:Sigh: I'm still debating on whether to have pairings or not. Considering the lack of girls in this fanfic so far (other than kids like Eve and Kyoko), it's gonna be slash. And since it's my first fic, I'm not sure I want to start right off with slash. But hey, maybe some subtle implications. :shrugs:
Glass Shards
Train walked down the hallway. He had found this abandoned corridor a week ago, when he needed a solitary place away from the prying eyes all the Taoists and servants, and Creed's alarming motherhen persona. It was only a near death experience; he'd had a million of those induring the Time Guardians. Besides, he was completely healed, so Creed had no need to worry.
Train stopped in the center of the hall. He had dubbed the place the "Glass walkway", since the pieces of glass scattered all across the ground glittered in the sunlight pouring through the huge windows on each side. The glass was like the glass that exploded across the lab when he awoke from his Tao trance. It was like standing admist the eggshells he broke through as a newly hatched chick. Ever since then, he had felt an enormous energy swirling inside just within reach. Cautious of another explosion like the one in the lab, he was hesitant to use it unless forced.
The aura around the place was also very familiar, like a time capsule of his childhood only to be now rediscovered. Here, where the lake sat serenely outside both sides of the hall, he felt that he was peacefully alone out on a great expanse of the ocean.
Even so, all that Sardius (1) had taught him lurked in the corners of his awareness. There was not a moment of peace, for the murderous cold heartedness and constant vigilance against his enemies would never leave him. From the moment he accepted the gun from Sardius, he had not started a road to revenge for the death of his parents, but a road to eternal darkness.
Yet still, the images of his parents haunted him enough to give him nightmares, and ensured that he never killed women or children. Creed said that this point was a weakness, and even though he had not agreed before, preferring to call it compassion, he could not help but agree with everything Creed said. Oh, he could kill in cold blood just like Creed. But instead of enjoying the carnage, all he could feel was the emptiness inside his heart intensify with each kill. The emptiness numbed all other emotions of guilt or self-disgust, and in the end, he became addicted to the feeling of dull ache inside his heart. It was like getting drunk and forgetting about all other thoughts.
It was addiction to killing.
He shook his head, and suddenly felt an urge to be closer to the outside scenery of nature and peace. He leaned out the window, placing a hand on the low ledge, and suddenly took in a sharp breath. He brought his hand away from the edge, and found a piece of stray glass embedded in the skin, shining a turquoise green that contrasted wonderfully with the ruby drops of blood forming around the cut.
Train was on his way to ask Kyoko for some bandages (they had grudgingly come to something Kyoko called "friendship" and Train called "one-person-pestering-the-other-non-stop"), when he was stopped in Greenhouse 1-A (where, Creed had said, all the poisonous flowers grew) by an inquiring doctor.
"Ah? Train-san. Never thought you'd be the flower watching type of guy." He absentmindedly pushed up his glasses, while taking a solid stance right in front of Train that showed no hurry in moving aside.
Since it was either finish up the conversation with Doctor or vault over his head into a nest of poisonous vines, he answered, "Never thought you'd be the type either."
"I am just here to collect some poisons to experiment with," Doctor answered, seemingly in no urgency to collect the said poisons.
Patience running out, Train gestured at the plants behind him. "Then please get on with it," he growled, adding a sarcastic "I wouldn't want to keep you from important work" for the sake of polite formality.
"Indeed…" Doctor pondered, until he caught sight of blood trailing down from a diagonal slash on Train's wrist.
He snatched up Train's right hand in a vice-grip.
"Yare, yare, you've hurt you hand." He brought it up to his mouth and licked away the dripping blood.
Train felt the cut heal under the tongue as annoyance lit up the fire within him. He pulled back his other hand, and in a snakelike manner, it rushed forward to strike Doctor. Train pulled back in surprise as Doctor, without moving, took the blow to his heart.
The Taoist smiled. The wound was smoking, healing at an incredibly fast rate. Even as Train pulled out his hand, the wound was closing in, threatening to crush his fingers in the healing wound.
The doctor frowned in mock disappointment. "Now that wasn't very nice." He pulled out a scalpel, "I think you need a personality adjustment."
Do you wish to have anesthetic, Train-san?
Train froze. One side of his mind was screaming something along the lines of "ARE YOU FREAKIN' CRAZY? Move…RUN!" but the rest of him was paralyzed with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
"Train?" The concerned tone in the voice cut the invisible strings that held Train rooted to the ground, and he took a hasty leap backwards. He stared spitefully at Doctor's smirking face, brain rushing with calculations on Taoist's abilities before an invisible compellation forced him to turn toward the voice.
Creed-sama's face softened in concern for him, before hardening again. "What was happening between you and Doctor?"
Train wanted to say it was nothing, but it was Creed-sama. He could not lie to him, but one look at Doctor, as well as Creed's maniacal expression, and he decided otherwise. "Doctor was healing my cut when I reacted unpleasantly to his sudden help. It was my fault of course." He hated the triumphant pleasure in Doctor's face, but he could not bring himself to face this man after that paralyzing moment of…of what? Was it fear? No, he was just concerned that Creed would turn homicidal and injure himself. That's all.
Creed stared at Train's stony mask, sent a suspicious glare toward Doctor, before turning around and walking away.
Doctor watched Creed leave, and then turned back. "Now Train-san…"
He trailed off as he realized he was talking to an empty room.
(1) The guy who murdered Train's parents and taught Train his gun skills.
Oooh. Angst…or at least, my version of it. And I'll leave you to interpret the scene with Doctor. Train does not remember the operation, but he can sorta sense some kinda familiarity about the scene. Stuff like this will happen more often as the story progresses...
Train's Tao powers will be revealed later on, and also the reason why he reacted so violently when he took the draught.