16: Reunion

Train stood still, paralysed by his revulsion at what he had done. He had taken a life. He had sworn to Saya that he would never kill again. He promised to atone for what he had done. But now...Now he had broken that sacred oath and gone against the wishes of his beloved Saya.

He stared down at his hands and then to the ever smiling face of his deceased foe. Even in death Creed's smile prevailed. It seemed being slain by the Black Cat truly was an honour for him. After all it was what he had always wanted. It was what he had gone to such great lengths to achieve.

It was Creed's reason for killing Saya...

Train's eyes soon narrowed at his grim realisation. The purpose he was fighting for just then was not for Saya's sake. It did nothing to avenge her death. No, it had done nothing but satiate Creeds twisted desires. All he had done was grant Creed's wish.

He had never atoned for what he had done. He never said sorry. He still stood up for the atrocities he had committed back then...

Train bowed his head in shame. Now he would never be able to settle things properly. He had reacted out of blind anger and killed Creed. There was nothing Train had wanted more than to make Creed suffer for what he had done, but this...This was not how it was supposed to be!

This was all wrong!

The Black Cat had consumed him. He had lost himself to the darkness. He had become the very beast he swore was banished forever, long since dead.

Train had failed. He failed to live up to his promise, only bringing shame to himself and the girl he loved. He had killed his former rival in cold blood and abandoned his friends to be killed by the real enemy and now he was too badly wounded to be able to stop Aizen.

Everything had gone wrong. Everything was collapsing around him. The walls he had built around himself to shield his darkened soul from the light had now shattered, crumbling away to ashes before his very eyes.

The Black Cat's cage had vanished.

And now more than ever, Train was furious. Enraged at the world that had taken so much and his own failures. There was nothing left to do but to finish what he had started and rescue Eve and Rukia from Aizen's clutches. They were so close. He had to finish this, even if it killed him.

I will save you!

Train glanced over to where Grimmjow and Ichigo were duelling. Ichigo seemed to be holding his own but he was getting nowhere in overpowering the psychotic blue-haired warrior. He wasn't too badly hurt but he hadn't landed a single scratch on Grimmjow yet either.

There wasn't any more time to waste on such trivial matters.

As Ichigo and Grimmjow fought on a vague shadow appeared behind them. A flickering blur of movement caught their attention but only when it was too late. Ichigo immediately went into a defensive stance but Grimmjow was barely aware of the figure behind him and was caught unaware.

A blade arced diagonally down from his left shoulder to the opposite hip. Blood spat out from the hideous wound and the madman was sent stumbling off into the distance. As he slowly caught his bearings he set his sights on his new opponent.

"Argh! Fuck! Since when did the pussy cat grow some fangs?" Grimmjow snarled with a derisive grunt. He spat on the floor and cursed, "You damn cowards! Ganging up like a pack of dogs! Fight me face to face like a real warrior!"

A shadow suddenly covered him and a lone figure stood right before him, moving with imperceptible speed.

Grimmjow stared into the golden embers of the Black Cat himself now suddenly ablaze with an aura of unimaginable strength. His jaw dropped and he staggered back but there was nothing but a wall behind him.

"I'm sorry," Train whispered, his hollow stare penetrating the fiendish barbarian, "I don't have time to waste on trash like you!"

A deafening thunderclap echoed around the room. A gunshot louder than the atomic bomb rang out through the gutted remnants of the hall and the Espada known as Grimmjow was no more. His life had been cut short by a lone bullet embedded deep within his skull leaving only a smouldering hole and thin oozing trail of blood from between his eyes.

Train watched as the corpse went limp and dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. Another life taken. Another sin to later atone for. But for now there was only one thing he had to do. One final mission to accomplish at any and all costs:

Rescue the princess.

If need be he would apologise to Saya in person...In the afterlife.

Sven crawled forward on hands and knees, soon supported by an exhausted Ichigo. The two of them glanced over at Train and moved towards the great door at the end of the hall. Train did not assist them. He led the way, limping towards the great obstacle before him. With one slash of his sword the heavy wooden door collapsed inwards and the Black Cat strolled through into the next room.

A room of the same dull grey of the rest of the palace and seemingly identical with everything else they had encountered. The only difference was the row of thick stone doors along the wall opposite. Train stepped forward and placed his hand on the nearest door, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

Faint sounds of a girl weeping emanated from within. The mournful cries brought Train back to his senses, if only a little. He hacked down against the spirit-absorbing stone and carved around the lock to allow the door to open. As it creaked open with the grating scream of a vengeful ghost a darkened void was revealed beyond.

A shadow moved.

Train reflexively reached for his gun but soon relaxed at the familiar sight of a young woman with jet black hair and deep blue eyes, scrambling towards the light she no doubt had lived without for many endless nights.

"Rukia!" Ichigo's voice creaked, straining from the lack of strength he wished for to display his love for her. Clumsily he staggered forward and together they fell into each other's arms. They shared frail bursts of laughter amidst wracking sobs, holding each other close and basking in the indescribable warmth they shared.

Rukia buried her face in Ichigo's shoulder and wept as he stroked her glossy black hair and whispered soothingly to comfort not only her, but himself too. His arms ensnared her in a tight embrace, one which he would be likely to release any time soon.

Instilled by the hope of their reunion, Sven and Train moved to the next door and listened in for signs of life. Silence answered them but regardless Train broke through into the dark little cell and stood on the brink of the abyss, searching for a sign of life.

There was neither movement nor any sound. But it was not empty. Curled up into a ball, tucked neatly away in the corner there lay an angel, with sweeping, golden waves of purest silk and delicate porcelain features. Her pale cheeks encrusted with dust, swept clean by thin trails of tears long since dried. With a serene expression of unnatural calm, the angel slept. Her once beautiful robes lines with fine lace, often of the deepest of black had been badly damaged, a far cry from the perfect and unspoiled figure who that wore them.

A sight like no other, this was a true angel. The sweetest treasure on this very earth, the precious young girl who had brought light to a world of darkness. There was no mistake...

Sven ran to her side, tripping along the way but hobbling on with grim determination. He dropped by her side and cradled her resting form. He laughed like a fool and cheered as he held her close. There was no resisting hugging her, even if it opened up his wounds...

The wounds she had inflicted...

Sven hesitated. He suddenly held her off at an arm's distance and stared at her as if the clues were there written all over her face. He felt a burning pain where Eve's very own blades had carved through him in a remorseless display of violence.

But still...Even knowing what had happened. Even after feeling Eve's blades burying themselves in his flesh. Even after looking into those sad eyes, that forlorn expression...

He knew it wasn't her. At least that was what he told himself. He couldn't be sure if it was just his imagination and his unshaken love for Eve that drove him to trust her completely, but something in his heart told him that the girl he faced back then was not the same girl he held in his arms.

Sure, her hair was like golden twine, her face soft and marginally expressive, her voice quiet yet lyrical. Sure she wore the same black outfit and in any and all senses looked identical to the girl who had tried to kill him.

But even so Sven's heart detected something his eyes never could.

"Sven, be careful," It was Train who spoke, interrupting Sven's train of thought and bringing him back to reality. The two shared uneasy glances before Train added, "you never know..."

Sven couldn't stand to look at him then. He withdrew into the girl he held and hugged her closer, closing his eyes and living through all the memories they had shared. They cured his fears and only sought to further convince him that the Eve he knew and loved would never have tried to hurt him.

He remembered that time when they had first met, when she had been forced to attack him. He remembered those tears that flowed down from her cold, glassy eyes back then. He remembered the journeys they had gone through, against Creed, against Chronos, against Soul Society and even against Gaichu and his minions.

He remembered eating ice-cream at the park.

He remembered the festival...

"Sven?"

A voice as soft as the gentle whispers of the breeze woke him once again. It was a voice he recognized instantly. A voice that sparked a fire within him and brought a fragile smile to his face. He turned to the angel, her eyes half open, perfect marbled amethysts.

"Eve..." He wanted to say more but words failed him.

"Sven...You...Why did you come here?"

Those words stung. Train seemed to tense and held a hand over his holster. Sven still held her close, his expression hardening, "What? What do you mean by that?"

"Why...Why did you save me? After what I have done..." Eve turned away from him and frowned. "If I had not been so weak...If I wasn't so useless...This never would have happened."

Sven's eyes narrowed, "Eve you aren't weak! You are stronger than anyone I've ever known! No matter what happens you have always held out. You have always helped us fight. Without you to give us hope none of us would be alive today!"

Eve wiped away at the corner of her eyes and sniffed, "But...You aren't alive..."

Sven laid a hand on his heart and gasped. She was right. He had died. Out in the rain, out in the cold on that fateful night. He thought he had found Eve but it was all a cruel plot set up by Aizen. That night his life had ended. But...

"At your funeral...I only tried to save myself, but even then I couldn't do anything. I'm useless! The only person who actually has a use for me is Aizen and he only uses me to torture you further! You should have forgotten about me Sven!"

"I could never abandon you Eve! I would gladly suffer if it will mean you can be safe! I will never leave you Eve no matter what!"

"But all I have ever brought you is pain! Right from the beginning. Right when we first met all I have done is gotten you in trouble. Gotten you hurt...I'm worthless! I never should have dragged you into all of this."

"Dammit Eve listen to yourself!" Sven was shaking her now, "This is not the Eve I know! The Eve I know would never give up! She would never try and sever her ties with her family and hide! The Eve I know fights on to the bitter end! The Eve I know fights because she wants to protect the ones she loves! She doesn't shy away from battle and use her mistakes as an excuse to surrender. She just fights harder next time! The Eve I know is...Is..." Sven trailed off and brought the young girl closer. He whispered in her ear, begging with her, pleading with her, "Eve...I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to upset you. Everything I did was because I wanted to keep you safe. I'm the useless one. But even so I will never give in! So I'm begging you...Don't ever doubt yourself Eve. You are perfect just the way you are...I am so proud...So proud of you. I'm glad I met you...You give my life meaning. You give me strength when I am weak and...I...I love you..."

"Sven..." Eve was struck by his words. They sparked feelings that she didn't understand. They confused her but it made her happy too. Her smile may have been thin but it felt remarkable to smile again. After an eternity of pain and suffering in captivity it felt good to smile, as if a floodgate had been lifted to let her bottled up emotions overflow. She embraced Sven and quietly sobbed.

A touching scene amidst the chaos of war. But the war was not yet over.

"Hmm, what a disgusting display of humanities weakness." an icy voice echoed across the hall.

From the damaged hall behind them a lone figure stepped forth. A ghostly creature from the realm of nightmares. A cold, expressionless ghoul with the pallor of the dead. A serpentine gaze settled upon the weary heroes and his frown twitched ever so slightly. Ulquiorra stopped just short of the group and stared at them in disgust.

"Blinded by human desires you stumble blindly into the heart of enemy territory. You endure unnecessary hardship for comrades better left abandoned. And now you huddle together like dying rats in what you consider to be affection. Such a pathetic species."

All eyes widened in terror. The worst of them all, a creature of pure evil stood before them. A final unbreakable obstacle. A grim spectre of death, come to collect their souls just as victory seemed at hand.

"You!" Ichigo snarled, "So you're Aizen's final rear guard?"

Ulquiorra didn't even blink. "I am not alone. Lord Aizen was quite adamant that you be allowed to die at the hands of his latest little pet. I believe you have already been acquainted."

With a sluggish wave of his hand Ulquiorra gestured for his comrade to step forward. A small shadow appeared from behind him and then stepped into the light. Much to everyone's disbelief there stood before them a mirror image.

An exact replica of Eve.

The second Eve raised her hand and watched it in hypnotic wonder as it morphed into a gleaming blade. Then with not even the slightest trace of expression she set her gaze upon the others and waited.

Ulquiorra waved his hand to the second Eve, "This girl is the single greatest weapon in existence. With the Hogyoku as well Aizen shall stand unopposed as he conquers the heavens. Now prepare yourselves for a most painful demise. In your final moments of your life you may regret. Regret the day you faced the ultimate killing machine..."

"Golden Darkness..."

I wonder how many of you understand the reference. Well anyway thank you for reading so far. Please review and share your thoughts. Whether it is encouragement or advice your comments are all important so please review.