I have to admit, looking back on this story, I'm a bit influenced by Get Backers. I think Ginji and Train have a lot in common…

This is another one of those annoying chapter connectors. It would be wonderful if we could just get to the juicy parts and actually have the entire story make sense, but oh well.

Sweepers Unite

Rivar looked up in surprise, and he would have jumped up if he did not have a puddle of Kou in his lap. The weight on his legs pulled him back into calmness, and he pretended to be nonchalant, a mask of indifference slipping onto his face.

"I've no business with Chronos, except perhaps suing you for trashing Kou-chan's treehouse." Though his posture was one of comfortable relaxation, the piercing glare Rivar shot at Belze revealed his annoyance. The day had been fight after fight after fight, and now Chronos was hunting him down, too?

Belze raised his glaive fractionally, and announced in a flat voice, "Release the hostage."

Rivar, realizing Kou potential danger at the glaive's blade point, shoved him off to the side as quickly as possible. "Oookay…wouldn't you like to talk about this and work it out? You see, I'm really tired cuz of all these fights—"

"No negotiations." And with that, Belze launched at Rivar. The misunderstood blonde dodged the attack, but Belze was behind him even as he began his duck. As Belze brought a downward sweep onto him, Rivar did a quick spin and blocked the glaive with his gloves. They quickly parted to opposite sides of the compartment, evaluating each other.

Belze looked like he had just spent an hour in a relaxing spa, and his aura was barely hightened. Rivar, however, was bleeding at the fists, where the orihalcon glaive had cut through his guards.

Suddenly, Belze attacked again. Rivar dodged and blocked. Belze attacked. Rivar blocked. Attack. Block. Attack. Block. It was getting faster and faster, and Rivar's fists were bleeding freely, his tendons cut. It was a desperate situation, rapidly deteriorating, and Belze had no opening.

"ANIKI!" Kou screamed as he jumped in front of Belze's strike. He, startled, stopped it right as it began to cut into Kou's forehead, and a small trail of blood slid down the child's face. Belze cursed inwardly at the child; the clever brat made a save and a distraction! Belze pulled away at Rivar's punch, and though it didn't touch him, it cut his cheek all the same.

Ignoring his annoyance, Belze countered with a series of furious attacks, pushing the man back with no chance of attack. As Rivar was backed up against the wall, Belze prepared to strike the finishing blow by decapitation.

Suddenly, Rivar dropped to the floor and punched the ground. The force sent a mini earthquake at Belze, and the ground fissured under his feet. Belze dropped and disappeared from view.

Rivar slumped against the wall, smiling tiredly against the huddled and terrified figure in the corner. "S'okay, kid. Got him good."

"You called me Kou-chan," the child stated through his tears.

"Yeah, and you call me Aniki, kid. Point?" Darkness was starting to engulf him.

"Only bro—"

A dark figure sudden shot out of the fissure, slightly dirty and one glaive less. It sighed and said, "I apologize for this crude killing method, but I seem to have lost my glaive," Belze pulled out a throwing knife, "It's really meant for decoration purposes, actually, so it's quite dull. You suffer longer than I intend, I'm afraid."

Rivar eyed the throwing knife. It was made of regular metal, very dull, and obviously made for look instead of speed. He could block it with his fists no problem; if only he could move. Darkness flickering at the edge of his vision was slowly closing in.

Before he completely blacked out, he thought he'd obtained his childhood dream of flight.

A man sat tiredly slumped against his car seat, scenery passing by the limo window as he tired relentlessly on his computer. The window he was typing in said:

CNIIB: Mission failure.

CNIS: Report details.

CNIIB: Contact would not release any information about the client except they are known as the Lee Family. On the outside, they are rich and secluded, living in an old Chinese palace. They're personal record, however, is completely blank. There is no indication of their existence in any government source. I am checking the Chronos database for info.

CNIS: What about your side objective?

CNIIB: Terminated by you.

CNIS: What do you mean?

CNIIB: You declared #001 free did you not?

CNIS: How could I? The Saichirou called again.

CNIIB: But you just personally took him to the hospital!

CNIS: A fake.

CNIIB: I thought this info was classified.

CNIS: It was. The others involved in the experiment were all assassinated. Only you and I know.

CNIIB: Number X!

CNIS: Yes. Number X knows, too. How did you find out?

CNIIB: No! Number X, Xiao Lee! He's part of the Lee family!

Eve stopped at the run down train, hearing a sniffling coming within a compartment. The compartment was rotting, with one wall totally splintered in pieces, and the floor just a large splintered hole. She stopped indecisively at the entrance, not sure whether to enter are not.

She had taken it upon herself to follow Belze when he left after interrogating Ojiisan, but she had quickly lost his trail. Getting distracted, however, would make any chances of catching up with him nil.

Another miserable sniff caught Eve's ears, and she sighed, walking in. Kou was on the ground crying.

"Kou? What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

The boy lifted puffy eyes to face Eve before bursting into a heart wrenching bawl. "ANIKI!"

"Here, kid." A voice sounded behind Eve. She whirled around, her body's nano machines vibrating warmly. Her eyes widened at the sight of the familiar blond, before narrowing.

"Flash Grenade, Bomber, no?" Her voice was cold and sharp, and so concentrated was she on the last bounty Train had focused on that she failed to notice his companion.

The "bounty" frowned. "No. Rivar Sasitori at your service." He did a mock bow.

"And I am Green," interjected his companion.

"You look fine, to Kou, Mr."

"And you must be E.V.E., Tornello's assassin doll?"

Eve's eyes widened in surprise again, but she spoke forcefully, "I am NOBODY'S doll. I am a sweeper." A defiant glint in her eye, a proud tilt in her head.

Green smiled unexpectedly. "Well then, would you like to join me, Eve?"

"What?"

"Join me in storming Creed's castle.

"Join me to find Train Heartnet."

YAY just like in the manga, they, or Eve in our story, become part of a group of Sweepers that try to storm Creed's castle! And about Shiki…I don't know if I've been switching genders on this person, but does anyone know for sure if Shiki's female or male? Cuz I'm just going to assume he's a he until I hear otherwise.

Next chapter: we FINALLY get back to the main plot. A lot of fighting and surprises. I actually already wrote what is probably chapter 26 or 27, cuz the scene was just so vivid in my mind. Look forward to it.