowned. "She said she was going to speak with you soon. I don't know what about since she hasn't talked to me either, but I can only assume it has something to do with the Elders."

Train felt his heart sink a little and he turned back around to look at Lin better. "That doesn't sound good…"

Lin sighed. "It might not be… But I would imagine if it were bad she would have sought you out sooner. I think she's been away on a mission or something. I haven't seen her in a while either."

Train frowned. "Is it possible she's being punished by the Elders?"

Lin thought about that for a second, then shook his head. "If she was, I'd be shocked. She never crosses them and I can't think of anything she did that would warrant punishment."

Train was quiet for a second as he thought of something and realizing that he might be the cause of her punishment, his stomach turned over. "Well… She knows you've been supplying us with information on the Apostles… Could that have possibly gotten her in trouble?"

Lin frowned at his sweet love's face and shook his head. "No. If that were the case, I'd be being punished right now. Either me or you. And the Elders have already spoken to me."

Train jumped a little at his casual words. "How can you make something so sinister sound so normal?!"

Lin laughed at Train's reaction. "It really was nothing. They asked about Creed."

If Train's heart was sinking before, it was now at the center of the Earth. "...What about Creed?"

Lin sighed, then reached out and touched Train's hand gently. "Don't worry, Creed is safe. They just wanted to be sure he was truly changed."

Train didn't bother to push Lin away as he took a light hold of his fingers and caressed them tenderly. "And what did you tell them?"

Lin sighed, knowing Train didn't mean to sound impatient, but since they were talking about the freedom and well being of the man he loved, so it made sense he was anxious. "I told them the truth, Train. The actual truth. Not what I wish was the truth."

Train finally let his breath go and leaned back in his chair, feeling like he had just run a marathon in a manner of minutes as he tried to calm his heart down. "Good… That's good, Lin. Thank you."

Lin felt his heart break again at Train's relief, but also felt happiness at the sight of his sweet love calming down. "You don't have to thank me. I was just doing my job. My job was to make sure Creed was truly changed. And… Now that it seems like he has, my job is done. Maybe that's what Sephiria wanted to talk to you about."

Train's relief began to subside again as those thoughts were forced on him again. "Do you think she wants to talk to me about pulling you out?"

Lin nodded. "That's my guess… Like I said, she hasn't spoken to me yet. She just set up a way for me to speak to the Elders and left."

Train took hold of Lin's fingers that were still grasping his and squeezed tight. "I already told you I won't let them take you away from us and I literally just told you I want you to stay in my life. Something as stupid as Chronos won't tear us apart."

Lin couldn't help but laugh despite his sadden state. Something that only Train was able to get him to do no matter how depressed he was. "Don't call Chronos stupid. They'll have you erased."

Train brushed his words away with his unoccupied hand. "If they wanted me dead I'd already be dead. And I won't let them pull you out. If that's what Sephiria wants to talk to me about, I'll just tell her no."

Lin laughed again. "I don't think you can tell the leader of the Chronos assassins 'no', Train…"

"Yeah, well, I've been known to make the impossible happen. I'm stubborn as a bull and there's no way I'm going to accept her forcing you away from us." Train crossed his arms against his chest despite Lin's reluctance to let go of his hand.

Lin frowned at his empty hand, then leaned back into his bed. "It's only been a week since I've seen her and spoken to the Elders. That's when she mentioned she wanted to talk to you. Give it time."

Train sighed. "But she didn't mention going anywhere? You're just assuming she's on a mission?"

Lin nodded. "Yes, and I am. Actually, she's probably busy training new recruits and whatnot. We've gotten a lot of manpower recently to compete with the Apostles. I have no proof of where she is nor do I have any evidence of what she wants to speak with you about, but I know worrying won't do anything for either of us. Especially me. It'll actually probably just make me worse."

If I have to leave Train and the others, I don't know what I'll do. I can't imagine life without any of them… Even Creed.

For the longest time he hated Creed and even now it was hard to accept that he actually sort of cared about him, but he knew it was true. It was hard to not feel any amount of sympathy for Creed when the man he loved had such strong and unwavering feelings for him. At a certain point, Lin had to accept that if Train cared about him, he had to care about him.

"Don't worry, Lin. Like I said, I won't let that happen. I won't even let Sephiria finish the sentence before I tell her no." Train made sure his voice sounded as confident as possible in order to comfort the number.

Lin nodded. "Right. I believe you, Train. And like I said, worrying about it will get nothing done except hurt me."

Train nodded and leaned back, stretching his legs out and resting the back of his head on his hands. "By the way, you should probably stop telling me so much about what Chronos is doing. I know we're working together for the time being, but I'm still not a member and I don't think the Elders will appreciate all that information you so kindly laid out for me."

Lin shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. It's not like you or Creed wouldn't have been able to work anything like that out on your own. I didn't reveal any deep dark secrets. Chronos is always expanding and they should know ex-assassins know that."

Train sighed, then reluctantly nodded his head. He knew Lin was right, but was still worried his openness with Train would get him in trouble, so he changed the subject. "Do the doctors know how much longer you'll need to get better?"

Lin smiled at Train, happy for the change of subject to something more friendly. "If I keep going at this rate, I'll be back to normal by your birthday."

Train blinked at him. "Really? That soon?"

Lin nodded. "Yup. As long as I keep the extra therapy sessions going, I'll be back to following you around like a love sick puppy every day."

Train chuckled. "Sounds like a plan. Everyone's been asking about you. They all miss you terribly."

Lin rolled his eyes. "Even Creed?"

Train nodded. "Yes. Even Creed. I think he's actually planning something for when you come back."

Lin smiled a little at that thought. "That's… sweet of him. Especially considering how mean I was to him while we were together."

Train laughed. "Well, you can make it up to him by just saying sorry. He's much more forgiving than he used to be."

Lin sighed and rested his head on the pillow. "That's good to hear, but I guess I really have no comparison to make. I didn't know him before he left Chronos or the Apostles. I only heard stories."

Train smirked. "That's good in my opinion. That means you were a biased yet unbiased party to his change."

Lin was confused by that statement. "What do you mean?"

Train stretched a little as he spoke. "You only heard stories about Creed's insanity which made you biased. You never got to meet him and learn who he was as a person, but since he was unstable back then, it would have only strengthened the bias you already had. Considering you never did, I feel like that means you were just biased enough to already have an opinion on him, but not biased enough to really have any support for it. Does that make sense?"

Lin snickered. "In a strange way, it does. And I can see what you mean. I guess that makes my approval of him all the more strong."

Train nodded and smiled cheekily. "Yes, it does."

Lin felt his heart flutter wildly in his chest at the cute look on Train's face, but their moment was interrupted as some nurses arrived with his food. It was the same man from earlier, so he was only in there for a few seconds. He walked quickly over to Lin, the same bored look on his face as he dropped the food on his lap, then left as swiftly as he had come. He didn't say a word to either of them, nor did he even really look at them.

Train stared at the door that closed tightly behind him. "That man needs to find some kind of spark in life before he jumps off a cliff out of sheer boredom."

Lin laughed merrily at Train's joke as he began eating his food delicately, beginning to feel a bit tired as he poked at the dull chicken on his plate. As he took a bite, he felt Train's eyes on him and glanced over at the Black Cat to see an odd look on his face.

"Are you hungry, Train?" Lin smiled admiringly at his Sweetness, offering him a bite from his fork.

Train made a disgusted face and pushed the silverware away. "No, thanks. I hated Chronos food. I understand it's nutritious, Creed never let me forget that, but I can't stand how bland it tastes."

Lin giggled a little, shrugged his shoulders, and then took his fork back. "That's very characteristic of you, but this isn't Chronos food. It's hospital food."

Train's look did not change as Lin was about to offer him another bite. "It still looks entirely too bland. Besides, you need all the nutrients you can get if you're going to be back in action in a month."

Lin smiled wistfully. "Nothing will stop me from recovering for your birthday. I promise"

Train chuckled, but rolled his eyes. "If that's your motivation, great, but I hope there's more to it than that."

Lin smirked insidiously at him. "Wouldn't the recovery of my body be a great gift for you?"

Train rubbed his eyes at the seductive look Lin was giving him and sighed. "Some things never change, huh?" He watched Lin shrugged his shoulders and laughed lightly. After a few minutes of silence while the number ate, Train decided to ask the man a question he had been meaning to ask for a while. "Do you remember a while back when you mentioned to me how Chronos only makes certain people eat their food?"

Lin nodded, but did not stop his eating. "Mhm."

"And you are not one of those people, correct?" Train leaned his chin on his hand and his elbow on the arm of the chair.

Number X nodded again. "Correct. They never even offered it to me. I don't think Kranz or Baldor eat it either. It's really only a select few numbers and most of the lower level easers."

Train frowned at him. "Why is that?"

Lin shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, but if I were to guess it would be to keep them in line. I mean, how long can you expect people to follow orders without question?"

Train's expression did not change as he spoke. "Then why do people like you, Baldor, and Kranz follow orders without question?"

I assume Belze has also never been offered the food, but I don't need to wonder why he doesn't question the orders of the Elders.

"Well, I can't speak on behalf of the other numbers, but as for myself, I've never been asked to do something I didn't see the point of or I thought was too unreasonable. Maybe it's the nature of what they mostly use me for, but nevertheless, I never had a reason to question their orders." Lin cut off another piece of chicken, smiling at Train as he took a bite.

Train nodded. "That makes sense, but imagine if they did ask you to do something you didn't want to. What would you do?"

Lin shrugged his shoulders again. "I guess it would depend on what it was. If it involved hurting you in any way, no I would refuse even though I'm sure the punishment would be severe. But, if it involved killing a crime lord or something of the sort… I wouldn't like it, but I'd do it." He saw the distorted look on his sweet love's face and sighed. "Don't give me that look. I don't need to remind you what my job technically is and that I've never actually killed anyone. However, I do value my life and if it's between me and a lowlife, I'm sorry but I'm going to choose mine every time."

Train still didn't like that, but he knew it was pointless having that conversation with him. It only deterred him from what he was trying to ask Lin and he had made peace a while ago with what the man was. It was easy since he knew Number X was a kind man who detested killing almost as much as Train did and wasn't actually a killer despite his assassin status.

"Backtracking a little… Did you know Creed and I were forced to eat their food?" Train made sure to look at Lin's face when he said this, to see what his reaction was.

Lin was thoughtful for a minute, then nodded his head. "That makes sense I guess. Especially after seeing how docile Creed really is."

Train blinked at him. "Why does it make sense?"

Lin smiled at him. "Because you are such a stubborn free spirit with one of the kindest, most gentle hearts I've ever met, they must have had to do something to keep you in line. The only reason you joined Chronos was because you didn't have a choice and that man that raised you tried to turn you into a monster. I'm sure you never wanted to be an assassin in the first place."

Train felt his heart shake a little with rage as he thought of the man who murdered his parents, something he hadn't done in so long. The only people that knew about his past were Creed, Lin, and Sephiria. In the case of his former lovers it was by choice, but Sephiria found out on her own. It's how she was able to recruit him in the first place.

"You're right. I never wanted to join. I never wanted to be an assassin, but with the influence of… that man and Chronos… I didn't have a choice…" Train's voice got quieter as he spoke, starting to think of the past he had so long ignored.

Lin frowned at his Sweet Cat and reached out to touch his hand gently. "Don't go back there, Train. You're not there anymore. You're here. With me. In this depressing hospital." Seeing that didn't work, Lin pinched Train's hand, giggling as the Black Cat jumped a little and glared at him. "Stay here with me. I know I can't offer much outside of these insipid walls, but I can offer my love and care. And I assume that's better than living in your dark past."

Train smiled and patted the hand that held him. "Thanks, Lin…"

That's what I mean about him being a soulmate. I may not love him, but there's still a deep connection with him that I can't create with anyone else. Same with Saya… And Creed…

He knew Creed was different than his other two friends and shook his head before he delved into more thoughts of the stunning silver man in order to focus on what they were talking about. "Do you really think they used the food to control us?"

Lin shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I honestly don't know anything about it. I just know they only offer it to certain people. I'm just guessing based off the fact that you and Creed were told to eat it."

Train frowned. "If your theory is right, I get why they'd want me to consume their food, but why Creed? With how eager he was to kill at the time, I can't imagine why they'd need to control him."

Lin shook his head. "Quite the contrary. Based on what I've seen of Creed now and heard of him in the past, I don't think he joined Chronos of his own accord either. Is that true?"

Train nodded. "That's true. His situation was similar to mine. Sephiria found him and persuaded him to join. He didn't have anywhere else to turn to, so he accepted."

Lin frowned slightly at Train's sad look, knowing he was thinking of Creed's tragic past and decided to continue speaking in order to break him out of his stupor. "Which is all the more reason they would want to control him. Especially if he was unstable. If Chronos food has something in it that makes the erasers and assassins willing to accept orders from their superiors, they would need to keep Creed in line. They might not know what he'd do if they didn't."

Train wasn't convinced. "But, Creed was at his most unstable when he was with Chronos. If they were somehow drugging him with the food, it didn't seem like it worked. He was bloodthirsty beyond belief, unstable to the point where he almost fell over the edge, and eager to disobey Chronos at every turn."

Lin shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said, it's just a theory. And they may have been drugging him in hopes that it would work. After all, if my hypothesis is true, it worked on you for at least a while."

Train was quiet as he watched Lin eat, thinking about the man's words and slowly coming to a conclusion on his own, making sure his voice was a whisper as he spoke. "...I actually stopped eating the food shortly before I left…"

Lin blinked at him. "What?"

Train pulled his chair a little closer to the bed so he could keep his voice low. "I just… hated their food so much. I know it's supposed to be nutritious, but I actually felt better after I stopped eating it. I always assumed that was because I started drinking milk again and eating for pleasure instead of sustenance, but now I wonder…"

Lin frowned and matched the quietness of his voice. "If they are drugging the food, it would make sense why you began to change. Maybe it was stifling your true personality and turning you into something… much more sinister and murderous. You're a man any powerful organization would want to control and keeping you under their thumb would be nothing but beneficial to them."

Train felt his whole body go cold as he saw Saya's cheery face float in front of him, her laugh echoing joyously against his ears. "Does that mean… She didn't have anything to do with it..?"

Lin watched as Train became lost once more and reached out to pinch him again before he slipped into his bleak thoughts. "That's not what it means at all. First of all, this is just a theory, nothing more. Second, even if it is true, I don't think that meant Saya didn't do anything to help you. She was the one that made you realize you weren't happy. And am I safe in assuming that's around the time you stopped eating what they gave you?"

Train thought about that as he rubbed the spot on his hand where Lin pinched him, smiling a little at the memory of the sweeper girl. "Yeah… I saw her drinking milk and couldn't take it anymore. I snatched it right from her hand and finished the bottle. I unknowingly started a war with her after that."

Lin sighed peacefully at Train's happy face. "So, as I said, even if this idea is true, which I'd like to state again that I have no evidence of this, it's all just a giant guess, Saya made you see how much joy you get out of food and you made the choice to indulge in that happiness of life. It may be small, but it sounds like it was the first stepping stone you needed to bring you back to the light."

Train's mirthful smile never left his lips as he nodded and spoke again. "Yeah… You're right…"

Saya was the one that made him finally remember how much he loved eating which did lead him to eat whatever he wanted. After that, he started to notice a bigger change and began questioning everything else Chronos was forcing into his skull.

And while I was beginning to change my thought process, Creed was slipping even further towards the other side. But… he never stopped eating their food. When we left together and he no longer had it available to him… he started to change in a similar fashion to what I did.

Train knew that similar to Saya, he was a huge influence in Creed's softening as well, but he didn't need to question that. Lin made a good point that, even if Chronos was drugging them, that didn't mean the people in their lives didn't help them see how beautiful the world actually could be.

"But… Why would Sephiria keep this from us now? I thought we were allies…" Train made sure his voice was still low, since he knew Chronos would be listening in.

Lin frowned. "If this is true, telling you could put her in trouble. This would be a huge secret and you know they wouldn't want anyone other that Sephiria knowing about it." He shrugged his shoulders as he took another bite of food, trying to appear casual as he spoke. "There's also the chance she doesn't know about it. Or at least maybe she doesn't know everything about it. If what I say is true, it's possible she was kept in the dark about it as well. The Elders don't tell her everything."

Train nodded. "True, but Sephiria is smart. She would have been able to figure it out."

Lin chewed his food lightly, then swallowed delicately before he spoke, trying to appear as casual as possible since he always assumed there were cameras on him. "Yes, but with how few people are actually forced to eat it, she may not have noticed."

"She kept a record." Train said he began to remember Sephiria taking his forged meal logs. "She was in charge of making sure we got the food every month and consumed it. We had to fill out a log and everything. Of course, I lied about mine, but I still know she kept track of it. I'm sure she had to report to the Elders about it as well."

Lin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "That doesn't mean she knew what they were doing. You know Sephiria takes orders with little to no questions asked. There's still a good possibility she was just doing as she was told."

Train processed the man's words, then nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess…"

He decided to just accept the idea as true. And as Lin said, everything they talked about was just a theory. Neither of them had proof and Lin made it clear that he had never even been offered the food, so there was only so much he could go on.

If they were drugging it, that might make sense why it tasted so terrible. Back then, Creed didn't particularly care about what the food tasted like, he just liked that he didn't have to spend time or money on making or buying his own meals. He saw it as a convenient opportunity. Completely different from how he views food now. Now, he sees it as a form of art.

"Did that answer your question, Train?" Lin took a sip of his water as he eyed his Sweetness thoughtfully.

Train sighed. "I guess it answered it as much as it could be answered. Maybe I'll bring it up with Sephiria whenever she talks to us."

Lin cocked an eyebrow at him as he placed his glass down, stifling another yawn as he spoke. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not. I won't know until I ask, right?" He eyed his friend, curiosity getting the better of him as he asked a different question. "Why did you join Chronos in the first place?"

Lin looked thoughtful for a minute, as if he wasn't sure himself either, then finally answered. "Well… I've always been fascinated by powerful people. It's one of the things that attracted me to you, since the level of strength I enjoy watching is quite high and you went beyond my expectations. It's one of the many things about you that made me love you."

Train rolled his eyes at the loving tone Lin's voice took on and snapped his fingers a little. "Yeah, I get it, I swept you off your feet before I even met you and you can't imagine life without me. You've told me all this before and, not to be rude, it doesn't answer my question."

Lin giggled, enjoying how easy it was to fluster Train and continued. "Chronos has powerful people in it and I wanted to meet them. I wanted to see how my strength and skills matched up with their own and improve myself along the way."

Train cocked an eyebrow. "It had nothing to do with wanting to make the world a better place in the eyes of Chronos?"

Lin laughed. "Train, you and I both know that's not true. They may think they're making the world a better place, but really they're just keeping society stable and under their control. That's all they want: Power and control."

Train frowned at him again. "And… You're okay working with people like that?"

Lin gave him an exasperated look. "What else am I to do, Train? Go against them? Even you didn't do that. You simply left and formed an agreement with them to leave each other alone."

Train rolled his eyes. "Originally I did leave with the…. other intentions in mind. And there is no agreement to leave each other alone. At least not until we take the Apostles down."

Lin nodded. "Right, but you didn't leave to take down Chronos. Just Sephiria. You also left because you thought Sephiria betrayed you and you didn't want to live that life anymore."

Train snapped his fingers and pointed at Lin. "Touché."

Lin chuckled again and started working on the vegetables on his plate, holding back a yawn as he spoke. "My origin story for joining Chronos is similar to everyone else's. Tragic past that gave me little choice but to join the organization. However, I like to believe I at least had a choice. Unlike you or Creed did."

Train realized he never actually asked how Lin came to join Chronos and suddenly felt guilty about it since he knew Creed's story. "Okay, I understand why you joined them now, but… under what circumstances did you find yourself among their ranks?"

Lin sighed and put his fork down, done with his food and almost ready to fall asleep, but wanting nothing more than to continue talking to his Sweet Love. "My parents died when I was just a little boy. I don't remember them at all, but I was told it was a car accident."

Train, being a natural skeptic when it came to the death of parents, questioned him. "How sure of that are you?"

Lin rolled his eyes and fought back another yawn. He knew if Train saw how tired he was, he'd leave and the number wasn't ready for that yet. "I'm positive, Train. Like I said, my origin story is sad, but not nearly as sad as yours. Can I continue?" When the cat nodded, Lin went on. "Once they died, I was placed in the foster care system. I lived the classic life of a foster kid… moving from home to home, some better than others, but all of them awful. I was beaten and abused physically, emotionally… sexually…"

Train felt his heart crack and he reached out to take the number's hand, squeezing his fingers tenderly. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to…"

Lin shook his head and smiled at his Sweetness. "No, it's fine. I made peace with my past long ago. I have nothing to hide." Not wanting Train let go of his hand, Lin wrapped his fingers around the gunman's, holding them tight so he wouldn't leave. "I aged out of the foster care system, but the whole time I was training myself to become stronger. I learned several fighting styles on my own and was even able to protect myself from several abusive families. That's one of the reasons I was deemed 'unadoptable' since all the foster families told the system I was violent."

Train made an annoyed noise and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right…"

Lin chuckled. "I know, it's ridiculous with how docile and peaceful of an assassin I am. But, I did break many bones and bruised many eyes. However, they all deserved it."

Train laughed. "I'm sure they did.

Lin sighed. "This is also why I'm so attached to you all. I've never truly been a part of a family before and… you all make me feel like family."

Train gave his friend a warm smile. "That's because you are family…" He patted Lin's hand and asked another question. "How did you find Chronos then?"

Lin smiled. "I didn't. Like almost everyone else, they found me. But, like I said before, it was my choice to join them. I was pretty well off physically speaking by then and I already knew I was smarter than the average person, so I knew I could easily get an education and a decent job if I wanted, but… Chronos just… fascinated me. When Sephiria made me the offer, I found myself saying yes before I even knew what was happening. After seeing what she was capable of, I was dying to see what else they had to offer."

Train eyed him up and down, noticing the drawn look on his face as he spoke and knowing he was getting tired. "Do you regret it?"

Lin shook his head wildly. "No, not at all. I've learned a lot about the world through Chronos, got to travel and see most of it, learned more languages then I even knew existed, and met the most amazing and powerful people I had ever known. It also gave me an interesting view on how society works and I love learning how people work. But most of all… I got to meet you through it. And if none of those other things mattered, that matters more than anything else."

Train smiled as he watched Lin fight back another yawn and relax further into his bed. The Black Cat stood up and let go of Lin's hand, much to the other man's displeasure, and removed the tray of food from his lap. He leaned over the shorter man and grabbed the blankets, rolling his eyes when he saw the hopefully look Lin took on.

"Don't get all riled up, I'm just tucking you in. You look tired."

Lin pouted at his sweet cat and shook his head. "No. I'm fine. I don't want you to leave yet."

Train sighed and finished tucking the man in, pulling his arm away quickly as he noticed Lin tried to grab it. "I need to meet Creed at the music school soon anyway. Plus, you need your rest. How can you expect to recover in time for my birthday if you're refusing to sleep?"

Lin's pout never wavered, but he knew what Train said was true and he nodded his head unwillingly. "Okay… But only because I'm starting to have a hard time keeping my eyes open. You'll be back tomorrow, right…?"

Train gave him a cheeky smile again. "Of course! Nothing on this planet can stop me."

Lin's pout finally turned into a smile as he rested his head on the pillow. "I love you, Train…"

Train sighed, hoping he would have been able to get through his time with Lin without him saying those words, but it happened every time and every time, Train felt like a jerk for not being able to respond in the same manner.

"I know, Lin. Rest now. I'll see you tomorrow."

---

As Creed reached the climax of the piece, he knew his audience was pleased with his performance and he'd be able to leave and see Train. There was only one person watching him, which made him uncomfortable every time he was in that mansion, but he also knew the money was good and his family needed it in order to recover from the fire. He tried to use the music to escape the prying eyes that were on him, knowing the older woman behind him was far too pleased with his music than she ought to be. Had it been Train giving him that look, it would be a far more enjoyable feeling.

I'd even take Sergey's eyes over this woman's. It's just so… unsettling.

Still, Creed was able to ignore her enough to get through the piece, placing his hands on his lap and letting out a quick breath. He heard the clapping from behind him and knew he needed to put on his charming face in order to speak to the woman and get his money, but before that he needed to gather enough strength to make himself turn around.

Train… I need to think of Train and the others and remind myself why I'm doing this. Only a few more performances for this hag and I'll be free to start declining her.

A part of him was hoping they'd start moving around again and he would be free of this woman sooner, but he knew that wasn't going to happen until their money was back in order. Not that it was in order before the fire, but at least he wouldn't have to keep playing for an old woman who saw him as nothing more than eye candy and had money to burn.

"That was simply marvelous, Darling! You must play me another!"

Creed gripped his knees and took in a deep breath before turning around and giving the woman the sweetest smile he could muster under the circumstances. "Perhaps another day, Ms. Hall. I need to get back to the music school for an important date."

Okay, I don't have a 'date' planned, but in my eyes, meeting with Train is an important date. Despite what this woman believes is true or not.

The woman frowned at Creed. "Are you meeting that man you speak so fondly of?"

Creed's sweet smile turned more genuine at the mention of his beloved. "Of course. Who else would be more important than you?"

The woman's dreary mood changed slightly at Creed's compliment, taking his smile as meant for her instead of the man who was always on his mind. "When will I meet this man? You speak so lovingly of him if I didn't know better, I'd say you were lovers."

Creed pushed aside the heat forming in his face and laughed charmingly at the woman. "Only in my dreams, Ms. Hall. Train does not return my affections."

The woman's smile turned back into a frown. "Oh, so you do have feelings for this mysterious man." She looked Creed up and down, as if inspecting him for errors and finding none so she looked him in the eyes once more. "Then I must meet him. Bring him with you the next time you perform for me."

Not if my life depended on it. She'd have to pry Train from my cold, dead hands before I'd let her have even a glimpse at him.

"But that would mean I would have to share you with another. Surely you won't rob me of the company you provide me every week?" Creed made sure his voice sounded as charismatic as possible, his smile becoming so sweet he was sure the woman would get diabetes.

If she doesn't already have it… With her age, it's only a matter of time.

The woman was rather short with long, dark hair and green eyes. She always wore clothes Creed was sure belonged in the Regent era of England which was what convinced the swordsman why she thought it was normal to pay piano players to perform for them alone in their home. He was grateful to Anastasia for giving him the opportunity to make more money, but he didn't know why this was the best source of it.

Of course I know why. This woman is loaded beyond belief. I just don't like that this is the best way to make money fast. Other than selling my body that is.

She had offered that to him many times, but he made sure to turn her down kindly with each bid. The first time she offered it, Creed nearly threw up the moment he left her house, but now it was beginning to be a normal occurrence he learned to live with so he could keep making money from his performances for her. He was sure if he spent even one night with her, she'd be able to provide him with enough money that none of them would ever have to work again, but that wasn't what Creed wanted. Not only was there not enough money in the world that would make him even consider the idea of sleeping with her, but he knew Train would never want to stop sweeping anyway.

Especially not after hearing that heartwarming story of what happened to him the six months we were apart. Sweeping is his passion. He loves it so much that no amount of money or comfort would ever make him stop.

The woman's laugh was like stabbing a knife in Creed's ear, but he managed to keep his charming facade the whole time. "Your words are almost as beautiful as your music."

Creed bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, but I really must be going now. I can't keep Train waiting much longer."

Creed knew that wasn't true. Chances were Train was going to be running late like he always did, but he'd use any excuse to get out there as quickly as possible. He stood to approach the woman to get his money, but was greeted with her hand instead. Knowing what she wanted, Creed obliged and stifled his nausea as he took the hand and kissed it gently. The woman chuckled again, making Creed's skin crawl since he knew what that noise meant.

"So, that's it? You woo me with your playing, take your money, and leave?" She pouted at him, grabbing his hand so he would not leave.

Creed glanced at her hand to see her thumb gently caressing his fingers and bit his tongue to prevent himself from reacting negatively. "I believe that is the arrangement we have made in the past…"

Her pout turned into a sick smirk and she pulled the younger man closer. "I'm sure there must be some amount of money I could offer to convince you to walk me to my room at least…"

Creed somehow managed to keep his charming smile on his lips as he spoke. "Ms. Hall, we both know if I walk you that far, it will lead to another proposal that I will also have to decline."

She frowned again and pulled him even closer. "How could you possibly know what I am going to ask of you before I've even asked it?"

Creed chuckled lightly, mostly to stop himself from pulling his hand away from her. "Tale as old as time, my dear. You ask the same thing of me every time I'm here."

"And I've yet to receive that request. I haven't even been given the chance to tell you how much I'm willing to pay for it. And trust me when I say if you agree to bed me… you'll never have to work again…"

She pulled him close enough that Creed could feel her breath brush against his cheeks, making him have to fight an appalling shutter.

Just as I expected, she has that kind of money. Still, it's not enough. The only thing I want in this world is not something she can give me.

He used the idea of being with Train again to give him the strength to keep his sweet smile painted on his lips. "You flatter me, Ms. Hall, and while your beauty does tempt me, I am going to have to decline yet again."

He felt like he was only half lying in that moment. Based on her bone structure and natural charm, Creed had a feeling she was quite the catch when she was younger. Had they been the same age and Creed was still desperately trying to get his unrequited feelings for Train out on anyone that offered themselves to him, he might have taken her up on it. Her looks weren't what disgusted Creed, it was her selfish attitude. The attitude that she was owed everything else in the world based on the money she had. It reminded him a lot of his mother. Even though she had no money to speak up, she still acted like life owed her something. As if life was indebted to her for the terrible decisions she made.

I've always hated people like that. People who think they can buy or sleep their way to an easy life. People who used their influence to bend the world to its knees. And I hate to admit it… but that's what I used to aim for. If not to put people like this in their place, then to give Train the life I believed he deserved. I used to think only the strong should be at the top, ruling the world and commanding the weak, but now I see that wouldn't be right.

Creed knew there were far too many innocent people in the world that didn't deserve that kind of treatment or be put under someone else's control. Those people had value. And those people were how he used to be. Like how Train used to be. Lost and alone. Unable to win in an unfair world where only the richest and most influential survived. And even after becoming as strong as they were, the world continued abusing them. It didn't matter how powerful they became, it wasn't enough to control anything that happened to them. He had learned that it didn't matter what he did or how strong he was, life had its own plans and Creed accepted that as something he couldn't change. If he could, Train would have been his from the moment they met.

Now that I've lived a humble life with Train and the rest of my sweeper family, I've learned what it's like for everyone else in the world… Or should I say I remember what it was like to be like them… To be like the rest of the 'normal' people out there I used to regard as trash. I'm glad my beloved was able to show me a different way. Who knows what would have happened if he didn't…

The woman sighed and regretfully released her tight hold on Creed, then reached into her purse to pull out an envelope full of cash. "Very well then. Same time next week?"

Creed nodded and bowed politely at her, knowing it was a strange gesture to make in the current year they resided in, but he knew this woman lived in the past and it was best to appease her as best he could without giving her what she really wanted from him. It was sort of his way of trading her true desire for more innocent ones.

"Of course… I'll be here." He kissed the hand holding the money quickly, then took the envelope gently from her and speedily made his way to the door, stepping outside before she had a chance to stop him again.

As soon as he was out there, he breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm going to kill Anastasia for setting me up with this woman and then run her business into the ground out of spite."

He knew that wasn't true, but his dark thoughts comforted him enough to get into the car Hall had already had set up for him. Every week she had a car pick him up and drop him off at the music school and he appreciated it, but she also knew it was one of her ways of showing him what he could have if he took her up on her offer.

It's not going to work. There's no amount of money, flattery, or showmanship that would sway me into her bed.

Creed stepped in the car quickly, pulling out his phone as the driver sped off to the school. The silver man checked his messages and frowned when he saw none from Train. He even scrolled down to find his love's name, clicking on it to make sure he hadn't accidentally turned off his alerts. He sighed sadly and locked his phone again in favor of looking out the window instead. He smiled at the clouds, enjoying the slowly warming temperatures and heated sun that shot through the window and kissed his pale cheek elegantly.

The heat only made him want to see Train even more and knowing he couldn't make the car go faster, he decided to content himself with pictures of his beloved. He opened his phone back up and clicked on the icon that held his photos. He immediately opened the one Eve had sent him a while back of the two of them sleeping on the couch peacefully. Creed sighed and caressed the image with his thumb, leaning his head against the window as he re-lived that moment and the ones following it over and over in his head.

Perfect… He's so perfect… No, beyond perfect. There aren't any words in any languages that can describe how perfect he is.

He opened his messages up and clicked on Train's name again. Even though he knew Train hadn't reached out to him yet, Creed wanted to reach out to him. He texted his beloved to let him know he was on the way and would be there soon, ending it with a heart like he always did before opening his pictures again and flipping through the various images of Train. As he smiled at the small visions of his Kitten, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Train's name pop on his phone.

Creed clicked the message quickly and widened his eyes in shock at what he saw. "He's already there?!"

"What?" The driver said, a little startled by the man's exclamation and wondering if Creed was talking to him.

"Nothing. Just… talking to myself…" Creed sighed and looked out the window to gauge how soon he would be there.

I don't want him to see me pull up in this fancy car. He'll question me immediately and I'm not ready to tell him about the extra money yet. He'll either make me stop or forbid me from giving them any more money. And I can't do that until we're back on our feet.

Creed texted his love back to see if he could convince him to wait somewhere else for him, since he was sure Train would be sitting on the roof so he could get a better view of the town and to see where Creed was coming from so he could jump out and attack him when he wasn't ready even though he always was. As much as Creed enjoyed being tackled and pinned down by his love, he didn't want Train to see him pulling up in that car.

Creed stared at his phone, waiting impatiently for Train to respond then glanced out the window again to see how close they were. "Could you possibly slow down a bit?"

The man behind the seat gave him a curious look through the window. "You always tell me to drive faster…"

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "There's no rush today. I want to enjoy cloud watching."

The man sighed and slowed the car down, alleviating some of Creed's anxiety as he waited for his love to respond. His leg began to shake slightly, his heart beating fast at the idea of being caught lying to his Kitten again and what Train would do this time around. He knew this secret wasn't like the one he was keeping before, but he also didn't want to risk possibly losing his love again.

Not when we're so close again… Not when he's laying back in my arms every night again…

His heart stopped when Train's name popped up on his phone again. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his love confirming he would wait in the recital hall for him and smiled fondly.

He looked back up at the driver and gave him a sweet smile through the mirror. "You can speed up again now. I have a student waiting for me."

The man rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath as he sped up once more. Creed knew the only reason he listened was because the woman was his boss and ordered him to do whatever Creed said. If Creed told him to drive off a bridge or to the mall, he had to obey.

One of the perks of being a handsome, charming young man is being able to make rich women swoon.

Still, Creed made sure to never abuse the power given to him by the old woman. He always treated the driver with respect, only went to his desired location of the music school, and even tipped him for his services. That time was no different as the car pulled up to the school and Creed quickly gave the man some of the cash he had just earned, tucked the envelope back into his jacket pocket, and jumped out of the car. He waited for the vehicle to pull away and was out of sight before he walked into the building. Creed wanted to be extra sure it was gone before he opened the doors, just in case Train decided to not wait in the recital hall and was ready to pounce on him the moment he walked through the doors.

As soon as it was out of sight, Creed stepped through the doors, then whined sadly when he saw Train was not going to jump him. He had been hoping his beloved decided to attack him anyway since it was a perfect excuse to roll around with his Kitten and even sneak in a few kisses. While Train had been far more accepting of his affections recently, he still did not do anything in public and whenever Train jumped him, it was always in a public location and Creed always hoped someone would walk by and see.

Seems as though my cat has chosen not to surprise me today… Oh well, maybe I can get the drop on him instead.

Creed's ears perked a little as he heard the sounds of the piano on stage playing a horrid rhythm. As he got closer, he could tell it was a chromatic scale, although played very erratically and without any skill to speak of which led Creed to believe his beloved was assaulting the poor instrument. When he stepped into the recital hall, his thoughts were confirmed as he saw Train sitting on the piano bench, using both his index fingers to stab the notes on the piano.

Creed giggled and watched his love for a bit before he started to approach and speak with the energetic cat. "What do you think you're doing to that beautiful, innocent instrument, Train?"

Train stopped what he was doing, but did not pull his hands away as he frowned at Creed from the stage. "I'm trying to see how fast I can play every key. I've even got a timer going. See?" He held up the timer on his phone for emphasis. "I got about halfway in fifteen seconds before I messed up and missed a key. Now I have to start over because you interrupted me."

Creed rolled his eyes and jumped gracefully onto the stage and stood next to his beloved. "What you're playing is called a chromatic scale. And you're playing it wrong."

Train narrowed his eyes at him. "Says who? I'm just playing every key in order from lowest to highest, quickly."

Creed nodded. "Yes, and like I said, that's a chromatic scale and you're not supposed to poke at the keys with your fingers."

Train deepened his frown. "That's what it looks like you do..."

Creed sighed and leaned over his Kitten to rest his fingers on the key delicately. "Technically, I guess you're right, but there's a difference between poking it without a care and gently caressing the keys like this."

Train watched as Creed's fingers glided up and down the piano with ease, playing the same scale he had just been playing, but with far more decorum and finesse. "I see… So you sort of make your fingers flat?"

Creed watched as Train tried to copy him, then chuckled and took a gentle hold of his wrist. "Not quite. You never want to lock the joints of your fingers, it restricts your movement. You want to have the ball of your fingers touch the middle of the bottom of the keys, like this."

Train squinted at Creed's fingers, then at his own, trying to understand what he meant. "What do you mean the 'ball of your finger'? I didn't think that was a spot on your fingers."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I sort of made that up, but-here, give me your hand." Before Train could even offer his limb, Creed took it and flipped it over, pointing to the part of his fingers he was talking about. "This part, right here. And you never want to put them too far up or too low, otherwise, again, you are restricted or could slip off."

Train felt his heart beating a little faster as Creed caressed his fingers, then looked back at the piano. "I'm sure I've seen you playing at the bottom and the top of the keys multiple times."

Creed nodded. "Yes, but only when the piece requires it. If I need to play the black keys and the white keys at the same time, then yes, I need to adjust my hand. The rules get more muddy the more advanced you are, but that is what I learned the first time I started playing piano."

Train turned to meet Creed's gaze as a question popped into his head. "How did you start learning the piano?"

Creed sighed. "Whenever my mother would throw me out, I went to a local music store where they had piano displays everywhere. I would sit down and play for hours and eventually, one of the teachers took interest and started giving me lessons."

Train frowned. "I thought you were self taught."

"I am. She really only showed me the basics and taught me how to read music. She left the business shortly after that and I started reading as many books as possible to teach myself. Eventually, they got sick of me 'freeloading', as they put it, and wouldn't let me come back. I was able to find a few more music studios to sneak into and practice at after that, but since it became nearly impossible to get my hands on actual music, I had to memorize everything I heard by ear."

Train gawked at him. "You memorized music by ear?!"

Creed laughed at his love's words and continued gently caressing his fingers. "Most of it, yes. Some of it I had to see the music a few times before I could play it, but for the most part I figured it out on my own. Like most of my life…"

Seeing his silver companion beginning to slip into his tragic past, Train grabbed Creed's hand and led it to the piano. "Teach me a little."

Creed blinked at his beloved. "I'm not a teacher, Train."

Train rolled his eyes. "If you can teach yourself, you can teach me. Do it!"

Creed laughed, then covered his ears as Train slammed both his hands on the piano, repeating a wickedly horrid chord over and over again until the silverette finally caved. "Okay, okay, fine, I'll show you a few things! Just please stop attacking this beautiful instrument!"

Train smirked at him then nodded, placing his hands a bit more gently on the piano. "What's first, teach?"

Creed smiled, then nodded. "First things first, let me show you the number of your fingers." Seeing Train frowned in confusion, Creed took his hand again, spreading out his cat's fingers and pointing to his thumb first. "With most instruments, your index finger is considered your 'first finger', but with the piano, it's the thumb. After that, the index finger is two, middle finger is three, ring is four, and pink is fine. You normally don't play the black keys with your pinky or thumb since they are a bit too short to reach it, but, as I stated before, the better you get at the piano, the more muddy the rules get."

Train nodded, smiling cheekily as he gave him a thumbs up with both hands. "Is it the same with both hands, or is it reversed?"

Creed returned his smile, still holding Train's hand as he spoke. "It's the same. Now, the most important note on the piano is middle C." Creed adjusted himself so he was standing behind Train, then leaned over to point to where the note in question was. "It's right here. In the center of the piano. It's important to know why it's called middle C."

Train nodded as he looked at the key. "Because it's in the middle of the piano. That seems obvious."

Creed nodded. "Yes, but not every piano has the same amount of keys. What you're sitting in front of right now is a grand piano. It's the largest version. The mini grand is the next size down, followed by an upright, then keyboards of varying sizes fall after that. Middle C will always be in the middle, but it may not look the same as where it is on here. Does that make sense?"

Train thought about that for a second, then nodded. "Yes, it does. So, essentially, if I were to find it again on a different piano, I can't just memorize where it is here, right?"

Creed smiled proudly at his cat. "That's exactly right. Now, obviously, there are a lot of white keys and there is more than one C. From here to here-" He played middle C and the next octave up at the same time to show Train, his arms now on either side of the gunman as he spoke. "-Is a C Major scale. The way you can find C is by the black keys. C is always above the three sets of black keys, and below the two sets of white keys."

Train watched as his friend pointed to the black keys he meant, feeling a bit of warmth rise in his chest at the closeness of the other man. Creed's chest was currently pressed against his back, and his arms were slightly brushing against his shoulders. Still, he managed to pay attention to the man's lesson, and nodded in understanding.

"So, this one here is also C?" Train poked another note, then looked at Creed for approval.

Creed giggled at his love, wishing he could kiss Train instead of teach him, but nodded again. "Yes. Can you find another?"

Train squinted at the keys, then poked another one. When he saw Creed smile and nod, he did it again and again, until he found each C on the piano. After he finished, Creed gave him a tight hug from behind and smiled proudly. "Very good, Train! Those are all the Cs!"

Train rolled his eyes and poked to the note next to middle C. "I'm not a child. Don't use that tone. What's this one?"

Creed frowned down at his love, not happy to have his hug ignored, but more than happy to teach his cat more. "That's D. After that is E, then F, G, A, B, then finally C again. That makes a C major scale. Why don't you try to play it, Train?"

Train nodded, then turned to the piano. He stopped before he played anything, looking up at Creed with the innocence of a child. "Which finger do I use?"

Creed giggled at his love and took his hand again. "All of them."

Train frowned. "How the hell do I do that?"

"I'll show you…" Creed placed his hand tenderly on the keys, resting his thumb on middle C, then the rest of the fingers following the keys after that. "I should probably just make you start with a pentatonic scale, but seeing as you're the Black Cat, I think you might find that too boring. Plus, your fingers are already skilled enough, you probably don't need the extra practice."

A thought occurred to Creed as he smirked wickedly at his beloved, pulling his hands so they were close to his lips. "Unless you'd like me to give you something different to practice on…"

Train blushed wildly as Creed began kissing and sucking each of his fingers, then glared teasingly at the man. "Hey! That's inappropriate! I'm just an innocent, naive piano student trying to learn from his teacher!"

Creed snickered and wrapped his fingers around Train's, leaning forward as he whispered seductively into his ear. "I'm pretty sure I've already taken whatever innocent or naivety you once had."

When Creed kissed his ear, then his neck, Train felt himself lean to the side a little to give him more room to work, moaning quietly as the silver man began sucking gingerly at his skin. Creed then moved the hand holding Train's to his chest, taking the gunman's arm with it as it wrapped tightly around the cat. Creed's other hand slid around his love's waist and held him in place on the bench. The swordsman pulled Train back a little so he was pressed against his chest harder, snaking his tongue all around his beloved's neck, melting at the purrs and moans his Kitten let out.

After a few minutes, Train shook his head and pushed Creed off him a little, taking a quiet breath as he turned his attention back to the piano. "Stop trying to distract me from my lesson! I'm trying to learn here."

Creed pulled Train closer again and resumed what he was doing. "I am teaching you. I'm teaching you the art of seduction."

Train yelped when Creed bit down on his neck and pushed him away again. "That's not the lesson I asked for. Besides, you've taught me that already. I want to learn something new!"

Creed rolled his eyes and pulled his face away only slightly, but kept his arms where they were. "Since when do you care about learning new things?"

Train glared up at him, then took both Creed's arms so his hands were back on the piano. "Just show me whatever it was you were going to show me."

Creed chuckled at his love and whispered in his ear again. "What if I want to show you something else instead…?"

Train swallowed and blushed brightly when Creed latched back onto his neck and pulled himself away again. "Stop that, anyone can walk in!"

Creed shrugged his shoulders, failing to see the problem with that. "Then we can give them a different, more sensual show filled with the musical sounds of the Black Cat crying out in pleasure…"

Train let out a shout as Creed bit down on his neck again, feeling his body beginning to shake and lose control as the swordsman arms were back on his torso, this time squeezing him closer to the silver man's chest as one hand wandered lower to his stomach.

The lower Creed's hand got, the more excited Train got, but he was able to shake himself out of the stupor once more and gently remove his companion's hands from his body. "Just show me how to play… whatever it was you were going to show me."

Creed frowned when his cat moved his hands away, then smiled slightly when he heard Train's wavering words. "Are you sure that's what you want, Train?"

Train jumped when Creed slipped his hand underneath the top of his shirt and swallowed thickly. He let out a quiet moan as he felt Creed's fingers trace his peck, then bit his lip and pulled Creed's arm out. "You are so demanding. This isn't what we came here for."

Creed frowned at his love, allowing Train to remove his hand and instead pulled his love into a soft hug, making sure his cat's back was snuggled securely into his chest. "We also didn't come here for a piano lesson. We came here so you could keep me company while I go through Anatasia's paperwork." He rested his head on Train's shoulder and nuzzled his face into his beloved's neck. "Did you bring lunch?"

Train nodded and leaned back into Creed, cuddling against the man and idling hitting the keys on the piano. "I did. It's on the other side of the piano. Seems like you've been too distracted to notice."

Creed chuckled and kissed Train's neck lightly. "Sorry, you are far for appetizing…"

Train sighed and patted Creed's head lightly. "Why do you always compare me to food?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and continued kissing Train's neck. "I compare you to everything. I was just comparing you to a beautiful instrument in my head just now."

Train laughed lightly and let out a quiet purr as Creed kissed his neck over and over again. "Of course you did…" When he felt Creed's lips begin to get a bit more lascivious, the gunman let out another moan, then shook his head to rid himself of the warm feeling resurfacing in him. "Can you continue with your piano babble? I actually kind of want to learn whatever it was you were going to teach me."

Creed blinked down at his love, but did not remove his hands from around his chest, making sure Train was still snuggled against him as he spoke. "Really? You're genuinely interested?"

Train nodded. "Yes. See, I even still remember which notes are C."

The Black Cat proceeded to hit all of the Cs again, Creed's body moving with his as Train moved back and forth to hit every one. "And I even remember the rest of them. This one is D-" He poked the note next to C, then continued moving his way up with each key. "Then E, F, G, A, B, then C again."

Creed smiled proudly at his love. "Very good, Train! You don't normally remember things you don't care about."

Train pouted at him. "Well… it's pretty easy because it's just like the alphabet, but out of order. Besides like I just said, I do care about the piano."

Creed rested his head on top of Train's watching as his beloved hit each of the keys over and over again with his index finger. "Why?"

Train hesitated for a second, knowing what he was going to say was going to sound loving and not sure how to change that. "Because you care about it… If it's important to you, it's important to me."

Creed's heart exploded with joy and he squeezed his beloved closer to his chest, ignoring the strangled noise Train made as he wrapped his arms tighter around his body. "That's so sweet, Train. You make me so happy!"

Train rolled his eyes, but did not push away. "Shut up and show me."

Creed chuckled and nodded his head, then reached out and took Train's hand tenderly in his own. "We'll start with the C Major scale. Put your first finger here-" He placed his love's thumb on middle C, then his next four fingers on the following notes. "-Then your second one goes on D, third on E, forth on F, and finally fifth on G. Those notes make the C pentatonic scale, which is what I was saying I should start you on."

Train nodded. "Okay, then what do I do?"

Creed's face grew thoughtful as he looked at Train's hands, noticing his joints were locking which is what he wasn't supposed to do. "Seeing as your fingers aren't following directions, I think we will start with that." He leaned forward and pushed the palm of his beloved's hand up a little so his fingers were curled more. "Pretend your fingers are like an umbrella and you're protecting the keys. If you lock your joints, your fingers will spread and the keys will get wet. And you don't want to ruin this beautiful instrument, do you?"

Train shook his head and watched as Creed adjusted his fingers, his heart trembling blithely with each touch the swordsman's elegant hands gave him. Every time Creed touched him, he did so with such love and gentleness Train had to fight back a joyous smile. He was sure Creed was doing it on purpose, but that was also one of the reasons Train wanted the silver man to teach him. He wanted another excuse to be close to the man.

Even though I know he doesn't need an excuse… sometimes I still feel like I do.

"And remember, you want to play in the center of the key with this part of your finger-" Creed gingerly caressed the part of Train's finger he meant, then placed it back down on the keys. "Here, I'll put my hand over yours and we'll play the C pentatonic scale together. That'll help get your fingers used to it."

Train nodded and smiled a little, fighting back goosebumps and the warmth inside him as he watched Creed's fingers slid on top of his. He wasn't sure why this elated him so much since he and Creed had been in far more intimate situations, but for some reason, the idea of Creed sharing something with Train that was so important to him made him feel even closer to the man.

I shouldn't be aiming to be closer to him… I should be trying to figure out what I want out of this relationship. Even though I'm pretty sure we both know what that is at this point.

Train sighed contentedly as Creed moved his five fingers up and down the five keys, leaning back a little into the man as Creed rested his head back against his shoulder, his other arm still wrapped around his waist so he was against his chest. Creed repeated the scale with him a few times, before pulling his hand away and letting Train do it on his own. The gunman frowned at the removal of his companion's hand, but tried to make sure it was subtle so Creed wouldn't notice.

Creed held back a giggle as he saw the small frown on his love's face and decided to appease his cat by running the hand he took away from Train's through his hair. "How's Lin?"

Train smiled at the feeling of Creed's fingers running through his hair, happy to still be receiving the loving caresses from him as he played. "He's doing better. He promised me he'd be better by my birthday."

Creed smiled. "That's good. Sounds like you give him proper motivation."

Train rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. You don't need to remind me."

Creed frowned at his Kitten. "Does that bother you?"

"I don't think 'bother' is the right word. Upset, maybe? I just wish he didn't feel so strongly about me so I could stop hurting him. I want him to move on and find love with someone else. It hurts to see him feel so… passionately about me and knowing I can't return those feelings." Train's fingers began to slow down a little on the piano. "I don't want to keep hurting him…"

Creed sighed and kissed his love's cheek, knowing there was nothing he could do to make him feel better, so he decided to try and distract him with the piano. "You seem to be getting pretty good at that. Let's try the full scale."

Train nodded, grateful for the diversion of his thoughts and held his hand out for Creed to take. "Show me, Sensei Creed!"

Creed sighed and rolled his eyes as he took Train's hand in his own and placed it back on the keys. "Don't start acting like Kyoko and Aliane." A thought occurred to him and he smirked. "Unless that means you're going to continuously throw yourself at me… Or wear a revealing school outfit."

Train blushed brightly and glared at Creed. "Don't you dare picture that!"

"Too late…" Creed said blissfully, kissing his love's cheek once more. "There isn't much to the imagination."

Train snapped his fingers in Creed's face. "Then stop imagining it and show me this damn scale! And tell me what a scale is."

Creed giggled and nodded, taking Train's hand again and placing it back on the keys. "Alright, fine. A scale is a set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. In other words, it's just one note after another, but in a specific pattern. The C Major scale is the basic of all scales since it has no sharps or flats, so there are no black keys."

Train frowned in confusion at him. "That's what the black keys are? Sharps and flats?"

Creed nodded. "Yes. Sharps and flats are raising and lowering the pitch of a certain note by a half step. Sharp means it's higher, flat means it's lower. When I was a kid, I remembered what flat meant because if you get a flat tire on a car, the car goes down, not up."

Train smiled cheekily at him. "Clever. But, I don't know what you mean by half steps."

Creed returned his smile and placed Train's thumb on middle C and his index finger on the black key above it. "From middle C to this black key is a half step because there are no notes in between. From C to D is a whole step, because this black key is separating them."

Train watched as Creed pointed to the keys, then nodded. "So, then this to this-" He played D then E. "-Is a whole step?"

Creed nodded. "You're learning very quickly, Train. That's correct. Every scale is made up of whole steps and half steps. C Major is just the easiest because you don't have to think too much. It's just from C to C without any interruptions from black keys."

Train nodded. "Alright, show me."

Creed took Train's hand again and gently placed his fingers on the same five notes. "Your fingers will rest like this, make sure to keep them like an umbrella, and you will play the first three notes as normal." He played the first three notes with Train, then stopped when he got to F. "However, when you get to the fourth key, F your thumb is going to slip under your fingers like this-" Creed slipped Train's thumb under his index and middle finger, and pressed it on the F key. "Then, the rest of your fingers will naturally reposition and you finish the scale as you would the pentatonic scale you were just playing."

Train watched as Creed's fingers moved above his and he finished the scale. "I think I get it…"

Creed squeezed his hand slightly, then kissed his cheek again. "Good. Then show me without my help. Stop pouting, I'll keep holding you from behind."

Train tossed his companion a glare. "I was not pouting…"

Creed rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to argue with you. Just play the scale. We're going to just stick with the upwards direction for now."

Train frowned, but nodded nonetheless. He moved his fingers slowly, hesitating slightly when he got to the cross over point, then finished it with little problem. He looked up at Creed for approval, making the silver man giggle and hug him a bit tighter.

"Very good, Train. Again."

Train smiled at the reward he got for completing the scale and did it again. "By the way, Sephiria apparently wants to talk to us."

Creed blinked at his love, then nuzzled his head back into Train's neck, watching his beloved's fingers move slowly up the scale. "About what?"

Train shrugged his shoulders as he watched his fingers clumsily move along the keys. "I don't know, but I actually want to talk to her about something else as well."

Creed reached out and adjusted his love's fingers slightly, then went back to gently holding him in his arms. "Again I must ask, about what?"

Train fixed his fingers on his own for his next mistake when he noticed they were beginning to lock again and sighed. "About the garbage they were feeding us when we were in Chronos."

Creed frowned. "What?"

Train sighed and moved his hand a little faster, the scale becoming easier the more he played it and the fact that he wasn't really thinking about it seemed to make it all the more simple. "Lin said only certain people are forced to eat it. He doesn't, and neither does the majority of the numbers, but most of the erasers do and we sort of figured out together that they may have been using it to control us."

Creed jumped and pulled away from his beloved a little so he could see his face better. "What?!"

Train nodded, then shrugged his shoulders. "It's all just a theory, but… the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Neither of us enjoy being told what to do or controlled by someone and we didn't want to join Chronos in the first place, so how else would they have been able to control us for all those years? Also, seeing how calm we've both become since leaving Chronos… I can't help but shake the feeling that our theory is right."

Creed didn't like the idea of being drugged unknowingly and wasn't ready to accept Train's idea yet. "But, you stopped eating it and were still following orders…"

Train shook his head, his fingers still moving up and down with even more ease on the scale. "I stopped eating it around the time I met Saya because she helped me remember how much I enjoyed food. After that, I started questioning things and I really started to notice a change after I started refusing their food."

Luckily, I had Saya to guide me down the right path. I don't know what would have become of me if I didn't have her…

Creed was thoughtful for a minute, then nodded his head slowly. "...And I never stopped eating it. I only noticed a change when I no longer had it available to me…" He squeezed Train tighter, not wanting to accept that his beloved might not have been the one to make him change. "But… I only changed because of you…"

Train smiled, his heart swelling with love at his companion's sweet words. "I was Saya for you. That doesn't mean the food wasn't drugged. You left Chronos because of me, which forced you to stop eating their food, and that might have given you the realization that you needed to change and listen to reason."

Saying those words out loud, I actually kind of hope this is the case. If it is…. That means Creed wasn't himself when he killed Saya and would make being with him easier. That… that might be the ticket to finally embracing my feelings completely.

Train's smile widened as he leaned back further into Creed, keeping those thoughts close to his heart to make him feel better about cuddling the man who killed his best friend. It was the first time in a long time he didn't feel guilty while being loving towards the other man and desperately wanted to cling to it for a bit longer.

"Like I said, it's just a theory. We have no proof of it, but I think it makes sense." Train's mind began to clutch tightly to the possibility of it being true and was able to finally understand why Creed did what he did.

If this is true… then I could be with him again… guilt free. Saya would surely forgive her murderer if they weren't in control of themselves when it happened. It would also help me forgive Sephiria for keeping the secret.

Still, it would be difficult to totally forgive her because if their thoughts were accurate and Sephiria kept it all hidden from them, then she was a reason he and Creed would have been separated for so long. The Elders may have been responsible for their split in the first place, but Sephiria would have been the one keeping that separation intact and in part, at fault for Saya's death.

But… I think I could forgive that too. Sephiria would have just been following orders and it's not like anyone ordered Saya be killed. The drugs may have just had a terrible effect on Creed and warped his logic of what he thought needed to be done. If this turns out to be true, the ones who would be at fault for Saya's death would be the Elders, and that I can live with. I already knew they were monsters and I have no relationship with them. I always hated them.

Train smiled, feeling an excitement he hadn't felt in a while return as Creed's breath brushed against his cheek.

If I have a legitimate reason to finally be with Creed again, I think I could forgive anything.

Creed's thoughts were clearly not piecing together the same thing his love's was because if they were, he wouldn't have continued pushing the possibility of it not being true. "I think that's a bit far fetched, even for the Elders. Besides, wouldn't Sephiria have told us by now? I mean, we're allies at the moment, aren't we?"

Train sighed, not liking that Creed was trying to poke holes in this theory, but he knew that was just in the man's nature. "If this is true, Sephiria could get in trouble for revealing the secret. That's why she wouldn't tell us. Or, she might not know. Or at least might not know everything."

Creed sighed, not sure why his beloved was defending Number One so much, but nodded in understanding, then squeezed Train closer. "I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe anything other than you brought me to the light."

A few minutes ago that comment would have made Train happy, but now it made him a bit annoyed. "One person can't heal another all on their own, Creed. No one is that influential."

Creed pouted at his beloved. "You are… You can persuade me to do anything…"

"Are you saying I could persuade you to kill again?"

Creed jumped a little at his Kitten's harsh words, not sure why Train was acting so irritated all the sudden. "I… I don't know how to answer that question without getting in trouble, Train…"

Train sighed and shook his head. "Then don't. My point is, no matter how much you love me, I don't think there's any way I alone could have changed you."

Creed was about to protest again, but stopped himself when he saw the angry, yet pleading look on his beloved's face. "Train… do you want this to be true, or do you just think it is?"

Train paused his playing for a second, then held his hand up as if showing Creed he was finished. "How am I doing with the scale? Have I mastered it yet?"

Creed knew that was Train's way of saying he didn't want to talk about it right now, so he obliged his love and nodded his head. "Yes, Train. You've done well."

Train gave him a cheeky smirk. "What's next?"

Creed was about to show Train a different scale, but he could tell his cat was still upset and wanted to do something to make him feel better. He smiled serenely as a thought popped into his head. "Let's do some call and response."

He reached out and played a series of notes that made up the beginning part of a melody. "Play exactly what I just played. Those notes in that order and in that rhythm."

Train nodded and did as he was told, then looked up at Creed who smiled and nodded his head. "Do it three more times."

Again, Train followed directions and when he was done, Creed played the next few notes of the melody. "Now play that."

He waited as Train completed the next part of the melody, making him repeat it over and over again before adding the next section to it. Once he was sure Train had all three parts, Creed smiled at his love, patting his hand gently as he smiled warmly at his beloved.

"Now, play all those parts in order from beginning to end. Take your time." Creed kissed his cheek again and pulled his hand away.

Train had to think of how it started, then began to play. As he got to the second part, he forgot what came next and looked sadly up at Creed. "I can't remember all that like you can…"

Creed giggled at his love's discouraged face and put his hand back on top of Train's. "It's okay, I'll help you."

Creed moved his fingers along with Train's playing all the notes in the order he had taught his beloved, making sure the rhythm was perfect as they went. As they played, Creed's other hand moved to the lower keys of the piano, adding harmony to the melody he taught Train, looking down at his cat to see if he was beginning to recognize the song. When he saw his beloved's golden eyes light up and a small smile grace his handsome face, Creed moved his lips so they were against his ears and whispered quietly.

"Now, you can bond with her whenever you miss her."

He slowly finished the melody with his beloved, watching as a single tear fell down Train's eye and starting to think he might have done something wrong. "I know you asked me to never play that song again, but… you looked like you could use a pick me up. I thought that maybe if you heard her song, you'd know she was with you always. And if you ever question it, you can just play her song and call her. I know she'll come."

Seeing Train was still frozen and unresponsive, Creed frowned and wiped away another tear that fell from his eye. "I-I'm sorry, Train… I didn't mean to ruin the romance of the moment. I didn't mean to upset you…"

Train looked up at Creed's sympathetic face, then glanced behind him quickly. Saya's spirit was floating behind him, giving him a warm, yet cheeky smile before looking momentarily at Creed. She glanced back at Train, winked, then disappeared. As soon as she was gone, Train looked back at his companion, his heart fluttering wildly in his chest, ready to crawl out of his throat and cling desperately to Creed.

"I'm… I'm not upset, Creed. In fact…" Train grabbed Creed's shirt and pulled him closer so their lips barely touched as he spoke. "I'm going to practice that song every chance I get… Thank you for teaching it to me…"

Fireworks exploded in Creed's chest the moment their lips met. The silver man returned his beloved's passionate, fevered kiss immediately, deepening it the instant he could. When he felt Train's hand slide against his cheek and to his hair, Creed moaned longingly and dove his tongue even further into his love's mouth. They devoured each other's mouths for several minutes, the heat in his bodies rising rapidly as Train's body began to spark wildly with excitement.

After a few minutes, Creed pulled away and turned his cat back around so he was sitting towards the piano once more. He then replaced his hands where they were once more and slowly began to explore his beloved's body. Creed fastened his lips to his cat's neck, reveling in the immediate purr his love let out at the feeling and twirled his tongue hungrily around his creamy skin.

Train did nothing to stop the man's hand from traveling down his stomach and to his thigh, nor did he attempt to stop the glorious sensation his lips were doing against his neck. He reached his arm across his own chest to take hold of Creed's hand, wrapping their fingers together as he leaned back and to the side, giving the silverette's lips more room to work as he kissed and sucked every inch of his soft flesh.

Creed smirked proudly when he heard Train let out another loud moan, his body quaking with excitement as his beloved's voice bounced off the stage walls, creating a more heavenly sound than any musical instrument could produce. As his hands slid towards Train's inner thigh, Creed moved his lips so they brushed against his love's ear, blowing a bit of air into it before he spoke.

"I wonder how transcendent your voice would sound crying out my name as I ravage your body at the center this stage…"

Before Train could object to the concerto Creed was about to perform on him, he let out a loud gasp when the swordsman licked the spot where his neck and jaw met. Creed knew that was a weak spot of his and decided to exploit it before his beloved had a chance to make him stop. He could tell Train was enjoying what he was doing, now it was just a matter of convincing him it didn't matter that anyone could walk in at any minute.

The chances of that are low anyway. The school is usually pretty empty on weekends. Even Anastasia told me she'd be gone all day.

With that thought in mind, Creed sucked a little harder at Train's neck, tightening the arm that pinned his Kitten to his chest, squeezing his fingers a little more as he twirled his tongue eagerly against the Black Cat's supple skin. His other hand slowly slid itself further between his beloved's legs, pausing only momentarily as he remembered one of his love's boundaries.

"But… I know this isn't something you want… So I'll restrain myself…" Creed moved his hand slowly away from his love's thigh and brought it back to his knee instead, deciding that was a safer place for him to be.

However, he felt Train's other hand gently fall on top of his and held his breath, waiting to see what his cat was going to do. Train's fingers were sparking with electricity as he took Creed's hand gingerly on his own, sending a wave of excitement down the silver man's back. Much to Creed's delighted surprise, Train's hand guided him towards the spot he wanted to visit more than anywhere else in the world.

Creed pulled away from his love a little and gave him a hopeful look. "Are you sure…?"

Train bit his lip, then nodded his head rapidly. "We're just having fun… right?"

Creed lips curled upwards in a lewd grin and he nodded his head as well. "That's right, Train… And what a magical place for us to have fun and push beyond the boundaries previously set for our relationship…"

Creed's wickedly pleased smile grew even more as Train pressed his sparking hand directly between his legs, moving it back and forth, hoping to encourage Creed to go further. Creed obeyed his love's request eagerly as he immediately moved his hand back and forth on his own, no longer needing his beloved's assistance, but appreciating it nonetheless. He picked up the pace a little, his heart beating viciously in his chest with every gasp Train let out and wanting to hear more. The way his love's voice echoed against the stage was the most celestial sound he ever heard and his soul burned to hear more.

Creed pulled his hand away quickly and spit on it in order to create lubrication. "Sorry, my love, I know it's a bit unsanitary, but I don't want to hurt you. I want this to feel as blissful as possible."

Train gasped again when Creed bit down on his neck once more, positive there would be a bruise there, but not caring in the least. "It's not the first time we had to resort to that, right?"

Creed smirked and kissed his love's lips quickly before responding. "That's right…"

The silverette reattached his lips to Train's neck, whimpering the taste and sound his beloved was supplying as he sucked the spot just below Train's chin. Not bothering to ask for permission, Creed moved his lubricated hand quickly from Train's legs to the top of his pants. His lips continued nibbling and sucking at his Kitten's electrified neck as he quickly and skillfully undid his belt and zipper.

Creed slid his hand down Train's pants the second he was done, biting down harshly on his neck again and moaning fervently at the feel of the sparks against his lips, his heart bursting with pleasure as he heard his cat's shout vibrate lustfully against the tall ceiling, getting lost in the layers of lights that shined down on them. He found his love's member without a problem and wrapped his fingers tightly around it, moving his hand back and forth slowly at first, relishing the way his love's body trembled passionately in his arms, the way his electrified throat pulsated with his excited, melodic sounds.

"Creed…" Train whispered, but his voice came out louder than he intended, the vastness of the stage making it impossible to hide how badly he wanted the man behind him to keep going.

Hearing his beloved's sensual voice say his name sent a new thrill of furor through him and he moved his hand a little faster. Each time Train moaned, gasped, or said his name it came out louder and more amorous, the stage spotlighting each of his unspoken thoughts and emotions. If Train was trying to mute his desires, the concert hall was not going to allow it. He was currently Creed's instrument and the musician knew exactly how to make Train play the most intense, harmonious opera.

"Oh, Creed…" Train moaned again, squeezing the man's hand even harder, throwing his head back a little so his voice was now being taken completely by the stage. "Creed… Creed…"

Creed moaned with desire as he moved his hand even faster, basking in the glory of the satisfied sparks Train's body released, his mouth never stopping as it worked magnificently against his neck. Every note Creed played on Train made his voice come out with a new hidden intensity the swordsman knew his love had been feeling, but refused to release until now. However, in that moment on stage, Train was allowing Creed to perform a new private show for just them, letting the pianist fill the room with his pleasuring, lascivious aria that the golden man could no longer contain.

"Oh, Train…" Creed moaned, adding harmony to his beloved's euphoric filled melody as he spoke. "I wish I could paint this moment…" He kissed Train neck gently, then sucked on it again a bit more harshly as he moved his hand even faster between his love's legs. "To see us performing his exhilarating piece together would complete me… To be able to revisit this point in time any moment I want would fill my soul and appease my longing heart…"

He squeezed and kissed a little harder, nibbling at his love's ear as Train's voice permeated the limitless, hollow air with his illustrious, phenomenal gasps which gave Creed the thrill he needed to keep going. He felt Train pant in his arm as a bit of sweat began to fall from his neck which Creed lapped up quickly, then slithered his tongue back up to Train's sparking ear to whisper one more earnest sentence before he knew his Kitten was going to climax.

"I love you, Train…" Creed kissed his electrified ear, then sucked on the lobe as he moved his hand as fast as he could, drowning in his Kitten's pants that reached the top of the tall ceiling and threw itself back down into the silver man's awaiting ear. "You sound more beautiful now than ever… You're so perfect… So gorgeous… So ravishing… So opulent…"

When Creed kissed Train's ear again and moved his hand even faster between his legs, the cat knew he wasn't going to be able to hold it in for much longer. Train cried out again and arched his back a little, resting his head against Creed's shoulder, but still making sure the man's lips could continue working wonders against his neck. He was grateful Saya had just given him the go ahead and he was able to enjoy these sensations guilt free. It had been so long since he was able to let go like this and with all the time he had been spending alone with Creed, it was even harder to refrain from sexual contact with him.

"Oh, God, Creed!" Train cried out, gripping the swordsman's fingers tightly, breathing heavily as he felt sweat drip from his forehead and splash against his nose, his body on fire with the pleasure and electricity that surrounded him. "Creed… It feels so good… Oh, Creed!"

Creed so desperately wanted to hear Train cry out his name again so he moved even faster and bit down once more, moaning delightfully at the sparking skin he consumed. "Let me hear you, Train…" He brushed his lips against Train's ear as he spoke. "Let me hear you cry out my name in passion… Let me hear it echo against the walls of this beautiful room…"

Train was thrashing a little in Creed's arm, but found that he didn't care. What the man was doing to him felt too good to stop now and he desperately wanted to finish. "Creed… I'm…. I'm gonna…"

Creed smiled wonderfully as he bit down on Train's neck again, then sucked at his skin. "Oh, Train, please do! I want to hear what you'll sound like on stage…" He moved his hand even faster and sucked even harder against his neck. "Please, Kitten… I want to hear the finale…"

Hearing Creed use his pet name was the last thing he needed to push him over the edge. As the silver man's fingers gripped him tighter and moved even faster, Train arched his back and dug his fingers deeper into Creed's hand, throwing his head back and crying out loudly into the empty hall. "CREED!"

He exploded into Creed's hand, then collapsed back into him. The electrical sparks around him burst the second he did and had now dissipated. The silver man sighed happily and snuggled Train closely to his chest, keeping his hand in his beloved's pants as he buried his face into the chocolate locks he loved more than anything else.

He kissed his love's cheek tenderly. "Are you okay, Train?"

"Wh-wha…?" Train asked in a daze, not even sure for a moment where Creed was when he spoke. "Why would I not be okay?"

Creed frowned and squeezed him closer. "Well… I know you said it was okay, but I want to make sure you weren't suddenly regretting it now."

Train swallowed heavily, panting wilding as he rested into Creed's embrace, shutting his eyes as he placed his head against the silver man's shoulder. "I don't regret it, Creed…"

Creed smiled happily and took a gentle hold of his love's chin with his free hand. He turned Train's head so their eyes met, rubbing his love's face with his thumb as he nuzzled his nose against Train's.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself…" When his eye met Train's, he saw the lust had not left his love even after climaxing and Creed smirked knowingly. "We don't have to be done, you know… After all… Your beautiful performance got me all worked up..."

Train smirked at him. "But, I didn't do anything…"

Creed laughed loudly. "You did far more than you know…"

Creed pushed his lips passionately against Train's once more, holding onto his love's chin tightly as he dove his tongue back into the Black Cat's mouth. Train spun his legs around the bench so he was facing Creed fully then wrapped his arms around the silver man's neck to pull him closer. When Train turned around, Creed slipped his hand out from his beloved's pants and quickly moved both his arms so they were wrapped around Train's back, making the distance between their bodies non-existent as they pressed their chests harshly against one another.

Creed moaned loudly when he felt Train wrap his legs around his waist and arch his back a little. Wanting to feel more of his love, Creed lowered his hands back down to Train's pants and slipped them inside once more, his hand still sticky, but neither of them seemed to care since they were both too enthralled with the way their mouths felt against one another. Train cried out when Creed's fingers gripped his ass, squeezing his cheeks tightly as he pushed the gunman back a little so he was leaning against the piano.

They both ignored the ghastly chord that was played by Train's back in favor of tasting as much of each other as they could. Their moans echoed together against the stage, creating a whole new symphony as they panted and purred into each other's mouths. Creed gripped even tighter as Train's ass and began slowly moving his hips back and forth, rubbing their members together as the golden man pulled their lower bodies closer together with his legs.

"Oh, Train…" Creed panted, breaking the kiss slightly so he could speak to his love. "I could make love to you right here on stage.. It would be the most beautiful piece I have ever performed…" He leaned forward and kissed his beloved again, then pulled away once more. "We could create the most amazingly heavenly orchestra with just the two of us…"

He pressed his lower body harder against Train's, gripping his love's rear even tighter, plunging his tongue as deep into his Kitten's electrified mouth as he could as he moved his member even faster against Train's.

"All you have to do is say the magic words, Train…" Creed began kissing Train's sparking neck, hearing his beloved's sensational moans filling the empty air once more and wanting nothing more than to compose a new song with him. "Just tell me you want me to make love to you and I will… Right here, right now on his bare, magnificent stage…"

Creed increased his motions against Train, slithering his tongue all around the gunman's neck, moaning at his Kitten's purrs and gasps, encouraging him to move his hips even faster and slowly slide his fingers towards Train's entrance.

"Tell me what you want, Train…" Creed's voice was breathless as he spoke, resting his forehead against Train's, looking into his eyes and moaning with want at the bright red-orange that shadowed his love's normal golden eyes. "Tell me, Kitten…"

Train was at a loss for words as he gazed into Creed's passion, blue eyes, his heart blazing with desire for the other man, gripping tightly to him in case the bench beneath them toppled over from the enthusiastic motion Creed's lower body was making against his own. Train pressed his lower body up a little more, being helped by Creed's fingers that eagerly awaited his approval to enter him and crying out loudly when he felt the silver man's hardened member push earnestly at his own.

"Creed…"

Is it really okay? Is it really okay to let him make love to me right now?

Train gasped again as Creed dove his tongue back into his mouth, his fingers threateningly close to his entrance, making it impossible for him to think about anything other than having Creed make love to him. His mind began to obsess over the idea of what it would feel like having the silver man pulse inside him again and his mouth began to move on its own as Creed's lips wrapped back around his neck.

"Creed… I… want yo-"

"Oooh, what's this that I've walked into?"

Both Train and Creed's eyes shot over to the entrance of the recital hall, but their looks were completely different. Train's was of utter embarrassment whereas Creed's was complete anger and fury. The silver man glared savagely at the owner of the voice, his eyes doing their best to harm the man with the look he was giving him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sergey?!" Creed growled loud enough for the man to hear, but did not lessen his hold on Train, nor did he attempt to change the position they were in.

Sergey shrugged his shoulders and took a few steps forward. "I come here on weekends to practice sometimes. I work during the week, so this is the best time to get as much music in as possible. I'm sure I've run into you here before on weekends."

Creed felt Train bury his face into his chest and felt a pang of sympathy for his beloved, knowing he hated when people caught them in intimate positions. Still, it was hard for Creed to feel anything except rage right now since he was sure Train was just about to say he wanted Creed to make love to him.

It would have been glorious! Hearing his voice scream my name in bliss at center stage. Not even the most accomplished orchestra in the world would have been able to match the grand piece we were about to perform!

Creed slipped his hands out from Train's pants and wrapped them around his beloved's back, holding him protectively, as if Sergey were going to take him away or as if he was shielding his love from his embarrassment. "I'm sure I've never seen you here on the weekend before…"

Sergey shrugged his shoulders again as he continued moving towards them. "Whatever. You didn't answered my question. What exactly did I just walk into?"

Creed felt his beloved's shaking a little and buried himself even further into his chest and knew Train was desperately trying to escape the situation they found themselves in. Creed held his cat even closer, wrapping his arms around Train in a way that almost hid him entirely from the Russian man's prying eyes.

"I'm giving Train a piano lesson. Or at least I was until you showed up…"

Sergey laughed. "This looks like far more than a piano lesson..."

It was going to be until you showed up!

Creed wanted to scream at Sergey to get out of there so he could finish, but he knew the moment had been ruined and Train wouldn't allow him to continue anymore.

Damn this man! Train was going to say yes! Train was going to be mine again! I was going to be inside him once more and we were going to be one again! The symphony we were about to create would have been one only he and I could perform!

"Is this how your piano lessons normally go, Creed? 'Cause if that's the case, sign me up!" Sergey laughed at Creed's angry face, watching as his crush held even tighter to the clearly mortified man in his arms and rolled his eyes. "Relax, Creed, I'm just teasing. You know as much as I'd love for you to embrace me that way, I know Train's the only one for you."

Creed continued glaring at him, moving his face to the side of Train's so Sergey wouldn't see him. "Why did you come to the recital hall? There's no reason for you to practice on stage."

Sergey sighed. "Do you want me to say I'm stalking you? Because that's only half true." Seeing Creed was not happy with that response, the blonde man stopped walking towards the stage and crossed his arms. "I saw someone walking down the halls and thought it might have been you so I followed them. Whoever it was ran off down the hall and I was about to follow them when I heard someone say-sorry, I mean scream your name, and decided to check it out."

Creed rolled his eyes, running his fingers along Train's back and hair to comfort him as he spoke, shocked that his Kitten hadn't leapt out of his arms and to run away by now. "So you came here specifically looking for me?"

Sergey made a frustrated noise. "Did you not hear me correctly? That's only partially true. I came to the school to practice, thought I saw you and then tried to follow you." He looked Creed up and down, as if memorizing the position he was in and smirked wickedly. "I have to say… I'm glad I found you. And in such an intimate position no less. I'll have to keep this in mind for later when I'm alone." He glanced at Train and frowned. "I'll just have to replace the person that's nestled lovingly in your arms…"

Creed growled and squeezed Train, ready to rip the man a new one when he felt his beloved move in his arms slightly, adjusting his head so he could turn it and see Sergey as he spoke. "Who did you see walking down the hall?"

Sergey's eyes suddenly left Creed as he finally addressed the cat. "I don't know. I didn't find them."

Train frowned and finally removed his legs that were still wrapped around Creed, but did not pull his arms away from him. "Did you see where they went?"

Sergey nodded. "I thought whoever it was was coming this way. That's another reason I decided to check in here. The noises I was hearing only enticed me more…"

Creed was about to yell at him again when he felt Train finally untangle him from his arms and slipped underneath them so he could walk towards the edge of the stage. "You've gotten my interest, Sergey. I'll help you find them."

The Russian man frowned at the cat as he leapt off the stage and over his head. "Your interest was not the one I was looking for…"

Creed glared at the man's lewd look, clenching his fists as he ground his teeth. "You ruined it…"

Sergey giggled and brushed his words away, taking another step forward as he spoke. "How much does a piano lesson cost?"

Creed twitched. "Sorry, my teaching skills are reserved only for those with unruly chocolate brown hair, a lean body, and golden eyes…"

Sergey seemed to think that over for a minute then nodded his head. "Okay… I think I fill the body card and I can change my hair, but I'm not sure what to do about the eyes. Guess I could get colored lenses."

Creed sent him one more spiteful glare before jumping off the stage and over the man, following after his beloved. "Still won't be enough. For my skills you need to light my heart on fire and keep it burning longer than the sun's existence."

Sergey sighed. "It's really that far out of my price range, huh?"

Creed nodded. "Yes, but I think you knew that already…"

Sergey gave Creed a longing look. "I did…" He paused his sentence for a second, then smirked at his crush. "What do you think Anastasia would think of this little encounter?"

Creed rolled his eyes. "Tell her if you want, I honestly don't think she'll care. I'm basically a part owner at his point. I think she'd just make fun of me more than she'll be mad at me. And I'm not ashamed of what I've done at all."

Sergey sighed again and put his hands on his hips. "I can't even blackmail you into one kiss? Can I at least offer to relieve you of the rather large problem you seem to be having in your pants?"

"No to both of your absurd questions." Creed stepped towards the exit, glancing down at himself and frowning when he saw what Sergey was talking about. He did his best to cover himself up with his shirt, then turned around once more to point an accusing finger at the man. "Don't think I'll so easily forgive the intrusion! Train was about to say yes and now I have this problem because of you!"

Knowing the Russian man was going to turn that comment in his favor, Creed turned on his heel and left briskly. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Train walking slowly towards someone who was crouched in a corner, mumbling nonsensical things. Creed couldn't see who it was, but based on Train's alerted, yet soothing words, he had a feeling whoever it was needed help.

"It's okay… You're at the music school where Aliane takes lessons… I'm Train, do you remember me?"

Creed blinked and took a slow step forward, leaning to the side slightly to see Kenneth cowering in the corner. He was looking around the room in a frenzy, obviously trying to figure out where he was or what he was doing.

The silver man took a step forward to back up his beloved, but made sure to keep his distance so as not to scare the old man. "What's he doing here?"

Train didn't turn around as he responded to Creed. "I don't know, but he looks freaked out. I don't even know how he got here by himself."

Creed frowned. "Nica has been saying he's been wondering off lately…" He thought for a second, then spoke to Train again. "She keeps a card with the address of their motel room on it along with her number. If we can get him to come with us, we can keep him safe."

Train nodded in understanding and went back to what he was doing. "Kenneth… It's me, Train… The guy your granddaughter has a huge crush on? I'm sure she's mentioned my name a ton of times…"

Creed couldn't help but giggle a little at Train's words. His cat hated addressing the crush Aliane had on him, so the fact that he was using it meant he really wanted to make the old man recognize him. It seemed to work since Kenneth's demeanor slowly started to become more relaxed and understanding began to form on his face.

"Sugarplum… Kuro-sama… Yes, yes I know those names…"

Train grimaced slightly at the use of both teen girls' nicknames for him, but managed to shake it off quickly. "Yeah, that's me. And this is Creed. You see him almost every day."

Kenneth looked over at Creed who smiled sympathetically at him and nodded. "Yes… The piano man. Sing us a song, piano man!"

Train sighed and was about to speak, but then he heard Creed suddenly start to sing as the man had asked him.

"It's nine o'clock on a saturday
Regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sittin' next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin."

Train glanced over his shoulder at Creed, who shrugged and gestured for him to look at Kenneth again. The song seemed to be helping him remember something, so Train smirked then nodded for Creed to continue as he took another step forward. It was then that Creed noticed the knife in the old man's hand and his palm was bleeding slightly. That sent chills up Creed's spine and made him even more determined to comfort him with his singing.

"He says: "Son can you play me a memory?"
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes."

Train was able to stand next to him now and as Kenneth was distracted by Creed's singing, swaying back and forth slightly as he shut his eyes and seemingly remembered something fond from his past. The cat reached out to the hand that held the knife, taking a gentle hold on his wrist and squeezing slightly so his finger would relax their hold on the weapon. When Kenneth let go of it, Train took it and slipped it into his pocket, examining the blood on the man's hand with a wince.

"Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright."

Train smiled at Kenneth's peaceful face, watching as his eyes opened and smirked at the Black Cat. "Where's my daughter?"

Train let out a breath of relief, looking back and Creed and smirking before answering the man's question. "She's probably at the motel. We'll take you there now."

Creed saw Train gesture for him to walk to the door with them, the gunman tangling his fingers around the swordsman's as he pulled Kenneth's along with them outside. Before Train flashed them away, the men saw Sergey standing where they once more, smiling despite the sadness that was in his eyes.

"Mne bol'no govorit', chto vy dvoye zamechatel'naya para…" (1)

Creed smiled and glanced at Train to see his smile was as loving as his was, and gripped his fingers tightly. With that, the cat flashed them off to the address that was listed on the card Kenneth carried with him, completely forgetting about the food that was left on the stage.

---

"I'm not going to go easy on you, Creed…" Train said as he smirked at his friend, rolling his shoulder to warm up his arm.

Creed returned his beloved's smirk and nodded his head. "I expect no less of the Black Cat…"

Train laughed then shot a bullet at the silver man's face. Creed blocked it easily with his second level Imagine Blade, knowing all too well that it was just a distraction for Train to jump into the air and land on a tree just above his head. Creed had learned that Train only flashed when he didn't care if his opponent knew where he was. Otherwise, he would use his natural abilities to move or make himself float through the air. Since he was using his natural abilities, Creed knew Train was going to be right above him.

Creed looked up and threw his blade into the tree, slicing the leaves and branches easily, then frowned when he saw Train wasn't there.

Train laughed cheerfully. "I thought you always knew where I was?"

Creed leapt to the side quickly, avoiding a blast of air Train launched at him, then crushing another ice blast that came at him from the other direction. "I try to know where you are at all times, Train. But you're quite good at disappearing."

Train laughed and blocked a blow from Creed with Hades, pushing him away before flipping himself backwards and shooting three more bullets at his friend. Creed sliced them out of the air smoothly, then rolled to the side to avoid a lightning bolt Train threw at him. His rolls needed to continue since Train launched three more, the last one barely missing as Creed let out a frustrated noise and ran behind a tree.

Damnit, that shouldn't have hit me. I can't let Train know how close he was. He'll never let it go.

"Oooh! Did I get you with that one?! My lightning bolts never hit you!"

Creed growled and shouted back at his love as he frowned at his singed sleeve. "You hit nothing! Go back to whatever it was you were scheming!"

Train's voice laughed and Creed looked up to see his cat sitting on the branch just above his head. "Why do you always think I'm scheming?"

Creed smirked at his love, then sliced the branch he was sitting on, knowing Train was going to leap off it and into another tree anyway. Creed ran forward and sliced that tree to bits as well, leaving it as nothing more than splinters on the ground, knowing full well his beloved was going to escape and find another tree to hide it. Right now, Creed was just trying to lessen the areas Train could seek shelter in.

"Hey! What's the big idea?! You do know the planet needs trees, right?!"

Creed laughed at his cat's words as he destroyed another tree. "I'll plant a few more when this is over. Right now, I need to make sure you have nowhere else to hide."

Train rolled his eyes even though he knew Creed couldn't see him since he was hiding in a tree behind him. "So you're going to destroy the whole forest to find me?"

Train cursed and leapt out of the tree he was sitting in, flying through the air to a tree that was farther away from the silver man, landing at the very top of it, not bothering to hide himself now. He looked down at Creed who was smiling happily up at him, extending his blade so it reached Train's face, caressing his cheek delicately as he spoke.

"I've done far more than decimate a forest to find you, Train.."

Train laughed and pushed the sword away from him, his eyes lighting with electricity as he spoke. "Like trash a teenager's apartment on the off chance I might be hiding there?"

Creed blushed in embarrassment, then spun behind another tree to avoid Train's lightning bolt. He flipped from behind that tree to another as Train's bolt destroyed the tree he was finding refuge behind, turning it to ashes in a minute which seemed to entertain the cat beyond belief. Creed snickered when Train repeated the gesture with a few more trees, laughing merrily each time he did it.

"What was that about the planet needing trees?" Creed peeked from behind the tree he was next to, smirking up at his love who was now floating high in the air for the whole world to see.

"You said we'd plant more when this was over!" Train whined as he launched an ice blast at the man who he spotted after he leaned out from behind another tree.

Creed sliced the ice blast in half along with the next one Train launched at him. The third one however, Creed chose to run at full speed, throwing his body forward so he slid up the makeshirt slide his beloved had created, leading the swordsman right to the man he wanted more than anything else in the world. Once he was at the top and facing Train, the Black Cat shocked to have the man suddenly right in his face, he smirked and grabbed the gunman's wrist, pulling Train against his chest as he spoke.

"I never said we. You seem so quick to couple us together, my dear Train…"

It had been a week and a half since their almost love making session at the music school and there had been a few more instances like that. Except now every time Creed got that close to Train, it almost always resulted in an intense kiss that lead to them almost having sex. Creed was pretty sure they would have made love by now if they didn't keep getting interrupted by someone else.

The first time it was Sergey, then it was Kyoko and Aliane fighting, then Eve calling us for dinner, then Sven telling us about a sweep. Even Rinslet stopped by and knocked on our door once! Train hasn't been the one to stop us at all. In fact, he's encouraged it several times. I don't know what happened to make him so much more open to the idea, but I'm not going to complain and I'm not going to stop until it happens.

Train blushed wildly as Creed pulled him against his chest, then flashed himself away, ignoring the painful yelp the silver man let out at his vanishing. He appeared on the ground below Creed, waving and smirking up at him as he spoke.

"You read too much into things, Creed!"

Creed rolled his eyes and easily leapt off the twenty foot tall ice slide Train created, landing in front of his love again and blocking another bullet his cat shot at him. "Or you're just not thinking before you speak and letting your heart do the talking for you…"

Creed's words distracted Train enough that made it so the swordsman could slice at his chest, ripping his shirt slightly and causing Train to grimace at the shallow cut he created. He frowned down at his chest, poking at the blood that seeped from it and glanced back up at his companions' panicked look.

"I'm so sorry, Train! I didn't mean to draw blood! Let's get back home and clean it up quickly before-"

His words were cut off as Train pushed him away with a gust of air, taking advantage of his distraught state as he wrapped a sheet of ice around him, pinning his arms together. Train laughed at Creed's confused look and then smiled cheekily. "It's my fault for getting distracted, Creed. And now it's your fault for being stuck in this situation for the same reason."

Creed rolled his eyes and flexed his arms, breaking the glass around him easily. "I know that attack isn't strong, Train. You can't create a thick enough ice to keep someone pinned that way for too long."

Train glared at him as he dodged another slice from the swordsman. He threw his arm forward, launching four more ice blasts at him, pinning his feet to the ground first, then creating a chain of ice that kept his arms in one place as well.

"True, but when I do it this way, it's much stronger. This is how I've beaten you almost every time."

Creed looked at his Kitten's proud smirk and chuckled. "Do you think this means you've won, Train?"

Train's eyes widened as Creed's Imagine Blade leveled up and stretched out, wrapping so quickly around the ice chains the gunman barely saw the movements. Before he knew what was happening, Creed was freed from the ice prison and running full speed at him. The cat panicked, his shock over how easily Creed was able to release himself throwing him off guard for a second which only gave the gunman just enough time to throw out a sheet of ice on the ground, hoping that would be enough to make the silver man slip and fall. Instead, Creed leapt into the air and landed on the new slide, gliding forward on the ice towards his beloved, smiling triumphantly the entire time.

Train cried out when Creed slammed against him, pinning him to a tree behind him, grabbing both the cat's wrists in one hand and raising them above his head. With his other hand, Creed pulled his Imagine Blade up and against his Kitten's cheek, caressing it lovingly as he leaned his lips closer to Train's.

"Gotcha…"

Train felt his face get heated and didn't bother to pull his hands out of Creed's strong grasp, nor did he attempt to pull his lips away from the silver man. "Congratulations. Want a reward or something?"

Creed's smile turned into a smirk as he moved his face even closer to Train, dropping the arm that held his Imagine Blade as he pressed his body eagerly against his love's. "As a matter of fact, I do…"

Train returned his smirk and let out a low purr as Creed's lips brushed against his. "What'd you have in mind?"

Creed chuckled and caressed his love's cheek with the back of his hand, his fingers still wrapped around the hilt of his blade as he spoke. "I think you know…"

He was barely able to finish the sentence when Train pressed his lips against his own. Creed moaned loudly as he dropped his blade, running his fingers through Train's hair, squeezing his love's wrists together even more as his tongue began exploring his cat's mouth earnestly. When he heard Train gasp and moan into his mouth, his back arching slightly which pressed their chests flush together, Creed moved his hand from his Kitten's hair to the bottom of his shirt, slipping underneath of it and working at his pants immediately.

I don't mean to move this fast, but Train's been so willing lately and I don't want to miss a moment. As much as I'd like to take time to seduce my Kitten, I don't think it's necessary right now. He seems more than willing to give himself to me.

When Train bit his lip and thrust his lower body into Creed's, the silver man knew this was true and moved his hand even faster.

Besides, there's no way anyone can interrupt us here. We chose a spot deep in the woods so we could spar without restraints and no one else knows where we are. I can make love to him against this tree for hours and he can scream my name as loud as he wishes without fear of getting caught or interrupted.

Creed's mind began to paint the scene for him and he smirked as he watched himself thrusting in and out of his beloved, Train's body pinned against the tree as held his cat's ass in his hands. He moaned as he imagined himself moving vigorously in and out of his Kitten, encouraged even more as he felt Train moved his lower body up and down against his own, the small friction being enough to complete the fantasy in his head as he watched his beloved's face climax in ecstasy. Creed's skin caught on fire as he heard his love whisper his name in real life, matching his vision he had created in his head except his imaginary Train was screaming his name instead of whispering it.

Oh, I need to make this a reality!

He slipped his hand into the front Train's pants and immediately found the fleshy object he desired almost as much as he desired the tight entrance that was on the opposite side of his beloved. With that thought in mind and the picture of himself thrusting in and out of Train's ass still present, Creed let go of his beloved's wrists and moved that hand down the Black Cat's pants as well, except that limb was on the other side of Train, sliding between his love's cheeks and seeking out his opening impatiently.

"Creed…" Train moaned between kisses, knowing what the man was doing and feeling more encouraged than he used to to let it happen.

He knew why. Ever since that time at the music school, Train had been more open to going further. The only reason it hadn't happened was because someone always interrupted them. But now, he was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen, so he was allowing his heart to take over fully and spread his legs a little to allow Creed more access, throwing his head back as the silver man attacked his neck. When Creed's finger teased his entrance, Train bit his lip and nodded his head.

"Do it, Creed…"

Creed smirked and just as he was about to enter his finger, he heard something rustle near them. Train must have heard it as well because the hand that was holding Hades left Creed's hair and pointed in the direction of the sound. Creed retreated his hand from the front of Train's pants and hurriedly grabbed his blade that he attached to his hip when he began fondling Train. He activated his level two immediately and pointed in the same direction his love was.

"Seems your skills are as sharp as ever…"

GOD DAMNIT, SEPHIRIA!

Creed ground his teeth as he screamed obscenities at the woman in his head. When they saw Sephiria, they relaxed their weapons. However they were still in a compromising position which Train tried to remedy by pushing Creed away, but the swordsman refused to move. He wrapped his free arm around Train's back and pinned him harder against the tree, glaring over at Number One who slowly revealed herself from a tree a few feet away from them.

Sephiria eyed them up and down, curiosity dancing in her normally emotionless face as she spoke. "It appears I am interrupting…"

Train was about to say it wasn't what it looked like, but Creed spoke first. "You are. Now state your business so we can get back to it."

Train buried his face into Creed's shoulder, clinging to his shirt tightly as he tried to hide from the awkwardness. The embarrassment increased tenfold since it was their former leader who had seen them embrace so intimately. "Creed… Not in front of Sephiria…"

Creed glanced at his beloved. "I'm not doing it in front of Sephiria. I'm asking her to speak quickly so I can keep going."

"You don't give me orders, Diskenth." Sephiria's voice was commanding as she spoke, keeping the space between them just in case Creed decided her presence wasn't enough to stop him from assaulting the Black Cat.

Creed sighed and leaned his head against the top of Train's, breathing in his love's scent to calm him down emotionally and physically. It only worked emotionally since physically he was still rather worked up. "How can we help you, Number One?"

Sephiria nodded and gave their position a stiff look. Creed finally pulled his face away from Train's and saw the strange look they were getting. He didn't want to let go of Train, but he knew he needed to if he wanted to get their conversation over with so he could resume making love to his Kitten.

When Creed finally released Train, the Black Cat turned away and fixed his pants while the swordsman flattened out his hair and shirt. Sephiria waited for Train to turn back around before she spoke, her serious look returning to her face as she spoke.

"It seems as though you two are… repairing your relationship."

Train blushed and looked away, but Creed smiled broadly as he spoke. "Our bond is strong, Sephiria. Nothing can keep us apart."

"What do you want, Sephiria?" Train said, desperate to change the conversation. "Are you finally seaking us out to talk to us about whatever it is that you wanted to talk with us about?"

Sephiria gave him a surprised look which made Train sighed and answered her unasked question. "Lin told me you wanted to speak with us. And considering it's been another week and a half since then, I'm a little annoyed we fell so low on your priority list."

Sephiria sighed at the Black Cat's impatient foot tapping. "It wasn't of the utmost importance and we've been busy preparing for what will hopefully be the final battle against the Apostles. Besides, Diskenth has seemed to be able to keep you occupied."

Train blushed and glared at her, ignoring Creed's smirk as he addressed the first part of her statement. "Do you finally have a plan?"

Sephiria ignored the cat's glare and answered his question. "There really is no planning against the Apostles. As soon as we find out where they are, we attack full force with all the erasers and numbers."

"And us!" Train added as he raised his hand. "Don't forget about your Allied Sweeper Alliance. We have a bio-girl and everything!"

"And a sassy thief." Creed added, enjoying how much his beloved's enthusiasm bothered the woman. "There's a green haired old man as well, but he's proven to be pretty useful."

"That's enough. I don't want to waste much of your time and I need to report back to headquarters soon so let me just get to the point. Number X will be permitted to continue traveling with you. Under new orders, of course."

Creed noticed how happy and relieved Train was, but was more curious what Sephiria meant by the last part of her statement. "What are his new orders?"

Sephiria knew Train was going to be too cheerful about the news of Lin's return to listen to the rest of what she had to say, but she also knew Creed would be all ears. "He is no longer monitoring you. He will join you in your sweeps and collect as much information about the Apostles of the Stars as he can and report back to us with it."

Creed nodded. "Will he be permitted to share any of that information with us?"

Sephiria knew Creed would be the one to ask that question as well, and she nodded her head. "Yes. He doesn't have to do it behind my back anymore. The Elders don't know he was doing that in the first place and I won't tell them, but they agreed to be allies with you until we take the Taoist down and agreed to share any information we learn about them with you."

Creed smiled. "That's good to hear. And it sounds like Train won't have to take the fall for Lin now."

Train crossed his arms against his chest as he spoke. "That offer still stands if it ever comes up again. Don't hesitate to throw me under the bus as soon as they bring it up." He put his hand up to stop Creed from protesting, but did not look away from Sephiria. "Does this mean they trust Creed now?"

Sephiria made a strange face as she spoke. "That's not… entirely true. They still believe he might be putting on an act and betray us at the last minute."

"WHAT?!" Train shouted, clenching his hands into fists. "That's ridiculous!"

Creed frowned at his beloved and took a gentle hold of his clenched fist. "Don't worry, Train. If they see me successfully assisting in taking the Apostles down, they'll know it's not an act."

Sephiria nodded. "Precisely. That brings me to my next point. They agreed that if you both help us take the terrorist group down, you'll pass the test and be freed of their presence forever."

Creed's eye lit up at that. "R-Really…?" Seeing the woman nod, he slid his fingers between Train's happy to feel the other man returning his gesture as he glanced adoringly at his Kitten. "They'd… they'd truly leave us alone…? For good?"

Sephiria nodded again, frowning at the men as they tenderly held hands, knowing her next words might ruin their high spirits. "However… if you cross any lines… they have ordered you both to be killed immediately."

Train cocked an eyebrow as he tightened his hold on Creed's hand. "And what exactly are these lines?"

Sephiria's expression did not change as she spoke. "If they see you defending anyone involved with the Apostles, they will see that as betrayal and give the command to erase you both."

Train let out a deep, frustrated breath and ran his unoccupied hand through his hair. "That means if they see us saving the children involved, they'll order the numbers to come after us, right?"

Sephiria nodded. "Or if they see you preventing us from killing any of the Taoist. Don't give me that look, I know that's what your plan was. I can't stop you from doing whatever you want, never have been able to, but I wanted to let you know this as a warning: If they see you protecting any of the Apostles in any way, you will be fighting two battles with two powerful organizations at once."

Train didn't know what to say and Creed could tell that, so he squeezed his beloved's hand and answered for him. "Understood. Anything else?"

Sephiria turned to Creed, wondering whether or not she should tell them they also intend on using Lin as potential bait for the Apostles.

I think it'll just anger the Black Cat further and it's not going to change anything anyway. I'm sure Creed will figure it out and tell him. Train will probably handle it better coming from him than me anyway.

The swordsman nodded. "Yes. What do you know about those new people who joined your life recently?"

Train gave her a confused look. "What people?"

Sephiria narrowed her eyes. "That family. Who are they?"

Creed frowned at her. "The girl is a new student of Anastasia's and her family has gotten close to us over the last month and a half. They're friends…"

Sephiria noticed the unease and Creed's voice and decided to rip that bandaid right off. "We believe they might be Apostles."

"This again?!" Train yelled once more, though this time it was more out of annoyed amusement than anything else.

Sephiria blinked at him. "What do you mean again?"

Creed sighed and rubbed Train's hand with his thumb. "Sven put the idea in our minds that it was possible when we first met them, but we haven't seen any signs of them being Apostles. In fact, they've only proven time and time again how innocent they are."

Sephiria crossed her arms. "Such as…?"

Train answered for Creed since he was really getting sick of having this conversation. "The girl has a personality disorder, the couple is going through relationship issues like many marriages do, and the grandfather is a senile old man with PTSD. Not to mention the whole family is homeless and living in a dingy motel room."

"None of this is anything we didn't already know…"

Sephiria's words were quiet, but Train was able to hear them. "Have you been following them?"

Sephiria brushed his words away. "That's none of your concern. Do you have any proof of their innocence? Have you seen where they live?"

Train made a frustrated noise and wanted to say how it was his concern, but chose to defend his new friends instead. "I'm sure you've seen it since you're stalking them and I don't know how you expect us to have proof for disorders or senility other than our word. We've seen first hand what those people go through and it's not an act. Not long ago, we found Kenneth wandering the music school with a knife in his hand. But, you probably know all that, because, as I just said, you've been following them."

Sephiria's eyes widened at his statement. "A knife? That doesn't sound like a senile old man."

Train rolled his eyes. "Like I also just said, he has PTSD. It's happened a few more times since then, but we're always able to bring him back to reality."

Sephiria still did not believe it and pushed her opinion further. "Why would he be at the music school unless it was to 'accidentally' walk into you?"

"The whole family is at the music school a lot. They really try to be out of the motel as much as possible so if they're not at the school, they're with us in our house." Creed spoke this time so Train would not continue to lose his cool.

Sephiria was shocked to hear that and made sure the swordsman knew it. "You let them in your house? Do you not remember my warning?"

"Yes, we do, Sephiria. That's how sure we are that they're innocent." Train glared at the woman, hating that she was accusing innocent people of being devious. "We've seen where they're living, we've shared meals with them, we've grown close to them. They're not Apostles."

Sephiria looked the Black Cat up and down, ignoring the angry look he was giving her. "I know how attached you get to your friends, Heartnet, but it is possible that these people are not your friends." She turned to Creed, knowing he was usually the more logical one of the pair, despite the madness he once had. "Do you believe they are innocent as well?"

Creed looked at Train and smiled. "I do. I trust Train and Anastasia's judgement more than anyone else's. If they both believe they are innocent, then so do I."

Sephiria sighed, looking the two of them up and down before turning to leave. "It is not my job to convince, just inform you. If you chose not to listen to me and continue being friends with them, that's your prerogative. I'll only ask that you be careful and keep your eyes on them."

"Wait! Sephiria, I had a question for you too!" Train waited for the woman to turn around, held Creed's hand tighter and took a deep breath. He was worried about what her response would be and was praying she would say what he wanted to hear. "Was Chronos drugging us when we were assassins?"

Sephiria's chest got cold and he felt her face beginning to pale, but was able to cover all of that in favor of keeping her normal commanding demeanor. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Train narrowed his eyes at her, not sure if she was telling the truth and decided to add more to his question. "The food. Were they drugging the food we were supposed to eat. Lin made an offhand comment about how not everyone eats that, but I know Creed and I were ordered to. Why else would they do that to some and not all if it wasn't to control us?"

Sephiria's look did not change as she spoke. "You shouldn't be talking to Number X about matters not relating to the Apostles."

Train rolled his eyes. "Like I said, it was an offhand comment. Besides, he didn't know what I was talking about either. He just said he never ate it and he knew only certain people did."

Sephiria still didn't like that and made sure Train knew it. "Well, I also don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to have to have a conversation with Number X about what he tells you in regards to Chronos."

Train felt his heart race at the idea of possibility of getting Lin in trouble and started to panic a little. "Sephiria, wait! It's not Lin's fault! He didn't tell me anything because he doesn't know anything! That is if there is anything to know. And if there isn't, can you just forget what I said and spare Lin? He's got enough on his plate right now."

Sephiria looked Train up and down, then nodded her head. "Fine. But if it happens again, I'll have to talk with him before the Elders overhear what he says to you and they talk to him. Understood?"

Train breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Thank you…"

She probably doesn't want to scold him either. She knows how hard he's been working to recover.

"Before I go, I want to make sure you both understand that even though you may trust those people, you should still keep an eye on them." She addressed that statement to Creed since she knew he would be more willing to listen, especially if his beloved Black Cat's life was on the line. "If they are Apostles… we have no idea what they're capable of…"

Creed glanced at Train, then nodded his head as he pulled his love a little closer to him. "Understood."

I hate feeling like her lackey again, but I won't risk Train's life. No matter how much he trusts these people.

Train rolled his eyes at the two of them. "Jeeze, with the both of you… Sven wasn't convinced at first either and now he's pretty much best friends with Nica. If you want to talk to someone who was a non-believer, talk to him."

Sephiria thought about his words, then nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea. They're at your hideout right now, I assume? I can spare a few more minutes to speak with them."

Train yelped as she began to walk away, removing his hand from Creed's as he ran after her. "W-Wait! Sephiria! You'll frighten them!"

Sephiria looked over her shoulder at the Black Cat, but did not slow down. "Why on Earth would I frighten them? They know we're allies, right?"

Train growled at her back. "Yeah, but they don't expect the leader of Chronos to just show up unannounced! At least let me call them!"

"No time. I told you I need to get back to headquarters. As I stated earlier, we've been very busy preparing for the final battle and I need to train new recruits."

Creed watched the two of them walking away, half amused at his beloved's childish antics, the other half disheartened and physically frustrated at having his intimate time with Train cut short yet again.

If it was anyone else, I would have let them have it more like I did with Sergey. But, I can't talk to Sephiria that way. Especially knowing they're starting to trust me now.

Creed thought of the woman's words from earlier and swooned a little.

They'll leave us alone… If we defeat the Apostles, Chronos will trust us and leave us alone… Forever…

The idea of finally living happily ever after with his Kitten filled his heart with warmth and his soul with hope. He was able to find the strength to ignore his pain of having his erotic time with Train abruptly end and followed after the pair that had gotten a large head start.

Happily ever after with Train… A bit cliche, but I'll happily obey the laws of a fairytale if it means I can be with Train for the rest of my life.

---

Translation:

(1) "It pains me to say what a wonderful pair the two of you make…"