Hey guys, how're you? I'm SO sorry it's taken me this long to update…it's ridiculous really. You would think I'd have more time to write and post now that it's summer, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I still don't have the internet hooked up to my computer unlike the rest of my family, but I plan on fixing that sometime this week, then I'll post more often for sure!

I remember I told you guys about the five kittens my family and I are raising, right? Well they're growing fast and after July 11th or so we're going to find homes for them, but we might keep one X3 I also went to Florida for a big family reunion last week so that's why I haven't posted much.

I recently bought the first two mangas of Black Cat. They're on sale here in the US now (the 3rd is coming out July 5th!) and I got so excited when I found volumes one and two! I recommend buying them if you have yet Another note of exciting news, my friend bought me the choker Train wears lol. She and some of my friends joke around and call me Train because apparently I'm a lot like him (All I can think of is my birthday is April 12th and his is April 13th lol), so now I've got the kitty bell lol.

Anyways, I felt so bad about updating so late that I wrote two chapters. One chapter is about seven pages long (On Word) and the second…well, I'm still writing it at the moment so I'm not sure. It'll be up very soon if it isn't already.

I'm also making two anime music videos right now that, when finished, I might post the links to on here if I ever manage to upload them to the internet. They're both Black Cat and one is to the song "Going Crazy" by Plus One, which is actually an awesome song. The other is actually to a country song (I'm not a country fan lol). It's about Train and Saya and it's to the Rascal Flatts song "What Hurts the Most".

Well, that's enough blabbing from me haha. I'm hoping to write the next chapter within this week if work lets me. This is probably the finale of my story, but like I've said before I plan on writing another Black Cat fic. It'll take at least two or three more chapters after these two to finish the story I'm sure. All the same thank you so much for your comments and the email I received, they help SO much. I love hearing what you have to say I hope you enjoy and sorry again for being so late about this! X3

"An Approaching Storm"

"It's…it's hot…" I muttered to myself begrudgingly as I fanned myself with my hand.

The room was humid and hot. Not even the breeze blowing through the open window could help, seeing as it felt just as hot as the night itself. I squinted at the computer screen in front of me as heat wave after heat wave bombarded my already tired mind.

I had hooked the computer up to both a wall socket and the internet a long time ago, and whether Creed knew or wanted me online was beyond my caring.

The silence of the mansion at night was almost unnerving, but over the past months I had grown accustomed to the lack of noise. Back when I had been with Sven and Eve I had been used to Sven's snoring and Eve's muttering, or the rustle of paper as Eve read herself to sleep. Now the only noise that could be heard was what came from outside the window.

I yawned widely as I scrolled down yet another page of search results on "Silicon Variant". I had a hard time swallowing everything Doctor had told me, and it didn't help that I had never heard of the stuff before. Of course I'd heard of Silicon, but what the hell made it a "variant"?

I clicked on several websites that later proved to be unhelpful, or far too vague. Library pages, website blogs, scientific sites, none of them had anything that could help me. I knew enough about nanotechnology and the power of Tao to know how Doctor was keeping Ash alive, but this "variant" of his made absolutely no sense to me.

I sighed and felt my eyelids droop tiredly as I clicked the "next" button, only to see ten more unhelpful sites appear in front of my eyes. It was well past midnight, and I had been researching like this for the past two and a half days. I had skipped most meals and barely slept, and Creed had begun to notice…actually, he had noticed the second I wasn't at lunch on the first day…as if that was surprising.

I sighed again as another page of unhelpful sites loaded before leaning back in my chair and staring absentmindedly up at the ceiling. What on earth could Doctor and Creed really be working on? They had to be idiots to think I'd fall for their little charade back in his lab…but obviously something much deeper was going on that I hadn't been able to figure out yet.

Why were they keeping Ash around, aside from the fact that he was their latest test subject for the "Silicon Variant". Along side that, something had been lurking in the back of my mind for quite some time now. After Sven had died…what had they done with his body? I knew he was dead, I had seen him, and I heard nothing but silence where there should've been a heartbeat but…something was bothering me…something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I knew whatever he was up to Creed wanted to keep me out of it until the last possible moment, that way he could use it to persuade me to join the Apostles of the Stars. While he claimed it was the "Silicon Variant" that would do this-that it would make me stronger-he failed to realize that I never wanted to be stronger, whether it was a temporary or permanent thing.

He also failed to realize that I knew he knew this… He knew I didn't want to be stronger than anyone else. He had always been the one with the lust for power, and I had been the one who simply wanted to get the job done and be on my own. I had followed Chronos' orders once, but not for power, simply for revenge.

With another sigh I slipped my hand into my pants pocket and pulled out the note that had been left two days ago alongside Sven's hat. They had said they'd come on the night of the full moon…in three days…that would be tomorrow night…and I still had a lot to figure out before then.

I had no intention of leaving this place empty handed or empty minded. I wanted to know what Creed was planning and I wanted to stop him, whether it took force, or merely words. Either way Creed wasn't keeping this plan of his secret for much longer…I wouldn't let him.

I awoke the next morning to feel the fresh morning breeze blowing across my face, but it wasn't light and salty as it usually was. This morning the air was full of static and the smell of rain…there was a storm coming.

Ironically enough I felt that there was more than one storm coming…the natural…and the physical. Tonight Chronos would arrive to help me escape, and whether Creed approved of it or not, I would make sure I got away this time.

Creed had said I couldn't leave or he would hurt my remaining friends, and I knew he was capable of it, but if I let Chronos "save" me, it would look more like a kidnapping, or a rescue mission I had no previous knowledge of.

I opened my eyes all the way and straightened up in the chair I had fallen asleep in. The computer continued to buzz in front of me, the screen having gone black a long time ago, but the information still lay there, teasing my mind as if it had always been meant to.

I turned my head groggily and looked out the window at the approaching storm. I stood slowly and held onto the frame of the open panes. The black, ominous clouds were slowly rolling in, flashing and rumbling as they did so. The sea below churned violently and in the far off distance I could see a curtain of rain slowly making its way towards us. It wouldn't be long now before the storm came, and after that all hell would break loose.

I found myself sitting awkwardly at the end of a very long table, but my mind was anywhere but in the uncomfortable chair I now sat in. Creed sat directly across from me, a curious look on his face as he studied me with what I knew had to be some form of concern.

I glanced at him over my untouched breakfast before looking past him and through the glass wall at the storm as it continued to grow closer and an unbelievably slow pace. I wanted to go back to my room-to get back on that computer and figure all of this out. I wanted to-

"Is something troubling you, Train?" Creed's voice broke through my thoughts and my eyes jerked back to his face.

I studied him for a minute or two before looking back at the storm-not really seeing it, but thinking instead.

"You seem-" His voice faded as he searched for the right word. "Distant."

I continued to stare at the approaching storm as it came even closer and the waves grew in height, white capping before they smashed into the rocks only a few feet below us.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asked, continuing to pry into my thoughts. "I noticed your light was on into the early morning. I considered checking on you but-"

"I'm fine." I cut him off, determined to keep him out of my head.

"I…see…" He replied softly before picking at the food on his plate. "You…you haven't eaten anything."

He tried yet again to start a conversation with that weak smile of his and that pathetic laugh. I felt a tiny bit of that rage resurging as I realized that tonight I would be free to feel it again. I wouldn't have to keep up this charade. No more meals with Creed, no more pretending I gave a damn, no more breathing the same air as him morning, noon, and night.

I sighed heavily-louder than I meant to, before sinking lower in my chair and leaning the side of my face into my fist. I caught the strange look on Creed's face as I did this, and before I could realize what he was about to do he had started talking…again.

"Why were you up so late, Train." Before he had been casual, desperate to start a conversation, but now he was serious-all business.

"Couldn't sleep," I lied to his face, my eyes drilling into his with a mixture of annoyance and hate masked by boredom.

Creed studied me for several seconds before opening his mouth yet again.

"Why have you been researching the Silicon Variant?" He asked pryingly.

"That's none of your business,"

"It's all my business, Train. Everything you do is my business."

"No it isn't, you just make it that way."

"I'm concerned, Train, not your enemy."

"I never said you were my enemy."

"And yet you defend yourself against me like I am."

"Wouldn't you defend yourself against someone who doesn't respect your privacy? Not to mention kidnaps you and kills your best friend?"

"Train…I thought we had put that behind us."

"You have."

"Sooner or later you'll learn to forgive me."

"Sooner or later…"

"What's on your mind?"

"A lot of things…"

"For example…?"

"Why do you still have Number X around?"

"He is a test subject…nothing more. He's perfect for it because he can't feel any pain."

"You don't know that."

"Doctor has done several tests and-"

"And lied to you most likely."

"Doctor does not lie to me."

"Yeah, and I'm sure he was telling the truth when he told you that too?"

"Train, you must learn to trust him."

"I'll learn to trust him once he's either dead or fifty miles away from me."

"But you trust me…don't you?"

"Obviously."

"And I trust him; therefore you should do the same."

"When did this conversation turn to him?"

"I-what else is on your mind?"

"Things I don't want to tell you about."

"I see…well…will there ever be a time when you can tell me?"

"Yes,"

"And when will that be?"

"Tomorrow maybe…"

I stood in silence, letting the wind whip past me as I stared out the open window in my room. The storm was only seconds away as the lightning crawled across the sky and the thunder growled and boomed shortly after. It was coming…it was about to start.

I turned suddenly from where I stood as the door to my room opened slowly and Creed slipping in, glancing behind him as if someone might see him, which would somehow be a crime.

He glanced at me with a weak smile before shutting the door as quietly as humanly possible and leaning against it, keeping several empty feet between us. I studied him as his hand fell from the doorknob and his eyes glanced past me to the open window and the approaching storm.

"You should shut that," He offered the thought with the nod of his head. "Before it rains, I mean."

I continued to study him in silence as he turned his eyes from the window to me, his expression friendly, but obviously hiding something. He was flustered, almost panicked and his hair was a far from its state of perfection. His eyes darted nervously back and forth between mine, and his clothes were winkled and off kilter. Something was wrong, and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that somehow it involved me and my possible escape.

"Is something…wrong?" I asked, pausing as I spoke while I tried to understand his present state.

"Wrong?" He asked as he straightened and smoothed back his untidy hair. "No, not in the slightest, Train."

I cocked my head slightly before crossing my arms and leaning against the nearest wall. Creed caught sight of my disbelief and struggled hurriedly to find an excuse for the way he looked.

"Just a minor problem in Doctor's lab," Either that was a lie, or Creed had finally learned to tell the truth. "A bit of a mess, but we got it fixed."

"I see…" I eyed him as he tried to straighten himself out without looking stranger than normal. "What kind of "mess"?"

"I-" Creed paused suddenly as he seemed to realize he either didn't want to, or couldn't involve me in the problem. "It's nothing important."

"Then why did you come here?" I demanded calmly.

"To see you," He offered, looking slightly hurt.

"You just saw me less than an hour ago," I replied, the rumble of not-so-distant thunder reverberating behind my back.

"Can't I come to see you whenever I want, Train?" He asked, his eyes looking pained.

I didn't reply as he looked at me pleadingly.

"I-I see," He said calmly, his expression darkening slightly.

I turned and looked out the window again, trying to tell him to go without having to actually talk to him, but it didn't work.

"Train…" His voice came suddenly, sounding weak and pained. "What's happened to us?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, refusing to turn and look at him.

"We're falling apart…again," He said quietly.

"We're not falling apart, Creed," I replied calmly as I caught sight of something in the dark clouds-something out of place. "There are just some things in between us."

"Tell me what it is, Train," He pleaded quietly. "Tell me and I'll fix it."

"I want to know what you and Doctor are really doing," I began the list that went on and on as that object grew closer, it's black sides gleaming in the lightning's glow. "I want to know why you won't let me leave, why you killed Saya, why you won't tell me the truth, and-"

I turned around, pulling Hades out as I did and aimed at his chest, the anger surging through me as the storm outside grew in strength.

"Why you killed Sven." Holding my aim steady as I interrogated him.

"Train," Creeds face had twisted from sullen to something I couldn't put a finger on…nothing could explain that smile. "You're still under that witch's spell."

"I was never under her "spell", Creed," I growled at the thought of Creed calling her that. "You just can't admit I don't want to be with you. You can't believe that I don't want to become your partner."

"I thought you had learned," Creed replied softly, glancing past me to the storm outside and suddenly, only a little too late, I realized what he was really seeing. "I know what's going on here."

"Do you?" I asked angrily, cocking my gun and strengthening my glare.

"You may think this will solve everything," He said softly as he slowly back away towards the door. "But all it will do is cause more trouble for both you and your friends."

And with that he turned and left the room, shutting it and locking it from the outside. I glared in the general direction of the door before shoving Hades back into its holster and turning towards the window, the wind slamming against me. I looked up to see the black object growing closer and closer, the reverberating sound of it's spinning blades growing louder by the second as it approached.

I stepped up onto the window seat and leaned out to get a closer look, several drops of cold rain hitting my face as if to warn me of what was to come. I reached up and took hold of the top of the window sill before pulling myself up and onto the droplet stained roof.

I turned to face the harsh wind and watched as the black helicopter grew closer and closer, the familiar shape coming into focus and even the blurry faces of its riders coming into view.

I backed up several steps before standing stationary at the far end of the roof, giving them enough room to land. The machine swayed dangerously in the heavy winds as the pilot lowered it onto the rooftop, landing harder than expected but doing the job all the same.

The door slid open quickly and Sephiria stepped out, her long blonde hair whipping around her shoulders in the rough wind. Jenos, Naizer, Belga, and David followed close behind along with the rest of the Chronos Numbers. Mason was the last to follow, his expression stern and almost dark as he regarded me before turning and stepping down the rest of the short steps until he stood beside Belze.

"Number XIII," Mason regarded me with a scrutinizing look as he stepped in front of the group, his spiked hair beginning to fall out of place as the rain picked up slightly. "I see you're doing well."

I looked back at him with a serious expression, the tension rising slightly as we studied one another. Mason hadn't approved of my resignation in Chronos, not that any of them had, but he had personally sided with the Elders when I had announced the news. Ever since he had wanted nothing to do with me, and I was personally surprised to see him here.

"Heartnet," Sephiria broke the awkward silence as she came up beside Mason, her sword sheathed and held tightly in her hand. "Where is Creed Diskenth?"

"Inside," I jerked my head down towards the window I had come from.

"If you'll lead us to him we'll help you to finish what has been started," She said, her tone business like and her expression stony.

"Right," I nodded stiffly before leading them towards the window and dropping down onto the bench.

They followed quickly until we were all present in the room, Jenos looking slightly angry at the fact that his hair had been ruined by the rain. I turned to look at Sephiria before heading towards the door and pulling Hades out. I aimed and shot the lock apart before shoving the door open and stepping out into the empty hallway.

The lights were off throughout the hallway and in the stairwells; it seemed that Creed had cut the power. The silence that had settled upon the mansion was heavier than normal and the feeling of electricity in the air from the storm made my skin crawl.

I glanced up and down the corridor before turning to face the Numbers.

"The Apostles of the Stars are most likely that way," I pointed right, towards the direction I had gone when I had fought Creed for the first time here. "The Doctors lab is that way…that's where I'm going."

Sephiria nodded and glanced down at Mason who returned the gesture.

"Numbers VII, and myself will go with Heartnet, the rest of you find and destroy the Apostles of the Stars." Sephiria ordered.

The Numbers, including Mason, nodded and headed to the right, towards the door that had taken me to a place I never wanted to go again. Jenos and Sephiria turned their attention to me as if they expected something.