Disclaimer: What else can I say? If I were Yabuki Kentarou, I'd be drawing these stories out, not just ending the manga where it did. That said, I don't own Black Cat. Support the official releases! I know I will, once I get that job. And stop reeling from the 1/8th Eve figurine on my desk. It put me in the red. Although interestingly, both dress and nanoslicer are also red. I wonder at the connotations...
Angel's Pure Heart – Nightmare Games
Two months after the fall of Creed Diskence...
Lunatique Residence, 3 PM—
'I suppose there's a first time for everything,' Train thought as Eve came down the stairs to the living room, looking troubled. Or was it nervousness?
"Oi, lil' princess! What's wrong? You don't look so good…" Train queried. She jumped at his voice. 'Nope, definitely not normal...' Eve walked around the small, circular table to sit across from him.
"I, um... That is..."
"What is it?" Train leaned back on his seat, grinning.
"Have... have you ever fallen in love before?" She started fingering the locks of her new bob haircut.
Blink. Train suddenly burst into laughter. Eve's embarrassment fast turned into anger as she glared daggers at him. "It's not funny!"
"My bad, my bad," Train apologized and paused to consider her for a moment. "Why do ya wanna know?"
"Well... this and that…" Eve trailed off.
"Aha!" Train exclaimed, striking the palm of his hand with his fist. "This is about Sven and Tearju, isn't it?" Eve's expression soured. "Leon?" Even more. "Or maybe..." he paused to rake a hand through his wild hair, "you've fallen for me?" He turned to flash a rakish grin at Eve.
Eve flushed pink, then... "Idiot," she said as she ran back up the stairs.
"What was that about?" Train asked the now empty room.
4 years later...
The Vollfied Residence, 2:30 PM—
Train blinked. 'Where did that memory come from?' He strode over to the couch, where Eve was reading, as usual.
"Hey, Lil' Princess?"
"Hm?" Eve looked up from the book, tucking her shoulder-length hair behind her ear.
"You remember, at Tearju's old house four years ago? We went to visit her a couple of months after we defeated the Apostles of the Stars and had stopped Creed like we promised. You just had your hair cut, and you asked me if I ever fell in love." Train's voice was insistent.
Eve put her book down and tried to keep a look of indifference, but she felt her cheeks warm as she remembered. 'Of all the things to ask…' She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "That was a long time ago. Why bring it up now?"
He leaned over her, looking down at her. "Because it's bothering me. I don't mind you keeping your secrets, but you did ask me the question."
Eve blew out a breath. "I was young. And inexperienced," she replied, her tone light. "Of course, that's not the case anymore."
"So..." Train drawled, a smirk crossing his face. "Have you ever fallen in love?"
'Damn that smirk,' she thought. "I asked first," came her answer, as she flicked his forehead. "You never answered."
"Oh, you're right!" Train turned around to sit on top of the sofa's back. "Yeah, I've fallen in love," he said, a wistful smile crossing his face.
Eve sagged. "Was it Saya-san?" she asked, her gaze falling to the floor.
"Your cooking."
"My... what?" Eve couldn't believe her ears. She looked up; he grinned back.
"Hmmm... yeah, your cooking," he repeated. "Ya haven't cooked in awhile."
"..."
"Lil' Princess?"
"You're impossible," Eve muttered as she picked up her book and started reading again.
"Train! Eve! We have a job!" Sven's voice came booming from outside.
Minutes later, everyone was seated around the coffee table. Train and Eve were on one couch and Sven on the other. Sven slid one of the pictures onto the table.
"This is our target, real name unknown. Alias is Doctor Jehk Hyd. He's a serial murderer who uses his victims for his experiments." He glanced at Eve before continuing, placing a few more pictures onto the table. "Sick bastard brands each of them, and then turns them into human-animal hybrids with nanomachine technology. Although he's been seen and almost apprehended multiple times, he always seems to disappear."
Eve fought down a shiver. 'What's this feeling of deja-vu?'
Sven looked at the two of them. "Alright. He was last seen on the grounds of old Don Jorne's mansion, talking with the old coot himself two days ago. We'll split up to keep him from escaping. Infiltrate the grounds at 9 pm tonight, corner and capture. Security is the standard lot—cameras and a few guards. Any questions?" Nothing was said for a minute.
"Isn't it wrong to just barge in?" Train suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
"Never stopped you before," Sven muttered. "A man like Jehk here is a danger to everyone around him. He must be stopped."
More silence. Finally, Train glanced at Eve then stood up. "I'm getting ready," he announced as he strode up the stairs.
Sven stood himself and walked up to Eve. "Something's bothering you." It wasn't a question.
A look of surprise flashed across her features before melting back into a guarded poker face. "It's nothing." Glancing up to see his doubtful look, she sighed. "I just feel a sense of deja-vu. Like we've done this before," she half-lied. 'Not because Train's acting stupid.'
Sven just looked at her before sighing himself. "You're a big girl now. I know you can take care of yourself, but we worry anyway. Tearju and I. Train, too." At Train's name, Eve tensed up slightly, something that didn't get past Sven's observant eye.
"Hum. If it's Train, just knock some sense into..."
"Sven, wait," Eve cut in. "It's not like that. I just... wish he wouldn't tease me so."
"That's his way of showing he cares." He reached out to muss her hair. "You should know that by now."
Sven looked out the café window, at the walls surrounding the mansion. He started to sigh, but caught himself. Looking around, he coughed and continued to nurse his cup of coffee. 'If nobody is there, then the IBI will have my license for this. Train and Eve's, too.' He grumbled. 'It's a gamble.'
Picking up his cup, he pretended to take a sip. "Train. Eve. Are you in position?" he whispered into the microphone on his suit lapel.
"Not yet. " The tension he was feeling flew away at hearing Eve's monotone reply, and Sven took a genuine sip this time. "Not much cover."
"I'm going in," Train buzzed in, a moment later.
Sven spit out the coffee in his mouth. "WHAT!" Heads spun to stare at Sven, who laughed nervously. "I'm very sorry for the outburst," he apologized to the crowd. Most of the café went back to their own business, but there were a few lingering stares and glares. Tossing some yen onto the table, Sven dashed out with his weapons attaché case.
"I'm going in, too."
"What do you think you're doing!" Sven practically barked into the microphone as he ran around, looking for a suitable spot to break in.
"Someone has to back up the idiot." Eve's voice almost seen to crack through the microphone.
"Oi, Lil' Princess. That hurt..."
'Why do I even bother with plans?' he wondered, as he looked for a good place to climb over the outer walls. Running along the perimeter wall, Sven cursed. Of course Eve would be right about the lack of cover. With plenty of lights everywhere, glass lining the tops of the walls, and almost no foliage around the compound, it looked more like a prison than a private mansion.
A trio of gunshots suddenly pierced the silence, and Sven tensed, his back to the wall. 'I bet that's Train making a commotion. There goes our surprise.' A minute passed, then two. Looking around, Sven popped open his attaché case and fired a grappling hook up and over the wall. 'Odd,' he mentally grunted as he stepped over the glass and leapt down to the grass below 'Security should've been securing the house and perimeter by now. Maybe they're all getting coffee.' Sven snorted and started his own dash towards the unusually dark mansion ahead.
A sickly sweet smell hit his nostrils. He looked down to see a dead Doberman, its leash still held by an arm attached to the upper half of a human torso.
"Dear God..." he whispered, before flicking on his microphone. "Train. Eve. Any signs of life?"
"None," Eve replied. "Continuing search upstairs. It's unus…" Crackling, then a sharp pop through the receiver made Sven wince.
"Eve!"
"Lil' Princess?" A pause. "Hey, Sven. I'm seeing some unlife here."
"Un-life? What the hell are you babbling abo..." Sven trailed off as the dog's lacerated body started stiffly moving. "Oh… you've got to be kidding me!" Pulling out his gun, he took careful aim at the dog's head. 'Please let Train's stupid games be true.' The dog's head jerked and spun around as Sven shot a bullet into its eye, but it slowly turned around to face Sven again. It suddenly jerked and lunged at him. Spinning around sharply, Sven swung the steel attaché case around as hard as he could. He was rewarded with a nice loud crack as the dog went flying to the side. He looked down at the now twitching body, and nodded as it failed to get back up.
'It'll take more than that. But if it's like this here...' Sven turned towards the mansion and ran towards the front entrance.
The sickly sweet smell hit his nostrils again as he noted the human bodies littered across the front courtyard. The house was completely dark, the only visible light coming from the full moon above. 'So this is what happened to Jorne's security force.' Sven was less surprised and more appalled when these corpses, too, started moving. 'As a gentleman, I cannot condone this!'
Sven brought his case to bear and popped the machine-gun accessory out. "Rest in the afterlife!" he yelled as bullets tore into the zombified men, reducing many into several gory pieces. The rest, he made short work with a few swings of his case. He huffed as the last one went down with a wet smack against the pavement.
'I'm getting too old for this. No wonder Annette retired.' He kicked the front door open just in time to see Train kicking another of those dogs into one of the animated guards. Turning around, the ex-Chronos Number quickly waved before turning his attention back to some zombies shuffling towards him.
"Yo, Sven! I see ya found the welcoming committee."
"Have you found Eve?" 'How can he joke around at a time like this?'
"No, " Train replied before spinning around to smash another guard's head in with Hades. "Bullets don't work too well on these guys." At Sven's disbelieving stare, he grinned. "I'll look downstairs, okay?" He jerked his thumb towards the atrium. There, like two great serpents, were two stairs curving upwards to the second floor, and as if from the darkness, two more flights curving downwards.
"Down… but she's upstairs!"
Train flashed a wry grin. "I don't think she wants to see me right now. First floor's clear, unless more of these guys crawl in. Phew!"
"Why do..." Sven trailed off. "No, forget that. What makes you think that?"
"Aw, c'mon Sven! She's a big girl now. She can take care of herself. You should know that just as well as I do." A chill passed up Sven's spine, as he remembered his words from earlier.
"Train... Fine! Have it your way. She won't be happy, you know."
"She won't be upset, either." Sven didn't reply, and ran up the stairs.
Train quietly crept down the stairs, amber eyes constantly scanning the darkness. A few steps before the bottom, he leapt, clearing the railing. Spinning in midair, he aimed towards the darkness. Seeing nothing, he landed in the middle of the lower atrium. A look of disappointment flashed across his features, his gaze rising towards the ceiling, as if imploring to God. "Aw, I was hoping there would be something."
A small tremor ran through the floor, causing Train to look back towards the dark hallway. A hulking, armored beast with the head of a lion, the legs of a panther, and a tail of a snake slowly padded towards the sweeper.
"I know I asked, but isn't that a little much?" he whined before leaping away as the armored beast leapt towards him. Spinning in midair, he fired off a couple of shots at the beast, but it was deflected by the armor. Train landed a scant few feet away, near the bottom of the staircases. Man and beast stared at each other, a beastly growl countering the man's cocky grin. As the armored chimera pounced once again, Train also leapt, jumping off the Chimera's head to move past the armored beast.
A loud crash from ahead and an all-too familiar "Kyaa!" grabbed his attention.
"Eve! Ooof!" Train grunted as the snake tail lashed at him, knocking him back forward and onto the ground before the chimera. Seeing its prey before it, the beast pounced once again.
His mind back on his opponent before him, he muttered, "Sorry. No time to play." Train kipped up and vaulted over the chimera, using its head as a platform. As he cleared the body, he knocked away the flailing tail using Hades and spun as he landed, shooting at the joints of the armor. The chimera roared in pain and keeled over, its hind legs no longer supporting its weight. He then ran on towards the end of the hallway, where the doorway was framed in light.
"It's too early to stop now!"
Eve kept moving, ignoring the voice and the nightmare-sent experimental equipment that made up the majority of the freakish lab surrounding her. Everywhere she looked, there seemed to be another canister with a half-mutilated body or a mass of pulsing flesh. She fell to her hands and knees, but pushed herself up onto her feet.
'Keep moving! Your body might feel like it's vibrating apart, but it's just an illusion. Just another hallucination of his. Damn it!" She ran out into a small corridor made of those containers and instinctively ducked as the sound of flapping cloth caught her ear. Grunting, she caught the leg of her mannequin-like assailant, and slammed it into the ground.
"Ohh… you can still move?" the disembodied voice asked. Gritting her teeth, she focused and turned her hand into a basic dagger and stabbed the mannequin in the stomach. With little more than a whoosh, it evaporated into thin air. She bit her lip hard, drawing blood, to keep from screaming as her transformed limb cracked and morphed back into her hand.
"You like my little disruption device? I made it with you in mind." Eve grasped at her retransformed limb, cradling it. She grinned, despite the pain. "I'm honored. Can't say I like it, though." 'Keep talking, so I can rest and figure out how to get out of this mess,' she desperately thought. 'Where is that stupid device?'
The man, Doctor Jehk Hyde she assumed, laughed. "You were like this last time. Defiant to the end. I shall enjoy this revenge before I continue my experiments."
Eve's eyes widened. "You? The Doctor from the Apostles of the Stars..." Eve pushed herself up to her feet, and she stumbled on, looking around warily as she did.
"What a little change can do, eh?" The Doctor's voice seemed to come from all around her. "Ever since that day, all I wanted was to study you, and pay Heartnet back for interrupting my research. But first I had to cripple you. You wouldn't be so easily caught this time, so I came up with the idea of nanomachine resonance. I'm surprised you made it this far, exposed as long as you have."
"Thanks..." she dryly responded, weariness evident in her voice. Moving past another container, she mentally cursed as she found herself facing a wall. Turning around, she saw the Doctor, standing there with a gun in hand. Gritting her teeth, she dropped into a defensive stance. 'Thank god Train made me learn how to defend myself without my nanomachines.' Her eyes narrowed, as she felt a knee buckle, dropping her to one knee.
"At our limit, I see." Despite Eve's glare, he continued. "Well, forgive me if I don't administer this in a more personal fashion, but you're dangerous, even as you are. It's a special bullet, filled with nanomachines designed to destroy normal human cells. But, since your nanomachine-producing organs aren't... well, we'll get to see them anyways." She heard the gun being loaded, and the hammer being cocked.
'What would he do now…' Eve clenched her eyes shut. Bang! She felt the splatter of blood on her face. 'What?'
Cracking open an eye, she saw Train standing before her, his left hand dripping with blood. Her thoughts flashed back to the Church, where Creed, Train, and Sven were in such a similar position. 'Just like then,' Eve thought. 'Rescued again.'
"Train."
"Lil' Princess." Train grinned. "You seem a little more roughed up than usual." She blinked in confusion. Were her eyes deceiving her, or was his height constantly changing?
"I-idiot! Why did you..." Eve trailed off as the doctor's maniacal laughter brought the two sweeper's attention back to him.
"This is perfect! I was going to administer the shot to Heartnet, too! Now, then." The Doctor adjusted his glasses, and then turned to the two sweepers. "Warp World Level 2, " he intoned ominously. Train and Eve tensed as a large mass of flame coalesced into a humanoid figure, and a handful of tiny, armored creatures with bladed limbs jumped around the Doctor and the fire creature. "I can imagine anything and bring it here. Now, die for me, Heartnet!"
"Eve!" Sven called out. 'Bloody hell! I'm sure I've searched everywhere. Except this last room...' Behind him, various corpses littered the long hallway, from mutilated bats to ridiculously large rats and other vermin. They occasionally twitched, but were otherwise still. Rubbing his neck, he groaned inwardly.
Kicking down the door, Sven found the last room empty, save for the bleeding body he found oddly familiar. Flashing a flashlight at the face, recognition hit him. "Jorne," he said flatly. He reached for the man's neck, searching for a pulse. 'Nothing, but the body's abnormally warm.'
While searching the body, Sven noticed a hint of dark hair below the collar. 'What could this be...' He visibly recoiled when he opened up the older man's shirt. From his neck on down, was thick, black fur. Just below the left collar was another branded mark, this time XIII, slashed through with some sharp object to reveal the muscle and bone below.
"A knife, possibly. Were we targeted? Aaagh!" Jorne's right hand suddenly clamped onto his forearm with unnatural strength, pulling Sven closer to his now open mouth. Thankful that his other hand still held his pistol, Sven started pistol-whipping him, followed by a couple of bullets to its right shoulder, slightly weakening the corpse's grip. Managing to squeeze away, he jumped away and ran back into the hallway, turning long enough to fire off an exploding bullet at Jorne the half-beast. Sighing in relief at seeing a pants-shrouded limb and a human arm go flying past him, he continued his sprint back down the stairs. 'Rest in peace, old man.'
Firing Hades almost constantly, the ex-assassin narrowed his eyes as the small fry he shot down leapt back to their feet to attack him and Eve. His gun was only silent when he knocked away the fireballs sent by the fiery beast with Hades. To her credit, Eve was managing to use their attacker's momentum to send them flying back, conserving her energy, but she was still rapidly tiring.
'This is getting us nowhere.' "Eve! Cover me!" he yelled, as he shot two of them rushing at him, and then leapt forward towards the Doctor.
"W-what? Wait! Urrgh!" Eve grunted as she swung another bladed assailant into the ground, before she herself fell down to a knee once again. 'Can't keep this up much longer.'
"Foolishness," the Doctor sneered. "Ka-oh, finish him!"
An unearthly howl emanated from the elemental as its body stretched and elongated to meet Train head-on. As it neared, the elemental spread its arms, bringing up a fiery corona as a shield. Train quickly rushed through the shield, getting thoroughly singed in the process, before spinning around and swinging Hades at the doctor's head. Said doctor only smirked, as a black blade cleanly parried the swing.
"Wha..." The blade swung hard, propelling Train back, through the dissipating fire elemental towards Eve. She hit the floor, letting him sail clear over and land past her. She looked up to see a blur run past her towards Train.
"Train! How I've missed you!" Creed half-purred, half-screamed, all while driving him back with unrelenting strikes of his Imagine Blade. A pained gasp from behind Creed caused Train to glance past his crazed attacker to see the Doctor picking Eve up by her hair. "Where are you looking at, Train? Look only at me!" Creed lashed out with a kick, which Train sidestepped.
"You bastard! Outta my way!" Train raised Hades and fired twice in Creed's direction. He caught each bullet with the Imagine Blade's mouth, and the tao-formed blade spat them back out at Train. Train knocked them away with two swings. "Don't you touch her!" he yelled as he fired another two bullets. The shots ricocheted off the equipment and ceiling to hit the Doctor's shoulder and knees from above. Eve dropped to the floor, the Doctor's grasp on her hair weakening.
"No... I must... get my..."
"You're not getting anything!" Train darted past Creed, accepting a slash across his back to land a punch on the Doctor's jaw. As the doctor slumped to the ground, the lights and equipment surrounding the three of them started to slowly dissipate into nothingness.
'The pain's fading away,' Eve noted, as her entire body started to feel incredibly numb. As she sat up, Eve's eyes widened as Train fall onto his back, next to her.
"Train! Why did you do such a stupid, stupid thing?"
"First thing to come to mind. Didn't wa..aaagh!" Train started shuddering violently, his limbs spasming.
'The nanomachines.' "I'll destroy those nanomachines, so hold on."
Just as he reached the bottom of the Atrium, Sven suddenly tensed as an extremely high-pitched scream pierced the silence. 'Eve!'
Storming through the doors at the end of the hallway, he found Eve collapsed over a twitching Train, with the doctor out cold a few feet away. Kneeling next to them, he gently rolled Eve off to lie next to Train. His brow furrowing, he gently shook Train. "Oi. Train. Wake up."
"Don't..." came Eve's whisper, "...don't shake him..." Nodding, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and bound the unconscious Doctor.
"Eve?" Sven's eyes darkened, as he looked at his daughter passing out. 'What happened here?'
'Mmmh...everything's sore...' Eve blearily opened her eyes to see a unfamiliar ceiling. Tearju sat next to her in a chair, scanning a book. At Eve's motion, Tearju dropped her book, and knelt by the bedside.
"Eve! Sven and I were so worried. It's been two days since you collapsed." At Eve's lost look, she supplied, "Sven's at the I.B.I. turning in the Doctor."
'It's been two days... ah!' "Train. How's Train?"
"He's still unconscious. His life signs have been mostly stable."
"Where is he?"
"He's in the bed next to you. We're in the hospital's general ward, where his condition's being monitored... and where are you going?" Tearju inquired, as Eve pushed the sheets off her self and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
"I need to destroy those nanomachines."
"That changes things..." Tearju gave a long look at Eve. "You're staying in bed." Eve looked up to protest, but the motion died as her body complained at her movements. She lay back down onto the bed. Tearju picked up her book, and sat back down.
"What happened at the mansion? Sven only told me that he found you and Train in the basement, after going through a monster-filled house."
"I...it was after Train decided on his own to go in. I entered the second floor, hoping to cut off an escape upwards. When I went through this backlit door, I found myself in the basement. He had this device that made my body go completely haywire—it felt like all the nanomachines in my body were screaming. I forced myself to keep going, but I couldn't keep it up. The doctor was going to shoot a bullet containing some new type of nanomachine that destroys human cells at me. Train got hit instead. Train and I managed to take him down, but Train was injured, and now those nanomachines are eating at his body."
"There hasn't been any sign of atrophy or cellular degradation." Tearju looked lost in thought. "Did you try anything?"
"I... I tried destroying them, but it felt like I was ripping myself to shreds. I know I was pushing it..." she weakly ended.
"It's possible... that Train might have already converted those nanomachines into benign ones with his incredible will. But, in his comatose state..."
"Is there any way we can wake him?"
"I'm not entirely sure. Eve, you know that nanomachines bend to your will. If Train's will is telling them to live, he might spend the rest of his life comatose on that bed. If there's a way to get that will to change from merely surviving to living..." Tearju trailed off as Eve sagged into the bed, a lost look on her face. "Eve?"
Eve curled onto her side, pulling the blankets close around her. "Can I be alone for a little while?"
Tearju nodded and grabbed her book. "Sure. Lunch will be brought in, soon." Before she stepped out, Eve's voice came floating, barely above a whisper.
"Train..."
Opening her eyes, Eve looked out the window. 'It's twilight.' Through the window, the moon was partially obscured by the clouds passing by, though the horizon was still dyed orange. Listening quietly, she could barely make out a pair of voices outside the room, but they were receding. Pushing off the sheets, she slid off the hospital bed, wincing when her feet hit the ground. She slowly made her way towards the inner bed, her feet feeling like they were stepping on pins and needles. Finally making it, she looked at the sleeping cat. Nearby, the cardiograph beeped at regular intervals. 'It's time I saved you for once.'
Climbing up onto his bed, she straddled his legs, and leaned forward onto her extended arms. Her hair snaked down and met his chest with a light blue glow, where it entered his body. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. 'Please work, like that game console system...' The vision before her suddenly turned misty, as she found herself in an unfamiliar subway train. Looking at herself in the window's reflection, she smiled faintly. 'Am I in? Is this what Train's dreaming of?" Shaking her head, she ran onwards, through the cars.
A blast of flame caused Train to leap to the side, narrowly becoming so much melted ooze, unlike the subway car's support beam a meter away. "Kyouko!" Disbelief in his eyes, Kyouko stood there before him, wearing her usual school-girl uniform. A small puff of flame escaped from her mouth as she grinned madly at the surprised cat.'What's she doing here? Before that, why does this feel oddly familiar?'"What do you think you're doing!" he yelled at the grinning schoolgirl.
"Will you kiss me, Kuro-sama?"
"Eh! Kiss? Before that, didn't you promise me you'd never use your powers to kill?"
Kyouko pouted. "If you won't kiss me, then I'll kill you!" Another fireball escaped from her mouth, and Train leapt back and stumbled back when his feet hit cobblestones.
"Well? Kuro-sama?"
'That's not Kyouko. It's another one of that bastard Doctor's tricks. She'd be just as confused as I was. She didn't bat an eyelash.' Train dashed off into the mist as another blast of flame singed his heels. 'Eve's in danger. She needs me...' he thought. 'Where are you, so I can kick your ass! Doctor!"
Eve ran on, looking left and right through the mist-covered streets. 'From trains to misty roads...' She skidded to a halt when she heard a woman's laughter nearby.
"I told you that there is no escape from this world."
"Give up, Kuro-sama! It'll be a lot of fun if you just stay still and die!"
'Saya-san? Kyouko-san?' Eve cautiously inched closer towards the voices. 'They must be figments of Train's dream.'
"Ahh, why not give him what he wants? He'll be dying soon, anyway," Saya's drawled.
Eve blinked. As the mists suddenly cleared around her, she found Saya and Kyouko flanking her sides, while Train was a few meters before her, glaring coldly at the two other women. She forced a smile onto her face, stifling a shiver that ran down her back. 'I don't want Train to ever look at me like that. So coldly...'
Train, meanwhile was staring at the three women. 'This has to be a trick. It's too timely.' He scowled. 'Eve... she's different. She's not wearing that torn black dress she was wearing. She looks older. She's acting differently...' He reached for Hades, amber eyes constantly watching them. 'The Doctor wants me to die, so he can toy around with Eve. They're illusions, all of them. They want me to die, or stall me long enough. I can't. I won't!' Quickly drawing his gun, he planted a bullet in all three of their heads.
'He shot me…' Eve stared back at Train, shock etched into her face, and silently mouthed, "Et tu, Train?" Down she fell, into a boneless heap, a pool of blood slowly growing below her head as the two beside her giggled profusely, the bullet holes disappearing in a hazy, red mist.
"Kuro-sama. Now you did it. You just killed your lil' princess," Kyouko almost spat out the nickname. "Doesn't it feel good?"
'This can't be.' Train rushed over to Eve's still form, and lifted her body into his arms. Supporting her head with one hand, he stared at the bullet wound in her forehead—it was not closing. Shaking his head in denial, he whispered, "No..."
Train closed his eyes and pulled Eve into a tight hug, entangling his free hand into her blood-matted hair. Saya slowly walked up to the pair, pressing the cold steel barrel of her pistol against his temple. "Goodbye, Train-kun," she purred.
Eve's eyes opened slightly at the fired shot, to see a stream of feathers drift past as the world suddenly turned white.
"Train-kun." A voice pierced through the silence to reach Train's ears. "Train-kun, wake up." He opened his eyes to see Saya standing over him, dressed in her flowery yukata, smiling warmly as she always did. No open wounds marred her body, no blood pouring freely. As he sat up, he took in his surroundings. Billowing, snow white clouds, and a warm light shone from above.
"So this is heaven?" 'But, where's Eve?'
"You still haven't forgotten me," she murmured as she sat down next to him.
Train shook his head. "Never. I've missed you, you know."
Saya erupted into silvery peals of laughter. "I'm sorry. But you've quite the dilemma right now, and as your friend I feel that I must help you."
He blinked. "Huh?"
"I mean about you—and her." She gestured to their right. A small gust of wind blew away the clouds, and he saw Eve there, lying down next to him, her eyes staring blankly at his face. The bullet hole still marred her face, a small trail of blood oozing down her nose to her eyes. He visibly flinched. "I'm not saying you need to say it straight away, but it's getting annoying, you know."
"What are you saying?" Train's voice was shaky. "Of course, I want to be forgiven, but… I can't ask that!"
"Isn't it time that you put the past behind you?" She lowered her hand, and smiled. "I can't help but feel like I'm holding you back."
Train looked lost from Saya's sudden change in gears. He glanced down at Eve's still form before looking back at Saya. "I...You've never held me back. You've always supported me, even back then."
The fire in her eyes made him shrink back. "I'm not talking about then! I'm talking about now, about you and Eve! You care for her, don't you?" Train averted his eyes. "If you didn't, then you wouldn't have done what you did. Give up. When have you ever given up?"
"That is…" He trailed off, looking away. Saya harrumphed, and forcibly turned his head towards her with a hand. She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Of course I care about her! She's a comrade; she's a friend. She's pretty much family!"
"Really? Is that all she is to you?"
Train nodded vigorously. "Yeah."
She snorted. "Denial." Saya slid up to his side and latched herself onto his left arm, changing gears once again. "Hey, tell me, Train. What am I to you?"
"You're Saya, my best friend and..."
She gently interrupted Train by placing a finger on his mouth. "And Eve?"
He gave her a look, and she dropped her finger, letting him speak. "She's like a little sister. Though, she's so independent and smart that I can't really do anything for her, except support her, when she needs me. I don't want to lose her."
"Hooo..." A teasing tone entered her voice. "What if I told you she wants to be your best friend?"
"No one could ever replace you."
"Hey! I never asked to be replaced, just forgotten..." Saya trailed off. "Ah, jeez! You were always so stubborn! Boys can be so ignorant!"
Train smiled, seeing her shake her fist at him, reminding him of past times. He was forced to duck as she took a swing at his head. "Hey! What was that for?"
"Okay, Train." She pointed her finger at him. "If you make her sad, I'll come back and beat some sense into you, ya hear?"
"Come back? This is Heaven, isn't it?"
A sudden grip on his other arm arm made Train look down in surprise. Eve looked back up at him, a pained look on her face. Her ruby eyes focused on his. "Why... won't you fight?"
"Fight..." Train echoed. "What's there to fight? We're dead."
Her grip on his arm slacking, Eve reached up and ran a hand down the side of his face, tracing a trail of blood down his cheek with her fingertips. As if spurred by the gentle contact, Train grasped her hand with his right and held it against his face.
"You're still alive." she whispered. "Wake up...from this nightmare."
Smiling, Saya let go of Train's arm. As she stood up, she patted his shoulder. "Wake up, Train-kun. Open your true eyes. Make her happy. You deserve better than chasing my shadow." She then strolled off into the clouds, humming a strangely hypnotic song.. Train turned around to watch her walk away.
A tug on his jacket brought Train's attention back to Eve. A look of extreme exasperation crossed her features. Train suddenly lay down on the fluffy clouds, pulling her down beside him. "So, you want to wake me up, right? Then do it," he teased, as he closed his eyes, a grin slowly spreading across his face. A puzzled look crossed her features before understanding dawned, Eve soon flushing scarlet. She let go and straddled his legs. He opened his eyes in surprise.
"Eve?"
She suddenly leaned over him, her blushing face filling his vision as her long, blonde hair formed a curtain around her face. She stared down at him, ruby eyes darkening. She closed her eyes and leaned down, kissing him.
Train opened his eyes to gaze upon… 'A plain white ceiling.' An unfamiliar weight upon his chest made him look down, to see a more familiar head of short, blonde hair, snuggling into his chest. He smiled, seeing Eve's deep, steady breathing. A couple of quick raps heralded Sven's entry into the room. His visible eye widened slightly as he saw the two of them sharing the bed. Clearing his throat, he approached the bed and bade, "Welcome back, partner."
A grin stretched across Train's face, and he spread his arms out wide. "I'm so happy you were worried about me! Sven-daddy-san!"
Sven stiffened and crossed his arms defensively. "D-don't be ridiculous! You'll wake up Eve!" He suddenly peered at Train. "Care to explain this?"
"I, ah... well, I think Eve did something to wake me up," Train started, "and I think she wore herself out." Streaks of red made their way across his cheeks, as he realized just how bad that sounded.
"I see." Sven's tone was icy. "You'll take care of her, right? Won't take advantage of her, right?"
"Sven..." He glared at Sven, who simply smiled back. Turning around, Sven quietly headed for the door.
"Get well soon, okay? The hospital bill's growing."
"Yeah," Train whispered, as he tugged a sheet free and draped it over Eve. "We will."
Author's Notes/Rant:
I can't help but interject right now: Ouran's Host Club corrupting me! If Train's unusual response there's any indication… There are a few other references scattered here and there, some literary, mostly video games. Heheh…. Kudos to all those who reviewed! I hope that you readers find this a worthy ending, otherwise I just might be forced to write more. But, as to what that would be... only time will tell... if this ending's too open-ended, or not far enough along for your likings. It just might be pure, unadulterated FLUFF/WAFF to end... you have been warned.
This last chapter, originally the 2nd installment, somehow blew up after I realized it doesn't explain a single event! Growing almost 4 times in size... god, how this thing fought, cursed, and nagged. I still think it's rough around the edges, but that's for you, the readers to decide. Comments and criticism would be much appreciated.
As usual, thanks to xDianaMoonx for proofing, editing, and general assistance throughout this entire project, and to my muse for making me love this series to death. But, thanks most of all, to you all, the readers.
Now, this omake wouldn't have come to pass if my friends did not kill brain cells talking about their WoW experiences. Specifically, The Barrens... I fear I have lost too many brain cells, already... funny how we're all engineers, too. Now, for the friends-inspired, brain-cell killing omake.
Omake:
5 years after the fall of Creed Diskence...
Vollfied Residence, 2:30 PM—
It was a sleepy afternoon, a light breeze blowing through the open windows. Eve lounged on the couch, rereading one of the novels kept in the now modest library. Next to her, using her lap as a pillow and fully taking advantage of the peace and quiet was one sleeping Black Cat.
"Waugh!" Train suddenly shot upright, wide-eyed.
Eve looked up from the pages to her flustered partner. "Train?"
"I just had the most horrible nightmare…"
Eve bookmarked the page and quietly closed the book. "Hmmm. Do tell."
"I was dreaming about when we were fighting the Apostles of the Stars. We just met up with Sven after dealing with that bastard Doctor…"
Eve nodded. "Mm. I remember."
"Then, that monkey showed up. And... He…." Train shuddered. A pregnant moment passed. Then another.
"Go on…"
Train took a deep, shuddering breath. "He transformed himself into Chuck Norris, and then he was just standing there, going on about how his chief export was pain and how his kick was invincible... and then he roundhouse kicked me into the wall, and I couldn't do anything about it..." Eve's eye twitched. "Err, Eve?"
"…that's it! No more Walker, Texas Ranger for you!"
Train gasped. "Noooo!"