2 PET CATS
Chapter 1. The Encounter
"John Aebon. Robbed and killed 7 rich families within these past 3 months. Rewarded by 6 millions. Not bad." Sven mumbled seeing the bounty poster Train showed.
"Indeed, indeed Svenny-Daddy! 6 millions! 6 millions! We can eat as much as we want with it!" Train shouted enthusiastically.
"Geez, stop calling me 'Svenny-Daddy'! Well, I'm ok with it. But we have no idea where he is,"
"We can start the searching" Eve said without raised her face from book she read.
"No need to do that now I think, Hime-chi…" Train smirked as looked out the hotel window they were. "Just look who is in the front café," he said. Sven followed Trains' gaze and dropped his cigarette due to his shock, "That's…." Eve followed the gaze of both of them as well and saw a guy who looked really familiar with the photo on the bounty poster.
"Heh, he has a big courage to roam this day without any disguise" Train mocking. "I guess Lady Fortuna is in our side this time." He jumped out of the window in the third floor. But of course it wasn't a matter for the Black Cat.
"Oi Train!" Sven shouted calling him. But too late, Train had gone from the sight. Sven hadn't given up, he then ran toward the window and yelled to Train who had started running above. "Train! Hold on—…". "Relax Sven! I'll catch him less than 30 minutes!" train shouted before Sven could finish his words. Train had run away.
"Darn he..!" Sven growled annoyingly. "I'll come too" Eve said as jumped out of the window like Train before. "EVE!" Sven shouted again surprisingly. "I'll back soon, Sven!" Eve shouted back.
Sven sighed tiredly and took his briefcase. His father-feeling toward Eve made him always worrying everything the girl he had considered as his daughter did. He then ran outside, this time using the door since he had no confident to be able to jump like Train or Eve.
It had been a years since Train defeated Creed in his castle. Train, Sven and Eve continued their journey as the sweeper, and of course, still with a mountain of debt. Train, the now-stray cat was enjoying his free live with his comrades
Back to the present. Outside the hotel building.
"Hi, Hime-chi, so you come as well?" the brunette asked the blonde girl who just managed to catch him up.
"Really Train, you have to hear what Sven said once in a while" Eve said with a denigration tone. Train just grinned widely, "What's for after all if after this we'll get 6 millions! We can decrease our debt." Eve rolled her eyes, "As long as you stop swallow that foods like a black hole" she mumbled sarcastically.
They arrived to the café and reached for John Aebon who sat calmly there. "Hi Mister…" Train greeted cheerfully. John took a glance and replied harshly, "Who are you?"
"I'm a sweeper and I'll hand you to the police right now."
It wasn't Train or Eve who spoke, but a girl who suddenly appeared and pointed her gun to John Aebon. John and Eve jumped in surprised while Train let out a little whistle to appreciate the girls' flash move. Then his eyes caught the gun in her hand. He thought he'd ever seen it before. The gun was black with a silver wire on the tip of the handle. Half-surprised, Train moved his eyes to the gun wielders' face.
The black-haired with dark-colored eyes. A cool and almost blank expression of face. Train felt so familiar with those appearance. But his memory about it was still so vague.
"You—…" Train began but broken off since John escaped and the girl ran after him. People in and around the café fell surprised about the sudden riot. Train saw the scene in awe before finally Eve shouted at him, "Train, what you're doing? Come on, chase after them!" and they ran after the girl to an empty alley.
"Just give up, John Aebon, you've cornered" They heard the girls' voice spoke. Slowly, Train and Eve took steps closer so they could see the girls' action from the outside of alley. Train saw her pointed the pistol to the robber and murderers' head. But Train knew if that girl wouldn't kill him since Train didn't feel the murder intense from the girl at all. Beside, she was a sweeper. Sweeper wasn't allowed to kill their target or the money would shrink.
"You have so many confident on your skill lil' girl" they heard John spoke and without any warning threw many knives with a flash move toward the girl in front of him. But skillfully the girl dodged them.
However, Train knew if those knives were just an attention buy so John could shoot her. Seeing that, Train withdrew his Hades and shot Johns' hand before that man could even pulled the trigger. The sweeper girl startled and with a flash move Train jumped out from his hideout and hit the criminal hardly by the head. John Aebon lost his consciousness.
"Your reactions were slow," Train mocked and turned slowly to face the black-haired girl. The girl her self stared at Train carefully because she felt familiar with the brunette in front of him. Her eyes locked at his decorated gun—Hades and then at his XIII tattoo. "Black Cat" she mumbled in surprised.
"Yo… so, you change into a sweeper as well now?"
~0~
"Who is she?" Sven asked as seeing Train and Eve with a stranger girl and with the now-binding criminal.
"She is our new comrade, Cana Swallen!" Train replied cheerfully as walked over Sven.
"I haven't said to agree join your group" Cana mumbling annoyingly. "Aww… come on, Cana-chan…" Train grinned and pushed the girl so they walked in front of the others.
"Hey, what's going on actually?" Sven asked confusedly to Eve beside him.
"Well… that's…"
~0~
"Yo… so you shifted being a sweeper as well now?"
"You are… Black Cat…?" asked the girl in disbelief look.
"Black Cat died 3 years ago. Now I'm just a Stray Cat, Train Heartnet." Train said proudly.
The girl just kept silent and took out a cuff from her pocket. "Yeah… whatever" she mumbling as cuffing the criminals' hands who was laying unconsciously on the ground.
"He… hey, what are you gonna do to him?" Train asked suspiciously.
"Hand him to the police and take my reward" she replied flatly.
"What? 'yours'? Hello…! Isn't it 'me' who hit him unconsciously?" Train demanded.
"What? 'I am' the one who chased after him this far! I could capture him by my self if you'd never interfered!" she spurted.
"Hey! I'm saving you here!" Train reasoned.
"Oh, thanks then, Mr. Saver. But I didn't need any of you help!" she accused sharply.
"Argh! You're so stubborn! He was our target! I saw him from our hotel first!" Train shouted, didn't want to give in.
"Too bad for you. I've seen him and targeted him from this morning!" she shouted back and put her hands on her hips, challenging Train.
"Why don't you just share the reward?" Eve suggested impatiently. She'd turned bored seeing the two adult but actually more childish than her argued.
"WHAT? SHARE?" both of them cried in fear.
"Yeah, I think it's fair enough. She was the one who chased him and Train who finished him off. You two have due on the reward" Eve explained casually and stared at the different expression from the two people in front of her.
"Hm… not a bad idea…" Train commented happily.
"Huh? No way! The hell I will!" the girl replied stubbornly.
"Hey, I have a better idea! How if you join us instead?" Train suggested cheerfully, ignoring the sweeper girls' denial.
"So, how about it, Hime-chi?" Train asked for Eves' opinion who also surprised by Trains' sudden idea. She just shrugged and gave, "It's all up to you. How about Sven and… her?" answer.
"He won't mind it" Train whistled happily.
"Hey, wait up—…!" the girl yelled but Train broke it off. "OK Gals… so, could you tell us ya' name?" he grinned.
She sighed tiredly and answered shortly, "Cana Swallen."
~0~
"So… the point is, that girl—Cana joined by force?" Sven asked. Eve nodded briefly, "However… I didn't mind she join us. Looks like she is dependable and nice…" Eve said. Sven nodded in agreement, "Yeah, looks like she is experienced in this field."
"…and…" Eve continued. "…she is lonely and smells like blood. Just like Train and kind of like me" Eve stated with a blank expression. Sven startled yet still quite.