Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Black Cat

A/N: I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! If it weren't for people like Dr. King, discrimination against others' race, ethnicity, religion, and skin color would still be legal in America...Plus, I'd still have school today and wouldn't have time enough time to finish this.

I also want to thank everyone who is taking the time to read this; I didn't really think I would have this much following. I'm sorry I didn't post this up yesterday, but please continue to enjoy the story and don't be afraid to give any positive or negative feedback you may have. Now on with the show.

Chapter 6

Train's POV

Sven drove us through the night, as far west of the city we could get. We passed cities, then a few small towns, and finally empty countryside. By the time the sun came up, we were already in the middle of San Antonio. For the whole drive, Ryan and Eve were out cold. Luna, on the other hand, couldn't quite calm down. With all her tossing and turning, she ended up leaning her head against my shoulder. When she finally lay still, though, she began mumbling in her sleep. "What?...Mom? That sound..." At one point she whimpered, "I'm sorry." What could she possibly be dreaming about? I took one of the blankets in the back seat and placed it over her shoulders, hoping it would comfort her a little. The night had been harsh on her and her brother. The least I could do was try and help them get some rest.

"Train, you still awake?" Sven asked from the front seat. "Yeah," I called back. "What's the matter?"

Sven glanced at me in his rear-view mirror. "I can't be the only one who noticed something funny about those thugs back in Downtown, Train. Don't you think it's suspicious, the way those guys just stopped running and disappeared?" I kept quiet for a minute. I knew what he was talking about. If anyone were after us, they wouldn't just retreat like that. Once they saw how hard it would be to catch us, though, they just left without a trace."You think they're tracking us?" I asked. "Maybe," Sven answered. "But the question is, why?" "Hnnh," Ryan sighed in his sleep and shifted his weight against the seat. I looked at Ryan, then Luna in contemplative silence. If Sven heard the men right back there, this would be just the beginning of their troubles. What anyone would want with a couple of kids, I had no idea, but it was clear to both Sven and I that we weren't the ones those guys had been after.

I sighed, remembering the first few years after my own parents were killed. The time hadn't been easy on me, that's for sure. I hated the thought of having to see someone else have to go through the same hell of having to handle everything alone. "Sven, we need to help them out." My partner looked a bit surprised at what I said but kept his eyes on the road. "Isn't that why we're taking them with us?" I recalled the memory of when I found my parents dead in the parlor room, when I first met Zaguine. "We're taking them with us," I said as a matter of fact. Sven turned to look at me in astonishment. "We can't just take them along with us," he objected. "You want to just drag them into a world of cut-throats and assassins? They barely got through last night." "You were willing to bring Eve along with us," I countered. "Eve can defend herself when she needs to. These two probably haven't held a weapon once in their lifetime." I looked at Sven in the eye through his mirror. "They're involved in the criminal world, Sven, whether they know it or not. That chase should be enough to prove my point. You heard it with your own ears. They're being hunted down by someone." I knew his gentleman's code wouldn't let him just leave them to fend for themselves. No matter how secluded a place we found for Ryan and Luna to stay, whoever wanted them so badly would stop at nothing to find them.

Sven was quiet for a moment. "Fine," he agreed resignedly. "They're coming with us." He glanced over at Ryan, now snoring softly next to him. "But he better not cause any problems. He's dead the next time he lays a hand on Eve." I chuckled. "Someone's being a bit overprotective don't you think? Li'l Princess is growing up after all." Sven's eyes flashed. "What are you suggesting?" A thick, deadly aura filled the car, practically suffocating me. I shrunk a bit into my seat and sweat-dropped. "Nothing, nothing!" I put my hands up in front of me. Note to self: never talk about Eve having a boyfriend in front of Sven. Even if she wasn't the type to even think about having a relationship with a guy, Sven took protecting her seriously. Somehow, I pity Ryan.

Luna's POV

I stepped carefully across the wooden floor, balancing the cake I'd finished decorating for this very occasion. Ryan sat at the dining table, impatient for his birthday dinner's finale. "Ryan, you're practically slobbering over your plate," Dad laughed across from my brother. "Sorry,"Ryan apologized, though none of the excitement died down. Mom smiled widely at me. "Well, we can't quite blame him for having a genius cook for a sister." She stood at the end of the table, holding the small paper plates we kept for cake serving. I grinned from ear to ear. It had been a long time since my parents ever praised me for my cooking skills. Really, it'd been a long time since we did anything together. "This recipe isn't mine, Mom. My roommate taught me how to bake this one. She's the one taking Culinary Arts after all." "It'll be delicious all the same," my Dad said. Ryan wasn't the only one impatient to eat.

I placed the double-layer cake on the table. The cutting knife was already sat expectantly in front of Ryan. He lifted it up to get started. "Not so fast." I pulled out the candles and matches. "Don't you have a birthday wish?" "Yeah, to eat this cake! Come on Sis', I'm fourteen. Can't I have one bite first?" I chuckled as I quickly placed and lit the candles. "Just wit until you see this." I winked at my brother. Mom and Dad were in on the surprise. As the flame grew on each candle, sparks began to bounce off their heads. Soon, a rainbow of sparks flew across the cake. A few of the tiny lights landed on the frosting, setting ablaze the magical glaze I'd made. The cake had been decorated as a motocross track in honor of Ryan's many achievements in the sport. A small, blonde figurine was doing an ollie on his bike at the edge of the cake. Behind him, "Happy Birthday!" spelled itself out in red and orange flames. Before long, the ridge of the bottom layer was a circle of flames. Ryan gazed in amazement. "How did you do that?"

"You have no idea how many fires I started in my dorm testing it out." I laughed. "I almost got evicted from the building. Was it worth the trouble?" "Definitely." He was beaming at the spectacular show. Even if he insists he's a teenager, he still loves fireworks, I thought. He blew out the flames and looked up at me and Mom and me pleadingly. "Can I pleeaase cut the cake now?" "Go ahead," we said in unison. Ryan dove in and cut out a huge chunk of the cake and placed it on the cake. If it weren't his birthday, I would've made sure to steal half of it to be fair. But I let it slide just this once. "Hey, don't forget about me." Dad was using all his self-restraint not to snatch the knife from Ryan and cut himself a slice twice as big.

As Ryan distributed the uneven slices, the doorbell rang. Who could that be? We hadn't invited anyone for the small party. This was just a family affair, the same way it was every year. A sense of foreboding crept over me. I turned to go answer the door, but Mom stopped me. "I'll get it. It's probably for your father and me." She and Dad exchanged wary looks before she left the room. Dad stood up from his chair. "I'll pour the drinks." He tried to keep a cheery smile, but Ryan and I could tell something was up. Dad was avoiding contact with us. His shoulders were tense as he bent over to reach for the cups. I opened my mouth to ask what was the matter when we heard glass shatter at the front door. Dad was up instantly."Dad, what was that sound?" I asked. A loud popping noise followed, and somewhere in the back of my mind, another side of me, knew that that this wasn't the first time I'd seen this. But I didn't pay attention to it; I couldn't. I simply relived the nightmare as I always did. That's the thing about dreams, isn't it? You have no choice, no control over what you see or do.

"Shit," Dad muttered under his breath. His tone then became strict and commanding. "Kids, follow me." We obeyed and ran after him up the back staircase. Pounding against the wood beneath us, the feet of four huge suited men ran into the dining room."What's going on?" Ryan asked, fear ringing clearly in his voice. "No use trying to escape, Richard! You know we'll get you!" We raced down the hall into the master bedroom. A bullet ricocheted off the wall as we turned into the entrance. I ran in last after Ryan and Dad slammed the door behind me. "Move!" Dad yelled at me. He and Ryan barricaded the door with our parents' heavy wooden dresser. "What about Mom? We can't just leave her out there." The other side of me knew Mom was already dead, but I didn't want to believe it. Dad simply looked at me, his face was twisted, in pain and sadness.

Someone began banging against the door. Dad quickly strode over to his bed and pulled out a rifle from underneath it. Ryan and I stared at the weapon in his hand in shock. Neither of us had had any idea that we had one. Our parents avoided weapons like the plague. Lecture after lecture was placed on our ears about never carrying a gun, never even considering learning how shoot a be-be gun, and here we stood with assassins after us, and Dad loading a hunting rifle and aiming it at the door. "Dad...what..is happening?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. He walked up to us and took us into a tight hug. "You two stick together, no matter what." We simply stood there, too confused to comprehend what was going on. Everything was too fast. He knelt in front of Ryan. "Ryan, my father gave this to me when I was eighteen." He unlatched his gold watch and placed it on my brother's wrist. "He thought it would bring me good luck when I traveled to the U.S. Now, I think you'll need it more than I will." He mussed up Ryan's blonde hair. "Happy Birthday," he said sadly. The dresser began rocking against the force of the men slamming on the door. "Luna." Dad stood up and reached into his pants pocket. "Your mother and I wanted to give this to you." He pulled out a small box, covered in dark blue velvet and placed it in my hand. "Take care of these, both of you." We nodded.

"Daniels!" The pounding against the door was fiercer and more forceful. Dad glanced at the dresser, than back at me. His blue eyes were stern, though I could sense the fear they concealed beneath. "Luna, take your brother and run. Out the the balcony window and down the tree." "But what about-?" The doors burst open before I could finish my sentence."RUN!" Blood spattered behind us as we turned to run and gunfire ensued. I stuffed the box into my jeans pocket.

We ran through the balcony doors. Below us, three men waited for our descent to the ground. I grabbed a branch of the cherry tree that Mom had planted and stepped onto the railing. "DAD!" I turned around. Ryan stared, horrified as we watched our father's stiff body fall to the ground. No. At that point, I cut myself off from my emotions. I needed to get us out of here. I needed to follow Dad's orders.

"Ryan, come on!" I reached my hand out for him. But my brother remained where he was, stupefied by shock and fear. One of the men from the room went after him while the others trashed the room, flipping tables and pulling out drawers. I got down from the tree and pulled Ryan by the collar. "COME ON!" He responded to my command wordlessly. We clambered onto the tree and lowered ourselves towards the ground. Before our feet touched the ground, I quickly shoved my foot into the face of one of the men at the bottom. The other two closed in on us. 'CRACK!' Ryan fell from the tree with a huge tree branch in his hands. Landing on his feet, he swung the branch with all his strength at them. The first one dodged but the second one was hit square in the jaw. Before the last man could advance on Ryan, I kneed him in his Achilles' heel. I caught a glimpse of the back of his neck. An image I would never forget was tattooed onto his skin. A green serpent wrapped around dagger dripping with blood. Encircling it was a ring of shining silver.

We ran towards the back fence, but out popped yet another thug. I searched fervently, racking my brain for where another escape may be. Finally, my eyes settled on a wheelbarrow at the very left . I yanked Ryan after me towards it and together, we climbed onto it and used it to get us over the fence and onto the street. Racing down the street I led Ryan to a car parked on the side of the road. I pointed towards it. "Hot-wire! Now!" Ryan understood immediately. With the tree branch still in hand, he broke through the window and got in. His auto expertise took over as he pushed himself underneath the steering wheel and cut the wires. Behind us, a group of men were running after us, guns pointed in our direction. I ducked in front of the car hood as they fired. The engine revved to life and the passenger door swung open. "Done!" I threw myself into the car, and Ryan slammed on the gas. We sped backwards and hit the men that were after us. Then, Ryan shifted gears into drive and swerved us onto the street in front of our house. But no matter how fast we drove, it was impossible for Ryan and I to miss what at the entrance of what was once our home.

A woman's body lay on the floor in front of the door, blood pooling around her.

Mom...They're gone. They're both dead. Ryan turned his head back to face the windshield, but he couldn't hide the tears rolling down his face. I only noticed then that I had been crying too. We drove off, mourning in our silence. They died protecting us. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't help them. I put my head in my hands and sobbed quietly. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Beside me, Ryan's face was stoic and wet with tears. He kept himself concentrated on driving us away, away from what had just happened, from our dead parents, from the pain and sorrow and danger. I remembered Dad's gifts to us. I took the box out of my pocket and flipped oped the lid. Inside rested a ring inlaid with a flower of sapphire petals and a single diamond in its center. Slowly, I slipped it onto my finger and looked over at Ryan's wrist. Dad's watch fit him perfectly. "You two stick together, no matter what." I memorized that phrase, the sound of his voice when he said it. "Ryan.." I reached over to place my hand over his. "Let's stick together, for Dad." My voice was wobbly but sure. My brother turned to let me see his eyes, shining with tears. He looked just like Dad did, tired..and sad. " Okay."

Suddenly, everything faded into darkness. What's going on? Where am I? A voice echoed and filled the dreamscape. "More trials are soon to come," a woman's voice called ominously. My heart pounded against my ears as panic engulfed me. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

The voice slowly answered. "I am a friend, and I mean you no harm. I met your parents once, long ago." I wasn't sure whether or not to believe her, but she continued. "You are in good hands, Hitomi-san. Yet you must be wary of whom you meet during your travels. And be watchful over your brother, just as your father wished." I was stunned. Almost no one knew my real name, nor what my father had said the night he died. "Why can't I see you?" "We will meet in person soon, I'm sure. For now, I must limit my communication with you. And for that reason you must be careful, Hitomi-san. There are many who wish for your demise as well as your brother's." Her voice became softer, more distant. "I have to take leave now Hitomi-san. I will try to speak with you again, to explain myself further." A small bell rang faintly and a light began to enter the dreamscape from far off. "Until then, Hitomi-san, farewell..."