This is the Cirno News Network with a breaking news story. Monster populations across the Rust Belt has been identified as occurring within a single species. The aquatic monsters, ubiquitous in their numbers, have nearly completely disappeared within recent weeks. Where before they would appear whenever one so much as threw a fishing line in the water, one must be extremely lucky and possessing bait to even have a chance of drawing them out. We here would wonder exactly why one would bait one of the monsters, but be it on your heads if you do.

Thank you, and enjoy the show. This has been THE STRONGEST! Now back to your irregularly scheduled fic.

Touhoumon: Gray Version
Chapter 5: Trailer for Sale or Rent

Dust swirled up behind us as we rocketed down the dirt road, the roar of the engine rattling us deep in our bones. Furtively glancing over towards my companion, I saw that she had managed to strap herself in, keeping a tight grimace on her face. She still didn't seem to want to talk much after waking up on me. Not that I thought that such a thing was unreasonable. She was probably just embarrassed after waking up on top of me.

Of course, I was too. Still, there wasn't anything to be done about it but to put it behind us and hit the road. With all the valuables in the back, ready to sell for a pretty chunk of change, we needed to do no more waiting. So, with our packs sitting in the middle of the bench and my shotgun hanging on the rack, we set off.

The drive drug on for ten, and then twenty minutes. We had to keep our speed relatively low, as we did not need to burn excess diesel. Plus, the dirt road was in pretty bad of a shape, with entire sections washed away by the intermittent rains that we experienced. After thirty minutes, we reached the last vestiges of civilization, where the dirt transformed into concrete.

From there, it wasn't but a ten-minute drive on the old road filled with potholes. There was enough tar around to fill the largest of them… but not enough drove to even warrant keeping the road at tiptop shape. Nowadays, one simply drove slow and carefully, and you would never have to worry about it busting your tires.

It was about this time that Tokiko finally broke the silence between us. "Why do you humans have such contraptions as these?"

I suppose that may be a valid question. We're perfectly capable of walking, aren't we? But no, considering how dangerous the times are, and how simply, "It's more convenient for us. We don't have wings to fly about with. And with this, we can haul everything we need, for whatever we're doing."

She tilted her head. "But you don't use them that much. Is this because of the shortages?"

"Yup." I glanced at her, her headwing up waving slowly from side to side. Seems she was interested. "Oil's pretty rare now. After the explosion, everything collapsed pretty quickly. Those of us out on the fringes were able to adjust. Those in the cities, though… They weren't able to feed themselves all of a sudden."

I shrugged. I'd never been to the larger cities, nothing outside of Greater Spencer. Most cities without dedicated rail were deserted quickly after the fall. "But it just compounded, I'm told. One thing after another. Not to mention that the majority of cars wouldn't even work. Most of the gas-powered cars need a spark to ignite their engines. But since electricity doesn't even work anymore, it was abandoned as a bad job."

I shook my head, trying to chase away the thoughts in my mind. "It was a long time ago Tokiko. But a lot of the great cities from before are nothing more than shadows of their former selves. Simply out of the electricity and the gasoline to keep themselves up."

She sat quietly for a minute, before tapping my shoulder. "You never answered my question, though. Why use those instead of things like that metal contraption." Contraption? She must be meaning the trike. I can see her point though. Why use a bloody thing that eats fuel if I can drive my own vehicle.

"This truck, even at its age, is a lot quicker than the I could ever be on that trike. Not to mention that I would get worn out just by using that thing. We'd have to stop and take rests if we used this one. But this thing? We'll keep using it until we run out of fuel."

She cocked her head at me. "And what then?"

"Then…" Well, simple answer, I suppose. "We either have caught up to them, or we sell the truck and keep moving on." I shrugged at her look. "Nothing more to do. Everything in the back might buy us enough diesel to keep moving this old thing twice over, but after that, we'd be broke. Besides, if they're moving on, they'd be taking the train."

I cast my eyes on ahead, looking down the wide-open road before us. "That's why we're headed to Old Spencer. We be needing to take us a train."

Nodding at me, Tokiko settled back, resting her head against the post of the cab. I joined her in the comfortable silence, steering through the old and busted road before us.

About an hour later, we finally pulled into the city proper of Greater Spencer. We had passed the first other vehicle of some remark a while back, this one being a bike. Poor sap shouldn't really have been riding out that far from the city, so he's either brave, or a damn fool. Something tells me he might be both. Sparrows might be trying to pick him off.

As soon as we saw that rider, though, I gave my youkai friend a look. With a heavy sigh, she reached down and grabbed the hat, stuffing it on her head. Her winged rolled up pretty nice within, although I could spot the hat jerk occasionally when she wasn't concentrating too well. Hopefully, she would get used to it, and we needn't worry about what was to happen if she was exposed. Maybe it was a fool's hope, but it was what we had.

But as we emerged through the tree line, we found ourselves entangled in an urban jungle. At least, in the sense that the forest was slowly reclaiming the outskirts of the city. Most of those buildings were either old or decrepit compared to what they might have once been. And since most that were well off enough to live in the cities tended to congregate towards the center… The outskirts were left abandoned.

If I hadn't been so sure that it had already been done, they might have been a good idea to pick through. But any potential valuable was long gone from them. Father had ventured the idea forth a few times, but we never did commit to doing such a thing.

Besides, someone might come home to their old house one day. And how would I like it if someone ransacked my own house, just because it was thought that I was dead?

Yeah, I wouldn't react too well.

Fortunately, city center didn't take but a few more minutes. It would have taken an even shorter amount of time, but I had to dodge both the traffic and the citizens that were walking the streets of the steam city. They always walked in front of your vehicle just as you were to pass, looking neither way to check for anything oncoming. But I'd imagine that the worst that they'd suffer is the impact of a bike rider, and it isn't so bad for the pedestrian. An unlucky rider, on the other hand…

Well, I've heard horror stories, and I'll leave it at that.

Somewhat interesting was Tokiko's reaction. She seemed to shrink away from the townsfolk, trying to avoid their gaze. It almost made me laugh, after how she had treated me… But I stopped when I remembered why she wasn't so fond of humans. Reaching out with a hand, I placed it on her arm, just to remind her that someone is here.

As I drove, I felt eyes burning into the side of my face, before she finally looked away. Carefully driving through the city streets with my one free hand, we found ourselves outside of the warehouse.

At least, that's what father and I have always called it. It's something more than a simple warehouse, even though its primary purpose is the storage of goods. Rather, you might call it an oversized general store, as it deals in goods from all over.

It does help that there is a rail line that connects straight to the main station, so that any boxcars that come through can be unloaded straight into the warehouse. It's the reason the store has been so successful. There is always a great deal of basics in, but sometimes they might have something special.

Like a certain bag of balls that was hooked onto my hip at the moment.

Finding a parking spot in the laughably empty field of cracked concrete, we slid out of the car and began to walk towards the entrance. Out of the corner of my mouth, I spoke to Tokiko as she pulled the coat tight over her wings. "Be careful. The trader in here is a good ol' boy, but don't be fooled. He can be a bit of a conman if he thinks you're an easy mark. Just follow my lead, and you won't have anything to worry about."

Should I be worried that she accepted the argument so easily? Still, she did as I said, sticking close to my side as we walked through the doors.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light inside. The roof of the building had a few of its panels ripped out and replaced with what spare glass they had available, but it only provided a smidgen of light. It was enough that one could read by it, at best. And at worst, you might have to bring a candle or lamp just to make it about the store.

However, we did not need to go searching for the trader. He himself appeared out of the darkness, summoned by the small footsteps on the floor. Adjusting his glasses, he peered through the thick lenses before giving a whoop of joy. "Well, if it ain't the old coon dog's son? Come on in, come on in… How are you doing?" His eyes slid on over to Tokiko, and the smile on his face widened into a grin. "And who is this? I don't recognize you, little miss. Coming in here with ol' Gray? Did your father send you two out here to have a little bit of fun away from home, or are you a traveler that his family took a shine to?"

Before she opened her mouth, I answered for her. "She's just a traveler, a long way from her home. She… wandered across the house two days ago, and we took her in. She needed a place to stay, and we were able to give her that."

Grin falling slightly he turned to give me a look. "I was only joking about the traveler part, son. Your home is remote enough as it is. The odds of one making it there, with all of the sparrows about." He peered over the glasses, examining her intently. "Must be stronger or smarter than you look little miss. Although, I have to ask, is that hair color natural?"

Well, that was a question that would be hard to answer. However, before the two of us could formulate a response, he threw up his hands. "Bah, what am I kidding. Traveling through woods with those monsters? It's a wonder you're still even halfway sane. And that stress would turn anyone's hair white." Shaking his head ruefully, he waved us over. "Come on, come on. You can tell me what your father sent you for. Or are you here with payment early?"

Damn, I had nearly forgotten that we still had payment due to him. "Neither, I'm afraid. I'm… here to liquidate what I can." I lowered my eyes to the ground, finding it impossible to look at him. "They were… taken, the night before last."

The trader's eyes widened as he froze in spot. "No… not another… Your father, you mean? He was taken? Or do you mean your sister and your mother, too?"

My hands shook slightly as I forced the words out. Didn't want to think of it again, but still, I must accept it completely. And even knowing that they're gone still… A small hand gripped mine as I answered, "All of them. Taken in the night. I managed to kill one of the sparrows… And Tokiko took a good many of them down."

"Seven," she muttered to herself. "Three in the landing, put down so that your sister could finish them. Four more in the bedroom, defending her." From the way she sounded, and the state of the bedroom before we left… It had not been done with magic.

Still, I had to finish the story. "Mother was stolen away by one of the monsters. Father was shot in the legs, put down on the ground and forced to stay." I blinked again, trying to hold back the water. "Sister… she knew that they were aware of only one more of us. She sacrificed herself so that she could get away."

The trader shook his head slowly, before sinking into his seat. "Damn… another family gone. At least this time, you survived." His eyes turned back towards Tokiko. "And seven of them? The little midgets might not be that strong individually, but they can pack a punch in a group."

"They weren't little." His eyes snapped up to mine, as his mouth thinned. "They were large. Human sized. Looked like a woman, all grown up. And had a most horrible song." I shivered. "Just listening to it blinded me."

He snorted softly to himself. "A blinding song… If I didn't know you so well, son, I'd have called you crazy." He followed it up with a sigh, as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "But they're bigger and stronger now? If that's the case, they might start pushing back. That might be why we've lost so many recently."

I tilted my head at that statement. Had other families been hit? "Who was hit? I hadn't seen many people out, but I didn't think too much of it. Has it gotten bad even this close to town?"

Looking up at me, the trader shrugged. "Define bad. We're able to push back if it's concentrated, and they aren't proactive anymore. But other families who live out in the woods, like yours did, seem to have been picked off one by one. Townsfolk sent a few to cheek, and their homes had been ransacked, an there were no bodies to be found. We just thought that they'd been unlucky, or the sparrows had been relatively hungry, recently. He narrowed his eyes once more. "Is that the case?"

I shook my head. "No… it's worse. There were some humans out there, best we could tell. They shot father so he couldn't run… And in order to get the drop on him, they blinded him. With headlights."

Now that got his attention. Something that hadn't worked in fifteen years suddenly working once again? Anybody would say that it seems mighty suspicious. And he was no exception. "The lights were working? You're sure- What am I saying, of course you are. You wouldn't make a mistake that simple." He rose a hand to his face, laying it in the palm. "How can that be? Humans managing to work with the monsters?"

With some reluctance, I bring forth the bag of the balls he sold us. "It's these. Remember what they're supposed to do?"

He nodded. "Yeah, they're a failsafe trap in the event you come across a monster. Don't know how it works, but once it hits, it causes the monster to vanish, instantly." He shrugged." Not the best of ideas, myself. Why couldn't they figure out how to use it in a bullet? Then you wouldn't have to worry about whether you can take them down with shot or shell."

I shrugged. It was a good idea… If that was all the balls did at this point. "They've changed. The balls don't simply erase the monsters from existence. They capture them. And apparently, the one who captures them becomes their new… master." The word felt ugly coming out of my mouth. Did that mean I was Tokiko's master? I didn't want that. No, I didn't want something like that. "The monster who attacked me said that it didn't want to do what it had been told, but it had no choice."

"You forgot to mention that they could talk, too." A pained look came across his face. "To sum it up, the monsters have gotten smarter. Plus they have humans that can effectively control them. Said people also have vehicles of their own, enough gas to drive out as far as you are, and they have working electronics. At least in some form."

Such an odd word, electronics was. It was cumbersome, smacking of only utility. Granted, most words are like that. Only used for their specific purpose, never used because they actually sound good. And old words like electronics, computer, radio… All of it sounds odd to my ears. But when nothing of the sort works, you wouldn't use words such as those, would you?

Philosophizing aside, I nodded to him. "And that's why we're here… I need to sell what I can. I'm going after them. I'm sure that the railroad would have a record if someone has left with a few cars in the past day or so."

The trader nodded, a sad look coming over his face. "Indeed. I see what you mean." Standing up, he began leading the two of us out. "Come on then, let's go and see what you've brought along. I'll see if I can get you enough coin that you'll manage to be ok."

The haul that we had taken with us was worth a pretty penny. Of course, a good portion of that was to be used to pay off the debt. The balls were more expensive than I thought they would be. I suppose it would make sense though. As rare as they are, they would be worth a lot at any time. And if whoever it was that makes them jacked up the price because they can now capture the monsters…

Well, it made sense. Still, we had plenty of cash. The two of us could probably afford to stay at the local hotel for a week or two on this, with food paid for. Hopefully, we could make some more on the way. Or we could take some from the people who did… Yeah, still bad thoughts.

However, after all that was done, I asked the trader about purchasing the diesel along with everything else. He immediately balked at doing it. It would have been too much. We would never get our hands on one again if we did that. Instead, he talked me into doing something a little more unconventional. He would give me the money for a loan, and he'd take it as collateral. And even if we didn't have the cash when we got back, he'd put what was left on credit, once we managed to get everything started again.

He took the opportunity to make a few wry comments. After all, he would have never done it for someone else. Father was always good and reliable, and he paid his bills. So he was make a generous offer to the son of a trusted customer.

Besides, he still got the good end of the deal. Until we came back, the truck was as good as his. And if we never came back… Well, I try not to think about that.

Still, we found ourselves back inside, Tokiko keeping watch over our packs and my gun as he was counting out the loose change for us. Only hard currency was guaranteed to be good. Old coins, new coins… One thing everyone knew is that they were all real. They were slightly easy to fake, but it was still unwieldy to go to such lengths. As is all crime, to be honest. The shake of a bag filled with coins, though, is something that is quite pleasant to the ears, no matter what the case.

With a sad smile, he held the bag of money in front of me. He hesitated for one second. "Are you sure you want to be doing this? Not heading back on home and just trying to rebuild?"

We both knew the answer. I knew he could see it in my eyes before I even opened my mouth. And as such, I didn't even bother to reply. Chuckling softly, he handed it over. "Exactly. Well, the best of luck to you, Gray. I hope that you're able to find them." As we turned to leave, he finished by speaking to Tokiko. "And good day to you, little miss monster."

We both immediately froze, glancing at each other. Hearing the chuckling getting louder, I turned back to him as Tokiko tried to make herself as small as possible. "You knew?"

He shrugged. "I knew something was different about her, and the traveler aspect didn't make too much sense. But once you mentioned what those balls can do, and what she had managed to do…" He shook his head. "Your family has never had any fishermen in it, son. So I've no doubt the stories are at least somewhat true. But I am curious how you can work so well with one of them?"

Tokiko looked at me worriedly, seemingly wanting to shrink behind me. I know the girl is stronger than this, but is she truly that afraid of humans in general? Or is she so far out of her comfort zone, that she can't adequately be herself? "She's not… technically one of them. She's one of the beings that a species similar to the sparrows is based off of. She's from the land they originated from… And she had to run away."

The trader gave me a somewhat confused glance, before shaking his head. "Son, it doesn't matter what technicalities there are. A man-eating monster is still a man-eating monster in my book. But she seems rather… Nice enough. For one of them, at least." He waved me on. "And it was just my curiosity, anyways. Just be heading on now. You've got a long day ahead of you, especially if they've already left the region."

"Aye. Alright then, thank you much. Take care." With an idle wave from the trader, we grabbed our belongings and let ourselves out of the warehouse building. The moment the doors shut behind us, Tokiko gave a tremulous sigh of relief. Concernedly, I turned towards her. "Tokiko, are you doing… alright?" Maybe not the most articulate of questions, but it got the point across.

The girl with covered wings nodded slightly. "I'm fine. I'm just having some… flashbacks, to what the merchants at the human village would treat me like." That bad? Yeah, it sounded that bad. Why would they go to such an effort? It just seems pointless, treating her so poorly. Were they frustrated at the power that other youkai seemed to have? Or were they just that mean-spirited? …I shouldn't cast judgment on people I do not know, but sometimes I would just do it anyways.

Deciding that saying anything would just be pointless, I laid my hand on her shoulder and let it do the speaking for me. We kept walking along the sidewalk, making our way towards the depot. I kept my other hand on the strap of my shotgun, its bayonet removed so we wouldn't cause too much of a scene. There are a good many people who believe that the cities are safe enough that they need not bother with keeping a weapon at hand… But it's not too uncommon to see someone toting their rifle or shotgun, as in my case.

And from the sound of it, they better start carrying more. I hope the town isn't overrun by the time I make it back. Hopefully, they're able to do something about the monsters.

In any case, the depot revealed itself to us before we could quite see the main building, with a smoke cloud billowing up from behind the main depot. As we walked closer, the smoke split into multiple different streams, all originating from some engine on the rails.

With a bit of a smile, I pointed out the nearest steam locomotive. "There is one of the trains that we use. The great bloody steam-contraptions."

Tokiko stared at them for a few seconds, taking in the iron belching smoke, as brass whistles issued fourth a peeling scream. As it did, she immediately clasped her hands to the side of her head, covering her earholes. "Those things are louder and more obnoxious than the truck was! How do you stand such things?

I shrugged. It was one of those things that you never would have thought was important. How do you explain a train to someone who had never seen one? And how do you explain how important it is to someone who can fly wherever she wants? "They're very useful… very strong too. They can pull hundreds of cars, full of people and cargo, across the entire country. And they can do it cheaply." A satisfied smile cross my face as I recalled, "They are what are probably transporting those… people, that attack home. We just need to go in and check if there had been any flatbeds that have left recently with automobiles loading them down."

Seeming to give up the question as a bad job, she slipped around to the other side, putting myself between the train and her. A short walk later led us to the entrance of the depot, looming above us like the ancient pre-explosion monolith that it was. Without further ado, I entered the building, holding the door back for Tokiko as she took in the interior.

As much as I would have otherwise enjoyed joining her, my eyes were searching about for one thing. A clerk, or a teller of some sort. There must not be any passenger trains running soon, as there were no passengers to speak of waiting in the wings. Seeing no one in sight, I strolled up to the wooden desk and ran a bell perched precariously on the edge.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for a harried clerk to enter from the back room. "Yes, yes, welcome to Old Spencer Depot. What is it that you need?"

Good, short and to the point. I can work with that. "I need to see the manifest of trains that have left recently. I'm looking for any one that has carried a flatbed full of automobiles in the past day or so."

The clerk gave me a flat look as she blew a strand of hair out of her face. "You state, or something?"

Nope, wasn't official. Just a plain old citizen that is wanting revenge. "Hardly. Never worked for the state in my life. But my family was killed yesterday by men in vehicles. I want to see if any have left since then."

She raised an eyebrow, barely even curious enough to warrant the action. "Are you one of the townies? If that's the case, file it with the sheriff and come back with a warrant. And if you're from the boondocks, well, you're plumb out of luck. Can't help ya there."

I crossed my arms, leaning back to stare at her. My eyes flickered to Tokiko, as she took in some various knickknack that she had found. "Really, so nothing you can do. Could you even look through the manifests and tell me which train they left on, so I don't accidentally see the secret possessions of the train?"

She shook her head, her expression settling on disinterest. "No can do, boy. Not like I'm feeling particularly generous, but there is no way I can give it out. Company policy, and all that. And you aren't worth wasting my job on, even if your family died."

Well, that was just sad. She wouldn't listen to reason at all. And since my shotgun was out in sight the whole, any move to it would be seen and be quite pathetic. With a tired voice, I asked, "Tokiko? Could you come here for a second?"

Nodding, she slid over to me, with a curious look at the clerk. She hadn't heard any of the conversation we just had. It was time to fill her in. "I've been looking for the manifest, so that we could see where they might have gone to, next. However, she doesn't want to be showing us, apparently. Something about company policy being so important." The whole time, Tokiko's eyes had gone from happy to narrow as I keep speaking. "And by the time we know, their tracks could be long gone and cold."

Tokiko seemed to take that as impetus to ask her own questions. "So, why are you not doing it? It wouldn't take long at all, and we'd be out of your hair."

The woman took a moment to look offended, and leaned down to look my companion in the face. "Sorry, little girl. Just because your boyfriend asked you to ask me nicely, doesn't mean I'll do it. Sorry, but come back here with a court order, or don't come back at all."

Looking at me, she shrugged, then asked, "Want me to just scare her? It won't be taking much of nothing to do the trick… And she'll be ready to answer our questions then."

Encouraging a monster to attack another human, in order to track humans who are using monsters? Go that checked off of my bucket list. "Might as well, Tokiko. This one's head is hard enough as it is."

The woman snorted, looking back at me. "Yeah, sorry, asking your girlfriend nicely and insulting me won't quite get you where… where…" Her voice suddenly dropped as Tokiko unfurled her headwing, and it waved from side to side as it finally was free of its earlier confines. "You're… you're…"

Tokiko nodded. "Yup, I am one of them. Which means I get to have some fun. Lots and lots of fun. You might want to tell us, before I get to the next part." At that, she grinned widely, revealing her large amount of white, perfectly sharp teeth.

Shivering, the clerk wavered between looking at me and back again. As she continued to do so, apparently broken by what just popped up in front of her, I asked, "Now, why don't you just look through the manifest for any flatbeds with automobiles leaving since yesterday." As I said it, Tokiko took a moment to raise one of her hands and give a gentle wave. A hand that had been transformed into claws.

"S-sure. Just… just don't let her eat me. Please, don't let her eat me." Looking over at her, she seemed to be quite satisfied with herself, preening slightly. I rolled my eyes a bit. Yes, she managed to intimidate the girl, but it was no reason to act like you had just won a marathon. Or perhaps the preening is just the natural bird reflex for accomplishing anything?

As I continued to ruminate, I was broken out of my reverie by a short gasp by the girl. "Found something. Two railcars, heading north to Chicago, transferring trains at Pittsburgh." She blinked up at me. "Is that everything you wanted?"

I shook my head and pointed towards the schedule of trains. "When is the next train heading towards Chicago heading out then? We need to be taking a ride."

She attempted to regain some of her previous haughtiness. "Well, a passenger train will not run to Chicago for a couple more days. You need to wait until-" However, the sudden glare she received made her change her mind. "A cargo shipment is heading that way. They left…. Oh. They're leaving just about now."

"Now‽" My eyes widened as I realized what it means. A train is heading north, and is leaving now. Dammit. If we run fast enough, we might make it. But if we don't… We'll have to wait for the next train. Turning towards Tokiko, we began to make a run for the train.

Racing across the gravel of the rail yard, we heard the whistle of yet another steam locomotive as it began to pull its load. Metal ground against metal as each coupler stretched to its designed tolerance, causing the train to stutter, each car jerking and moving forward moments later."

We made it beside the train as the cars began to inch forward. We kept on running as fast as we could, attempting to find an empty boxcar in which we could hop. After the train began to noticeably pick up speed, Tokiko had had enough. Letting her wings erupt from underneath her coat, she took to the sky, grabbing onto the latch of the boxcar. With a quick yank, it disconnected, and the boxcar opened up. The was not much space within, but there was plenty of space for the two of us to lay down.

However, the more immediate concern was getting in. By this point, the train was starting to pick up speed, and I was falling behind. Seeing what was happening, Tokiko ditched her load inside the boxcar, and came back and grabbed my packs from me. Stumbling back due to her efforts, I found myself falling further and further behind. Without my heavy pack and equipment, though, I was able to catch back up enough to grab onto the handle on the end of the car.

With a leap, I jumped onto the top of the iron steps. Balancing precariously, I pulled myself up and onto the tiny platform above the coupler. Cursing softly to myself, I grabbed onto the ladder on the end of the car and climbed to the top.

The wind began to whip me as the train picked up speed. Ignoring the elements momentarily, I forced myself to walk over the top of the boxcar, equal to where it was open. Realizing what was to be done, I wandered on over to the edge of the boxcar, and found purchase on the lip of the roof. I took a few deep breaths, preparing myself for what I'm about to do. I slipped my feet over the edge of the boxcar, and I swung down inside.

My feet landed on the solid floor, and for a moment, I felt as if I had made the landing. However, I realized immediately I had to swing my arms for balance, as I was tipping back out of the boxcar. And at the speeds we were at… I'd be dead.

Before anything else could go through my mind, a hand shot out of the darkness and pulled me in. My eyes sought the source of the hand, revealing Tokiko standing inside with a crooked grin on her face. Smiling, I said, "Thanks."

With a quiet "You're welcome" from her, I took a deep breath and sat down, staring out the car. She sat down beside me, leaning her head back against a nearby crate. For the next few hours, we had but the constantly flashing trees to distract us.

Still, I found myself looking in the direction of home. It was the first time I had gone this far from home. It was frightening, that I might never be coming back. But I had a job to do. I looked over at my companion, who was now resting her eyes. I corrected myself. We had a job to do. It was time to make them pay.

A/N Well, howdy there everyone. We've got another chapter of this on out. What can I say… I am inspired at the moment. But I've wanted to get us moving and heading for the big destination.

And yeah, we're hobos on a train. Ain't that just fun? Now all I need is a stick and a picnic blanket, and I'd have the image well and truly done. But otherwise, not a lot of game-changing things happening in this chapter. A little bit of conversation, a little bit of showing Tokiko trains, and a little bit of moving on towards the climax.

And for once, I'm out of stuff to type in an author's note. So short one today! Your input is always welcome, as well as criticisms of how this could be better! Digress, please read and review as always, and until next time!