*~*Train's P.O.V.*~*
I was sitting in Sven's car, looking back on the events that had occurred.
FLASHBACK
"Man, have I got a job for you guys!" Woodney said.
Uh-oh. Here it comes, I thought with dread.
"There's a banquet that some woman wants you to attend. What's her name? Oh yeah! It's some Sierra Lynwood lady!"
"Sierra Lynwood? Who's she?" I asked, utterly confused.
"She's the manager of the Chat Du Jaime hotel. It's in the next city, and that's about an hour or so away."
"Oh. So that's not that bad."
"Nope."
"Do you know why she wants us to come?"
"It's a sweepers only banquet. She knew that you guys were sweepers, so she invited you."
She sounds like a stalker. "Will you come with us?"
"Nope! I'll be checking in with the ladies."
I sweatdropped at the mental image of Woodney at a club, hanging around some twenty-odd year-old women. That scared and disgusted me at the same time. Here was this overweight, not-too-attractive, middle-aged man at a club with young people. I was suddenly glad to be going to the banquet.
END OF FLASHBACK
I was planning on wearing the same outfit that I wore the last time I went to a banquet. Speaking of last time, the last time we got up close with someone, it was Madame Freesia; we (Rinslet, Woodney, Eve and I) had to go in the sewer looking for her precious little Flora! Of course, Flora turned out to be this huge man-eating Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Anyways, I was getting off track. After a few more boring questions, Woodney left before we did. We then went back to our apartment, changed, and hopped in Sven's car. So here we were, dressed in our nice outfits, driving to Sierra Lynwood's banquet. Saya had somehow managed to get a ride via taxi and was waiting for us there. I was worried about her—what happened if some random psycho kidnapped her? Then we'd have to go looking for her, which I wouldn't mind doing.
Sven parked in the spot closest to the banquet doors.
"Are you coming in?" I asked.
"No," Sven said. "I stayed up late last night making more special bullets."
"Oh. What about you, Princess?"
"I have already seen a banquet. I also do not want to get involved with another possible dinosaur incident."
"Keep in touch, though," Sven said.
"Sure," I replied while putting my hand on the latch of the car door. "I'll call you guys to make sure that you're okay."
"Sure" was all Sven said as I got out of the car.
I walked into the lobby and saw Saya standing there. Man, she was beautiful! I could feel my heart and pulse speed up as I started to sweat lightly. She was dressed in a red spaghetti-strapped dress that went a little past her ankles. It fit around her body perfectly, accenting it in all the right places. She wore platforms and had her gun in a little purse. A small red shawl was wrapped around her shoulders.
"You look nice," I said as I approached her.
She turned around and her blue eyes met mine. "Thanks," she said while blushing lightly. I could feel her gaze take in my outfit. "You look nice, too."
I smiled. "Shall we go in?"
"Yes. Let's," she said as she took me by the arm and led me to the ballroom. Many people were standing around to the side of the ballroom floor, talking and sharing drinks with one another. There's bound to be someone who's plastered in here, I thought. To my surprise, there was no one that was obviously drunk. Or not, I thought while relaxing my surprisingly tense muscles. Saya still had her arm around mine, and I was thoroughly enjoying the warmth that she was giving me. I looked around the room and observed my surroundings.
The ballroom floor was made of wood and it shone with polish. This one's kind of like the one that I went to with Joe Noresburg. The walls were a pale blue, and the carpet around the wooden floor was a dark blue. White tables were set up with plates and had vases of flowers in the center of each one. A chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling, and a wooden podium was at the front of the room.
A few minutes later, Sierra Lynwood came out. She had red hair that was tied into a neat bun with brown eyes that contrasted her pale skin. Her black spaghetti-strapped dress and high-heels made a few men swoon quietly. I snorted. Idiots, swooning over a woman like that. Then again, I lose my breath every time I see Saya, so who am I to talk?
I took Saya's hand and asked, "Shall we dance?" She smiled and allowed me to lead her out into the center of the ballroom floor. I put my left hand around her waist and my right hand clasped her left one while her right hand went around my shoulder. I realized how close we were and my heart entered a state of pure, innocent bliss. I could see that Saya's heart had entered the same state, as she made no move to pull away as I pulled her a little closer to my body. I then lost myself in her eyes. My mind's eye made me think that it was just us, dancing in a hotel ballroom.
A few minutes later, a racket came from outside the ballroom. My ears caught a few curses among shouts of, "Stupid girl!" and, "Who in their right mind would try to open that door? That could've killed us all!" The shouts were gone as fast as they had come, and everyone around the room, including us, was staring at the ballroom doors, tense, confused, and waiting for someone to burst in.
Hades shifted in the folds of my suit as I turned to look at Saya. My tie was really starting to bug me, and I was hoping to get it off soon. I wasn't a big fan of ties, and I was glad that I didn't have to wear one while I was with Chronos.
Saya looked at me with concern and asked, "What was that about?"
"I have no clue," I responded.
"Do you think that it was Rinslet?" she whispered in my ear.
"No," I said. I doubted that Rinslet would come to this place. In the back of my mind, I wondered what had gone on in the hallway.
One of the guards came in and said, "It's all right, folks. Just go back to whatever you were doing. The suspect is not lethal."
Suspect. The word made the hairs on my neck stand on end. However, a few minutes later the people acted as if nothing had happened, and everyone chatted while dancing.
I twirled Saya around and we went back to our previous position.
"We have to do this more often," she said. I nodded in agreement.
"We sure do." It was her turn to twirl me around.
"I think that we're the only ones that are twirling each other," Saya said.
A few minutes later, the song changed, and I waltzed with Saya. "I wonder what Sven and Eve are doing," I said.
Saya replied, "Probably hanging out in the car."
I said, "That sounds boring."
"Mmh" was all that Saya said before edging a little closer to me. I didn't mind.
We waltzed for a few more minutes before the music stopped. Sierra came out and announced that it was time to show us her latest replication, named Josie.
Just like Madame Freesia, I thought. Déjà vu hit me as we all crowded around a large cage.
A few yawns came and people tensed. A large saber-toothed cat emerged from the shadows, and it looked tired and drugged. After looking around in a bored manner, it curled up and fell asleep.
I stared at it and then looked at Saya.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
"Just a little tense, that's all," she replied. I looked in her eyes and saw a little fear in them. I had the strong urge to hug her, but all I did was put my arm around her shoulders. Hugging someone in public would be a little strange.
Sierra dismissed us and we continued to dance for a little bit. By the end of the third song, people were starting to get tipsy, and we didn't feel like being around drunken sweepers. You didn't know what could happen with ordinary drunken people, but drunken sweepers were a totally different story.
I led Saya out of the hotel and knocked on the window. Sven woke up, and he unlocked the car doors for us. I helped Saya in, and much to my slight dismay, Sven's chivalry was kind of starting to rub off on me. I climbed into my seat and Eve asked me, "What happened?"
"Nothing much," I replied.
"Was it like another Madame Freesia?" Sven asked while turning the key in the ignition. The car engine roared to life.
"Kind of," I said as the car started to roll forward. "We danced and she showed us her saber-toothed cat."
"A Smilodon," Eve said, using the scientific name. "Did it wreak havoc?"
"No, thank God." I said, remembering Flora's appetite. I was glad that Josie hadn't escaped—she probably could've killed a few people. She was only 41 inches tall, but she could've jumped on any of us if she was hungry enough.
"What time is it?" Saya asked Sven.
"It's four o'clock," Sven said.
"When does the sun set? I was planning on having some sort of picnic thing." I blurted out. I surprised myself by asking that, and I earned elated looks from Saya and Eve for it.
"Oh," Saya said. Little does she know… I thought slyly. I was planning on watching the sunset with her.
"What's that look for, Train?" Eve asked.
I decided to play dumb. "What's what look for, Princess?"
Eve glared at me and turned away. Saya's left hand absentmindedly crawled toward mine, and I put my right hand over hers.
"I think it sets at five," Sven said. It only took us half an hour to get back to the hotel because there was hardly any traffic. Once we were there, I quickly threw a few sandwiches in a bag and led Sven, Eve, and Saya to the nearest park. We put a tattered blanket on the ground and sat on it.
"This is nice," Eve said.
"It sure is," I agreed.
"Thanks for taking us here, Train," Saya said.
"No problem," I said. Rinslet drove by and joined us.
"Here's your cookie, Train," she said while handing me my long-awaited for chocolate-chip cookie.
"Rins, I love you!" When I noticed the looks that Sven, Eve, Saya, and Rins were giving me, I quickly said, "Uh, not in that way. I meant that I love you in a friendly way for getting me my cookie." I sighed, seeing that it was hopeless. "Never mind."
Saya suddenly gasped and said, "Look! The sun's setting!"
The sun made everything look as if it was on fire. Orange spilled over everything and the sky was tinted with pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows of every shade imaginable. I felt Saya looking into my eyes and I met her gaze. I proceeded to lose myself in her gaze, captivated by her beauty….
…And that was when I noticed that my lips were only an inch or two away from her cheek.
I quickly pulled back from a surge of adrenaline. She had the same look of shock written on her face as I did. Sven, Eve, and Rinslet stared at us with blank looks on their faces.
"Heh," I said, embarrassed by the fact that I had almost—Almost! My brain said—kissed Saya's cheek in front of them. I could feel my feelings growing stronger for Saya with each passing day. Even though it had only been twelve days since she had come back alive, I couldn't help but watch as my feelings grew.
Saya blushed and said, "It'll be getting dark soon. We should go home."
"Yeah. That seems like a good idea," I said.
"See you soon, Rins," Eve said as we packed up and got into our car.
"Sure," Rins said as she got into her car.
We drove home and quickly fell asleep. I felt Saya toss and turn in her sleep. I was watching her because I couldn't sleep and I gently shook her awake.
"Saya," I whispered. "Saya!"
"Train… Don't leave me…" she muttered.
"Saya, wake up!" I said. "It's only a dream." I shook her a little harder.
"What is it, Train?" Saya asked drowsily, now awake due to my shaking her.
"You were talking in your sleep," I said.
"Oh."
"I know that you already told me this, but how did your spirit bring you back to life?"
"I saw my body lying there, dead and bloody. My spirit then went back inside me and filled me with energy."
"Did it say anything besides what you told us earlier?"
"Yes. It said, 'The one who is closest to you will become even closer, and you will find happiness with him.'"
"Mmh," I said while pulling her close. When she tensed slightly, I said, "It's okay. As long as you're with me, I won't let your nightmares scare you."
She relaxed and snuggled in to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and refused to let go for the whole night.
-
I woke to the sun's rays and felt Saya's arms wrapped around my neck. I didn't move for a few seconds until Saya pulled her head back from where it was on my chest and she said, "Good morning, Train."
"Good morning, Saya," I said. "Did you get a good sleep last night?"
"Yes. Did you?"
"Yup." I grinned slightly.
"Thanks for taking me to see the sunset," Saya said.
"Anytime," I said.
She blushed before continuing. "Even though you almost kissed my cheek…."
"I thought I felt myself leaning forward," I said. "Um… This is kind of random, but… If I told you that I liked you, what would you do?" Please say yes! Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!
"I would say yes," Saya said. Ecstasy shot through me as I heard her answer. "What would you do if I told you that I liked you?"
"I would also say yes." I could see the same ecstasy that had shot through me shoot through her.
"It's settled, then. Oh, and before I leave…" She pecked me on the cheek. "I suppose that that was what our hearts were aiming for last night," she said.
I touched my cheek in awe as she left the room. I was certain of her feelings for me now. All we had to do was tell Sven, Eve, and Rinslet. My heart soared and feelings for Saya blossomed inside it. A blush crept over my cheeks, but I didn't care. I liked Saya and she liked me, and nothing could change that.
I left the room a few minutes later and said, "Good morning, Sven. Good morning, Princess." When I noticed the book that Eve was reading, I said, "Reading up on kissing, are you, Princess?"
"Yes," Eve said. "You almost kissed Saya's cheek last night." And she kissed my cheek this morning, I thought.
"What happened last night? All of a sudden you nearly pecked Saya's cheek in front of us."
"I'm not sure what came over me," I said.
"Ooh, it's a watermelon!" Saya said after Sven placed a watermelon on the table.
"Saya, wait! Don't touch that! It's a bomb!" I remembered getting blown up by one of Sven's watermelon bombs.
"It's a bomb?!" she asked, incredulous.
"Yeah," I said. She stepped away from the watermelon bomb and sat on the couch. I sat next to her and put my arm around her waist.
This is nice, I thought while relaxing and settling in to the couch. I spaced out for a little bit, thinking back on last night's events. A little while later, Saya had showered. She was just about to go out the door to go to the supermarket when I pecked her on the cheek so fast that I wasn't even sure that I did it. She registered what I did and blushed deeply.
She smiled and left.
I couldn't stop smiling and thinking about her as she drove away in the car. I felt my heart lurch slightly into a new state—the state between friendship, like, and love all mixed together.