Spel: Wack! Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry for the late update! I meant to have it our last Friday...but my beta took forever...

Aww... a mushy song...at least compared to the other two...dark songs. This song doesn't fit the beginning and the middle...but it fits the end!

Anyway, thanks so much to all who reviewed! A super long chapter for you!

Black Cat (c) Kentaro Yabuki

'At the Beginning' (c) Richard Marx and Donald Lewis

31 Days chapter 3

'At the beginning'

We were strangers

Starting out on a journey

Never dreaming

What we'd have to go through

Now here we are

And I'm suddenly standing

At the beginning with you

It was dark when Saya woke from her unwilling sleep. The lull of the car's engine rocked her from the warm cocoon of sleep into the dark abyss of consciousness. And Saya, for one of the first times in her life, felt completely and utterly afraid. Afraid of the unknown. But she was not alone, yet that fact only made this trip all that much more fearful.

"Where are we?" she asked the driver in a small voice, much more timid than her normal assertive tone. That change scared her most of all.

She wriggled slightly, so that she was now sitting up, and could see the back of her captor's head over the seat, but it was too dark out to make out much else.

To her annoyance, her captor did not answer her question, but she did not press him on the matter. Who knew what this man was capable of?

The sound of gears shifting caught her attention, and she noted that they were pulling into the parking lot of a shabby looking hotel.

Her captor pulled the car into one of the few slots and turned the machine off. Saya saw him glance at her, then undo the seat-belt and step out of the car. He stood there for a minute, staring at her, and she caught the message. She twisted, trying to undo the belt, but could not reach the clasp with her hands tied as they were.

"Uhh…a little help?" She asked, annoyed, yet somehow nervous. He seemed to sigh, and pulled open the car door.

She was not able to see much of him because of the shadow the car was causing in the moonlight, but what she could see of him she noticed that he seemed lean, not small or short - in fact he looked like he would be tall if he stood at full height- and he had a commanding presence. Not the presence of a killer, but one of someone of great importance, like a prince or king. Somehow…regal.

Saya heard the clasp snap open and flinched a little when the belt whipped out of the holder, barely missing her face as it passed. She flinched even harder when she heard her captor speak for the first time.

"Get up. I'll cut the ropes." his cold voice announced, and Saya sat still in shock for a moment. Her eyes snapped open wide as she heard him sigh lightly, and she scooted backwards out of the car…and very ungracefully fell to the pavement, yelping slightly when her rear made contact with the hard surface.

She glanced up and saw her captor, a strange look on what she could see of his face, like he was lifting an eyebrow in amusement.

"Glad to be a source of entertainment…" she mumbled to herself as she stood, turning her back to him and waited for him to cut the bonds on her hands. She felt a slightly cold object touch her wrists and the barest hint of a tug when the ropes fell free.

She pulled her hands forward, rubbing her sore wrists and turned to face her captor.

"You wait here. I'll check in," he told her shortly, in that same icy voice that belonged to a killer of men.

'Well, I'm in trouble that's for sure. He sure is scary…but what does he want with me? I'm just a high-school girl. Who would want to kidnap me? I mean, I wouldn't kidnap myself, I'm so boring and plain and…

What am I doing, thinking about irrelevant things like that? Here I am in the midst of danger and all I can think about is how I don't fit in. Well, I'll have to worry about fitting in with heaven if I don't get my priorities straightened.'

While Saya was in the midst of her thoughts, she failed to notice some men walking up to her. She woke out of her stupor when she heard a very drunken voice and smelled the pungent odor of alcohol.

"Hey, Sweetie. How about come with us? You'll have fun," one of the burlier men slurred at her in an attempt to entice her. Saya just wrinkled her nose and turned her body away, signaling that she wanted nothing to do with these men.

"No, thank you. I'm waiting for someone." She told them over her shoulder in the best 'cold' voice that she could manage.

"Awww…don't be like that, honey. I promise, you'll have a real good time," the other man told her, obviously more sober than his partner, but no less scary.

Saya wrinkled her nose again, and crossed her arms tightly across her yukata covered chest. "Sorry, I don't go for drunkards."

While she tried to act tough to scare them off, her thoughts were very different from her words. Where is that guy anyhow! How long does it take to check in?! Not that I trust him at all…but he is an assassin…

She was jerked out of her thoughts as she felt a hand on her butt. Her eyes widened and a vein popped on her forehead.

"What…the…HELL!" She exclaimed, jerking around and lifted her right fist, letting it connect with the man's meaty cheek.

"Oooowwww….what was that for, honey?" The man groaned from his place on the ground at her feet. The other man looked taken a back for a moment, clearly surprised that a girl had wounded his partner.

"Hah! I bet you didn't see that one coming! I hate to disappoint you, but I have a mean right hook!" Saya exclaimed, a huge grin on her face as she raised her right hand in a peace sign. The man she had punched glared at her from the ground, nursing his injured cheek as he glared at the young woman in front of him.

"Why you little bitch! I'll teach you!" The now sober man snarled at her. She grimaced slightly and pulled her hand back in shock.

"Uhh…I should make my escape now, eh?" She laughed slightly in fear, and swiveled around to run. Or at least she tried to, since she was suddenly pulled back against the man's chest.

"OW! Hey, you jerk, watch it! This is my favorite yukata-" She tried to snap, but the sudden feel of a large hand landing roughly on her chest made her clamp her mouth shut.

"OK missy, I tried to be nice and said I'd be gentle, but now you've gone and been a bad girl," he said, his mouth pressed up against her ear, his disgusting breath washing under her nose. "Now it looks like you need to be punished. How about a good spanking, eh Shishio?" The man purred at her, sending chills up her spine. She tried desperately to fight, but the man caught her other arm in his remaining hand, and pulled it across her upper body in a dead-lock. She tried to lift her sandal-clad feet to kick him, but his rough boots covered her small feet.

"Ow…let…me…go!" she exclaimed, voice shrill with fear and pain.

"Heh…I think not, eh Shi- Huh? Shishio?" The man turned his head to stare at his friend, whose eyes had gone wide.

"I-I'm sorry…" he rasped, and a loud bang could be heard from behind him. His body bent unnaturally backwards in death as he fell, blood spurting out of the bullet wound in his middle.

Saya suddenly felt the experience of falling, along with the sharp pain of hitting the pavement again for the second time in a half an hour. She managed to pull her arm up to cover her face and scraped her forearm open on the ground. Gritting her teeth to keep from yelping, she turned over, facing the 'battle' in front of her. Not that it was a battle by any stretch of the imagination. Her captor had his gun pointed straight at the man who had held her just a moment ago, pure malice in his eyes.

"If you don't want to die, I suggest that you leave immediately and do not come in contact with this girl or me ever again," he told the man, his voice stabbing through both the man and Saya.

"Shi…Shi…" the man stuttered, and swallowed. He wanted revenge for his friend, but he knew his limits, "Ok. I'm…I'm going." he dissuaded. The man then turned and ran, almost running over Saya in his sprint to get away from the killer.

Saya still lay there on the pavement, shock written all over her pale face.

"Get up. You're getting your yukata dirty by laying there on the ground." her captor snapped at her. She flinched, and nodded, stumbling slightly in her haste to obey his orders. He was right, since her yukata was white… "Come on. The room's ready." He told her, and as he turned, the moonlight caught his shape and his image was imprinted in her mind.

Messy brown hair, that was a bit long and spiked off in every direction. Tall and clad in all black with a long trench coat. Black boots covered his feet. He wore his shirt unbuttoned at the top all the way down to his mid-chest. Lightly golden skin shone in the moonlight and under his left collarbone there was a black mark, looking like some sort of tattoo. And of course, his golden eyes that had- like his aura- a regal and prideful shine.

Saya was held captive for a moment by those eyes. No bedroom gleam, no happiness, no joy. Just…there. They were…amazing.

"C'mon," her captor said, snapping her out of her revere. She nodded and followed her captor's quick footsteps up to the second floor walkway. He paused in front of the door 202 and pulled a card out of the pocket in his trench coat, slid it in the lock, and the door unlocked with a snap. He held the door open with his hand and looked at Saya, expectant. She looked at him strangely for a moment, then she understood his motive.

"Ah…sorry. A bit slow today." She said with a grin and walked cautiously into the room.

It was small, with two twin beds to her right, both facing a TV that was strapped down tight. Really, how desperate are people? She thought, but then remembered her earlier encounter with those men. She shook her head slightly, and returned to her browsing. The only other room in this place was a tiny bathroom, with a sink outside it, against the perpendicular wall.

"Stay here. I'm going to take care of something." Her captor's voice told her and she spun around nearly slipping on her sandals.

"What? What're you going to take care of, hm?" She asked curiously, bending forward slightly with her hands behind her back.

Her captor turned to his right, closing the door behind him. "The body." His cold voice rang, sending shivers down her spine as she remembered the cold body laying below her floor. "And take your shoes off. It's rude to leave them on." he said with finality.

"I-I know that, stupid!" she shouted to the closed door, clearly wanting to have the last word.

"Just stay in here. It won't do you good to go wandering," his voice told her from behind the door, and Saya heard the lock snap and his light footsteps walking away.

She sighed, slipping her sandals off and plopping down on one of the beds. "Wow…what a weird week. And a weird guy." She sat there for a moment, just thinking. Then suddenly she jumped up and walked over to the bathroom. "God I stink. I'll take a shower…or not." she said, remembering the guy that held her captive at the moment. "Well…he doesn't seem like a pervert…just a scary killer…" She muttered, toying with the idea, "Ah, why not?" she said, and walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

Clad in her yukata, Saya walked into the middle of the room, drying her hair with the small hotel towel. She walked toward the bed and dropped the towel, running a hand through her hair in order to tame it. If anyone had looked closely at her, they would have noticed a mischievous gleam in her green eyes.

"Ok!" She said, pulling both hands into fists and nodding her head once. Saya walked toward the door and studied the lock. It really was not all that complicated…with a grin on her face, she grabbed a bobby pin laying on the table next to her, and slid it in, putting her ear to the lock. After a few minutes, she heard the sound of clicking, and with a triumphant chuckle, open the pad-lock.

Saya slid on her sandals, opening the door slightly in order the peak out. "Ok, he's not here. I'm history!" she exclaimed quietly and snuck out, quietly closing the door behind her.

Wind whipped through her damp hair as she quietly jogged down the stairs, sending a slight chill down her back. "Ok, it's cold." she muttered, crossing her arms, she paused in the back parking lot, and looked back up at the staircase. "Sorry dude, to leave you high-and-dry…but I've got a life, and I want to live it!" She said to the still night air and jogged off down the pathway to the close-by town.

The plain white door to apartment 202 swung open, and the figure of Saya's captor stood in the doorway. He walked in slowly, pulling his black boots off and leaving them at the doorway before he continued into the lighted room.

To his slight shock, he could not see the girl in the room. "Hmm, maybe she's in the bathroom?" he asked him self quietly, noticing the bathroom door open and the light on. He cleared his throat loudly as a warning before he continued to the small lavatory. Well, I gave her a warning and she didn't say anything… he though as he pushed the door open all the way. His eyes widened in shock when he saw that the room was empty. "What the-" He started to growl, but noticed something on the mirror. He walked closer and peered forward in order to read the faded handwriting.

Sorry Mr. Captor, but I've got a life to live. See yah!

-Saya

Her captor closed his yellow eyes as his eyebrow began to twitch and he balled his fists. When he snapped open his eyelids, those haunting eyes glowed a frightening golden, promising pain. "Stupid girl! Does she know where she is?! This town…" He snarled, and spun around his coat flying behind him as he ran to the door- quickly pulled on his boots- and flew out the door, closing it with a slam. "She could be killed…or worse." He murmured as he ran, legs pumping quickly as he followed her trail. If anyone had been watching, all the could have seen was a black blur with a tint of gold.

Saya ran along the sidewalk, her yukata and sandals not hindering her sprint for freedom. Looking behind her she paused. When she did not notice anything, she grinned in pride.

"Yeah, baby, I lost him!" she exclaimed. Then, turning to continue her run, she finally noticed something important. "Ok, so where am I going to stay? It's dark out…and kinds creepy…" she thought aloud to herself, "Maybe I shoulda thought this plan out more." She said, and sighed deeply, plopping herself down on a bench. "Now what am I going to do? No food, no money and worst of all no milk. Urg! I'm an idiot!" she exclaimed, smacking herself in the forehead.

She sat for a minute, getting her thoughts together. She came to a conclusion on what she should do…but it was probably not the best for her health. "I can't go back, he'll kill me. Or at least be really mad at me. Both are scary options…" She told herself.

Her head snapped up when she noticed a group of men walking on the other side of the road. "Ah! People!" She exclaimed, excited. Maybe I can stay with them! she thought to herself, her eyes wide with happiness. She jumped up off the bench and ran across the road - though she looked both ways first- and ran up to the group of men.

"Hi!" she exclaimed as she ran up to them, happy to find normal human company. Her smile faltered -as well as her step- when the group turned around, now facing the young woman.

'Ok, scratch the normal part…' she thought as she halted, and put her hands up. "Uh…sorry. I thought you were someone else…" she explained, though even to herself fit sounded lame.

"You lookin' for someone sweetheart?" Asked a muscle-bound man with a tattoo on his right bicep asked her, clearly hitting on her.

Poor Saya was not exactly tall at 5'4, and this man was around 6'6. Huge.

"Uh…sorry. I know where he is now…" She said, a fake smile plastered on her pale face.

"Aw, c'mon. You need a place to stay, honey?" The man said, and his group of friends all guffawed stupidly behind him. "Yeah, we'll give you a place to stay." one of them said.

"Now, now. No need to scare off out guest. It's the first we've had in a while." The man said, and as Saya turned to run she was grabbed, and pulled up against the huge man. "Now, that was naughty. You need to be punished…but I won't be rude. I'll share." and with that, he threw her into the mob of men that he called his friends and gang-members.

Saya's screams could be heard all throughout the alleyway and streets nearby, yet no one came.

"Let…let me GO you bastard!" She yelled with as much bravado as someone could while being shoved around. The group of men stood around her in a circle, laughing as she shoved her around them, touching her breasts and butt in the moment they had her.

"I don't think so sweetie." The leader said as he grabbed her from behind. "I plan on having a little fun." He said, and lowered his mouth to her neck. She whimpered at the strange feel of a man's mouth on her neck, and on fear. She knew what this men wanted. Her eyes widened as he bit her on the neck, and she did something that she hadn't done in a long time. She cried in pain.

"Aw…poor thing. Did we scare you? Sorry." The man said, and lowered his mouth.

"Ahhh!" She screamed in pain and fear, tears streaming down her face. "NO! STOP!" She cried out. What can I do? I'm…I'm going to be…r-raped. She took a deep breath, and screamed with all the lung power she had. "HELP! MR. CAPTOR, HELP ME!"

Suddenly, a loud gunshot could be heard. She gasped slightly, suddenly feeling relief sweep through her. She could not see him, since she was held facing the other way, but she knew it was him.

"What the-" the man started to say, then stopped short as he saw the figure standing in the alley entryway. His eyes grew wide as he recognized the man standing there. "It-it's you! You work for Chronos! You're the 'Black Cat'!" He exclaimed, loosening his grip on Saya and she fell to the cement ground, legs no longer able to support her.

"I say that you leave now, and never return. If I see you again, I won't hesitate to shoot. Now leave." He said, his eyes glowing with anger.

"Now hang on, mister. The girl's ours-" One of the men made to the mistake of saying. It was his last words.

The ally rang with the sound of a gunshot, and the men watched as one of their comrades fell, dead.

"Now, leave." The man snarled, stepping forward threateningly. The men took the hint, and scattered.

Saya lay on the ground letting her tears fall, scared again. What would he do to her? He had sounded mad. She flinched slightly at the sound of footsteps nearing, and stiffened up waiting for the blow. But it never came.

She lifted her head slightly, peering over to the man who stood over her. She flinched again when she heard his voice.

"Well, that was not smart, running away like that." He said, annoyance in his voice. Yet, he somehow sounded amused.

She looked all the way up at him, and pulled herself up into a sitting position, rubbing the tears from her face. "I…I'm…sorry." She whispered, feeling tired and scared. To her shock, he crouched down to her level, his eyes a bit…was that…sympathetic?

"Close your yukata," he told her. She started a bit, and looked down at her gi, which was pulled open wide, but not wide enough to see her breasts.

"Ah…ok," she whispered, pulling it shut, and securing her obi. She looked at him, reluctance in her green eyes. He stared right back at her, his own eyes not accusing, but sympathetic, though even he could not understand why he was feeling sympathy for this poor scrap of a girl.

He sighed, and stood up, offering his hand to her. She complied, resting her smaller hand in his larger one. The moment that their hands touched, both could feel sparks jolt through their spines. Saya stared at him in slight shock, wondering if he had a small electrocuter in the sleeve of his coat. Her captor was in slight shock as well, never having felt something like that before. He just shook it off as exhaustion.

No one told me I was going to find you

Unexpected what you did to my heart

When I lost hope You were there to remind me

This is the start

"C'mon," he said, and pulled the girl to her feet. Saya wobbled a bit, was able to right herself enough to stand. "Yah know, you really are something." He told her, and she looked at him in shock.

"What do you mean?" she asked a bit timidly.

"I mean that you were attacked twice within a three hour period, and yet you're able to recover quickly from it," he said, something strange in his voice, "I've know girls that would have fainted from that."

"Well…I guess since I live alone, I've had to toughen myself up a bit." Saya said with a bright smile. Her captor sighed again.

"We need to get back to the hotel." He said bluntly, and turned on his heel, starting to walk away.

"O-okay," She said, wobbling a bit, but still able to walk, "Hey…that guy back there…he called you 'Black Cat'….what is that?" She inquired shyly.

Her captor paused, looking at her. He cleared his throat. "Well…I work for an organization called Chronos. It has two branches, the Assassination Branch, and the Sweeper Branch. I'm in the Assassin Branch. We all have code names that we go by. Since I'm number thirteen…I'm called Black Cat. All bad luck." He finished with a grin.

"But…how do you know which number is what?" She asked, continuing walking by his side.

"We all have numbers branded somewhere on us." He told her, a bit more solemnly.

"Were is your number?" She asked yet again. She flinched slightly when he looked sharply at her, "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you by it…I was just curious…" She muttered.

He gave a short sigh through his nose, almost in laughter. "No, you did not offend me. I'm just not used to people asking me that question. It's here." He said, stopping and facing her. She stopped as well, feeling a bit apprehensive.

He just pulled the left side of his shirt a bit more to the side, and his number was there, black inked right under his left collarbone...the roman numerals of number XIII.

"Ah." was all Saya could say. She cleared her throat and started walking again, her captor joining her as he fixed hid coat and shirt. Saya looked over to her right, and saw the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

The sun was rising over the distant mountain peaks, gleaming in its colorful swirl of pinks, yellows, purples, reds and oranges. It seemed so beautiful…so harmonious, contrasting greatly with the troubled town behind her.

"Come on, or I'm going to leave you behind!" Her captor's voice broke her revere, and she jogged up behind him. A sudden thought pulled her to a dead stop. She swallowed, uncertain if she should ask…

"What is it?" His voice said, though a bit softer. She looked up at him in confusion. "Well, you obviously have a question. Go ahead."

"Well…um…" she stuttered.

"Spit it out we haven't got all day!" He snapped, annoyed though not mad.

"Well….what is your name?" She asked quickly, nervous again.

Her captor frowned. "I already told you, Black Cat." He stated it like it was obvious.

Saya shook her head. "No…not your Chronos name. Your…real name. Your birth name." She asked, a blush appearing on her nose and cheeks.

He frowned slightly, his eyes surprised. Then he closed his eyes and told her.

"Train Heartnet."

And he looked at her, a slight smile on his handsome face, the light complimenting his dark brown firework-esk hair. "Nice to meet you, Saya Minatsuki."

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you.

Thanks for reading!