14AmyChan: I don't own anything! *^_^*

Train: I'm gonna drink some milk.

14AmyChan and Saya: Can I have some?

Train: O.O …. Sure…

14AmyChan and Saya: YAY!

14AmyChan: *^_^*

Saya had enough. "Either you let me off or I'm getting off by force!" she finally yelled in Train's ear about two hours after they started running. Saya was a little surprised that he made it this far. This time, unlike the last 485 tries, Train actually stopped and let her down. That wasn't the only thing that went down.

"Train!" Saya said when she turned and saw he had collapsed. It wasn't like Train to do that, and the only time she ever saw him that weak was when he was on death's doorstep. She already spent nine days in hell thinking he was dead, she wasn't about to do more time! "Train! C'mon," Saya looked around and found a convenient hollow tree.

It had to be at least a few hundred years old. It was real big around the bottom, and would have stretched beyond the clouds, but something had cut it just right so that the tree would bend over slightly instead of reaching to the sky. It was a beautiful brown, dark, yet giving of a tone of life. Until it hit the top, where all you could see were charred bits of bark where the tree was forced to take an unnatural curve.

Poor tree… Saya thought as she hoisted an unconscious Train over her shoulders and made her way to the tree. She flattened Train against one side and sat on the opposite side, trying to give him some space. Inside the tree, it seemed to be very large, yet a breeze that would chill your bones was blowing through. Saya thought about starting a fire, but then remembered that she was taking refuge in something that would burn just as easy a few leaves.

Saya edged around the tree's insides to find the place where the wind didn't hit as hard. She found it.

It was right next to the unconscious Train.

Don't get her wrong, she was still mad as hell at Train. Gone nine days without so much as a phone call! Not even a phone call! The more she thought about it, the madder she got. Train was her first-ever true-blue friend, and he left her hanging for nine days! Still, it was either seek warmth next to Train or try and find another spot to try and sleep without dying of frostbite.

Saya must have circled the tree nine times before she found a spot that wasn't next to Train where she could sleep. It was right outside the 'doorway' to the tree. Train would get one side and Saya would have the other. As Saya settled in, she could only think of how Train looked like he was trying to protect something when he was running. But now way had she forgiven him. Not yet…

…/…/…/…/

Train regained consciousness inside a tree. That's right, a tree. Taking note of his surroundings-dark, musty, and having a cramping feeling even though it's big-Train thought that going home to run off with Saya had been some sort of sick dream/nightmare. Train checked his pocket instantly for his phone, a little habit he started in the room of endless darkness, aka, the room he was confined to for the last nine days.

Surprisingly, he had bars here. Well, wherever 'here' was… Also, he had Hades. Good, it might be useful if he had to tangle with either Chronos or Creed. Train looked around, half-expecting Saya to be right next to him, which she wasn't. Train found Saya at the other end of the opening, asleep. It also looked like she was shivering.

Train didn't have the time to give it a second thought. The instant he realized she was cold, his body moved on its own, shedding his coat to lay it on top of her. It was then that Train made an epic discovery: Saya talked in her sleep.

"No… don't…" Train thought that she was talking to him at first. He tried talking to her, saying "If I don't, you'll catch a cold". He only got cut off with "don't do it, mama…" Train froze. He remembered one time that they had talked about Saya's past.

.../.../.../

"Saya" Train said, trying to be careful about any feelings he might hurt in this discussion. The last time he was this considerate was when he was eight.

"You got something to say?" Saya asked, beaming like she usually does.

"You know about how I got mixed up in the organization, how'd you get to be a sweeper?" Train tried being blunt. For some reason, this conversation was hard for him to start, but he was really curious.

"Curiosity killed the cat" Saya said suddenly, then laughed. It was just one of those things that she did that made Train want to smile. Saya sighed and Train knew he should be very careful with this one. Saya didn't sigh. At all. "I guess that's fair, I know your life's story, after all."

Train braced himself for some sort of happy family story. That's what he always thought of when it came to Saya. "I don't remember anything before I was ten years old" Saya said sadly, and it hit Train like a ton of bricks. How could you forget ten years of your life? "My parents apparently abused me…but I've blocked out any memory of it" Saya was talking, Train was listening, but he couldn't move. At least his parents never did that to him, they were killed, they didn't leave him of their own choice…

"My earliest memory is of a hospital…I moved back and forth between relatives and foster homes" Saya was still talking. Train finally got up and walked over. She was still giving a debrief of her life's story. "When I realized it, I was all alone. I went through quite a bit before becoming a sweeper." Train decided to look over her shoulder to see that she was smiling at a dragonfly. She held it delicately on her finger and smiled. Everything seemed so peaceful, but it was the first time Train ever thought that Saya had ever had a tough life…

.../.../.../

Saya was still mumbling something in her sleep. The most Train could think to do was just to sit there, right next to her. She had his jacket; he already put it over her like a blanket. It just wasn't fair to her that she had to be caught up in his mess with Chronos, his lunatic stalker, and his messy life when-he was sure-she had her own life to worry about…

Maybe he should cut all ties… Maybe that would help her out. But first things first, he needed to make sure that Saya would be safe wherever she would go. That would mean changing everything from her looks to her name to her background. If either Creed or Chronos got a hold on any of them, Saya would be done for… No, he needed to protect Saya, and the best way to do that would be to break away from her. They'd both lived before they met each other, and they could do the same thing after they parted, right?

Train didn't even notice that he was stroking Saya's hair as she slept. Or the fact that he was now bare-chested.

14AmyChan: Now, I'm getting back into it~! *^_^* I hope you liked it~! *^_^*

Train: The disclaimers are back!

Saya: Yep! XD

Sven: So, you're going to have them separate?

14AmyChan: That's for the story to decide, I'm just letting it unfold. *^_^*

Eve: Please review for 14AmyChan and leave any tips of advice that she might use. That is all.