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

61. Results

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

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Eve gave her companion a weary look as she pressed her back against a tree and held her hammer shaped arm defensively in the air. "Train, what are you doing?"

Train stared intently at his arm as he spoke. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to turn my arm into something useful!

Eve sighed. "It looks like you're having an existential crisis."

Train frowned. "That's not too far from the truth…"

Eve rolled her eyes as she scanned the area for enemies. "You have to concentrate. If you don't, your mind will wander and your hand will deform itself."

Train gave the girl a desperate look. "I am concentrating, Lil' Princess!"

Eve kept her voice low as he spoke so as not to be heard by anyone that may have been lurking nearby. "Then concentrate more effectively."

Train glared at his young friend. "And exactly how does one concentrate more effectively?"

Eve returned the cat's glare and popped him on the head with her hammer. "By not thinking about anything else other than the task at hand."

Train yelped when the mallet made contact with his head and frowned at the girl.

That's easier said than done...

Train was frustrated because he really was trying to concentrate, but every time he began to clear his mind, visions of the psyche evaluation he had a few days ago flashed through his head, reminding him of how stressed he was about what his results would be.

And the most stressful part about it all is the waiting. I hate waiting on under normal circumstances, but waiting to hear whether or not Chronons thinks I'm crazy is worse!

Train wanted to pass the evaluation not just because he wanted Chronos to trust them in battle, but he wanted Sephiria to stay true to her word about leaving them alone once the war was over. And Train had a feeling if he and Creed didn't pass the evaluation, there was a chance Number One would make sure to always have an eye on them for the rest of their lives.

It went well… Right?

If Train was being honest with himself, he truly had no idea. He answered all of the doctor's questions honestly, but her reactions were never comforting. In fact, they were always the exact opposite. She took notes at moments Train wished she didn't and barely made non-judgemental eye contact. Train knew he should have been prepared to be drilled by a Chronos physiatrist, but he was hoping against hope that they'd luck out again and get someone nice like the general physician that took care of him and Creed when they were hurt.

"Guess Lady Luck didn't come to save me for this ordeal…"

"What was that?"

Train sighed and brushed his own words aside. "Nothing. Can you repeat the question?"

The physiatrist tapped her pen on her clipboard, keeping her eyes down as he flipped through her notes. "I asked how did you feel when you were finally rescued from the Apostles?"

Train slumped in his chair, staring at the clock on the wall as if that would help it move faster than a snail's pace. "I'm pretty sure I already answered that…"

The woman sighed in frustration and tapped her pen faster. "'Confused' is not a good answer."

Train smirked at her. "I thought there were no wrong answers when it came to mental health?"

The woman shot him a quick glare, but did not keep eye contact. "Not when it comes to getting cleared for duty by Chronos. I'm here to get answers, Mr. Heartnet, not make you feel better."

Train rolled his eyes and twitched as the woman banged her pen a little faster. "You know I don't work for Chronos anymore, right?"

Seeing another quick glare shot at him, the cat sighed again and tried to give a more specific answer. "I was confused because it seemed too good to be true."

"What do you mean?"

Train growled quietly. "...I thought that would be obvious."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not. Please elaborate."

Seeing as the woman was once again not looking at him, Train stuck his tongue out at her. He then moved his gaze to the window behind her, his body shivering at the memories resurfacing.

"Because I had many dreams of being rescued by my friends… But, they all ended the same."

The woman nodded as she wrote a few things down. "And that is…?"

Train turned back to the woman and watched as she wrote what seemed to him like meaningless notes. "...Death."

"If you're really concentrating as hard as you say you are, then explain why your hand is in the shape of what I can only assume is a spork?"

Train jumped as Eve's words brought him back to reality then turned his gaze to his hand to see what she was talking about, yelping at what he saw. "What the hell?! Why did that happen?! Wait, scratch that, when did that happen?!"

Eve grabbed Train and pulled behind the tree with her. "I told you, it's because you're not concentrating! And stop making so much noise! We're trying to be stealthy, remember?"

Train pouted as he hid behind the tree. "I don't understand. I was concentration really hard…"

Eve sighed again and peaked around the tree to make sure no one heard the cat's yelp. She really wanted to be upset with him, but it was difficult when the look in Train's eyes made it clear that he genuinely was trying.

There must be something else on his mind. He's been doing a great job controlling them up until now.

It had been about a week and a half since Train and Creed returned from their getaway and Eve had been working with the Black Cat and his Nanomachines almost non-stop. Now that the couple was engaged, they seemed eager to get the final battle over with, and the best way to do that was to get Train better acclimated with his Nanomachines.

And if he's having a hard time right now, it's going to be even more difficult when we're in an actual fight. Good thing we're only practicing right now.

Eve peaked around the tree again, frowning when she saw no signs of life in the depths of the secluded wooded area they were in. "What were you trying to turn it into?"

Train cursed under his breath. "I wanted to turn one into a sword and the other into a shield."

Eve sighed and turned to fully face the cat. "That explains why it turned into silverware. Were you possibly thinking of food when you thought of the shape?"

Train lifted his woeful golden eyes to meet Eve's stern pink ones and frowned.

"Death? What do you mean? Your death? Your friends' death? Creed's death?"

Train twitched at each of her words, but felt completely numb when she mentioned Creed's death. "All of the above. However, my death didn't bother me too much at a certain point."

The doctor nodded and wrote down a few more things, then went back to tapping her pen. "I see. And why is it that you didn't care about your demise?"

Train narrowed his eyes at her. "Because death was better than what they were doing to me."

Again, she nodded, but did not look at him. "I thought you said you didn't feel anything at a certain point?"

Train felt a bit of electricity flare up as dark memories slowly took over, but he was able to take a deep breath and calm himself down by looking out the window again and watching a tree gently sway in the breeze. "...I didn't. But for me… Numbness is worse than pain."

Train shooked his head, refusing to let the bio-girl know he was obsessing over his psyche evaluation and answered her question with his trademark cheeky smile. "...You have to understand that I'm really hungry right now."

Eve scoffed at the cat, beyond tired of his infantile antics and child-like mindset. "What else is new? If we're going to have to work around your ravenous hunger all the time, you'll never master control over the Nanomachines."

Train pouted at the small sweeper. "You're so mean, Lil' Princess… Creed and Kyoko would never talk to me that way. I should have been paired with one of them so I wouldn't have to feel your scorn."

Eve rolled her eyes. "Sorry the rest of us don't worship the ground you walk on."

Seeing his pout was still present, she smacked the top of the cat's head with her sledge hammer arm again. "Stop giving me that look! You know it never works on me and you know what the results of giving me said expression has been and always will be."

Train whimpered and rubbed his head. "So gemein! Ich wünschte, ich wäre mit jemandem zusammen, der netter ist!" (1)

Eve growled, understanding every word the cat said and responded in perfect German. "Lügen. Sven und Rinslet wären weitaus missbräuchlicher." (2)

Train's pout deepened at her words. "Jeder in meiner Familie ist so gemein, außer -" (3)

Eve hit him again. "-Alle außer Creed und Kyoko. We get it. You wanted a partner that was going to baby you, but you didn't get that. You got me. So get over it and focus! This is what you're been waiting to finally do again, isn't it?"

Train sighed and solemnly nodded his head. "Ja…"

Eve watched as the cat sulked over his deformed arm. "And you know why we were paired together, right?"

Train nodded again. "Ja… It's because you're the only person who can help me with the Nanomachines."

Eve nodded. "And if you want to be ready to train with Chronos, you need to be able to successfully train with us first. If you can't control your Nanomachines with us, then you definitely won't be able to with them."

Train moaned and banged the back of his head against the tree. "I know, I know! I just don't like how I can only use the Nanomachines right now!" He moaned louder and rolled his head back and forth. "Uuugh! Lil' Princess! Help! I can't be handicapped by my incompetence!"

Eve sighed and turned to the cat. "You understand Creed's reasoning behind the stipulation that you lose if you use the Tao or Hades, right?"

Train whimpered again. "Yes… Because I need to get used to using the Nanomachines…"

When Creed informed him if he wanted to win the prize he could only use his Nanomachines, Train threw the biggest fit any of the sweepers had ever seen. Luckily, he had completely regained control of his emotions, so no one was hurt by his juvenile actions.

But, if I really want to master my Nanomachines, I need to be able to use them with my Tao and Hades. Why is no one taking that into consideration? How can anyone expect me to be at my best when they're making me hold back so much?

Eve frowned at the look on Train's face, knowing exactly what he was thinking and responding to his grouchy thoughts. "That's not the only reason. If you used every bit of your strength against us during what is supposed to be just a training session, the only one who'd be able to face you is Creed. Do you really think that's fair to the rest of us? We need to practice too."

Train rolled his eyes as he finally turned his hand back to normal. "I understand, but that's why I said I should train with Creed alone. That way I can totally let loose without worrying about hurting anyone."

Eve felt like she was talking to her whiney little brother. "Haven't you been training with Creed?"

Train sighed and rested his head against the tree as he stared up at the sky. "Yeah…"

He and Creed had been training one-on-one for the last week and half so his lover could make sure he was absolutely ready to train with their friends. When Creed felt as though Train had complete control over his Tao again, they set up the session they were currently engaged in so they could concentrate more on his Nanomachines and help their friends train.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Only training with Creed doesn't help you master the Nanomachines and it doesn't help us train. Plus, in order for you to have complete control of them, you need me."

Train nodded. "Right. Which is also why I alternatively suggested it be just you, me, and Creed. No offense to Sven and Rins, but they aren't on the same level as us."

Eve blushed at Train's comment. Even though she knew it was a rude statement to make about their friends, it elated her to hear the golden man acknowledge how strong he believed she was.

I'll never let Train know it, but it means a lot to me to hear him say that.

Everyone including Chronos made comments about how much stronger she had gotten and at that point the only person that was holding back their praises was Sven. However, she knew that was because her guardian believed if he sanctioned her power, he'd have to let the reins on her go a bit more, which seemed to be the one thing he refused to do.

Still, after all the times I've saved and protected everyone else, he should be able to see that I take care of myself and our friends.

Realizing her thoughts had gotten the better of her, Eve shook her head and responded to Train. "You need to take baby steps. Creed knows that if it were just you and him, the three of us, or us with Chronos, you wouldn't hold back. And with how little control you clearly still have over the Nanomachines, that could lead to disaster."

Train sighed and leaned his back on the tree, slowly sliding down it as he spoke in a defeated tone. "...But like you just said, Creed could stop me if it came to that."

"Do you think you rely too much on Creed to keep you stable and feeling something other than that insufferable numbness you described?"

Train ran his hands along his face and released a long, annoyed groan. "This is like the tenth time you've asked me that question and for the tenth time, I'm going say no."

The woman nodded, but did not look up as she wrote down a few more notes, then began tapping her pen again. "And why is that? You talk about him a lot and from what both you and Ms. Arks have described, it sounds like you and he are codependent."

Train blinked at the woman. "What does that mean?"

The woman sighed and gave him a definition. "Codependency is characterized by excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a partner, typically one who requires support on account of an illness or addiction. Wouldn't you say you relied on him a bit too much to help get you through your trauma?"

Train rolled his eyes. "At first, yes, but I worked hard to make sure I could do it on my own. And Creed always gave me space to deal with my trauma on my own. He never suffocated me or forced himself on me. He always respected my wishes and left me alone when I asked."

Train said each of his words with conviction since he knew it was true. Even in his weakest moments, moments when he felt as though he might explode from an uncontrollable wave of emotional turmoil that threatened to consume him, Creed let Train handle it by himself. He only stepped in when it looked like Train needed help.

Train smirked as he remembered the effect Saya's song had on him. "In fact, whenever he did need to calm me down it wasn't really him doing it. It was a song that reminded me of a friend."

The physiatrist nodded, but did not look at Train. "From what Ms. Arks and others have told me, it sounds like you relied heavily on Creed in the beginning. Isn't that true?"

Train sighed. "Yes, but that was at the beginning. When I was at my worst. I relied on Lin too. Are you going to tell me I'm codependent on him as well?"

Seeing the woman didn't respond and didn't look at him, the gunman continued. "And even then, as I just said literally three seconds ago Creed brought me back to reality with a song that reminded me of a friend. He may have helped keep me tethered to reality, but so did all of my other friends. Hell, my favorite foods helped keep me grounded as well! And I'll be damned if you tell me I'm codependent on those!"

She finally made eye contact with Train as she spoke. "Codependency is also an emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual's ability to have a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship. It is also known as 'relationship addiction' because people with codependency often form or maintain relationships that are one-sided, emotionally destructive and/or abusive."

Train frowned. "That doesn't sound like what my relationship is with Creed at all… Everything we do and feel for each other is completely mutual and utterly satisfying."

Train purposefully chose to leave out how he and Creed had mentioned several times they were addicted to one another since he knew neither of them meant it in an unhealthy way. It was just one of the ways they expressed their love for one another and Train didn't expect that woman to understand every in and out of their relationships. Even if that's what she was trying to do.

The physiatrist peered at Train from over her glasses as she tapped her pen faster. "But does that sound like how it used to be? At least from Creed's perspective?"

Train blinked again, thinking back to when their relationship first started and even before it started. He frowned and slumped in his chair, hating the next word he muttered.

"...Yes."

The woman nodded and looked back down to her clipboard, writing more illegible notes. "And what makes you think he's changed so much from back then?"

Train felt himself getting more irritated with the woman and had to actively stop himself from screaming at her. "Creed is a completely different person. He's who he was always meant to be now. After he got that damn drug out of his system that your organization poisoned him with, he was finally able to reclaim his true self and hasn't shown an ounce of that overly possessive, unhealthy man he once was. The man Chronos forced him to be."

Again, the psychiatrist did not look at Train so she was not able to appreciate, nor be offended by the cat's dirty look. "That didn't answer my question. My question was what makes you think he's changed so much? And don't use the Chronos drug as your reason. You didn't know Creed before he joined Chronos, so you have no way of knowing what he was like back then."

Train's hardened his glare. "...I know who Creed is."

The woman looked at Train again and frowned. "How can you be so sure you're right?"

Eve watched the cat slump against the tree, briefly wondering where Train's mind had wandered off too yet again. "Aren't we training so that doesn't happen? Didn't Creed jump through all these hoops and set up all these sidequests for you so you wouldn't lose control?"

Train looked up at the sky, trying to forget his conversation with the physiatrist as he thought about what the girl said. He knew she was right. Creed went out of his way, yet again, to make sure he was in enough control of himself and his powers so that he wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else. The reason Creed insisted they continue taking small steps, the reason he set everything up the way he did including the mini golf training was to not only keep their friends safe, but to keep him safe.

...But is that just a sign of him being codependent like that woman insisted?

"How many flags do we have?" Train asked as he watched a cloud slowly pass.

Eve dug into her pocket to feel for the thin pieces of fabric they and their friends were fighting over. When she found them, she pulled them out and held them up for Train to see. "Two."

Train lowered his head and frowned at the objects. "And there are five in total?"

Eve nodded and shoved the flags back in her pocket. "Yes. We got one from Rinslet and one from Kyoko."

Train nodded as well. "Does that mean they're both out?"

Eve rolled his eyes, tired of explaining the rules to Train and sick of watching the cat's thoughts wander off to another realm. "No, they're not out. How many times do I have to explain this? In order to win, they have to get their flags back from us and hold onto them for an hour. In order for us to win, we have to get all their flags, period."

Train furrowed his brow. "We don't have a time limit for how long we need to hold onto them?"

Again, Eve sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. "No. Like I just said, we just need to collect them all. There is no time limit for us because they started with the flags."

Train groaned and banged his head on the tree again. "Uggh, this is so confusing! Why did Creed have to make the rules so complicated?!"

Eve sat on the ground next to Train, peaking around the tree once more to make sure no one was secretly watching them. "It's not complicated, you just weren't listening. You were, yet again, on another planet when he was explaining the rules. Which is another thing we're training for because if you don't listen when we're fighting the Apostles, we'll lose."

Train scoffed indignantly. "No we won't! I've won plenty of battles in the past without listening to plans and Creed is always prepared for my impromptu actions!"

Eve gave the cat a stern glare. "It's different when we're facing a foe as powerful as the Apostles and you know it."

When she saw Train shrug and mentally drift away for the hundredth time that day, Eve grumbled a few unflattering words under her breath, but decided not to engage the gunman further in that particular topic of conversation.

"I'm sure you aren't listening, but I guess I'll keep talking in hopes that you'll log back into the conversation soon. We should come up with some sort of a plan since Sven still has his flag and Creed still has both of his."

Train growled. "Still don't think it's fair they gave their strongest member two while everyone else got one..."

Eve bopped the cat on the head again. "It's absolutely fair considering how easy we got Kyoko and Rinslet's. Creed's the hardest target and therefore should give us the biggest reward if we catch him."

Train smiled at the girl's words. "He certainly does provide the biggest prize upon capture…"

Eve rolled her eyes.

He needs to get his mind out of the gutter…

"Don't underestimate Sven. While you and Creed have been busy being madly in love and training one-on-one, he's been perfecting his Vision Eye. I'm positive that's why we haven't seen him or Creed yet."

Train pouted and scanned the trees for any signs of the men. "I know, I won't take the old man lightly. But, I think we can both agree Creed is the more serious threat of the two."

I can't believe I haven't been able to pick up even the faintest hint of him at all. We've been together non-stop, when did he have time to hone his stealth skills this much?

Stealth was one of Creed's strongest points and Train knew it. It was one of the reasons they worked so well together. They were both excellent at hiding from their enemies and could abmush them from all angles due to their covertness and speed.

Train smiled warmly, eyes turning up towards the sky again as his thoughts became inconveniently dreamy.

He's really quite incredible…

His sweet thoughts instantly became sour as the psychiatrist's voice devoured his psyche again.

"What proof do you have that Creed is truly a changed man? What physical evidence do you have that he truly is no longer completely dependent on you and your love?"

Train bit his tongue to prevent himself from hollering obscenities at the woman. "What proof do you have that he still is dependent on me and my love?"

The woman did not look at him, but she did tap her pen louder. The small sound was beginning to make Train feel as though he was standing at the gates of Hell. "The fact that he still does everything in his power to please you no matter how much it inconveniences him or anyone else. I am also aware of how terribly he fell apart when you left him and the Apostles and how poorly he handled the new relationship you entered with Number X."

She stopped her tapping for a minute, but the way the object hovered ominously over her clipboard was more harrowing than the excruciating sound it made upon contact with the woman's notes.

"It also sounds like you ended your relationship with Number X so you could resume the one you had with Creed. If you ask me, that sounds an awful lot like codependency to me. Especially since your relationship with Lin was very healthy and functional."

Train growled again. Not only was she trying to poke holes in his relationship with Creed, but now she was reminding him of the guilt he still harbored for breaking Lin's heart. "...I care about Lin, but I don't love him. That's why I ended the relationship."

The woman shrugged and resumed the irksome tapping of her pen. "Are you sure it isn't because you felt like Creed needed you? Like he would waste away and die without you? Just like he did when you initially and rightfully ended the relationship the first time?"

Train lowered his head. "What the hell kind of shrink are you?! Are you trying to convince me I'm codependent on him, the other way around, or we're both codependent on each other?"

The woman raised her head and watched as the Black Cat pulled his hair out. "You tell me."

Train released a deep, tired sigh. "I did. Based on your description, I don't believe either of us are codependent on the other. Yes, I was well within my rights to end the relationship with him the first time, but since then we have both done a lot of soul searching and growth."

He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. "I agree our relationship wasn't healthy the first time around, but that's changed because we've changed. We learned how to exist without one another. As individuals."

Train raised his head and met the woman's gaze, a look of pure conviction on his face as he spoke. "And even after discovering our true selves, we were still drawn to each other. There wasn't a force in the world that could keep us apart. Even an old friend Chronos practically forced Creed to kill was enough to destroy what we have."

The woman stared at Train unblinkingly and spoke with just as much conviction. As if she didn't listen to a word the cat just said. "While all of that may be true for you, what proof do you have that it's true for Creed? I gave you my proof, now I'm asking for yours."

Train narrowed his eyes at the woman. "I gave you my proof…"

The doctor shook her head and wrote something else down. "No. What you gave me was a sentimental speech about your journey towards re-discovering yourself and love for Creed. After speaking with you today, I have no doubt you've been able to reclaim your former self, but what I asked for was proof of Creed's settled soul and healthy love."

She kept her eyes down as she finished her statement. "What proof do you have that Creed has changed? How can you be so sure he's changed?"

"Did you take your ring off?"

Train frowned and turned to Eve, his thoughts quickly being consumed by his evaluation and Creed, causing him to nearly neglect the person who was currently standing next to him.

Even though he knew it might have been forced, Train gave the girl a cheeky smile and slid his thumb against the chain around his neck, pulling the necklace he was wearing up and out to reveal the ring that was hanging from it. "Believe it or not, I followed directions, Sensei Eve. I'm fully aware it could interfere with the Nanomachines."

Eve rolled her eyes and smacked the cat with her sledge hammer again. "Don't call me that."

Train whimpered. "You're such a mean sensei, Sensei…"

Even glared at the cat for a moment, then blinked as a thought occurred to her. "Train… What are you and Creed going to do when the war is over?"

Train frowned at the girl, not sure why she was asking that question since she already knew the answer to it. "You know I said yes to his proposal, right?"

Eve sighed and lowered her head, annoyed by the fact that Train clearly didn't understand where she was going with her question. "Yes… Creed didn't waste a second to tell me the moment you guys came home. I'm trying to get you to think about that."

Train deepened his frown. "Why?"

Eve grumbled louder than she intended and sat on the ground next to him. "Just do it, okay?!"

Train pouted at the girl even though he knew the only people his sad looks worked on weren't present. "There's no need to yell, Lil' Princess. We're trying to be stealthy, remember?"

Eve smacked the cat harder on the head. "Shut up and do it you useless cat!"

Train howled in pain. "Such a mean Sensei! Why does Kyoko continue studying under you?!"

Eve stuck her tongue out at the older man, growing more annoyed over the fact that Train was able to make her act so immaturely. "Because she wants to keep learning since she stopped attending school. Unlike you, she's thinking about her future!"

Train smirked. "Can I shut my eyes?"

Eve sighed and smacked the man's hand away when he tried to pat her head. "I don't care what you do, just do it before they find us! You know as well as I do it's strange we've managed to last this long without an assault from Creed, and I know how badly you want to win."

Train's smirk turned into a happy smile. "The prize is far too delicious to pass up!"

Eve hit the cat again with her sledge hammer again. "Then shut up and do as I say! We were paired together for a reason, and it's not just because of the Nanomachines."

Train chuckled at the next hit to his head, none of them truly hurting anyway. In all honesty, he was enjoying her annoyed assaults because it allowed him to admire how much she had grown. She was no longer the little girl who didn't understand what ice cream was, she matured to the point where she was able to keep up with Train and Creed in a fight.

She doesn't use her robotic voice anymore either. Well, unless she's trying to be funny.

"Are you just as confused as I am as to why Creed hasn't found us yet?" Train asked in a low voice, just in case his fiance was listening. "Considering how easy it has always been for Creed to find me, I don't know how this incognito mode has been working for so long."

They began their training session a few hours ago and other than that first battle they had with Kyoko and Rinslet, their friends had been completely silent.

Eve sighed, irked that the man insisted on not listening to her. "We've had this conversation…"

Train blinked in confusion. "We have?"

Eve rubbed her eyes. "Yes. And I am confused as well. I believe there is a possibility he's already here and just waiting for the right moment to attack. Which is yet another reason you need to shut up and listen to me."

Train gave her a cheeky smile. "If that's the case we better stay on our toes. I don't need to remind you how crafty that man is."

Eve growled. "No, you don't! Now be quiet and think about him already!" The girl huffed and crossed her arms against her chest. "I can't believe I actually have to encourage you to think about him. Isn't he all you think about anyway?"

Train shrugged. "I'm talking about him, aren't I? That means I'm thinking about him."

Eve banged the back of her head against the tree with each word she said. "Please. Stop. Talking. And. Just. Think. About. Him."

Train snickered, then finally did as the girl requested. He smiled as he thought of his partner, closing his eyes as his mind easily drifted off to the future he envisioned with the man.

Train's thoughts slowly began to engross themselves with images of his soulmate as he felt a tepid and metaphorical blanket gingerly wrap around him. After their return from the cave, Creed made sure to keep true to his promise and gave Train very specific details of what his plans for their wedding were going to be. And since the cat hadn't gotten the chance to follow through on his promise, Train had no choice but to listen.

He's got me conversationally hostage. I don't think it's my fault I haven't been able to make love to him yet. It's just been one thing after the other since we came back.

There were a few times Train was able to start the process of keeping his promise, but they were always interrupted. Whether it was their friends or Sephiria or they were just too tired from training all day, something always managed to get in the way and Creed was getting more and more frustrated.

I understand we don't have the luxury to relax anymore, but I wish we could get some space so I don't have to keep listening to Creed moan every day about how I haven't kept my promise.

Train snickered as he thought of his lover's whining. As annoying as Creed's grievances were, they still entertained him. However, that didn't stop the cat from constantly rolling his eyes at the other man's absurd wedding plans.

If I hear him even talk about peacocks parading the venue or an orchestra serenading me every thirty minutes one more time, I'm going to bash my head through the wall.

There was a part of Train that enjoyed the pageantry of Creed's suggestions and even kind of wanted to see them come to fruition, but his amusement at the silverette's dramatics didn't change the fact that all Train wanted a small celebration. And that was exactly what he tried to concentrate his mind on at that precise moment.

However, it seemed as though his inner turmoil had other plans in mind.

Train clenched his fists, feeling his body spark slightly as he grew angry with himself for losing his cool so easily. He hated how the woman seemed intent on making him question every aspect of his life and he hated how she downplayed the improvement both he and Creed made.

However, what bothered him the most was the fact that everything she was doing felt intentional. It felt like she was purposefully pushing his buttons just to see how far he would go before slipping off the edge again and exploding into a fit of rage. And if that was true, if her goal really was to make him angry enough to lose control of his Tao and prove he hadn't actually gotten better, there was no way he'd give her what she wanted.

There was no way he'd let her win.

With that thought in mind, Train shut his eyes and centered his thoughts around his partner, his friends, and the visceral images he had of a prosperous future with them. He felt his body relax, then leaned his head against the chair and quietly hummed the melody of Saya's song.

As he trilled the girl's little ditty, he smiled when he heard his deceased friend's ethereal voice accompany him. The sweeper girl caroling with his out of tune song was the last thing he needed to fully unwind as he felt his anger subside and gradually melt away. A calm atmosphere gently took over and enveloped his body, giving him a pleasantly warm sensation as he finished the song with Saya.

He opened his eyes and brought his gaze to the woman. "I just know. And I know it without a shadow of a doubt. Who Creed is now is who he was always meant to be. And that will be the end of this conversation, so stop wasting my time with it."

Train felt a voracious smile skate onto his lips as he felt the familiar sensation of confidence surge through him. The memory of him putting the physiatrist in her place was enough to allow his mind to comfortably wander off to thoughts of the future he wished to share with Creed. He wasn't sure how long the sanguine feelings would last, but he was determined to hold onto them as long as he could.

With his renewed certainty, Train was able to imagine himself holding Creed's hand as they stood in the middle of an empty field. The ceremony in his mind took place at twilight, which gave his Stallion's immaculate face a divinely heavenly glow that perfectly illuminated the swordsman's lustrously opulent hair and perfectly accentuated the speckles of lavender in his azure eyes.

As he envisioned the event, Train could feel the heat of the fireworks volley against his face. He assumed they would be set off just as they said their 'I do's', or whatever other pomp and circumstance Creed had prepared for the vows instead of the traditional exchanging of words.

His mind's eye saw a tear sliding down his lover's porcelain cheek and into Creed's lips as the silverette struggled to speak his words of devotion. As eloquent as the man was, Train had a feeling all of the silverette's perfect poise and flawless fluency would vanish the moment he saw Train standing across from him and ready to make the deepest promise any human could make.

Train had a feeling Creed's speech would take all day either because he was going to struggle finding the words he had planned on saying and ended up saying every word in existence, or because it would take him so long to spit out whatever he wanted to say behind his operatic tears. And somehow, that idea made Train love him more.

The aat chuckled as he heard Creed's shaky voice desperately try to speak words of love and worship to him, but failed miserably behind the hysterical storm of adoration that overwhelmed him. That visual made Train look forward to the day even more.

An event like Creed Diskenth struggling to speak would be something I'd paid to see. I can't wait to experience it.

As Train thought about his lover, he felt a familiarly warm presence near him. When he heard an inaudible rustle of leaves, the gunman shot his eyes open and activated his Nanomachines.

Without questioning his instinctive reactions, Train turned one hand into a shield to protect Eve as his other arm instantaneously transformed into a sword. The Black Cat sprung up from his seated position and thrust his blade arm forward, parrying Creed's level two Imagine Blade as his shield guarded Eve from a gust of fire sent by Kyoko.

When Train felt the bio-girl struggle behind his arm, he knew Eve was attempting to make an attack of her own, so released the girl so he could on the man in front of him.

Train smirked at his lover who seemed more than pleased that the cat was able to sense his presence. "Found you!"

Creed smirked in return and applied more pressure behind his sword. "Not quite, my Darling! I've been watching you for quite a while now, waiting for the exact moment to jump. In fact, if it wasn't for Eve's idea to get you to focus your thoughts, those flags of yours would have been returned to their rightful owners!"

Train glared at his partner, aware the expression was weak since it was difficult for him to display any negative emotions towards Creed. "Fat chance! We took those fair and square! There's no way you're getting them back!"

Creed snickered at his beloved, seeing the tip of Train' blade slowly vanish as the cat cursed to himself. It was clear the golden man was having a hard time maintaining the shape of his arm while trying to push Creed back.

He's sweating profusely as well. He must be struggling to look so exhausted after only a few hours of training. But, that's one of the goals of this session, isn't it?

They wanted to push Train to his limit without him relying on the skills he already remastered. Creed hated seeing him struggle, but pushing his love as hard as they were would only make him stronger.

The swordsman leaned forward, sparking flying between his blade and his beloved's slowly deteriorating sword as he spoke. "What's wrong, Kitten? Beginning to feel the pressure of only using your Nanomachines?"

Train gave his partner a cheeky smile as he leaned forward as well, pressing his forehead against Creed's, the simple contact being enough to give him the strength he needed to keep the form of his arm. "Pressure's my middle name, Creed. You should know better than anyone else that it'll take more than a surprise attack to catch me off guard!"

Creed's eyes widened as he saw his partner's blade arm glow brightly and extend wildly. Had he not been concentrating so much on keeping his feet planted in the ground and his grip tight on his Imagine Blade, his mind would have been consumed with dirty thoughts about the overt implications made at Train's blade lengthening from the brief contact their foreheads made.

Train really needs to make love to me soon. It's beginning to get painful and nearly impossible to think about anything other than that!

Creed's thoughts were cut off as Train pushed him forcefully back, compelling the swordsman to leap several feet away from the Black Cat. As he put distance between them, Creed slashed his blade forward to uncharacteristically maintain the space amid him and Train. He then flipped backwards before finally landing on his feet, skidding to a halt as he smiled at his beloved.

The gunman didn't give Creed a moment's rest as he lunged forward with his nano-created blade, not surprised when he sliced at the air instead of his lover. He knew the man would easily be able to dodge the attack and watched as Creed leapt into a nearby tree.

Creed landed gracefully on a thick branch attached to the tall tree, then pouted at his love. "Train, that was awfully close to my heart… You wouldn't really cause me harm, would you?"

Train snickered at the man's cute frown, ignoring it completely as he launched himself in the air after his partner. "IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN THAT PRETTY FACE OF YOURS TO STOP ME, CREED!"

Before Train could reach him, Creed launched himself in the air to narrowly avoid another hit from his precious Kitten. As he fell to the ground, he watched as Train's nano-formed sword effortlessly sliced through the branch he once stood on, smiling in awed admiration as he watched the wood splitter into thousands of pieces.

"Train, you never cease to amaze me! Only you could gain such quick mastery of a power that once tormented you!"

Train rolled his eyes as he landed on the ground, quickly spinning around to face Creed, not wasting a minute as he ran full speed towards the silverette. "Just like your pretty face, your words of flattery won't be enough to stop the inescapable squall known as the Black Cat!"

Creed licked his lips as he watched his beloved run towards him. "I wouldn't expect it to, my Dear Train…"

If Creed had been able to pay attention to anything else, he would have seen Eve going toe-to-toe with both Rinslet and Kyoko, but Sven had still not made his appearance. None of that concerned the silverette not just because all he wanted to do was keep his eyes glued to Train, but also because the older sweeper's absence was part of their plan to get the flags back.

Not that I care about winning. The prize means nothing to me.

Creed smiled as he blocked a few more blows from the man he loved, slipping gracefully to the side and gently tapping his beloved's back with the hilt of his sword. Creed looked over his shoulder and watched Train stumble to the ground, giggling merrily at the plethora of curses his love's beautiful mouth released.

Creed spun around and sliced his blade in the air, preparing himself for Train to run at him again. "You should know better than to come at me with a sword, Train. As perfect as you are, you are nowhere near the same level as me with a blade."

Tran pushed himself up on his shield hand, spitting out some dirt that got into his mouth from his meeting with the ground. "What else am I supposed to do?! I can't use Hades or my Tao and I don't know how else to use my Nanomachines!"

Creed put one hand on his hip as he watched his Kitten try to reactivate his nano-created sword, frowning playfully as he spoke. "As flattered as I am that you believe swords are the most powerful thing you can create with your Nanomachines, you need to start thinking outside the box. Eve doesn't just make blades, does she?"

Train glanced at his lover as he felt his arm turn back into a sharp blade once again. "Why the hell would you be flattered that my first instinct is to turn it into a sword?"

Creed gave his partner that sweet smile he knew always made Train weak in the knees. "Because it means you're thinking of me when you activate them; and it touches my heart more than words can say."

Train felt himself smile a little at the other man's look then shook his head as he threw himself at the silverette. "You read too much into everything I do, Creed!"

Creed laughed wildly as Train's sword clashed with his own, allowing the physical and metaphorical sparks to fly between them for a moment before he slipped forward and caused his beloved to fall yet again. As he stumbled, the cat's nano-blade cut into the ground, the tip of his sword getting caught in the earth beneath his feet as Creed spun behind his Kitten.

Creed wrapped his arm around Train's waist and whispered in his ear. "How many times do I have to tell you? Niente è mai esagerato o letto troppo quando si tratta di te…" (6)

Train ignored the warm shivers he experienced at the feel of Creed's breath wafting down his neck. "If you think you can catch me off guard by trying to seduce me, you're in for a rude awakening!"

Train slid one of his feet backwards and locked his ankle with Creed's. The Black Cat then pulled his foot forward, taking Creed's with it as the swordsman's arm slipped away from Train's waist. As soon as the gunman felt his torso was free, he yanked his foot further even more, looking over his shoulder as he watched his partner's back collide roughly with the ground.

Knowing full well Creed would be up in a matter of seconds, Train quickly leapt away, his feet skidding on the ground as he slid to a stop several feet away from his partner. The force of his jump created long streaks in the grass, causing clouds of dirt to surround the Black Cat which momentarily blocked his view of Creed. Before his vision could become too clouded, Train slashed his blade arm in the air again, then thrust his shield arm forward to block another blow from his partner.

Train noticed the proud look on Creed's face and glanced at the shield his arm had formed. "This was deactivated just a few seconds ago, wasn't it?"

Creed smiled illustriously at his beloved and nodded, the blade of his sword shaking violently against Train's Nano-Shield. "Yes it was, Darling! It appears as though you were able to reactivate it on instinct this time. That's great progress! Now, you just need to start thinking outside the box more and you'll be one step closer to mastering the bots!"

Train shoved the man away with his shield. "I told you I don't know what else to do with them!"

The moment he pushed Creed away, Train ran forward again and thrust his sword forward. When he saw his partner jump to the side to effortlessly dodge the attack, Train spun around and slashed his sword towards his lover once more. Seeing Creed brush the blow aside as if it were nothing more than a strong gust of wind, the cat growled and jumped away.

Creed smirked as she sliced his sword at the ground at Train's feet. "While I do believe mimicry is the most sincere form of flattery, you need to come up with another weapon, Love!"

Train jumped to avoid Creed's attack, spinning around in the and landing behind his lover. "I'm not mimicking you. I need to remind you that you do not use a shield, which has been a primary choice of mine the last few training sessions? If I'm thinking of anyone while I'm activating the Nanos, it's Eve!"

Creed giggled as he ducked to avoid his beloved's next attack then turned around so he was facing Train again. As soon as his love started assaulting the air with his blade in an attempt to slice the swordsman, Creed leapt backwards several times and dodged every one of Train's graceless slashes.

"That's almost as sweet as if you were thinking about me, Train! However, you wield a sword as if it were a gun, which is both perplexing and humiliating, yet somehow a bit endearing."

Train growled as he thrust his blade towards Creed. "You think everything I do is endearing!"

The cat missed once again as Creed used the back of his weaponless hand to push his love's sword arm to the side, causing Train to fall forward and behind his partner yet again.

Creed smirked as he watched his beloved curse. "That I do, Train… That I do…"

"Don't you think you're still a bit too obsessed with the Black Cat?"

Creed blinked in confusion at the woman. "Excuse me?"

He couldn't help but marvel at the intrusiveness of the question, especially since it was her first one.

The woman gnawed grotesquely at her pen, making the silverette shiver at the unsanitary motion. "I said, don't you think you're still a bit too obsessed with the Black Cat?"

Creed winced as the woman's teeth grinded against her pen. "That's a hell of a way to start a psychology evaluation. Don't you need to earn my trust before asking blunt questions like that?"

The doctor did not look at Creed as she shrugged and read through what he could only assume were notes about Train. "Normally, yes. But, Ms. Arks made it perfectly clear to get as much information about your psychological well being as possible during this session, and an hour isn't nearly enough time to delve into the inner workings of Creed Diskenth."

Creed smirked, trying to ignore the way the woman's lips smacked together as she chomped on her pen. "I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or offended by that."

The woman brushed his words away with her pen and Creed gagged when he saw a bit of her spit fly across the room. "Feel however you want, Mr. Diskenth. I'm not here to tell you how you're supposed to feel, I'm here to find out what you are feeling."

Creed frowned as he watched the woman place the pen back between her teeth. "Yes, that is generally the goal of people in your line of work…"

Creed anxiously gripped the arms of his chair as she nibbled her pen. "Please answer my question, Mr. Diskenth."

Creed forced himself to look away from the woman's mouth and he stared at the wall behind her instead. "The one regarding my feelings for Train?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Yes, the one about your obsession with the Black Cat."

Creed frowned. "I thought you said you weren't supposed to tell me how I feel."

She took the pen out of her mouth again and wrote a few things down. "Answer my question."

Creed leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair he sat in, then rested his cheek on his fist. "No, I do not think I'm obsessed with Train. At least not in the way you're implying."

The woman nodded, but did not look at Creed. "And in what way do you think I'm implying?"

Creed knew her implication was obvious, but decided not to push his luck without Train present. "You're implying that I am unable to function or exist without Train and while that may used to have been the case, it no longer is." The silverette glanced out the window, smiling as he thought of his positive progress. "I worked hard to make sure I could be my own person."

"Yes, but was that by your choice?"

Creed blinked and turned back to the woman. "Come again?"

The doctor still did not look at him. "Was your growth by your choice, or because the Black Cat forced you to grow by leaving you?"

Creed continued blinking at her, not sure how to answer the question. "I-I…"

Creed barely avoided another attack from his beloved as he tried to shake himself out of his own thoughts. He had been having a getting over how terribly he felt his evaluation went.

It wasn't that Creed wanted or needed Chronos' approval to go ahead with the final battle, he just knew if he didn't get it, their lives would become far more difficult. Not only would Sephiria make sure Creed was under watchful eye during the fight, but she might renege on her promise of leaving him and Train alone once they took down the Apostles which bothered him more than having a babysitter during the fight.

Train ran towards his partner, his sword cutting into the ground, causing dirt to bilow around him as he spoke. "That makes no sense! How can I use a sword as a gun?!"

Creed blinked, trying to remember what they were talking about so he could properly respond. Once he remembered, he smirked and blocked another one of Train's slashes, twisting his Imagine Blade so it wrapped around his beloved's sword arm. "I was asking myself the same question, Love, but it's truly the only way to describe how you're using it. It's like you keep forgetting it isn't a long ranged weapon."

Train growled as his partner pulled him forward and gave him a kiss on the head. He bit the air that separated their faces and swung his other arm towards Creed's head, attempting to use his Nano-Shield to hit his lover in the side of the head.

"DON'T PATRONIZE ME, CREED!"

Creed laughed maniacally as he bowed to his beloved in order to avoid the shield, then rolled to the side to evade another boorish slice. The silverette continued rolling away from his love, laughing the entire time as each of the Black Cat's strikes continued to miss their mark. With the last slashed that Train made, the tip of his blade got stuck in the ground again, making Creed chuckle in amusement as he slid himself to a stop.

Creed crouched on one hand and knee and watched Train struggle. "I don't have time to teach you the proper sword techniques you need to be on par with me with a blade which means you either need to give up and hand the flags over, or you need to be more creative."

Train locked eyes with his lover, glaring at the man as he pulled his arm out of the dirt for the hundredth time. "I TOLD YOU I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO WITH THEM!"

Creed sighed as he flipped backwards to avoid another one of his love's attacks, using one hand to launch himself off the ground and away from Train. He could tell Train was getting frustrated with himself, and it disheartened Creed to see such a powerful, crafty man fail so miserably at something he could easily master if he just got out of his own head.

He comes up with amazing ideas on the spot all the time that get him out of all kinds of situations, why can't he do that now?

Creed desperately wanted to help his beloved, but part of the rules he created dictated that Eve was the only one who could help Train. It was everyone else's job to push Train to his limit.

Although, I don't know how much of a threat I'll be when I can't focus…

Creed tried to concentrate on watching his love charge at him, but once again felt his mind slipping away.

"From what it sounds like, you only supposedly changed because the Black Cat gave you no choice. He forced you to confront the monster you had become."

Creed jumped at her harsh words. "Wh-what?"

The woman locked eyes with Creed as she bit pointedly down on her pen, as if she was chewing on the object to purposefully repulse him. "Isn't it true that if it wasn't for Train Heartnet breaking your heart, you never would have changed your ways and you never would have left the Apostles?"

Again, Creed blinked at her. "There's… More to it than that."

The woman yanked the pen from her mouth and scribbled on her clipboard. "I understand you'd like to cast blame on Chronos, but at the end of the day, the drug wasn't the reason you left or started the Apostles. Train was."

Creed frowned. "Th-that's true…"

Creed winced when he saw the woman's eyes light up, as if she had been waiting for him to make that admission and he suddenly felt like a fly caught in a spider's web.

"Furthermore, you purposefully altered your DNA by consuming the Tao so you could be better equipped to help Train with his revenge. I would also like to add that your aberrantly possessive behavior in regards to the Black Cat is what led to him direct revenge on the wrong person in the first place."

The woman chewed on her pen yet again. "You also gathered a group of terrorists with the same ability whose goals were somewhat aligned with the Black Cat's and proceeded to try and eradicate the most powerful organization on the planet. All because you were so obsessed and fixated on Train Heartnet you couldn't see the folly of your plan."

Creed winced at her words. "Is… That is?"

The woman glanced up at him quickly. "Isn't that enough?"

Creed sighed, lowered his head, and nodded. "Yeah… I guess it is…"

Creed frowned at the memory as he dodged another attack from Train, his feet sliding to a halt as his back lightly brushed against a tree. The silver man pressed his heels against the bark and threw himself forward, shoving Train's sword away with his own.

I should have kept my mouth shut during the evaluation.

As Train leapt to the side to dodge an attack from Creed, the silverette jumped into the air and over his beloved, landing elegantly on the other side of the gunman. Without turning around, Creed twisted his Imagine Blade so it was curled around his back, blocking another attack.

I probably would have been better off if I did.

The silver man contorted the blade again and used the tip of it to collide with his love's shield, the brute of his sword being enough to push Train's armor away before it made contact with Creed's shoulder. He frowned as he watched his love grumble, the cat appearing to be more worn out than Creed thought he should have been.

Train's not at the top of his game either, but that's probably because of the handicaps.

While Train made it clear he was now able to instinctively turn his Nanomachines on, it was also clear that wasn't enough to get him through the training. Creed could tell by looking at his beloved's face that the cat was putting every bit of his thoughts into keeping his sword and shield strong, which made his moves easy to predict and avoid.

And the fact that I'm so easily able to read him right now is probably making him more frustrated, which gives me even more of an advantage.

The silver man spun around to face his Kitten, stepping backwards as he sliced away each one of Train's attacks, his heart breaking at the strained look in his love's eyes.

He's trying so hard… Maybe he needs to try less?

Creed sighed as the cat continuously stabbed at him with his blade arm, each one of his thrusts becoming more clumsy than the last. "Come on, Train… You can do it. I know you can."

"HEY! NO HELPING THE CAT! HE NEEDS TO FIGURE THIS OUT ON HIS OWN!"

Creed rolled his eyes at the new voice and skillfully glided his body to the side to narrowly avoid a bullet Rinslet shot at Train's head. He was positive his Kitten was going to be able to avoid it, so he didn't bother blocking it.

Creed felt a small smile drift on his lips as he watched Train slice the bullet in mid air. The silverette made several more subtle, yet vital movements with his head to avoid three more bullets the thief fired at Train, a little annoyed the woman didn't seem to care he was there and also insulted on his beloved's behalf.

I know Train's preoccupied and therefore slightly more vulnerable, but that's no reason for Rinslet to get so bold with her bullets.

Despite feeling as though the woman was dishonoring Train's strength with her audacious actions, Creed wasn't going to stop her. While her attacks may have been useless and Train may have made it perfectly clear even with his many handicaps that Rinslet was no match for him, the point of having the thief a part of session was to overwhelm his beloved with numbers.

Rinslet isn't useless. She has plenty of valuable skills.

Creed watched with a blissful smile as Train sliced every one of her bullets in half, forever awed by the man's strength.

"If your past actions aren't indicative of a madman's obsession, then what else are they?"

Creed raised his head slightly and cocked an eyebrow at the woman. "Come again?"

The woman chewed on her pen as she spoke with an annoyed tone. "Would you agree that love and obsession are two completely different emotions?"

Creed frowned. "Yes…"

She took the pen out of her mouth, then wrote a few more things down. "And would you agree that what you felt towards the Black Cat in the past was nothing more than an obsession?"

Again, Creed blinked. "No."

The woman looked up quickly, obviously shocked to hear the conviction in his voice. "What?"

Creed leaned back in the chair, crossing his legs as he spoke. "What I felt for Train back then is exactly what I feel for him now."

The doctor continued staring at him. "And what do you believe that is?"

Creed smiled at the woman. He had made peace with his past insanity long ago, and he wasn't going to let anyone make him question what he knew was true in his heart.

"Love."

The doctor sighed and looked back at her clipboard. "And what makes you say that with such confidence? It sounds like everything you did for Train was based purely on wanting to keep him to yourself. If you truly loved him, you would have let him go."

Creed sighed. "I did let Train go..."

The woman began chewing on her pen again. "Did you? Because it sounds like short of kidnapping The Black Cat, you did everything in your power to make sure no one else could have him. Not only did you kill his best friend out of jealousy, but you also kept him locked away in the Apostles' hideout when he was beginning to get wise to the truth."

Creed opened his mouth then closed it quickly when he realized he had no rebuttal to her statement. He knew it was true and if it had been anyone else sharing that information with him, he would have questioned where they got their intel from. But, considering she worked for Chronos, Creed didn't give the inquiry another thought.

The woman continued. "What part of anything I just said shows signs of love?"

Creed watched the woman chew on her pen and avoid his gaze for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts enough to answer her calmly, but firmly. If the goal of the session was to make Creed question how he felt about Train, he knew the woman was in for a rude awakening.

"See something you like?"

Creed jumped when he heard Train's voice, not realizing he had somehow managed to give his Kitten his trademark lovesick look, despite the stress his thoughts were causing him.

Not wanting Train to know he was preoccupied with visions of his evaluation, Creed nodded. "Mhm… Je pense aussi à ce que sera mon futur prix à vie…" (6)

Train smirked, knowing his fiance was talking about their wedding. "Maintenant, c'est quelque chose que nous pouvons tous les deux espérer." (7)

Train ducked and avoided a barrage of bullets from Rinslet, then ran towards his lover. He sliced his blade arm at Creed's head, knowing the silver man would avoid the attack and prepared his shield in hopes he could catch the swordsman off guard. Train smirked when he saw Creed's eyes widened as he thrust his Nano-Shield upwards the second his partner crouched down, lunging it straight at the silverette's face.

The Black Cat was not surprised when he felt his shield brush lightly against his partner's cheek, leaving the man with nothing more than a small scratch. However, the almost collision threw Creed off and gave Train a chance to land a blow. The cat immediately took advantage of the brief moment and launched another attack but shoving his sword arm towards his lover.

Train frowned in confusion as Creed clumsily avoided the attack and rolled backwards. It was the first inelegant motion the silverette had made since the session started.

What's going on with him?

However, not wanting to miss an opportunity to strike again, Train ran as fast as he could towards Creed and focused all his thoughts on his Nano-Blade along with the location of his partner. Train grinned triumphantly when he saw his bots reacted exactly the way he wanted them to and swerved his feet around and forward, filling the air with more dust and dirt.

Train grinned as he watched his blade arm grow and extend. The smog of dirt blocked his view of Creed, but the cat didn't need to see his partner to know that his blade was about to make contact with the man's shoulder. His goal wasn't to embed the sword into Creed's flesh, he merely wanted to cut the man's shoulder.

"I GOT YOU NOW, CREED!"

Train released a loud curse when he saw bright sparks flash from behind the cloud of debris, knowing that meant Creed reacted at the last minute and blocked his attack. That thought was confirmed when he felt his body come to a full stop as the piercing blue eyes of his lover stared resolutely at him.

Creed smirked, doing his best to hide the complete and utter admiration he felt for the man who was pressed against him. "Excellent as always, Train. However, I'm afraid to inform you that this is the one time you do not have me."

Train snarled, angry Creed blocked the only blow he thought he was going to land. "Damnit…"

Creed frowned at his beloved.

He really must be distracted if he can't think of a rebuttal…

As much as Creed wanted to comfort his Kitten, he knew he couldn't coddle the man. So, instead of taking Train in his arms and whispering words of worship to him, Creed shoved his love forward and away from him just enough that he had room to roll to the side.

Once he was out of Train's line of fire, Creed ran further away and glanced to the side. Seeing a momentary flash of green, Creed smiled and ran towards the tree Rinslet was hiding in. Knowing Train was only a few feet behind him, Creed sped up. The silverette heard his beloved swipe his arm in a circular motion towards ground and knew Train was attempting to trip him.

Creed leapt in the air over his Nano-Blade then kept running towards the tree, looking up to see the thief readying a grenade. He was positive Train knew Rinslet was there, but since he was also sure his Kitten was too distracted to know where Sven was, Creed was confident their plan was going to work.

And Kyoko seems to be keeping Eve distracted. We might actually win.

Creed frowned at that thought, saddened at the idea that Train might lose since he knew his love would beat himself up over it. However, he was able to shake himself of that feeling since he knew everything they were doing was for Train.

Creed frowned as he ran, his thoughts once more being consumed by his evaluation.

"Ms. Lewis…" Creed leaned forward, attempting to lock eyes with the woman who constantly refused to look at him.

"I understand it's your job to make sure I am stable enough to fight alongside Chronos and I understand you were probably told to do whatever it took to push my buttons. The fact that you keep slobbering on your pen like an animal is proof of that. I'm assuming Sephiria told you I have a thing about cleanliness?" Creed smirked when he saw the woman subtly take the pen out of her mouth. "However, I'm sorry to inform you that your strategy is flawed."

The doctor blinked at Creed, giving the man a quick glimpse of the doubt in her eyes before she looked away again. "What are you talking about?"

Creed sighed, a little annoyed that he was going to explain the woman's plan to prove he knew what she was doing. "You're trying to make me question my feelings for Train and if you knew anything about me, you'd know that's the one thing I have never questioned and never will question, so it's a complete waste of time to even try."

When she glanced up at him again, Creed made sure to capture her gaze. "My life has been a rollercoaster of uncertainty and pain. I have questioned every aspect of myself and the path I've walked and I continue to question who I am as a person every day. I carry a lot of agonizing doubts in my heart, but the one thing I have never doubted, the one thing I have been absolutely certain of ever since I laid eyes on him, was my feelings for Train."

Creed made sure the physiatrist had a perfect view of the resolve in his eyes. "I love Train Heartnet. I've loved him for so long that I don't remember what it's like to not love someone this deeply, and there isn't a single thing you or anyone else could say to make me question that."

Creed looked away from the woman and back out the window. "Even if enough time has passed that the sun burns out and the moon freezes over, my love for Train will remain. Thousands of years could pass as the world slowly falls apart and leaves both he and I as nothing more than specks of dust in the wind and my microscopic stain of a heart would still beat for him."

He looked back at the woman and smiled. "I love Train. I always have, and I always will."

The physiatrist watched Creed for a few moments and the silverette swore she was going to say something redeeming or at least kind, but instead she doubled back to her previous statements. "Then explain your past obsessive actions."

Creed growled at the memory as he got closer to the tree, making sure not to run in a straight line so Train wouldn't be able to hit him with his blade. When he felt the tip of Train's sword slice at the back of his hair, Creed yelped and clutched his head, but did not stop running.

"We talked about this, Train! Don't touch my hair! I leave it long for you!"

Train rolled his eyes and ran faster, slowly catching up to his fiance. "What the hell are you going to accomplish by running to where Rins is very obviously hiding?"

Creed smirked. "You'll see soon, my love!"

"What?!" Train shouted, unable to hear what his partner said over the battle that was raging on between Kyoko and Eve just a few feet away from them.

Creed ignored his love's question as he finally reached the tree. Once he was a few feet away, he waited for Train to make another careless attack to give him an excuse to begin executing their plan. Hearing the swoosh of air behind him, Creed threw one foot forward and placed it on the tree, repeating the motion with his other foot immediately after.

He mimicked that motion a few more times, running himself up the tree until he was about halfway to the top. Once there, Creed watched as Train extended his blade forward and fixed it firmly into the bark. He frowned as he watched his love struggle with his sword, then bent his knees and pushed himself effortlessly off the tree, landing adroitly behind the cat.

Train looked over his shoulder at his partner and glared as he tried to pull his arm out of the oversize plant. As he fought with his arm, the golden man threw his shield arm in front of his face to block an attack from the thief hiding above him.

"Is this really your plan? You must be losing your touch, Creed. You know I know Rins is up there with a grenade ready, right? And even with how amateurish I've been in this fight, there's no way I'd let her hit me!"

Creed sighed, dejected by the fact that his beloved did not see Sven running just out of their line of sight, sprinting from tree to tree, his eyes never leaving the Black Cat.

"You're concentrating too much on what you can see instead of what you should be seeing, Kitten." The silver man pointed his sword at Train's chest, part of him hoping his cat would notice Sven and force Creed to make an attack.

Not that I want to hurt Train, I just want to see him responding to his surroundings like he normally does. He sees everything, why can he not see what our plan really is?

The silverette rolled his eyes when he noticed Train was looking behind Creed instead of the tree where Sven was hiding. "Besides, this wasn't my plan."

When he felt his love's confused eyes lock onto him, the swordsman smiled. "We have more than just Kyoko and Rinslet on our team, remember?"

Train blinked at his partner, then turned his head around quickly to see Sven sprinting towards him, gerende in one hand and his Attache Case in the other. The sweeper's Vision Eye was exposed and even though Train had seen him activate it before, he had never seen the man look so confident while using it.

He cursed when he saw Sven smirk and heard Rinslet click the top off of one of her grenades. As he continued trying to pry his arm out of the tree, smoke dispersed from the older man's weapon and created a pool of smog around his feet, making it impossible for the gunman to see anything from his knees down.

Train coughed, then growled as another shroud of smoke coming from the thief slowly undulated upon him, further blocking his vision with a curtain of mist that left him completely and utterly blind. He could hear Rinslet celebrating above him, the woman's voice sounding distant even though she was only a few feet above him.

Damnit! How could I get caught by such an obvious trap?! And it wasn't even laid out by Creed. Man, he's right. This is humiliating...

Train knew Sven was intelligent and came up with great plans as well, but the fact that someone who was admittedly not as skilled as he or Creed was could so easily ensnare him hurt the Black Cat's pride more than he cared to admit.

I thought I was getting better with the Nanomachines, not worse!

Train coughed a few more times as he heard Creed and Sven running towards him, mentally berating himself for still being unable to pull his arm free.

Why won't my hand turn back?! Just a few seconds ago, I was having a hard time holding its shape, yet now I can't get it to change back? WHAT THE HELL?!

He could tell Creed and Sven were now only a few feet away from him and could hear Rinslet beginning to climb out of the tree. He yanked and pulled at his arm and growled as he tried to think of a way out of the situation. As he struggled both physically and mentally with himself, he stopped suddenly when a thought occurred to him.

Wait, why are they all coming after me? Is this part of Creed's idea for the training session? To overwhelm in hopes I'll be able to overcome whatever obstacles come my way?

Train frowned, knowing that was one of the goals of the session, but something was telling him it wasn't the reasoning behind that particular plan.

This is Sven's plan, not Creed's. Even if he only wants it out of spite, Sven wants to win the prize as much as I do, so he would only have victory on his mind when coming up with this plan.

Since Sven and Train were the only two who were interested in the prize, they were the only ones truly striving for it. The old man made that perfectly clear with his dreadfully lame trash talk that he was going to wipe the floor with Train and Eve and claim the prize for himself.

That means he wants the flags. And since he's going after me, that means he thinks I have them.

Train smirked and felt a bit of confidence return since he now understood their attacks were essentially meaningless since Eve had the flags. That thought made a bit of the cat's anxiety subside and he felt his arm return to its former shape, giving Train the freedom he had been seeking for the last few minutes.

As soon as he felt his arm return to normal, Train sprinted in the direction he knew was open, making sure to be quiet so as not to alert the others where he was going. He had a feeling Creed might have been able to figure out he was no longer attached to the tree, but Train decided to trust the instinct that was telling him to run.

I've been able to slip away from far worse situations!

"Lady Luck, don't fail me now!" Train whispered to himself as he clandestinely slipped out of the cloud of smoke he was trapped in and leapt behind a nearby tree.

Train pressed his back against the bark, choking on a few of his coughs, fighting for control of his lungs as they desperately searched for oxygen. It seemed as though he had gotten away without anyone noticing, but the last thing he wanted was for his boorish, but lifesaving cough to attract the attention of the people he escaped.

After a few seconds, Train leapt up and grabbed the lowest hanging branch he could, quickly climbing up the tree until he reached the top. Once he was there, he expertly crawled to the most heavily leafed area he could find, crouching down to make himself invisible amongst the greenery. Once he was confident he was hidden, Train sighed in relief.

That was too close…

Train looked down at his arms which had both turned back to normal and frowned.

Creed's right, I can't keep turning them into swords. Eve's shown me how to turn them into other things as well and while those other things may not be useful in a fight, it's at least proof I can do it.

Eve taught Train how to turn them into various utensils and Train had been making a habit of eating with them to help him master retaining their form, but he couldn't fight with a spoon.

And she hasn't had time to show me other weapons, but she's given me the tools I need to be able to change them into practically anything.

Train looked up to see if he could spot Eve and frowned when he noticed his mentor was still fighting the teen.

I can't ask her for help right now. Kyoko has her preoccupied.

The teen had been training hard lately and was getting stronger every day, so it didn't surprise Train to see she was able to hold her own against Eve for as long as she had been. It was clear to him who was the stronger of the two, but at least the distance between their strength had lessened.

Train smirked proudly when he watched Eve barely dodged a wall of fire Kyoko sent at her, glad to see his fangirl was going out of her way to make sure she didn't set any trees on fire.

She's grown up a lot as well. Just like Eve, she's becoming a very resilient young woman.

Train smacked his cheeks to prevent himself from falling into proud thoughts of the girl who used to cause him nothing but grief. It was clear Kyoko still had a massive and rather bothersome crush on him, but their relationship had matured and the teen was getting better at keeping her hands to herself.

And while she's respectful of what Creed and I have, I refuse to let her know when I'm thinking warm thoughts about her. She'll jump on that like a flea on a dog.

Since it looked like the youngest members of their team were engaged in a heated battle, Train turned his attention back to his arms, trying to think of what else he could turn them into.

Come on, think, THINK! What else do you know? What are you good at?

Train frowned at his dimwitted thoughts since the answer to that question was clear.

Obviously guns, but it's not like I have any bullets. How would that even work?

As Train stared at his arm and concentrated on a certain shape, he listened to his sweeper friends argue below.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, CREED?!" Sven shouted.

Creed growled at Sven as he pulled his sword out of the tree. "I thought you were Train!"

Sven pointed an angry finger at the swordsman. "SO YOU AIMED FOR HIS HEAD?!"

"TRAIN WOULD HAVE DODGED!" Creed screamed as he pointed his blade at Sven's face.

Sven hardened. "WELL I'M NOT TRAIN, AM I!?

Creed threw his arms up in the air. "AND I JUST SAID I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!"

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP FIGHTING?! We're on the same team, remember?! We're supposed to be going after the cat!"

Sven grumbled a few things under his breath as he searched the area. "Where did he go?!"

Rinslet slid the rest of the way down the tree and landed next to Sven. "How the hell am I supposed to know?! Isn't it Creed's specialty to always know where he is?"

Creed frowned at his friends, then scanned the area with a small smirk on his face. "The fact that I'm able to find Train no matter what is what makes him so good at hiding. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be."

Sven sighed. "Is that your way of saying you don't know which way he went?"

Creed turned back to Sven, unaware of how broadly he was smiling. "Yes."

That's more like my perfect little kitty. Able to get himself out of even the tightest pinches.

"I thought you were going to use a knockout grenade!" Sven turned his frustration to the thief who was standing next to him.

Rinslet glared at Sven. "It was a knockout grenade! Don't you remember me explaining that if you mix it with a smoke grenade, it'll lessen the effectiveness of the gas?"

Sven blinked at the woman. "No… Guess I don't…"

Rinslet snarled and smacked the man on the back of the head. "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO BUSY TRASH TALKING TRAIN! And weren't you using your Vision Eye?! Why couldn't you predict that Train was going to disappear?! Or even where he went?!"

Sven fumed at the woman, his face turning a bright shade of red as he clutched his Vision Eye. "We discussed this as well. Train is unpredictable. Even he doesn't know what he's going to do. If the Vision Eye is going to fail on anyone, it's him."

That was also precisely why he wanted to use it on the Black Cat. He wanted to challenge himself and get as much training with it as possible.

Rinslet smacked Sven's head again. "Idiot! Why is this prize so important to you anyway?! I understand why Train wants it, but why you?"

Sven clenched his fist. "Because I refuse to let that damn cat have any say in what-"

"Shh, did you hear that?"

Sven and Rinslet both looked at Creed who was staring at a tree that was a few hundred feet away from them. They frowned and shared a glance, then turned back to Creed.

"Hear what?" Risnlet asked.

Creed shifted into a fighting stance, ready for his beloved to jump out at them at any moment. "That. Did you hear it?"

Sven smirked and fixed his hat, lifting his Attache Case as he stepped next to Creed. "I did. And something tells me it's not a bird."

Creed frowned, disappointed that Train had so quickly revealed his location. He blinked a little when a thought occurred to him and he put up a hand to stop Sven from approaching the tree.

"Don't attack yet. Knowing Train, it could be a trap."

Sven rolled his eyes. "You really think he can set up a successful trap that fast?"

Creed gave the older man an offended look. "I thought you knew Train better than that. He's the most resourceful person I know."

Sven turned his body so he was standing behind Creed instead of next to him. "True…"

"What should I do?" Rinslet approached with her gun in one hand, a new grenade in the other.

Sven shot her a quick glare. "You could keep your voice down for one. If that's even possible."

Rinslet gave the man a rude gesture with her finger, opening her mouth to follow up her offensive motions with words of discontent when Creed interrupted their barely started feud.

"Did you see that?" Creed squinted his eyes, not sure if he was seeing clearly.

Sven gave Creed a strange look. "Did you ask if we saw something?"

Creed nodded and gestured towards the spot in the tree he was referring to. "Yeah, right there."

Sven leaned forward and squinted as well, watching the tree with baited breath. After a few seconds of silence, the green haired man widened his eyes and aimed his weapon in the direction of a bright yellow light that flashed quickly at the very top of the towering tree.

"That's gotta be him! And he's using his Tao! That means we win!"

Creed frowned. "Something's telling me that light isn't from Train's Tao…"

Sven frowned. "Whatever, doesn't matter 'cause hat's definitely him and I say we get the drop on him before he gets it on us."

Creed kept his eyes on the spot he was positive his love was in and nodded. "Agreed. Besides, you know how difficult it is to keep my blade flaccid when it comes to Train..."

Sven sighed. "Phrasing, Creed."

Creed licked his lips as he extended and aimed this blade at the tree. "I know what I said."

Choosing to ignore the silver man's confirmation of his perverted thoughts and knowing what the swordsman was about to do, Sven stepped away. Rinslet took note of the older man's change in position and followed his lead and watched as Creed prepared to slice the branch the cat was seeking refuge in.

Creed sighed and slumped in his chair. "Seriously?"

The physiatrist nodded. "Everything you said sounded sweet, but the key word in this sentence is 'sounded'. I know how persuasive you can be. Mr. Diskenth. Your natural charm is how you were able to convince so many people to join the Apostles, but it won't work on me."

Creed rolled his eyes. "You've really done your homework…"

"It's part of the job." She took the pen out of her mouth, scratched a few of her notes out, then wrote a few more things down. "Please answer my question, Mr. Diskenth."

Creed gave her a weary smile. "You didn't ask a question…"

The woman rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Creed rested his cheek on his hand. "I'm not that man anymore."

The doctor sighed. "How can you be so certain? How do you know there simply hasn't been the right, or maybe in this case wrong trigger to bring the man you once were back?"

Creed frowned. "What do you mean?"

She began chewing on her pen again. "When Train was kidnapped, you shut down, correct?"

Creed sighed. "This again?"

The woman ignored him and continued. "You were broken. Albeit in a non-violent way, but still, you were completely and utterly useless until Number X beat the sense back into you. You may not have acted violently, but violence is what brought you back."

She pulled the pen out of her mouth. "And that was just with the Black Cat's disappearance. How can we be sure you won't react differently if he's killed? Do I need to remind you that there is a distinct possibility of that happening with who you will be up against soon?"

Just as Creed was about to cut the branch down, they all covered their eyes as a resplendently obstructive golden light flared unrestrainedly from the tree.

Sven let out a wild cry of pain as he quickly replaced the patch over his Vision Eye, shielding his head as he cursed loudly. Rinslet screamed as well, but it was mostly in surprise at the sudden brilliance added in the afternoon sky, the brightness of the light outshining the sun.

In the distance, Eve and Kyoko stopped their battle to see what was going on. They were far enough away that the light was not supercilious enough to cause their eyes harm, but it was still enough to catch their attention.

The only one who dared to look at the light was Creed. The silverette peaked between his fingers as he watched the light grow and grow, as if it were getting closer to them. His eyes widened as he quickly put together what was happening. He turned around and ran towards Sven and Rinslet.

Creed felt like he had been dipped in a tub of ice and knew immediately he was about to give the woman exactly what she wanted. However, instead of crawling back into the empty void he lived in when his beloved was missing, Creed took a deep breath. As much as he didn't want to talk about his lover's death, he knew he was going to have to confront that possibility of it if he was wanted to pass the evaluation.

"...You can be sure that won't happen because Train wouldn't want it to happen. If…" He swallowed thickly as he forced the next words out of his mouth. "If Train… dies… he wouldn't want me to return to the man I once was. He'd…"

He paused again and rubbed the palms of his hands on his thighs. "He'd want me to live the rest of my life as happy as I could without him. He wouldn't want me to give up because he's..."

The physiatrist ignored how Creed's voice shook with pain and asked another question. "So, you're certain you wouldn't return to your violent, homicidal ways if Train was killed in battle?"

Creed quickly deactivated his Imagine Blade and grabbed Sven by the wrist, yanking him roughly away from the light. As he passed Rinslet, he wrapped his arm around the woman's waist and threw her over his shoulder, sprinting towards the closest tree he could find.

Once he reached a large tree, he shoved his friends to the ground and used his body to cover them, looking over his shoulder to watch the remarkable sight of the beam of light decimating the area they once resided. As he watched it, he knew describing it as light wasn't accurate. It looked more like light had combined with energy, and he was beginning to worry the Apostles found them.

Which meant it might have been too late for Train.

Creed let out a long breath. "Yes. I'm positive. And it's not just Train's desire for me to have a happy life that would keep me from doing that."

The woman cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?"

Creed nodded. "Yes. When I left Chronos the homicidal part of me died. The voice that told me to kill and cause pain completely vanished. I haven't heard even a whisper of it in years. In fact, other than the memories that involve Train, I barely remember my time with Chronos."

The physiatrist nodded. "Yes, the Chronos drug. I heard that it messed with a lot of people's memories and inhibitions."

Creed sighed. "Then why are you still questioning the authenticity of my personality change?"

She looked at him again, pen in her mouth as she spoke. "Because no one else had nearly as much of a transformation as you did once they were off the drug. It seems too good to be true."

Creed frowned. "And no one else was given as strange and inconsistent doses as I was."

She looked back at her notes. "That was because of how unwilling you were to follow orders."

Creed narrowed his eyes. "Because I didn't want to kill…"

She shrugged. "So you say."

The ray of energy absorbed all sound as it scorched the grass and earth between Train's location and the rest of the sweepers, creating a long, broad ridge in the ground as it passed the tree Creed was protecting his friends behind. Dirt, dust, and soot scattered everywhere, glittering the air with the Earth's debris and canvasing the sweepers' bodies with the planet's soddy sediment.

Rinslet screamed again as Creed's head jolted to the side to watch the ray of light crash into a tree just a few feet away from them, scattering it into bits of bark. As soon as it made contact with the large plant, their ears were greeted with an emphatically vociferous clap of thunder, deafening the sweepers momentarily as it obliterated the tree.

Creed reacted instinctively as he activated his Imagine Blade to level three, the mouth of his sword eating each bit of wood that was aimed at them. His ears were ringing and his eyes were filled with dirt, but he was not going to let that stop him from keeping his family safe.

But in the back of his mind, all he could think about was whether or not Train was safe.

Creed hardened his glare, beginning to realize it didn't matter what he said since she was going to twist every single one of his words until he said what she wanted him to say. However, since he was just as stubborn if not more stubborn than her, he refused to give her what she wanted.

Despite knowing full well what he was about to say and do was a bad idea and would most likely cause him to fail the evaluation, Creed stood up quickly and spoke in a harsh tone.

"Ms. Lewis…" Creed made sure their eyes were locked as he spoke. "You've made it perfectly clear what you think of me and who you believe I am so at this point, I feel as though this conversation isn't going to get us anywhere. It's obvious we are both wasting our valuable time trying to convince one another of what we personally believe is true."

Creed coughed and shut his eyes, but did not stop swinging his blade in hopes the sentient sword would continue consuming any pernicious objects that were sent their way. However, the cloud of dust and soil that brimmed the air created a hazy atmosphere that Creed could not see through. All he could do was cover his face to prevent the smoke from suffocating him as he let his weapon to act on its own to keep them safe and pray that his love was safe as well.

Creed straightened his shirt as he smiled amiably. "I believe you have gathered enough information to provide Number One. Whether that information will be enough to clear me or detain me I don't know, but I do know I have no control over whatever decision Chronos will make and letting go of things I cannot control has become one of my personal goals in life."

After a few minutes of recklessly swinging his sword, silence reigned supreme once more. The only thing they could hear was an obnoxious ringing in their ears and the sequestered booming of sinister thunder in the distance.

Rinslet waved her hand in front of her face to push away the smoke. "What the hell was that?!"

"WHAT?!" Sven shouted as he looked in the direction of Rinslet's voice, unable to see the woman, but able to tell she had said something even if he couldn't comprehend her words over the insistent ringing echoing indecently in his ears. "Is it the Apostles?!"

"WHAT?!" Rinslet shouted, turning her head towards Sven as she gagged on the dirt invading her lungs. "I can't hear you! What did you say?!"

"WHAT?!" Sven yelled again as he attempted to stand.

Creed was not able to understand what either of his friends were saying, but he was able to tell by the way they were talking they were not hurt. Relief flooded through him at that knowledge, but fear still gripped his soul that the thought that he had not heard or seen Train

Creed glanced out the window again, a smile on his face as he continued. "I feel it is only polite of me to let you know that this evaluation is beginning to cause me more feelings of annoyance and offense rather than gradual realization of what the core of my problems are, as is generally what therapy sessions are supposed to make the patient feel. Seeing as I am experiencing the opposite, I think it's best that I leave and let the dice fall where they may."

"TRAIN!" Creed screamed as he scrambled to his feet, tripping over several rocks and roots as he ran through the blinding cloud of dust in the direction he knew his beloved once was.

She frowned. "So you plan to run away from your emotions instead of confronting them?"

Creed turned his smile to the woman. "I don't consider this running, Ms. Lewis. I consider this sparring my own feelings and refraining myself from hurting yours."

She wrote something down. "So, you're having violent tendencies again? Just from a simple evaluation?"

Creed shook his head. "Oh no, my dear, quite the opposite. I feel hurt and discomfort, and I'm worried that I will say something that will cause you to feel the same way. And since I have no desire to cause you harm either physically or emotionally, I think it's best that I leave."

She rolled her eyes as Creed attempted to turn to the door. "Sticks and stones, Mr. Diskenth…"

"TRAIN! TRAIN, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Creed felt his voice going hoarse as he called out to his beloved, his heart beating through his chest as he choked on the smoke surrounding him.

Creed stopped before he placed his hand on the door knob and turned back around to face the woman, giving her another sweet smile. "You know, the old me might have stuck around to seek revenge on the emotional strife you've caused me and the many slights you've made about Train's honor, but instead I find myself wanting to spare you the pain I know I can cause."

The woman cocked an eyebrow. "Is that a threat?"

Creed coughed again and swiped his sword in the air, allowing his blade to swallow some of the dust that was preventing him from finding his Kitten. "TRAIN! TRAIN, ANSWER ME!"

Creed sighed. "No, it's not. And it's not a warning either. It's simply an acknowledgement of the truth. A truth I'm sure both you and Sephiria were aware of before I even entered this room. And the fact that Number One let me in here knowing that should prove that she knows I've changed as well and trusts me not to hurt you or anyone else."

Not willing to give him the satisfaction of being right, the woman continued walking down her stubborn path. "Whatever you need to tell yourself to let you sleep at night, Mr. Diskenth."

Creed coughed and ignored the tears and dust that burned his eyes, shoving aside the way his lung gasped for clean air as he continued stumbling in the direction he believed his love was. "TRAIN! SAY SOMETHING! TELL ME YOU'RE OKAY!"

Creed tripped over a large tree root that had been exposed from the attack, cursing loudly as he jumped back to his feet immediately, determined to find his lover before anyone took him away again. Not again. Not ever again.

Creed knew his old self would have lashed out verbally or physically at the woman, but his new self actually felt pity for her. Despite being a changed man, he knew he was one of the most dangerous people on the planet and the fact that she was going so far out of her way to see what it took to set him off was admirable. Especially since for all she knew, her strategy to push his buttons would work and he would end up killing her.

Instead, he gave her another sweet smile. "Have you ever heard of the sage parental advice that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all? I may not have had parents, but at least I know when to keep my mouth shut so I don't end up hurting someone."

"LET ME HEAR YOUR VOICE, TRAIN! LET ME KNOW YOU'RE OKAY!" Creed coughed again as he stumbled over more roots and rocks in search of his love. "PLEASE, TRAIN!"

Creed was positive he had failed the evaluation, but at that point he didn't care. He bowed to the woman, then turned to the door again.

However, as he put his hand on the knob, he stopped when one last thought popped into his head. Even though he knew the woman was acting on orders and even though he knew what he was about to say was going to be the final nail in the coffin, Creed couldn't help himself.

"…If I may, can I offer some advice I feel as though you could benefit from?"

As he made his way towards the tree his love was once in, he heard a very familiar cough and sighed in relief, mentally thanking every God he could at the knowledge that Train was still there. All his previous thoughts stopped as he followed the sound of his fiance's struggles.

Despite the fact that he could hear Train's voice, Creed aimed his Imagine Blade in the direction of his Kitten, just in case one of their enemies was lurking nearby. The silverette slashed his sword a few times in the air, trying to cut through the cloud of dust that obfuscated his vision.

However, each time he slashed a new wave of filth rapidly filled the air, immediately sullying the area he just cleaned. When he heard Train cough again, Creed moved faster, noticing the sound was getting louder which gave him hope that he was going the right way.

"HANG ON TRAIN, I'M COMING!"

Almost as soon as he finished that sentence, he felt a giant gust of wind come from the direction of his beloved, dispersing the dirt around him and creating a clearing between him and Train.

Creed coughed again and waved his arm in the air to move the last bit of dust that was obstructing his view of his fiance and felt relief course though him. "Oh, thank God!"

Creed ran towards his love who was sprawled out on the ground, Kyoko kneeling next to him with worried hands hovering around his vulnerable body. Eve was standing on the other side of the cat, her arms turned into giant fans whose sole purpose was to clean the atmosphere.

Creed ran to his Kitten, deactivating his blade and sliding on the ground towards the gunman. Once he was in front of Train, he slipped between the golden man's legs, reached his arms out, and firmly grabbed his lover's face.

"Are you okay?!" Creed shook Train's face slightly, hoping that would jar his beloved out of his shocked state. Seeing no response, Creed felt himself beginning to panic again.

Did he go deaf from that explosive sound?! Did I go deaf?!

Creed still heard the ringing resounding in his ears, but it was slowly beginning to subside which made him believe if Train had said something, he would have heard it.

I didn't see his lips move which means he didn't say anything, but since he's not looking at me, maybe he did go deaf.

Creed shook his cat again, squeezing the gunman's face as he tried to get Train to make eye contact with him. "Train, can you hear me?! Please, let me at least know if you can hear me!"

Train suddenly lurched forward when Creed moved his head back and forth, coughing up dust as tears streamed down his face. He nodded, the motion instinctive and unsteady as he finally responded. "I'm fine! What about everyone else?! Did I hit anyone?!"

Creed sighed in relief when he realized Train could hear him, then blinked in confusion at his love's words. "What are you talking about, Train?"

That was when Creed noticed the shape of his beloved's arm. All the way up to Train's elbow was the shape of a large, crude looking cannon. The weapon had an eerily human skin tone to it, matching the Black Cat's complexion almost perfectly. The only difference in the shades of color was the fact that his cannon arm was glowing a bright yellow which matched the ray of energy that just destroyed the forest.

As Creed scanned his love's limb, he saw the area where Train's forearm normally would have been was bubbled out six inches in diameter, glowing ominously with the same yellow hue. Where the cat's hand used to be was now a large opening that was illuminating brilliantly, almost beautiful if it didn't look so deformed. At the tip of Train's fingers was a crest of smoke that cascaded freely into the air, being blown away by the breeze Eve's arms were creating.

After a few minutes the yellow light slowly died down, the smoke surrounding the cat's arm lessening as Train panted. His eyes were wide and his sweat covered chest was heaving violently as he tried to gather his senses. The Black Cat's arm was pointed in the direction the beam of light had gone, as if he had been the source of the blast.

"What the hell…?" Creed whispered quietly as he finally pulled his arms away from Train's face and gently fingered his love's cannon arm. "Train… What did you do…?"

Train opened and closed his mouth as if he had forgotten how to talk. "I… Don't know…"

Even though Creed could tell his partner was in a state of shock and most likely couldn't give him a better answer, he pushed Train for more information. "Is… Is that a cannon?"

Train looked at his arm, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the weapon as he spoke. "I… think so?"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Sven's voice came suddenly as he climbed over the piles of rubble that littered the area. Rinset was following close behind the man, coughing and rubbing her eyes as they approached the other sweepers.

Train did not look at Sven, his eyes unable to take in anything other than the shape of his arm and the destruction he had inadvertently created. "I… Don't know…"

Sven tripped over a tree root, cursing as he approached the shocked cat. "WAS THAT YOU?!"

Creed frowned at his love's frozen face, then turned to glare at the green haired man. "Would you stop yelling at him?! Can't you see he's just as confused as the rest of us?!"

Sven frowned as he walked up behind Creed, stumbling over a large rock as Rinslet stepped up next to him, bearly avoiding the same rock. "WHAT?"

Seeing most of the soot in the air had dissipated, Eve returned her arms to normal and responded to her guardian. "You're yelling, Sven. Can't you tell?"

Sven blinked at the girl. "WHY ARE YOU ALL TALKING SO QUIETLY?"

Kyoko frowned at Sven as she wrapped her arm around Train's elbow, ignoring the deadly weapon that had become his limb. "Why is Sven-san yelling?"

Eve frowned as she responded to the teen. "Probably because he can't hear us."

Kyoko rested her chin on her stunned crush's shoulder. "Kyoko can hear just fine…"

Rinslet walked past Sven and over to the trio. "Yeah, but he's an old man. His hearing probably wasn't all that good to begin with. Add a loud noise like that and you've pretty much written a death sentence for his ears."

Sven glared at the thief, unable to hear her but feeling as though he should be offended by whatever she said. "WHAT? WHY ARE YOU ALL WHISPERING? STOP IT!"

"Can we please stop talking about the old man's ears and focus on Train?!" Creed turned his alarmed look to Eve. "What the hell happened?!"

Eve frowned at Creed, knowing the harsh tone he was using was only being directed at her because he had no idea where else to direct it and if anyone would understand what they just witnessed, it would be her. She was the local Nanomachine expert, afterall.

The problem was she had no idea what happened either.

Creed was cupping Train's cheek with one hand, his other gripping to the deformed cannon gun that was his arm. Kyoko was clinging to Train's elbow as she gave her crush a concerned look and Rinslet had taken a position behind the cat, her slackjaw stare locked onto the cat's arm. Sven stood behind Creed as he tried to clean out his ear with his finger, but the look on his face mimicked the one on everyone else's.

Then, there was the Black Cat himself. Train had not blinked at all, his golden eyes turning red from the dust that once shrouded his vision, his slightly tanned cheeks covered in a salty liquid as his iris desperately tried to wet themselves. Despite the fact that there were still small remnants of dirt in the air, the cat's mouth was open, mud and grass caking his face and hair.

Eve knelt next to Train as Kyoko began picking grass out of his hair as if she were an ape. "Train… What were you thinking of before you activated your Nanomachines?"

Train jumped at the girl's voice which made Kyoko jump as well. "Wh-what?!"

Eve frowned. "What were you thinking about before you activated your Nanomachines?"

Train finally blinked, then groaned in pain as the tears that had been trying to protect his eyes burnt his amber orbs. Train used his normal hand to rub his eyes as Creed moved closer to his beloved by scooting further between his legs.

Train felt Creed resting his face against his chest which, combined with the strangely soothing gestures of Kyoko's hands cleaning his hair helped the cat relax a little, giving him the ability to gather his thoughts. He wrapped his arm around his lover's waist, pulling the silver man closer to help him focus on responding to Eve.

Train buried his face into Creed's hair for a moment, using the scent of the man to help him answer the Nano-girl's question. "I… Was thinking about what weapon I could turn my arm into that I'm more comfortable with than a sword…"

Eve nodded in understanding. "Which just so happens to be a gun."

Rinslet blinked in confusion. "Yeah, a gun. Not a cannon which is clearly what that… thing is."

Eve moved closer to Train, activating her bots as she reached out to touch the cat's arm. "I'm aware of that, Rins. But, considering it's something he's never done before and how… dramatic he can be, I think it makes sense that the Nanomachines reacted to his emotions and turned into something over the top."

Kyoko made a repulsed face as she picked out a muddy stick from Train's hair. "How were you feeling when you turned your arm into a cannon, Kuro-sama?"

Train winced as the teen pulled out a few more sticks that were tangled securely in his thick locks, squeezing Creed against his chest as he spoke. "I was frustrated, but… hopeful?"

Rinslet frowned. "What conflicting emotions those are."

Eve nodded as she hovered her glowing fingers over Train's arm. "Hence the insanity of this weapon. What I don't understand is where that energy blast came from. The Nanomachines don't work that way."

Creed turned his head to Eve, but kept the side of his face against his beloved's chest, his arms wrapping around Train's back so their bodies were pressed together. "What do you mean? That wasn't the Nanomachines?"

Eve frowned as she pulled her hand away from Train's arm. "I… honestly don't know. I've never been able to dispel the bots like that, and I'm made entirely of them. Considering how tentative Train's control of them is, I find it hard to believe he was able to discover an ability I've been unable to."

Creed opened his mouth, ready to sentiments of praise about his love's talent, then shut it quickly when he realized how unreasonable his idolizing words were going to be. "If you can remove Nanomachines, shouldn't you be able to dispel them on your own?"

Eve shook her head. "No. If Train was able to dispel them, I wouldn't have offered to remove them since I believe removing them will be painful. I would have tried to help him remove them himself if that was the case."

"Are you sure?" Creed asked as he began to tickle his beloved's back, able to tell that even though Train had calmed down, he was still quite rattled. "Are you positive he can't focus them into some form of energy blast and force them out?"

Creed grabbed Train's arm and offered it to Eve. "Here. Check to see if he still has the same amount in him as before. If he doesn't, that means he must have gotten rid of some."

Creed wasn't sure why that thought comforted him, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the ambiguity of the situation. The fact that he didn't know what happened to Train hurt him beyond belief and he was desperate for an explanation.

Eve frowned, noticing the cat still seemed too distracted by what he had done to the forest to notice what Creed was doing or saying. "Creed… It's not possible. Trust me."

Creed was beginning to feel a bit annoyed with the girl for not being able to soothe his panicked mind and dropped Train's arm, wrapping his hands around his love's back. "How can you be so sure about that if you've never tried?"

Eve winced at Creed's words. "I have tried... I tried a lot when I was…"

Creed regretted his words instantly when he saw the girl shiver, knowing she was thinking back to her imprisonment. Back to the time when she was viewed as nothing more than a weapon.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to apologize, Rinslet spoke. "Then what was that blast?! If it wasn't the Nanomachines, how did he create it?! Where did it come from?! You can't make something like that appear out of thin air! Even for the Black Cat, that's absurd!"

"I believe it has something to do with his Tao."

Everyone's eyes except for Train's and Sven's turned at the new voice, jumping in shock as their eyes locked onto the sight of a very magisterial Number One. Sephiria didn't give the sweepers a second glance as her eyes locked on Train and the damage he had done.

Sephiria stepped forward, ignoring all the shocked looks of the sweepers as she scanned the decimated forest. "Is this what happens when I leave you alone?"

Creed was the first to speak. "What are you doing here, Sephiria? And when did you even get here?"

"TRAIN?!"

Creed's ears perked at the new voice, then frowned when he saw Lin running towards them. It wasn't that he didn't like Lin being around, it was that he knew the smaller man was going to try and throw himself at Train, and Creed really didn't want to let go of his Kitten.

Especially with how frazzled Train still is. It's bad enough that Kyoko is clinging to him. I don't want to share him with another fangirl.

Unsurprisingly, Number X ran over to the stunned gunman, even going so far as to heedlessly push Rinslet aside so he could sit behind the Black Cat. He brushed away Kyoko's hands from Train's hair and began inspecting the golden man's head for damage. Creed frowned at Lin, ready to scold the man for being so rude when Sephiria decided to answer his question.

"We got here just before Heartnet set that blast off. We were starting to think the Black Cat was about to lose the session until he pulled out that undisclosed trump card." Number One eyed Train uneasily. "How long have you known about this ability?"

Creed decided it wasn't worth pushing Lin away since he too wanted to know of any damage his beloved had taken. "If you were paying attention, you'd know this is a first for all of us."

Sephiria gave the swordsman a stern glare, ready to scold him for his sarcastic tone, but was interrupted as Eve asked a question of her own. "What makes you think that was caused by his Tao? His Tao can't turn his arm into anything let alone a cannon."

Sephiria chose not to get into an argument with Creed and responded to Eve. "Because of what you said. No one can expel the Nanomachines of their own volition, not even you. And if you can't do it, Heartnet certainly can't."

"Especially not with what little control the Black Cat still has over them."

Sephiria looked over her shoulder to see Belze approaching from behind. She locked eyes with her second in command, waiting for him to respond to her unspoken question. Seeing the man nod his head, Sephiria sighed quietly in relief, but said nothing.

Creed noticed the exchange they shared and asked a question. "No one's here?"

Belze glanced at Creed, then back at Sephiria who nodded. Number II turned back to the silverette and answered his question. "No. Not a sign of the Apostles or anyone else."

He glanced at Train who was still stunned. "The cat's luck came in handy yet again."

"You call this luck?!" Rinslet said as she gestured to the destroyed woods. "This is not luck!"

Belze looked at the thief from the corner of his eyes. "It is considering there isn't a soul to be seen and no one is injured." He turned to Sephiria. "The Erasers are still patrolling the area just to be safe. They'll let us know if anyone shows up."

Sephiria nodded as she turned back to Eve. "Wouldn't you say that blast looked a bit familiar?"

Eve blinked a few times, then looked at the forest. "Now that you mention it… It did sort of look like Train's electrical blasts. But the color was different. And it was a more consistent, thicker blast than his electrical bolts."

Sephiria nodded. "Yes, but didn't you say the yellow signifies transformation bots? Isn't it possible that his Nanos combined with his Tao and created that weapon and the subsequent blast from?"

Eve at Train. "It's possible I guess… But I have no way of checking if his Tao is activated."

"Since Train's Tao is connected to his emotions, it's pretty much always activated. It's just a matter of him controlling it."

Sephiria frowned at Creed who was now inspecting the gunman's face for marks while Lin continued searching through Train's hair. "If that's the case, then isn't that the same for you?"

Creed nodded, but did not look at her. "Correct. The difference is Train's Tao involves complete use of his body whereas mine needs to be physically manifested through the hilt of my sword."

Sephiria nodded in understanding. "So when you say you're activating your Tao-"

Creed looked at her out of the corner of his eye, finishing the woman's sentence for her. "-What I mean is I'm activating my blade. My Tao is always active like Train's. We just wield them differently."

Sephiria turned back to Eve. "Then that confirms Train was using his Tao along with his Nanomachines. That's the only explanation."

"Does it hurt?" Lin asked as he leaned forward to look at Train's face. "Did it hurt to use it?"

Creed frowned at his beloved, scanning Train's eyes for any sign of life. He had responded to them a little in the last few minutes, but nothing that had much substance behind it.

He cupped Train's face in both his hands, wanting to ask more than what he was about to, but deciding with how out of it his kitten was, he'd start small. "Do you know where you are, Train?"

Train blinked a few more times, feeling more tears fill his eyes as he slowly returned to reality. "We… were training and…" He looked up at Sephiria. "When the hell did you get here?"

Sephiria rolled her eyes. "Can you lower your arm?"

Train blinked at her, then back at his arm. "I… Don't know…"

Creed placed one of his hands on top of his love's cannon arm. "Just try, Train."

Train stared at Creed for a moment, then lowered his arm. As he did, it shined a bright shade of yellow and turned back to normal. The cat flexed the muscles in his limb and turned his hand into a fist, listening to his fingers crack grotesquely when he repeated the gesture.

Sephiria nodded. "That answers my next question. Do you think you can turn it back on?"

Lin frowned at his leader. "Can we check to make sure it doesn't hurt him first? If it hurts him, he shouldn't do it."

Sephiria gave Number X a warning look. "That's an extremely powerful weapon we need to use to our advantage. Even if it hurts him, he'll have to fight through the pain."

Lin bit his lip to stop himself from speaking out of line, but he still felt the need to voice his opinion about his leader's statement. Even if she didn't listen. "Number One… After everything he's been through… Don't you think it's only fair we ask Train how he feels about it? If we don't, we'll just be using him as a weapon which is exactly what the Apostles were trying to do."

Sephiria locked eyes with her subordinate, making sure her face was emotionless and her eyes were steely. However, as she saw Train continue to flex his arm out of the corner of her eye, she understood what he was trying to tell her.

He's right, we can't use him as a weapon. If we do, we're no better than the terrorists.

Sephiria stifled the shiver that crept down her spine at the thought of being like their enemies. Even if it was just for one brief second, Number One was ashamed of herself for allowing her ambition to take over and give her that momentary lapse of judgement. The scariest part was that in that moment, Sephiria felt as though her voracious thirst had been clenched.

"It didn't hurt."

Sephiria blinked when Train spoke and looked down at the cat who was still staring at his arm as if it was a foriegn object, which it was for a second.

"What?" She managed to spit out.

Train turned to the woman, ignoring both Creed and Lin's concerned looks. "It didn't hurt. And I want to use it. I just need to figure out how to use it without destroying an entire forest."

Rinslet snickered. "If what we just witnessed is any indication of what you can and cannot do with that thing, I don't know if you have much of a choice in what you destroy."

Train frowned at the thief, ready to protest when Sephiria spoke. "She's right. That weapon doesn't look like something anyone can control. It seems more like all we can expect you to do with it is point and shoot in the direction of whatever you want to destroy."

Train turned his frown to Sephiria. "...But I don't want to kill anyone."

Sephiria rolled her eyes. "Then don't point it at anything alive. We don't need to test it on a living subject, human or otherwise, to know that thing will kill whatever is in its path."

Train sighed. "Then I guess I need to be careful…"

Creed pouted at his love and wiped a bit of the dirt off Train's cheek. "You don't have to use it if you don't want to, Train…"

Train smiled at his partner. "I'll work it out, Creed. Du weißt, dass ich es immer tue." (8)

Eve's curiosity was getting the better of her, and she needed to know more about what she just saw. "What did it feel like, Train?"

Train unwillingly pried his eyes away from Creed's and addressed his young friend. "It's hard to explain. Like I said, it didn't hurt. It felt strange, yet familiar."

The cat paused as he looked back down at his arm, watching as the bits of yellow smoke slowly dissipated. "It felt natural, like it was supposed to be there and I didn't have to question at all how to use it, but at the same time I felt a strange mixture of cold and warm. Kind of like the chills you get when you have a fever. Even right now, I feel both hot and cold."

Creed frowned and wrapped his arms around Train's shoulders, as if that was going to warm his fiance. "It probably felt natural because it was similar to a gun. And I can't think of anything that feels more natural in your hands than that."

Except for maybe me…

Creed heard Train snicker and smiled since he knew that meant his love was thinking the same thing.

Eve ignored the men as she spoke. "The hot and cold feeling was probably the combination of healing and transforming Nanomachines. You must have broken skin or something while you were forming that thing and your bots were trying to heal them."

Lin jumped at the girl's statement, not liking the straightforward tone she used. "Broken skin? Why would it break his skin? Transforming has never done that before!"

Eve glanced at Lin. "Yes, but his hand must have opened up to let that blast out. Even if he was using the Tao, it sounds like it had to mix with the Nanomachines which means they needed some kind of outlet. And the pores in his body are not enough for something that big."

Lin whimpered and dug his fingers deeply into Train's hair. "Are you sure nothing hurts?"

Creed was already on it as he pried his beloved's fingers open and inspected the palm of his hand. Kyoko leaned her head closer as well, determined to do something for her crush even if it was as small as making sure he didn't have a cut on his hand.

The teen frowned as she watched Creed finger the palm of Train's hand, not daring to touch the cat with both his current and former lover so close. "Kyoko doesn't see any cuts or blood…"

Creed sighed in relief, then kissed Train's hand. "Me neither. But, that doesn't mean it didn't happen. His Nanomachines could have healed him already."

Sven, still unable to hear anything due to the ringing that persisted in his ears, stepped next to Rinslet to ask a question. "WHY IS TRAIN'S FANCLUB OBSESSING OVER HIM?"

Rinslet jumped at the volume of his voice. "Are your ears still ringing?!"

Sven blinked at the woman. "WHAT?"

The thief sighed, then pulled him aside to explain what was going on.

"So, did it feel like you were using the Tao as well?" Eve was just assuming the Tao worked similarly to the Nanos at least in how they felt to the user.

Train nodded, then frowned at the people clinging to him. He didn't mind so much that Creed was kissing his hand. In fact he rather enjoyed it, but he was slightly annoyed that Lin was still obsessing over every bump and bruise on his head while Kyoko was rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him.

Train held back a grumble as Kyoko clung to his arm and answered Eve's question. "The Tao has a feeling similar to the Nanomachines, so I can safely say I did use them."

"WAIT! HE USED HIS TAO?!"

All eyes shot to Sven who was standing a few feet away from the group, the thief covering her ears when he shouted. "Yes! Jeez, you really need to get your ears checked out, Old Man!"

Sven ignored the woman's insult and threw his arms victoriously up. "THAT MEANS WE WIN!"

Train's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

Sven smirked since he was able to hear the cat's cry. "YOU HEARD ME, CAT! YOU USED YOUR TAO WHICH IS AN AUTOMATIC FORFEIT WHICH MEANS WE WIN!"

Train stood up quickly, pushing all the concerned hands off him as he pointed an angry finger at his friend. "NO! THAT'S NOT FAIR! I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS USING THEM AT THE TIME!"

Sven gave him a smug look. "DOESN'T MATTER! YOU USED THEM! WE WIN!"

Train ran over to the sweeper to continue their argument up close, Rinslet being literally stuck in the middle as she tried to explain to them they were both idiots. The fight escalated when Train wrapped his arm around Sven's neck and gave him an intense noogie, the green haired man laughing wildly the entire time as he continued to rub the loss in the gunman's face.

Eve walked over to her friends to de-escalate the situation. Lin and Kyoko followed after her when they noticed Sven was getting physical with the cat as well, neither of them willing to stand by and let the older man cause their love harm after what he just went through.

Creed chuckled at the scene and was surprised at himself for feeling the opposite of what Lin and Kyoko were feeling. Instead of wanting to help his fiance, Creed instead wanted to watch the encounter unfold. It was amusing to watch the two men fight over trivial matters.

Sven won't admit it, but his buttons are far too easy to push and his emotional immaturity is actually very similar to Train's.

Creed frowned as he thought about his evaluation again, remembering how the doctor was trying to convince him he was obsessed with Train and not in love with him.

This is love. I know that without a doubt.

Creed giggled as he watched Sven pull Train's hair, Lin trying to pry him off the cat.

I know I'm not that man anymore.

Creed blinked when he realized why else Sephiria might have been there. He turned to the woman and asked another question. "Is there by chance another reason you came by?"

Sephiria turned to Creed and stared at the man for a moment, sighing at the apprehensive look in his eyes. "I did. I came here to set up a training session with you and the numbers."

Creed blinked, his heart skipping a beat as he realized what that meant. "...Does that mean?"

Sephiria nodded and allowed herself to smile a little. "Yes. Both you and Train passed the evaluation. We can finally continue our uphill struggle to the end of this hellish war."

Creed released a loud, long, mitigated sigh. "Thank God…"

Sephiria frowned. "Did you not think you would pass?"

Creed glanced at Train and smiled. "I thought he would… I didn't think I would…"

Sephiria watched Creed watch his friends for a moment, feeling a surge of compassion take over that she tried to push back down. However, when she felt Belze step closer and squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, she knew she wouldn't be able to fight the emotion.

Number One knelt next to Creed and placed her hand on his shoulder. Creed jumped at the touch and gave her a startled, confused look.

Sephiria squeezed his shoulder. "You've come a long way, Creed. Be proud of yourself." She gestured to Train, a smile still present as she spoke her last sentence. "He has faith in you… which means you should have faith in yourself."

Creed blinked at the woman, unsure of what to make of her sudden change in demeanor. He knew the woman cared about him, but he never expected her to show it. However, as he stared at her face, he thought back to how his evaluation ended.

He gave the woman another sweet smile. "People change, Ms. Lewis. And if you have a hard time accepting that, then I suggest you find another career."

Creed smiled at the memory, realizing in that moment he was right in his reasoning that Sephiria told the doctor to be hard on them. She wanted to see if they would break.

We didn't break. And we never will. We're ready.

"Thank you, Sephiria. For everything."

Creed stood up and approached his arguing friends, clapping his hands loudly to get their attention. "I'm afraid Sven's right, my love. You used your Tao, therefore we won."

Train felt his jaw drop since he was positive the man would side with him. "WHAT?!"

Creed stepped in front of his partner and gently closed the cat's mouth. "Yes. You lost, Kitten. Which means Sven gets to choose our meals for the next month."

Sven punched the air and hooted in joy. "WOO! AND I COULD HEAR HIM SAY THAT TOO! NOW I DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT STOMACH PAINS FOR A MONTH!"

Lin frowned at the display of affection Creed was showing Train, his heart shattering when he noticed the ring on Creed's finger, remembering the news he received from Train just a few days ago. However, he was able to shake his head and ignore his heartache for the moment in order to ask a question.

"I don't understand, aren't you and Train living together? Why does anyone get a say in what he eats?"

Eve answered for the man since she could tell Creed was going to be busy dealing with the next fight Sven and Train were about to get into. "They are, but we agreed to have dinner with each other every night until the war was over… Just in case."

Lin felt his skin go cold at the girl's words, knowing all too well what she meant. His eyes locked onto Train, his aching heart throbbing with love and fluttering wildly as he watched his Sweetness bat Creed's hands away and try to jump on Sven again. The possibility of never seeing the love of his life again swirled through his head, and he couldn't stop the next words that left his mouth.

"Can I join you? I don't care what you all have, as long as I can be with you."

As long as I can be with him…

Eve smiled and patted Lin's shoulder, now realizing she was almost as tall as the short man. "Creed already planned on that being the case. You were always included."

Lin felt his body collapse a little from relief, then smiled. "Thank you…"

Eve wasn't at all offended that Lin's eyes were still locked onto Train and she turned her gaze towards her friends as well. Seeing the fight between Train and Sven was escalating yet again and Creed was actually going out of his way to make it worse, she decided to give them a solution everyone would be able to get behind.

"Why doesn't Train choose dinner for tonight since he just went through a rather stressful event, then Sven can take over tomorrow."

All eyes fell to the girl, Train biting at Sven's arm as the green haired sweeper pinched his cheek. Train pulled his mouth away from Sven. "Make it the week and you've got a deal!"

Sven shook his head. "No way! Creed said it starts as soon as the training session is over!"

Train glared at Sven. "Just give me the weekend, Old Man!"

Sven growled at the cat. "My intestines can't take even a weekend of the food you pile into that endless gaping maw of yours!"

Train growled in return. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOUR BOWELS ARE OLD!"

Sven pulled at the cat's hair, eliciting a yelp from him as Lin ran away from Eve and towards the duo. "THE GARBAGE YOU EAT IS NOT MEANT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!"

Creed giggled as he watched the pair fight, rolling his eyes as Kyoko and Lin tried to break them apart again. "Sven, I agree with Eve. Let Train have tonight. He did just go through a lot. We owe him at least that."

Sven turned his glare to Creed. "...You said it started right away."

Creed sighed and gently pulled Train out of the sweeper's homicidal arms and into his. "Yes, but considering the circumstances we can at least give him tonight." He turned his eyes to his pouting Kitten. "And Train can choose whatever he likes. Even if it's more than one meal."

Creed ignored the explosion of rage coming from Sven, deciding he'd let his other friends deal with it so he could deal with his love. "Oh, come on, Train. Don't give me that look. You knew what the rules were and you broke them."

Train somehow managed to harden his pout. "You know I didn't mean to use them! It's not fair!"

Creed giggled as Train flailed in his arms, giving his love a moment to throw a tantrum before he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled his golden cat in for a kiss. He kept his lips pressed against Train's for a few moments, waiting for the man to calm down. As soon as he did, he slipped his tongue in between Train's lips, sliding it along the other man's so he could savor the flavor of his love.

When he heard Train moan, Creed smiled and deepened the kiss, allowing his beloved to explore his mouth for a few more seconds before pulling away. Creed chuckled at Train's face, his heart beating fast at the delightful blush on his partner's cheeks, his body becoming warm as he stared at the gunman's still parted lips.

He does this every time I pull away. As if he believes if he keeps his lips parted I'll come back in for a second kiss.

Creed moaned and shook his head, knowing they'd go back for seconds the next time they had a moment alone. "Train… I have the rest of my life to shower you with whatever garbage food you want me to cook for you. And you know I will make anything you want. No matter how gross I think it is."

Train closed his mouth and opened his eyes, aware of how bright with love they were shining as he stared at Creed. He felt his heart beat ferociously as he watched the speckles of lavender dance beautifully with his lover's naturally azure eyes, then sighed as he pressed his head against Creed's chest.

"Fine. But I'm going to order from every take out restaurant within a fifteen mile radius tonight."

Creed chuckled and kissed the top of Train's head. "Anything you want, my love…"

Remembering what Sephiria told him, he turned his eyes back to Number One and II who were beginning to leave. "Would you two care to join us?"

Sephiria turned back around and blinked at Creed. "What?"

Creed smiled and rubbed his love's back as he spoke. "Would you two care to join us? We all know Train is going to order more food than an army can consume."

Sephiria frowned and shook her head. "No. That man eats like a pregnant woman with strange cravings. I don't feel like getting surgery tomorrow due to his appetite."

"HEY!" Train yelled as he lifted his head to glare at Number One.

Creed pushed Train's head back down before he said something rude to the woman. "You don't have to eat anything. Just spend some time with us. You can deliver the good news to Train and we can discuss our plans for the upcoming meeting with E."

Sephiria blinked in surprise and began walking towards the man. "Have you set a date?"

Creed shook his head. "No. But, we can discuss it over dinner."

Sephiria opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what to say but found that she didn't have to since Belze stepped forward and spoke for her.

"We'll join you."

Sephiria frowned at the man, ready to scold him before she saw the kind look in his eyes. She sighed, realizing that meant he wasn't giving her a choice. He wanted her to relax and enjoy dinner with the people she refused to outwardly admit she cared about.

He'll take any and all orders from me except those that will cause me harm. And I'm sure he believes that avoiding relaxing for just a night will cause me harm.

Sephiria sighed and turned back to Creed. "Fine. We'll join you and discuss plans."

Creed smiled and turned back to his love. "So, what's for dinner, my sweet?"

Train smirked at his lover, a depraved gleam in his eyes as he spoke. "Everything."

---

Translation:

(1) "So mean! I wish I was paired with someone nicer!"

(2) "Lies. Sven and Rinslet would be far more abusive."

(3) "Everyone in my family is so mean except-"

(4) "-Everyone except Creed and Kyoko."

(5) "Nothing is ever overdone or overread when it comes to you…"

(6) "I'm also thinking of what my future, lifelong prize will be…"

(7) "Now that's something we can both look forward to."

(8) "You know I always do."