Alright, now that chapter 23 has been posted I can work on chapter 24. It feels nice to write something in this fic, because I've been feeling guilty for having taken so long to update. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I know it was a lot of blah-blah-blah, but it was needed to explain what's going to happen in the next few, and final, chapters.

This one may end up pretty long. I haven't started writing yet so I'm not sure. I think it will mainly because of a lot of things need to happen before Eden. Of course I have to write a big 8-page paper tonight for school so I'll get all inspired and want to write but I won't be able to…of course…lol.

I'm excited to write about the battle in Eden, I really am. While I didn't like it a whole lot in the show I'm going to fix it and take out a lot of the random dialogue that happened in the show. I want to bring Rinslet, the Numbers, and some of my fav. Apostles of the Stars (Kyoko!) in. I don't think I'll bring Tearju in, and if I do it'll be through phone conversations or something. She's just kinda bland…lol.

Well, here goes. This won't get to Eden most likely, but it'll definitely build up for it. I hope you enjoy chapter 24!! X3

-Train

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A Cat's Desperation

"Eve!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I wandered along the darkened streets.

Hours had passed since we had seen her last, and with Creed's disturbing words we had immediately worried. The sun was beginning to set on the small town, and the streets that had once been bustling with shoppers and salespersons were now quiet and empty.

"Eve!" I yelled again, glancing around in the falling shadows. "Hey, Eve! Can you hear me!?"

I sighed as I got nothing but my own echo in response. We had been searching for at least half an hour without a single sign of her, and I knew Sven was beginning to get really worry as he called me in two minutes increments asking if I had found her.

As if on cue the phone in my pocket came to life, vibrating anxiously.

I flipped it open and held it to my ear as I continued to look around, feeling anxious if not a little scared.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, waiting for Sven to come through from the other side.

Silence answered me as I stood alone in the street, waiting for a response.

"Hello?" I asked called again, wondering if Sven had hung up. "Hey, are you there?"

"Hello, Number Thirteen," A husky voice suddenly replied, my eyes widening as I recognized the voice.

"Mason." I replied darkly, my voice changing almost immediately. "How did you-"

"You should have watched her more carefully." He interrupted, and I could almost see the smirk that must have been forming across his face.

"What do you want?" I snapped, but deep down I already knew.

"Meet me at the far end of town. By the docks." And with that he hung up.

I shoved the phone into my pocket and took off at a run towards the side of town he had explained. I knew I should get Sven, or at least call him to let him know, but I had to do this alone. Mason was doing this for a reason, and I didn't want to pull Sven into Chronos' affair. Number or not I was still a part of this, and the fact that Mason had specifically sought me out only confirmed that.

By the time I rounded the final alleyway my side was burning from all the running, but something told me I needed to find Mason and I needed to find him soon. I came to a stop in an open brick area that looked out to the sea. Several docks stretched out from the edge of the stone walkways into the gentle waves of the ocean.

I glanced back and forth, looking for some sign of life but found nothing but stone and a single black cat that sat atop a nearby brick wall. I walked out slowly, on edge and ready for just about anything, but only silence greeted me.

This place reminded me of another place long ago-years ago. It had been filled with people then, the air filled with laughter and excitement as the festival carried on. It had been lit up with an array of colors as fireworks had exploded in the sky and all I could remember was the searing pain in my chest as I had rushed through it-as I had tried to beat something I knew had already happened.

"Saya!" I heard my voice cry in my own head as if I was back in that night again and I felt my chest tighten again.

My eyes shot open before I even realized I had shut them to the ordinary world again, filled with the sound of crashing waves and the eerie stare of the black cat. I glanced around again as I took several steps forward, my short black coat shifting in the night breeze.

I knew it was happening before it did, but I knew I was powerless to stop it-that I was pray to this game. Something hard pressed against the back of my head while hot breath washed over my neck.

"Don't move." A voice came from behind me. "Give me the gun."

"How about I keep the gun and you give me yours," I said calmly.

Before they could reply I ducked and spun, the gun firing just above my head as I whipped Hades out and pressed it between their eyes and wrenched his gun out of his hand. He stared down the muzzle of my gun into my eyes, his face barely concealing the fear beneath it.

"Now," I said slowly. "Where are the others?"

The sound of metal against metal and the cocking of guns filled the air all around me as at least a dozen men surrounded me, an array of different types of guns aimed in my direction. I glanced around calmly before smiling slightly. It was just like Mason to greet his guests with armloads of artillery.

"It's nice to see you, Number Thirteen," Mason's familiar voice came from within the crown of armed men. "Or should I say, Train Heartnet."

I lowered my gun slowly and turned to see him standing only a few feet away from me. He was short in comparison, he always had been, but at the same time he had continued to be intimidating beyond reason.

"Take his gun," Mason signaled to the man behind me.

He took his gun from my left hand and, with a bit of effort, pried Hades from my right. A second man lowered his gun and stepped up behind me, taking my arms and wrenching them behind my back to the point that it was almost painful.

"Can't have you showing off, now can I?" Mason smirked as he looked me up and down. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were still using the skills you learned from Chronos."

"I'm a Sweeper now," I replied calmly.

"Yes, I heard," Mason smirked again. "What a step down for the infamous Black Cat."

"In your opinion maybe." I almost snapped.

"You were smart to come alone," Mason said, ignoring my comment. "Let's hope no one comes looking for you."

He turned and signaled for his men to follow him, and so they did. I was led roughly across the stone opening towards a building at the far edge that seemed to be an oversized storage structure. We walked through the nearest door, which slid shut behind us, and stepped into a room that was filled with crates and boxed of all sized.

"Over here," Mason spoke to the man that was holding my arms.

He shoved me forward and turned me around before forcing me down into an uncomfortable chair where my arms were quickly strapped to the armrests. The men backed away and made a semicircle around the opening in the room, a few of them standing directly behind me with their guns aimed threateningly. Mason stepped back and regarded me for several silent minutes before opening his mouth.

"I'm sure you understand what's happening here," Mason replied as he crossed his arms.

"Most of it," I replied calmly, my voice reverting back to what it had been back in the days of Chronos.

"It seems you've turned Creed against me," Mason replied calmly.

"Creed does what he wants on his own," I snapped back.

"Yes, well, we'll see about that," Mason smirked. "And I'm sure you're the same way."

I didn't reply to this, I only glared in return.

"You see," Mason began as he came closer. "This world isn't worth saving, and neither are its people, not even Chronos-the worlds "savior". It's time the world was cleansed, and I know just how to do it."

"The world only needs to be "cleansed" of people like you." I snapped back, glaring up at him.

"On the contrary, Thirteen," He said as he leaned forward and took hold of my chin roughly, his eyes bearing into mine. "It's people like you that need to go. People who have no loyalty to that which they begin. People whose hearts are weak and believe everyone is worth saving. You, Train Heartnet, should be the first to go."

"We'll see about that." I replied darkly.

He smirked before jerking his hand away from my face and straightening up.

"Eden will solve everything. It will cleanse the world of people like you and use them to survive. Only those who I have personally selected will remain and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it." Mason said, sounding more than maniacal. "I know Creed has put it into your head that you can defeat Eden and survive, but in the end it will prove its worth by destroying you."

"I don't care if I die, Mason," I said quietly. "You don't seem to understand that. I don't care if I die as long as I take you with me."

"Oh, very noble," Mason laughed, the sound echoing through the room. "But I doubt you'll be so eager when you realize what's on the line."

He cleared his voice loudly at this and the men at the far side of the room backed away to reveal an empty section of the room line with a tall stack of boxed. My eyes traveled from the floor up until they fell on a figure sitting at the very top, the shadows falling across their form, but I didn't need light to know who it was.

"Eve…" I breathed loud enough so that it seemed only Mason could hear.

"You see," Mason said, feigning sympathy as he stepped up beside me and held onto my shoulder tightly. "When it comes time when you and I meet, the collateral that I carry will keep you from killing me."

"You're-you're pathetic." I growled, feeling anger rush through me. "You're hiding behind a child."

"I wouldn't call it hiding." Mason replied, his fingers digging deeper into my shoulder. "Maybe you need to see why. Eve, come here."

Mason snapped, and it was as if the sound activated her. She jerked slightly before lifting herself slightly and jumping down to the floor where she landed in a crouch. Mason motioned to two of the men behind me who moved forward and freed my arms from the chair and forced me to stand.

Eve stepped forward slowly, the light falling across her figure and it was then that I saw the strange square that was pressed against her chest. It looked like an oversized computer chip and with each step she took it glowed an eerie red. I looked into her eyes to find nothing but blank red and a strange black that seemed to be seeping in from the outer rim of her iris.

"Eve." I said, my voice sounding strangled.

"You see, she's no ordinary child, as you already know," Mason laughed. "But until now she had no idea of her true potential."

Eve came to a stop several feet away from us, her eyes staring past us as if she wasn't even alive.

"Eve," I said, sounding desperate. "Wake up."

Her strange eyes flickered but remained stationary, making her look like some kind of doll. Mason moved behind her, his hands on her shoulders as if she belonged to him, before he looked at me.

"Why don't we give you a preview of what's to come?" He smirked before his face and voice changed entirely, filled with nothing but hatred. "Eve, kill him."

It was as if a switch had been flicked. Her eyes shot up to my face before she lunged forward, her arms morphing into the blades like they had the night I had been assigned to assassinate her.

I dodged to the side, the blade of her left hand barely missing the side of my face. Mason's men quickly stepped back to form a ring I was sure I wouldn't be able to leave. I ducked again as Eve flew at me, flipping over my head and landing directly behind me.

"Why don't we make this somewhat fair," Mason said, sounding amused as he took Hades from one of his men and slid it across the floor where it stopped several feet away from me.

I flipped backwards, barely missing another one of Eve's attacks, retrieving Hades from the floor in mid-flip. I landed squarely on my feet and swung Hades up to block one of Eve's blades.

Mason stood back and watched, like he had when I had trained in Chronos, butthis wasn't training, this was something much different, and much deadlier. I couldn't hurt Eve, but I couldn't let her kill me and I knew with her mine as uncontrolled as it was she would surely try.

"Eve, stop this." I said as I blocked another blow with Hades. "You have to stop."

She let out a strange growl before leaping in the air and spinning, the blades on her hands forming into a deadly, spinning weapon. I leapt back as the blades landed exactly where I had been standing. I landed several feet away, skidding to a halt and breathing hard.

"Getting tired, Thirteen?" Mason asked sardonically.

Eve lept forward and unbelievable speed, allowing me to fall back just in time, but not fast enough. One of her blades slid across my chest, slicing through my shirt and leaving a trail of deep red blood.

She turned on me, the blade that had struck me smeared red, before she growled again and crouched low. I aimed Hades, looking over the top of the weapon and into her eyes. My hand shook as I realized what I was doing and who I was aiming at. Years ago this hadn't meant much to me except for the fact that I had been ordered to kill a child. Now I was aiming at Eve, someone I had grown to respect and trust.

"Eve," I breathed heavily, tired from what she had put me through. "Please. Wake up."

With that she lunged forward, her blades aloft as she flew towards me. I couldn't do it, I couldn't pull the trigger, but as she came closer my arm flew up, still aiming, and with a single shot from Hades and with a swing of her arm, everything went black.

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"Train," A voice swam through my head, sounding urgent. "Train. Train, wake up."

I felt a weight lift from my body as the darkness around me swam in a dizzying way. A sharp pain shot through the side of my head as I tried to turn it, but all I saw was darkness.

"Train," the voice came again, more urgent than ever. "Train, open your eyes."

I took in a shallow and painful breath before slowly opening my eyes. Darkness greeted me again, but not quite the same. It was murky and filled with shadows, but I could see shapes swimming in front of me, and as they moved they slowly came into focus.

"Train," There was the voice again, only this time I could match it with a face. "Are you okay?"

"S-Sven?" I said, my voice rough and weak. "Wh-what happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," He said, his face filled with worry. "We found you like this about an hour ago, but no one else was here."

That's when it hit me, and like a shot I flew up from the ground.

"Eve!" I gasped before gravity took its toll and I was sent falling back to the ground filled with nothing but dizziness.

"What about her, Train?" Sven asked urgently, his hand on my shoulder as he shook it slightly.

"Will you let him rest for a second?" A second voice interrupted, sounding annoyed.

I looked up to my right to see Annette leaning over me, looking just as worried.

"We should get you back to my place," She said, but as they began to lift me away from the ground the room swam again before going black.

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I opened my eyes again to a different scene, only this one was bright and full of color. Great, just what my head needed. My hand rose to cover my eyes as I let out a pain filled groan.

"Good, you're awake," I heard a new voice say and as I peeked through my fingers I saw Creed leaning over me. "How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful," I said sarcastically. "Just great."

"What happened?" Creed asked, ignoring my sarcasm. "Was it Mason?"

"How did you know?" I asked as I sat up slowly, my eyes still covered from the blinding light.

"It seems a bit obvious." He said calmly.

"It wasn't him though," I groaned as pain shout through my chest and my fingers fell from my eyes to trace the bandage that was now over the cut. "It was Eve."

Creed was silent at this, and I knew that was why he had warned us to find her.

"You knew," I said as I looked at him. "Didn't you?"

"I knew Mason needed her, yes," Creed replied. "But I'm not sure why."

"He didn't say, either," I said as I rested my forehead in my hand. "But he's done something to her. He's changed her."

"He has Doctor on his side," Creed said darkly. "I'm sure it has something to do with him."

"Perfect," I groaned. "Just what we need, a psychotic doctor wannabe out to get us."

"It's far worse than that, but we won't know how until we're up against it." He replied calmly.

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The night passed slowly, and for me painfully. I had explained everything that had happened in detail to Sven, and after that he had been determined to find Mason and get Eve back. He wasn't exactly ready to team up with Creed or the others, but he was ready to save Eve, and if it meant finding and destroying Eden that so be it.

Memories of what had happened flashed across my mind as I sat painfully in the dark, empty living room. Pointing a gun at Eve was the last thing I wanted to do, and yet I had. Was it because I wanted to survive? Because I knew that destroying Eve might be the only way? Or was it because it was the easy way out?

I rested my forehead in my hands as I thought with shut eyes, trying to press the memories out of my mind.

"What are you doing in here?" Sven's voice broke through my thoughts, making me jerk and look up.

"I-um-just thinking." I replied before looking to the floor.

"What happened tonight wasn't your fault, Train." Sven said as he sat in the chair closest to me. "No matter what any of us had done Mason would've taken Eve."

"I pointed a gun at her." The words spilled out before I could stop them only to be answered by silence from Sven.

"Did you shoot?" He asked calmly.

I looked at him, wanting to tell him but not sure how. I had shot the gun, but I wasn't sure if it had hit anything. I meant to aim for the plate on her chest, but I was beyond knowing if it actually had.

"I don't think it did anything…" I tried to tell myself more than anything.

"She's fast, Train," Sven tried to laugh. "She's almost as fast as you. I'm sure she's fine."

But I knew from his tone that he, just like me, wasn't so sure.

"You should get some sleep," He said, shaking my shoulder slightly as he stood and reached out for my own hand. I grabbed it and he helped me stand. "We're leaving early tomorrow morning. We have to find Mason before he does anything TOO crazy."

"Easier said than done." I replied.

The night passed in silence and it took me hours to fall asleep. Images of Eve flashed through my mind, and I found myself wondering where she might be and if she was okay. How could I help her if I wasn't even sure where to look? And now that she was as powerful as she was, how were we supposed to reach her?

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So there's the 24th chapter. There will be a couple more after this that will take place with Eden, etc. I hope this chapter wasn't too boring but I wanted to show what Eve is like now, how Mason is, and what they're about to face. The next chapter will start with them finding Eden and explain exactly what's going on with it, especially if you haven't seen the anime.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and enjoy the rest!

P.S. Oh! I had a quick question for all my anime Black Cat watchers. Do you remember in the episode where Creed and Train fight (basically the episode I based the beginning of this story on) that Creed is playing the piano? Do you remember that piece at all? Well, if you do, do you know what it's called because it's not on the soundtrack and I'm wondering if it's an actual classical piece. Thank you so much if you can help me out!