By the way, the song that I included in the previous chapter was sung by LeAnn Rimes. Finally, here's the next chapter. Thanks for the continuous reviews!
GRUMBLE.
"Aww, man." Sven sighed as he looked down on his stomach. "The largest bounty was just taken. I'm hungry and I'm out of money. And Train went missing. What luck I am having right now." Then, he smelled something good and it led him to the diner. He entered it without hesitation and sat down at the counter. The waiter asked him what he wanted and he replied with a depressed look on his face. "Can I have coffeess? It's the only one free, right?" The waiter moved away since he could sense that Sven was looking for sympathy. He called on the manager and she sent Sven flying away. "COME BACK HERE WHEN YOU HAVE MONEY!"
Sven landed on the park where a huge disaster just happened. "Ouff! Hey, that hurts you old lady! I'll come back and get you!" Sven said as he slowly stood up to fix himself.
"HEY I HEARD THAT!"
Sven shivered upon hearing the voice. "Am I hearing things? I know this is far away from the diner. Anyway, where am I? Whoa! Look at the hole in this area. The whole park had been swallowed by the portal itself!" Sven muttered.
"What are you doing here?" a small voice spoke. Sven turned around and saw a girl with long blonde hair, innocent face, pink eyes and dark clothes. "You lost Train didn't you?"
Sven sweat dropped upon hearing it. He was not supposed to leave Train all alone especially in his current condition. He flinched before he could respond. "Uh – yeah – sort of – but I'm going to find him! Have you seen him – around?" Sven gulped before he was able to ask the question. Saya was just nearby. He did not know if she still hated Train after what he had done to her in his apartment.
"Yes, we did." Eve said. "He just passed by."
"Passed by? Do you mean he did not lend you guys a hand?" Sven asked, lighting up his cigar. "Man, what's got into him?"
"From the looks of it, he was looking for something." Eve muttered as she wiped Sven's face. He was perspiring. He scampered all the way to the park when he heard that Eve was there.
"Uh – thanks." Sven grinned. "Well, we'd better get you two home. It's getting dark."
Kurai's residence... Several miles from Sven and the others...
"Yukina kept changing her headquarters. She no longer stays in the place where you used to stay." Vera told Kurai. She glided around the two while telling them what she just found out. Her layered, shoulder-length black hair moved smoothly along with her body.
"So, are you – ah! – Telling me that the only way – to get there – is thru the – portal itself?" Kurai asked. His heart was aching. The more he thinks of his feelings for Vera, the more the pain grows. He knew that his time would come sooner or later.
Vera nodded. Train looked down. They needed Porta to get into the headquarters. They could only wait for another attack from Yukina so that when the killing machines arrive, they could enter the portal. But Train could not wait that long especially if his life was being shortened bit by bit. He had to take some action. He had other problems to solve and 4GM4E was just one of his problems.
"The antidote? Have you seen the antidote?" Kurai asked for Train.
"She had a lot of bottles in her room and..." Vera was hesitating to say. She was looking with her small brown eyes from Train to Kurai.
Train was waiting for her answer although he pretended that he was not interested.
"And what?" Kurai asked.
"I'm not really sure if she was making antidotes at all. From the way I see it, she used all of her victims as guinea pigs for her experiment." Vera said. "I don't know if she was really planning to heal them all."
"She's going too far..." Kurai frowned. "She hated me so much why does she have to include other innocent ones? We have to go."
"Wait." Train finally said. Kurai and Vera looked at him. They exchanged looks and smiled.
"There is no sign of him. When he broke his weapon, I can't sense where he's hiding. Something is blocking my search." Porta said as she was speaking to her master, Yukina. Yukina was not responding. She had her back turned against Porta. She had a long, braided azure hair and she had eyes like the sky. She also had a pale skin as if she was freezing from her own ability. She was wearing a white blouse with a cerulean vest and skirt. And she wore a pair of cerulean-colored boots. She had the ability to turn water into ice and mix it with any poison or drug she wanted to.
Memories from the past:
After Vera's death, Yukina appears before Kurai as an old hag and not as herself. Since she knew that she cannot have him even if she killed Vera, she decided to have her revenge on him. She pretended to check his condition and gave the medicine for free. Kurai hesitated at first but she was able to persuade him to drink it in front of her. From that time on, he could not stop taking the drugs. It was as if he really needed it; however, he didn't realize that he only needed it just to forget someone and not to accept what reality was. Yukina's revenge didn't end there; she used Kurai as her assistant to kill anyone who blocks her way. She experimented any person she thought was useful enough to be her assistant.
Back to the present time:
Yukina closed the fridge and faced Porta. She looked at her with her large, azure eyes. She opened her palm and blew a cold chill in front of Porta. A small icicle appeared in her palm and it moved swiftly. It made a scratch on Porta's cheeks. "I don't care if someone's blocking your search for Rei! I want him back! Tell the others to come here as soon as possible!" Yukina exclaimed. Porta created a hole beneath her and jumped inside it. Moments later, it opened and Yukina's leaders per group have arrived. Sephiria, Creed and Rin bowed down before her and waited for her instructions. Sephiria led the Chrono Numbers, Creed led his Apostles of the Stars and Rin led the group of sweepers.
"My Rei have been missing. I want you to find him and if he does not come out, kill as many people as you like." Yukina ordered. "I'll take care of the new arrivals." She was referring to Haru, Omi and the rest of the Chrono Numbers.
"Hai." The three replied in chorus. They left as soon as she dismissed them.
The stars were shining brightly in the dark sky. The bright moon was hiding beneath the clouds as if it was afraid to see what was happening below. Different portals appeared in different areas. Train Heartnet was standing on the rooftops. He was watching Rin's group jump out of the portal. Before they could all get out of it, Train scampered from his position to the portal. He jumped right at it. He even passed by the twins who used to be his enemies. (Read the previous story 'It's never over' to know what I'm talking about.) Lucy and Louise exchanged looks and went back to the hole. Train fell into the cold grounds of the headquarters along with the twins.
"Not you guys again. You two are real pain." Train said as he held unto his Hades tightly. "I'm sorry but I didn't come for you two."
"Ouff!"
"Hey, watch where you're falling. It does hurt you know." Train said. Kurai fell on top of him along with Vera's ghost.
"Ha, ha! At least we had a soft landing." Kurai teased as he pat Train's back as if it was a soft couch.
"Get your butt off my face before you even fart!" Train said as he pushed Kurai away. "Get away!"
"Excuse me; I'm not that rude you know." Kurai said. "You could say it nicely. I won't stand up until you tell me courteously."
"You see? You are really waiting for the right time to let me smell that – bad air!" Train said, covering his nose. "I dwear I wouldnd able to fighd under thid condition."
Veins could be seen popping out of the twins' head. "Are we being ignored?" Lucy asked. "It's irritating."
"Soon, they'll regret that they ignored us. YAAH!" Louise assaulted the two. But they were too busy yelling at each other. Suddenly, another portal has opened and a voice just spoke, "Is there room for another one?" The shadow fell on the ground with grace as the two men were rolling on the ground. The man fixed his long hair and grinned at the twins. "Am I interrupting something?"
Train and Kurai moved away from each other so that Lin would not have the idea that the two of them have a close relationship (If you know what I mean). "Actually, I think you just made it in time. Come on; let's find that old friend of yours." Train said as he scampered to where his instincts led him. Kurai followed ahead slowly. He could not catch up with Train that fast especially in his condition. The drug was wearing him out.
"Hey, you should at least say 'thank you'." Lin bellowed as he prepared himself for a battle.
Train looked back with a grin and yelled. "Don't worry, I will once this fight is over! See you later!"
"Now, where are my comrades? You tell me or I would be forced to bring you two down." Lin said calmly. The twins exchanged looks and grinned. They both disappeared from his sight.
"Train, wait! Rei is in pain. You have to slow down." Vera called.
Train stopped running and looked back. He realized that he was distant from Kurai. "Alright, I'll carry you behind me. Just hold on tight." He bent his knees down and carried his weak comrade at his back. He passed several corridors until he reached an enormous room. A voice spoke once he stepped inside. "Well, well, what do we have here? What I'm looking for just appeared before me. Oh, did you know that I sent my killing machines to find you? And if they couldn't find you, they would murder hundreds of people to make you come out. But since you're here, I don't think there would be someone else to protect those poor people."
Train grinned. "That's what you think." He placed Kurai down and stepped back. Sven & Eve, I do hope you have a lot of strength to fight the rest of the killing machines.
"I came back to get an antidote." Kurai said simply.
"Antidote?" Yukina laughed. "Do you really think I would make one?"
"I thought you want to get revenge. Blame it on me and not on everyone else." Kurai said. "There's not much time. So please, bring these people back to normal. A lot of people have suffered. Vera – uh! – She has forgiven you. So, please, forgive me as well. We could do this all over again. Be friends. Live happily."
"No, there are no second chances. That's what I believed in." Yukina cried as the ground started to quake. Bits of icicles came out and it flew to the direction where Train was standing. Kurai quickly went down and pushed Train away. The icicles thrust in his weak body simultaneously, leaving the room silent and cold. Kurai looked at the ghostly Vera as he slowly fell down on the ground. Tears slowly fell from Yukina's pale face. She did not want to end his life. She was aiming for Train. She only wanted to see Kurai suffer slowly as much as she suffered from not having him. But everything turned upside down when she saw Kurai slowly dying. She had not realized what she was doing all along. She became so focused on her revenge that it made her heart be filled with hatred and loneliness. She wanted all the couples to suffer as much as she does just because she thought that there were no happy endings. Yukina knelt on the ground. She trembled as she came closer to her once close friend. "Show – him – where the – antidotes are."
Yukina nodded as she pointed to Train where she placed the antidotes safely. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." Kurai raised his trembling arms and touched Yukina's lips. He was telling her not to apologize anymore because he already has forgiven her.
Train was about to open the fridge when he sensed someone else standing behind him. The aura was familiar. He turned around and found a silhouette of a lady. She was holding a gun and was pointing it aimlessly at the target. Train's eyes widened upon seeing someone he should not be seeing. His heart ached and his mind started to get cloudy.
