14AmyChan: I own nothing~! *^_^*
Train: What happened to the scene with the old man?
14AmyChan: It's coming in the next chapter. *^_^*
Train: why?
14AmyChan: Saya owes you a story, does she not? *^_^*
Saya: oh, right…
Train: You're really going though with that?
14AmyChan: Why wouldn't I? *^_^*
Train: *quickly* no reason… *gulps in fear*
14AmyChan: let's get on with this, shall we? *^_^*
Eve finished her mashed potatoes, which had been practically smothered in butter, and looked at Saya expectantly. Saya was still eating her fried chicken, so she didn't notice, but Sven, who usually monitored Eve, did.
"Did you want something else, Eve?" Sven asked, a little confused. Eve had proved so far that she wasn't the type of girl to want more than she'd been given. For her patience with her new guardians, Sven had started to give her an allowance to get new books. Maybe he had overstepped it…?
"Saya said she'd read a story about a witch for us tonight" Eve said, looking at Sven when she talked, then turning her head back to Saya, who had stopped eating to ransack her memories. She remembered promising that to Train, and she was pretty sure that they had been alone in the kitchen at the time…
"How'd you hear about that, Eve?" Train asked, also sure that he and Saya had been alone. It was going to be just the two of them, but somehow Eve had heard about it.
"I was in the room with you guys" Eve said, her eyes growing wide. Had she walked in on something she wasn't supposed to? "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, you didn't" Saya said quickly. She put down her chicken and wiped her mouth. "I don't mind reading it to everyone." But I kind of wanted it to be just me and Train-kun she added silently. Oh well, she mused, cleaning up the dishes, a chore that Train helped out with whenever she did them. We can still do the dishes.
"Sven, did I say something wrong?" Eve asked once the two 'cats' had left the room to do the dishes together. She knew that Sven wouldn't lie to her. He hadn't before. He even gave her an allowance so she could buy new books! What he didn't know was that she always gave a little back so they could keep paying the debts off.
"I don't think so" Sven wondered at the little scene that had just unfolded. What happened between those two? Was something about to begin? Sven hoped that even if the two Sweepers actually did form an actual relationship, they would still be able to do their work. "I think you should just enjoy the story" Sven smiled at Eve, hoping to reassure her that she'd done nothing wrong.
"You're not going to listen, Sven?" Eve had silently hoped that he would stay to listen to the story.
"I'm not sure that they'd appreciate another listener" Sven started to decline the sweet offer, but Train and Saya decided to come out at that very moment.
"Why not?" Train asked, who earned a smile from Saya. "Let's just relax and listen to a story."
"Besides, I think Eve would like you to stay, Sven" Saya pointed out, noticing the slight pout that Eve was giving off. It wasn't overly showy. In fact, her face barley looked any different that what is usually did, but her eyebrows were slightly knitted together and her eyes had that pondering look of 'why?'. Saya found it to be really cute.
Sven looked over at Eve and noticed she was giving him some kind of look. He couldn't describe it, but it practically screamed at him to stay. He didn't know why all of a sudden he couldn't say no to those eyes of hers. He felt like some kind of father or something. "What story is it?" he asked instead of giving a direct answer.
"I'll go get it" Saya said, leaving the room. Eve rested her head on her hands, which had been laid out on the table. Sven restrained from getting out a cigarette as he waited. Train only waited and watched for Saya's return. Within a second, Saya had returned with the smallest of books titled Hansel and Gretel. "I've had this book for a long time" Saya said proudly.
"Never heard of it" Train grinned. Eve also shook her head. Sven had heard of it, but stayed silent about it. No need to ruin it for the two who'd never heard of it before. Besides, he wanted to watch the reaction of the clueless pair.
"On the borders of a dark forest, far away, there once lived a woodcutter with his wife and two children. The woodcutter was very poor indeed, and the children, who were called Hansel and Gretel, had often not enough bread to eat. Their mother had died when they were very little and the woodcutter's new wife did not care for children, so times were hard for Hansel and Gretel…" Saya started the story, and Train let his imagination run the story as he listened.
Train was in a small cottage. Across the small room he was in was a child-like Saya, sleeping soundly in a tiny bed. Train went to wake her, but found that she was already awake.
"There wasn't enough bread for all of us last night" Saya recounted, pushing herself up off the bed. "Stepmomma ate our shares again…"
"I know" Train said, stroking her pixie-like hair. It was then that he realized that she was not wearing her usual Yukata and was instead clothed in a pilgrim dress. Train noticed that he, too, looked childish and was wearing clothes that he was not accustomed to. "Maybe we'll have something to eat this morning…"
"I hope so" Saya said as they both heard a shrill call from downstairs.
"Wretched children, I hope you are up! For there is much work to be done!" the voice seemed familiar to Train, but he could not place it. Though he did know that the voice sent shivers up his spine. Quite a feat… Grabbing Saya's hand, Train led her down the stairs and into what seemed to be the kitchen.
"Good morning Hansel, Gretel" a kinder, gentler voice said, confusing Train. What's with Sven? He wondered as Sven (adult, but clothed in pilgrims clothing) smiled warily at both he and Saya. "How did you sleep?"
"Good, papa!" Saya answered with a trace of a smile. Train was really confused now, when did Saya call Sven Papa?
"If you are done babying them, there is work to be done." The unpleasant voice stated. A pale hand gave Train and Saya thin crusts each. Wondering who was treating him so rudely, Train looked up to see the eyes of the person that fed them, but found that he could not see them. All he saw were a few wisps of silver hair.
"Yes, Stepmomma" Saya said as she ate her bread quietly. Train followed suit, wondering if he were in the story of Hansel and Gretel. As soon as the bread was finished, the hand that had fed them roughly jerked them outside to start helping their "father" with cutting wood and putting it in bunches to sell.
After a hard day of work, Train and Saya went to bed, exhausted. But before they could fall asleep, they heard a devastating conversation.
"What are we to do?" Sven asked from the other side of the door. "We only have one bread slice left and I don't think we'll make it through the winter…"
That explains why it was so cold… Train thought as he heard the "wife's" answer. "We need to get rid of the children. Make them loose their way so that they can never come home."
"How could I do that?" Sven asked, more fear in his voice than anger, which confused and terrified Train all at once. Really, he was acting like a five year old child!
"It's that or we all starve together in a matter of days, you choose!" the "wife" forced the impossible decision on Sven. Without much of a fight, Sven's will collapsed, and he said "fine".
Well after the "parents" had gone to bed, Train heard Saya start to cry. Great, now she was acting like a five-year-old. "We're going to be stuck out there and we'll never find our way home!" she fretted. After consoling her that he would take care of everything, Train got out of bed and hurried himself down the stairs. Slipping out of the door, he found a lot of white pebbles on the ground, reflecting the moonlight. Kind of like his eyes. Train gathered as many stones as he could fit in his pockets and then went off to bed, where he found Saya to be asleep. He followed suit.
Right before the break of dawn, Train found himself being roughly shaken awake. It was the same pale hand that had fed and jerked him around. The voice came "Hurry, you must go into the woods today to help your father cut more wood." Still sleepy-eyed, Train just did what he was told and before he knew it, he, Saya, and Sven were right in front of the woods and Train remembered the stone he had gotten the night before. Carefully, he began dropping the stones as to mark their path. He did this as discreetly as possible.
"Quit stalling" the voice reprimanded Train every time he stopped. All Train would say in return was "I was checking to make sure birds wouldn't poop on our house. That would stink."
"There are no birds around here" the voice sighed, exasperated. During these short conversations, Saya and Sven would keep quiet. Finally, they arrived at a deep part of the woods.
"I'm going to build you a fire so you can stay warm" Sven said while building said fire. "I'm going to be right over there if you need me, so just yell out if you need anything, all right?"
"All right, papa" Saya smiled as she handed Train a large piece of bread. Train began happily munching on his new snack as he listened to wood hit wood. What he had assumed was Sven cutting wood was only two tree branches hitting each other in the wind. Pretty soon, he and Saya were fast asleep.
Late at night, Train woke up with a start, and saw that the fire had gone out. Saya was still asleep (on his shoulder!), so he gently looked around to see if the stones were reflecting the moonlight. They were. Train woke Saya with a "let's go home" and led her by her hand out of the forest by way of the reflecting stones.
As soon as they entered the cottage, Train and Saya were immediately ambushed by the "wife" with accusations and false cries of worry. Train ignored the batty old person and made his way to Sven, who just hugged them. It felt good. Soon, Train and Saya were in bed asleep again.
The next night, Train and Saya overheard another conversation between the "wife" and Sven.
"There is not enough food for all of us. Either we get rid of the children or we all will die" the "wife" said forcefully.
"But what can I do? I don't want to leave them out there" Sven started to protest, but was cut off.
"You've done it before and you'll do it again!" the final voice had spoken, and the plot began anew. Saya's tears were wiped off by Train's hand until she finally went to sleep. Then, as he had done two nights ago, he went to go get some more stones. This time, however, there was a lock to which he did not have a key. He was stuck inside the house. Feeling a small sense of hopelessness, Train climbed back into bed, scheming of a way to make sure that he and Saya got home.
It had to be two hours before the break of dawn that Train was awoken this time. He simply got dressed and followed Sven, Saya, and the "wife" out to the edge of the woods. Realizing that he was holding only his smaller slice of bread, Train crumbled a little bit in his hands and proceeded to make a path out of the crumbs. Sven and the "wife" led Train and Saya into a different part of the woods, just as an extra precaution that they would not find their way home.
"I'm going to be right over there" Sven pointed in a random direction. "I'll make you a fire to keep warm, so you just stay here. Call me if you need anything, all right?"
"All right, papa" Saya smiled. Train was kind of getting the hang of this story. Sven and the "wife" left to "chop wood" and Train and Saya just sat in front of the fire, keeping warm until the fell asleep. After the sun had set and the fire blew out, Train woke up. He looked around to see if his trail of bread crumbs was there.
It wasn't.
Train watched as some of the crumbs he had dropped earlier fed the nocturnal animals of the forest. "The same things that ate the bread are going to eat us, too?" Saya asked, slightly startling Train. He didn't think that she would have been awake.
"Nah" Train said, taking her hand and making sure he didn't look scared at all. "I'll make sure we get out of this"
"Promise?" Saya asked, her eyes wide.
"Promise" Train smiled, leading her in the direction that he remembered putting the crumbs down on. For hours upon hours they walked, and the forest did not seem to be getting thinner or thicker. Train was lost, but he couldn't tell that to Saya. She was counting on him.
"Look!" Saya said, pointing. Train, who had had his head down, looked in the direction where she was pointing. There, in a small clearing, was a small dove. Train speculated that the dove might know where to go from there, so he wordlessly led Saya to follow the bird. After following it for a few minutes, they came across a larger clearing. In this one, however, was a house. But it wasn't just any house, it was a house made of candy. It was then that Train realized his and Saya's stomachs were growling from the scent of food.
Without a thought or care of what could happen, Train and Saya dug into the house.
"Munching and crunching! Do I hear a mouse
Eating the walls of my gingerbread house?"
"Uh…no…" Train said, quickly swallowing his piece of gumdrop. "That's the wind you hear, no one's eating the walls of your house." For a few minutes all was still, so Train and Saya deemed it safe to start eating again.
After a few seconds, Train realized that Saya was staring, not at him, but just above him. Train looked up and saw Creed's face. And in case you were wondering, he was wearing a black dress [yes, a dress] and a smile. Which, by the way, looked absolutely revolting on him.
"Children, it's all right if you want to eat my house" Creed smiled some more. "But wouldn't you rather have a big healthy dinner?"
Train, realizing that this was just a story and that it wasn't really Creed, nodded at this offer and walked with Saya into the house made of gingerbread. After a healthily sized dinner, he and Saya were tucked into beds that seemed to be made of marshmallow.
In the morning, Train didn't feel as comfortable as he had gone to sleep. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was padlocked in a cage. Mentally, he berated himself for trusting anything that even looked like Creed. Scanning the little cottage, Train saw Saya, working her little butt off for this person who looked like Creed. Its eyes were red, and the figure often used its hands to feel its way around the room. Train guessed that the person was more than just half-blind.
Suddenly, the Creed-person whipped around and seemed to stare at Train's cage. "Eat up, you little ingrate!" Train felt that he had heard this voice recently before… "Or you'll have to watch her work that much harder!" The Creed-person shoved his foot under Saya's stomach and she fell on the floor.
"Quit it!" Train demanded, but when the Creed-person didn't hear any munching, he continued to barrage Saya with another kick. Train grabbed a random noisy food and began to eat. As soon as that happened, the Creed-person backed away from Saya. Train sighed of relief, then wondered how to get him and Saya out of there.
For a few days it went on like that. The Creed-person forcing Train to eat, while feeding Saya nothing and forcing her to do the work of the house. Sometimes the Creed-person would demand that Train stick his finger out of the cage for it to feel. Not wanting the repulsive person to touch him at all, Train always stuck out a small bone. The Creed-person would always mutter "still far too skinny. Needs to be fatter"
One day, the Creed-person and Train heard Saya mutter, "Why didn't we just starve in the forest? Why did we have to land in the hands of this witch?" Then Train realized what Creed was doing when he called Saya a witch. His regard of Creed, which was already six feet under, just buried itself another six feet.
"So you could be my dinner" the Creed-person kicked Saya in the back, causing her to fall. Train's anger boiled, but there was nothing he could do about it. "But first, you need to stop what you're doing and follow me." Saya seemed intimidated as she followed the Creed-person over to the oven. "Check to see if it's hot enough for me to cook your brother."
Train was immediately disgusted, and also doubtful of its motives. Saya seemed to sense it, too, because she quipped with "How am I supposed to do that?"
"Easy, just do this" the Creed-person stuffed its head in the oven as a demonstration. But Train was watching Saya, who had backed up a little bit. With all the strength she had built up over the past few days, she rammed the Creed-person into the oven and slammed the door shut.
This is supposed to be a kids book? Train thought as Saya found the key and got Train out of the cage. By now, Train was—well—fat. He wanted to run around and loose the chub, but something that caught his and Saya's eyes prevented him from achieving that goal.
"Look at all the rubies!" Saya said as she grabbed as many as she could fit in her little apron. Train shrugged as he shoved his pockets full of the highly valued gems. Then they heard a faint cry in the corner. Turning, they saw a small blonde-haired baby. Train had to laugh at this point, he had never actually seen Eve as a baby. Train picked her up and immediately she glared at him.
"I could leave you here, you know" Train warned her, but her only response was a very immature raspberry. Sighing with resignation, Train carried the gems in his pocket along with the baby Eve out of the house. This time, he followed Saya until they reached a lake. On the lake was a swan, and—to Train's surprise—Saya spoke to it, asking it to take them home. The swan nodded—yes, nodded—at them and proceeded to take them all across the lake. Train first, because he was the heaviest at that time, then Saya and Eve. The baby Eve didn't fuss as much when Saya was carrying her, but because Saya was carrying so many gems, the baby was transferred back to Train, where she began squirming once more.
"Hey, we're not too far from home" Saya said as she looked around. Train looked around, too, and spotted a stone. It was the stone path he had set ages ago! As quickly as they could, Train and Saya rushed to the location of their home, to find that only the father Sven was there.
"You're back!" Sven's face broke into a wide smile. With pleading eyes, Train gave the still squirming baby over to Sven. Once in Sven's arms, Eve's face broke into a smile. She just doesn't like me… Train thought.
"And that's not all" Saya said, letting go of her little apron to set all the gems on the ground. Train pulled his share of the treasure out of his pockets and combined them with Saya's. Sven's face would have split in two if he smiled any more.
"Looks like we won't have to worry about food anymore" he said, pulling Train and Saya into a hug along with the baby Eve.
"What happened to stepmomma" Saya asked, seemingly a little afraid of the answer.
"I don't know" Sven said, but it sounded like he didn't care, either. "She left, saying she was done. Last I heard it, she went into the woods and died there."
"Oh yay!" Saya cried for joy as Train again questioned himself on how this could possibly be a children's story.
"…But though the diamonds and rubies were very precious, Hansel and Gretel thought they were not half as beautiful as the little white pebbles on the garden walk, which shone brightly when the moon came out and bathed them in silver light" Saya finished up as Train opened his eyes.
"That was a good story, Saya" Eve said, her eyes transfixed.
"Thanks, I've always liked it" Saya smiled at Eve as she went to put her book away in her luggage. Then she walked back through the room and out the front door. "I'm going to get some fresh air" she smiled as the door shut behind her.
"Too bad you slept through it all, Train" Sven seemed to be glaring at Train, but Train just grinned.
"Nope, I heard every word" Train stood up and stretched. It was like he had been taking a nap, but he had been listening. Kind of. "I'm going to talk to Saya" Train walked out the door, leaving Eve and Sven behind.
"Hey Sven?" Eve asked. Sven only hmmed, so Eve went along with her question. "Do you know of any other stories like that?"
"Fairy tales?" Sven asked, dredging up memories from his childhood. "There are a few that I know of. Why?"
"Would you tell them to me later?" Eve asked, and Sven noticed just then that she was really tired. Anyone could tell from her eyes.
"All right" Sven's answer came without his consent, but the sheer happiness on Eve's face made that all right. "You should head off to bed, thought."
"All right" Eve said, getting up. She stretched and then walked to the room that she and Saya shared. "Good night, Sven."
"'Night, Eve" Sven nodded her off, and then took a cigarette out of his pocket. He took a drag.
"Hey, Saya" Train grinned as he found her in one of their common hiding places: the roof. Without another word, he sat down next to her and handed her a small bottle of milk.
"When did you get this?" Saya asked, taking the milk with a mischievous smile. Train loved it when she smiled like that. Most of the time, that smile kept him on his toes.
"Just before I headed out" Train answered, scooting closer to Saya. Saya simply smiled and opened the bottle of milk while Train did the same. "Chugging contest?"
"You're on~!" Saya's playfulness factor must have increased by a thousand as she began to chug the white liquid. Train had given her a head start so he could watch for a fraction of a second, then join in the competition. "You've gotta quit doing that" Saya said as soon as Train finished. Because of his slight delay, he had lost the challenge he had issued.
"Doing what?" Train pretended not to know what she was talking about. Seeing her get frustrated always improved his day. But this time, she wasn't getting frustrated. Instead, she joked around with him like she usually did.
"You always give me a head start," Saya smiled, looking over at her friend. The one she held so close and so dear. He had changed so much, and was continuing to change for the better, and that made her happy. Happier, she believed, than anything else could make her.
"I do not" Train smiled, grabbing the empty glasses of milk and setting them on a nearby ledge (don't worry, it was their ledge).
"Do too" Saya challenged. Arguments with Train-kun were usually lighthearted and fun. This was turning into one of those times.
"Do not"
"Do too"
"Do not"
"Do too"
"Prove it" Train said unexpectedly. Saya had no quip for that, and Train watched as Saya opened her mouth, then shut it, contemplating what to do next. Before this story resumes, there is a certain quirk of Saya's that must be told. Whenever she is contemplating what to do next (whenever Train's around, anyways) she always purses her lips. Now we are moving on.
Saya was contemplating what to say back at Train, but before she knew it, she could not say anything at all. Train had gently pressed his lips against hers. Surprised, but not alarmed, by this action, Saya took a second to respond in kissing him back. Yes, he had kissed her before, but that was usually on the cheek, and the first time he had said that it was because she was important to him. Sven and Eve were important to him as well, and this kiss made Saya feel as if she were special to Train.
Train was a little fearful of what Saya might do to him if he kissed her, but the opportunity was there, so Train had to take it. Inside, he rejoiced when Saya kissed him back. A little delayed, yes, but she still kissed him back. That was something. He reached his hand up to Saya's face so that he knew this was real, and not one of the many dreams he had. This wasn't a dream.
Soon, an important need came knocking at the door of Train and Saya's lungs: oxygen. Pulling away so that they could breathe, but not so far away that their heads weren't touching, their faces put the color of tomatoes to shame.
"You gave me the head start that time" Train smiled as he looked into Saya's deep green eyes. Oh, how he loved those eyes and the person they belonged to.
"hmm…" Saya said as she looked into the eyes of the person she loved. Because of those eyes, he was called the 'Black Cat', but those eyes, if looked at closely, could be endearing. Most people called them hard and cold, but all she saw was kindness and warmth. Yes, there were times when those eyes became hardened over, usually when he was angry, but even then, there was nothing cold about them, just a fire that burned to protect everything he held dear. It was his personality she loved, and she felt she would continue to love this person for the rest of eternity.
"I guess I did…" her voice was a soft ripple to Train's ears. The next thing he knew, Saya was on his shoulder, still awake, but resting on his shoulder. Train just smiled. He wanted to remember this moment forever.
They spent a couple of hours out there, sitting and talking and joking and laughing. Both loved each moment of it. And when it was time to go to their separate rooms, they both smiled, shared a quick kiss, then departed to dream about that moment over and over again.
14AmyChan: okay, this chapter is eleven pages long! *^_^*
Train: that's because you did the whole 'Hansel and Gretel' thing…
14AmyChan: I couldn't help it. That was the only way to get the story to actually be relevant. *^_^*
Eve: So, why am I a baby? There isn't a baby in the story of 'Hansel and Gretel'.
14AmyChan: I wanted to include everyone. *^_^*
Sven: You're making Eve very much OOC… *glower*
14AmyChan: *shrinks* I'll get her in character soon, kay? ^^;
Saya: for all of you out there who like this chapter, please R&R~! ^^