'I'm going to go look for Eve.' He said simply, removing the pyrotechnic from his arm.
'But but…Kuro-sama wait…' the girl wailed as number thirteen walked out the bar without another word.
'Train-kun.' The ex-assassin stopped in his tracks when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
'Could you at least try and confirm our story from Yuuko-san?' the blond said before he let go and walked back inside the bar.
Train remained stock still for what seemed like an eternity but finally a flash of brown up turning around the corner of the street brought him out of his daze. He uttered one single word before taking off in the direction he had seen her go.
Train's heart was beating against his chest as he turned around the bend to come face to face with… nothing? Where did she go? He had just seen her come this way. Train spun around when he heard a quite giggle from behind him but once again there was nothing there. His eyes widened when he heard someone chuckle quietly next to his ear. Train whirled around and saw the brown haired girl disappear round the corner of the other side of the street.
'Saya?' Train whispered quietly before he ran after her. He could still hear her amused giggles. 'Hey! Saya, Wait up!'
He did not see where he was going as he blindly followed the sound of her laughter, all the while calling for her to stop. No matter how fast he ran or how much he shouted, the girl never slowed, all he ever caught of her were small glimpses as she would turn around the corners of the streets and alleys until finally he found himself facing a dead end. But she was nowhere to be seen.
'Damn it!' Train swore as he kicked the nearby dumper in frustration. He swore repeatedly as he clutched his head in his hands and slid down the wall behind him, flopping on the alley floor. His mind was playing tricks on him again. He did not have time for this. He had to find Eve. Now was not the time to go crazy.
'Hello Train-kun.' He heard her voice speak as someone settled on the ground next to him.
'Go away.' Train mumbled dejectedly without even raising his head to see who it was.
'Is that anyway to greet your friends?' the girl asked playfully.
'You're not real.' Train muttered.
'Now why would you think that?' she asked cheerfully.
'Because Saya is dead.' Train said as he hit his head against the wall. 'I was too late to save her.' He hit his head once more, 'I couldn't do anything for her,' the light thud sounded as his head met the wall again, 'and now,' another thud, 'Eve's gone too,' Thud, 'and I,' thud, 'can't do,' thud, 'anything,' thud, 'at all.' thud, 'I'm completely useless.'
'You know Train-kun,' the girl said in the same bright tone, 'if you keep doing that your head will crack open.'
Train stopped his actions to give the girl just one look. She looked just like her, sparkling green eyes, brown hair framing a pretty face and that ever present confident yet beautiful smile.
'You're not real.' Train said once again as he shook his head as he looked the other way.
'Repeating that won't make me go away, Train-kun.' The girl laughed.
'…'
'You're no fun,' she said, 'as usual.'
'…'
'So are you just going to keep on ignoring me?' the girl said, hurt evident in her voice. Unable to stop himself, Train looked back at the girl. She was looking down at her hands which were lying in her lap.
'You never denied my existence before now Train-kun.' She said softly as she looked up to meet his gaze. Train's eyes widened slightly as soon as gold met green, his heart had resumed its wild thumping. It couldn't be… could it? This couldn't be Saya… she had died in his own arms so then how…
'You're thinking that she died, right?' she asked with a sad smile, 'you face always did show what you thought.'
'…'
'I am not a figment of your imagination Train-kun.' She sighed softly as she looked up to see the twinkling stars. When had the sun set? 'I died…' she looked back at him, 'but I'm still real.'
'Y-you're her…' Train started in shock.
'Spirit.' She nodded.
****************************
'Dimension hopping rabbit?' Train muttered to himself as weaved through the crowd, 'Tao, Shinkitou, Eden, Trans fused with Tao, Saya's Spirit… all of that stuff is believable no matter how bizarre it may sound but… a dimension hopping rabbit??? Whoever heard of such a thing? I'd rather believe that the crazy blond was a vampire.'
As he walked across the city, Train replayed the conversations he had with Saya and that blond guy and brown haired kid.
This is not the only world where humans exist… parallel dimensions if you may… was cloned…
Eye… turned to a vampire… lost his arm… Hime's body… stolen… Fei Wong Reed…
Spirit… decided to stay… help… Eve-chan…
Train was now near some sort of commercial area.
'What part of Lawor is this place?' Train scratched his head as he looked around. He had never been to this place before. Had he gotten lost? No. that was not possible. Okay so yeah, he had been chasing after Saya's ghost like a crazed idiot but that did not mean that the Black Cat would get lost just like that. Just by taking a few wrong unknown turns.
'Funny,' he thought as he looked around him some more, 'Yuuko's empty plot is also in this sort of place,' he mumbled as he walked closer to a traditional looking Japanese house amidst the tall buildings. But that was crazy, Yuuko's plot was in Kashmir, this was Lawor which was a different city altogether. Even though it was an average Japanese home, it seemed to be surrounded by some sort of strange aura.
Not really knowing why Train walked closer to the fence surrounding the house and looked inside. All of a sudden the gate creaked open and Train stumbled inside as though if someone had pushed him inside and he had no control whatsoever over his own two feet.
'What the hell?' Train said in shock as he turned around to leave before the owner saw him there.
'Welcome.' Chirped two young voices right behind him.
'Huh?' the sweeper whirled around in confusion. He was pretty sure there had been no one around when he had walked in. How come he did not sense them approaching? He wondered as he observed the girls warily, they looked no older than nine and were wearing identical creepy grins as they looked at him. One of the girls had blue hair and the other had hair that were pink in color.
'Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to come in.' Train said as he decided to leave. The sooner he left those creepy girls alone the better. He had already wasted a lot of time wandering around this place. He would just call Sven to pick him up from... wherever he was.
'You can't leave now.' The girls giggled behind their hands as they stepped in his way, preventing him from leaving.
'Look, I'm kind of busy so if you don't mind I would like to leave.' Train said trying to keep his temper down. He was feeling extremely stupid now. Why had he even decided to run off like that? Sven must be worried about him as well now. Surely he would be back at Annette's by now.
'You can't leave now.' The short haired girl repeated as she took hold of his right hand.
'You have to see master first.' The other one said as she wrapped her small hand around his left one.
'Come in. come in.' both said in unison as they tugged his hands. 'Master is expecting you.'
'Huh? Hey! Wait a second… ' Train protested as he realized what was happening. The two girls were dragging him inside the house. A feat in itself since kids could not drag adults along with them; let alone trained assassins.
They're really strong for a couple of little girls. He thought to himself as his struggles had no effect on his little captors. That was when he remembered how deceiving looks could actually be. Eve had looked like an average twelve year old girl when he had first been assigned to finish her off yet she could have easily beaten him that first time if it hadn't been for Sven's interference. Hell, she could have even enslaved the entire world through Eden.
'Look little girls.' Train said as he finally managed to free his hand from their devilish small ones and faced them but it was not before they had dragged him inside the structure.
'Marudashi and Morudashi.' A female spoke from somewhere to his right.
The two girls moved towards the rice paper door in said direction and opened it with a small clack.
'Yuuko?' Train said skeptically as he raised his brow and walked into the room. The raven-haired woman was reclining on a low back sofa with a smoking pipe in her hand. She was wearing a really low cut dress which had a slit in its side revealing a scandalous amount of her creamy white legs.
'Hello Train.' She greeted him as she took another drag from her pipe. 'So you have finally found the shop.' She said as she exhaled, the smoke curling up around her in small wisps.
'This is your shop?' Train said as his brow rose even further.
'Yes.' Yuuko nodded, 'and you were able to enter it because you have a wish.'
'I don't think you can help me with that I wish.' Train said softly.
'Maybe. Maybe not.' Yuuko said simply, 'it all depends on how much you are willing to pay for it.'
'I'm broke.' Train said as he turned around to leave.
'You wish to save the bio-weapon girl, no?' Yuuko's words stopped him just when he was about to step out of the rice paper door.
'Kyoko put you up to this, didn't she?' Train said as he turned around to look at her suspiciously. 'Like I said earlier, you can't help me with that so I think I'll leave.'
'You won't find her in this world.' Yuuko said in the same serene tone that she had been using earlier.
'I think I'll take my chances.' Train said as he slid the door open.
'Your denial might lead to Eve's downfall.' She said once more. 'Are you sure you want her death on your hands?'
'You have carried this stupid joke far enough Yuuko.' He said coldly as he looked back at her, his pupils turning to catlike slits. 'She is not going to die and when I find her those bastards will pay dearly.'
'How exactly do you intend to find her?' the witch asked with a knowing smirk, not in the least bit fazed by his suddenly intimidating appearance. 'Surely you don't think you'll be able to open a gate in space and land in whatever place they took her.'
'Echidna…'
'Echidna Paras can open gates anywhere but in this dimension alone.' Yuuko said as she rose from the recliner and sauntered up to the sweeper, 'she can't take you to other worlds.'
'And you can?' Train raised his brow.
'No. I can merely provide you with the means to do that.' the woman replied.
'By any chance, would that means happen to be a white rabbit?' Train asked skeptically.
'Mokona is not a rabbit Train.' Yuuko shook her head as she looked away, 'I suppose you've already met those three then.'
'Two.' Was Train's reply.
'Ah.' Yuuko nodded, 'there used to be four of them,' she told him with a somewhat sad gleam in her eye, 'all four of them paid with their most precious possessions in order to obtain Mokona. If you wish to save Eve, you will have to go with them.'
'And what would I have to pay for that rabbit?' the sweeper asked.
Yuuko turned back to look at him, her eyes soft and filled with sadness as she looked at something behind him.
'Saya.' She uttered softly.
A/N: Finally. This chapter is done. So people, how was it?
Hehehe…
What do you think, was that Train's price? Even though I haven't clearly specified what he has to give up yet, you can still take some guesses… and give me reviews. Lots and lots of reviews. And I'll try to update the next chapter faster.
Till next time, Ja. :)