Black Cat Fan Fiction ❯ Retribution ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 1

Sitting waiting for the sun to set, Train Heartnet felt the same feeling within his heart that he felt every night. He was tired, but he never ended a night without a long walk around town to clear his head, followed by a bottle of milk on a deserted rooftop underneath the stars. The young brunette stood up from off of the abandoned stair of an abandoned building, on an abandoned street, and walked silently—alone. Not because he had to, mind you! He could have chosen to go back with Sven and Eve to their hotel, but he had always found this as a way to clear his head after a long day of doing whatever took his fancy.

It hadn't always been like this, before he had cut his leash and left his masters …the mark over his left clavicle was a constant reminder of that.

His brain was a jumbled mess by the time the day was through, and it was almost necessary for him to sort through it before he finally let himself drift to sleep. He had never known why he'd started such behavior when he was a Chronos assassin. It was only until after he left the organization, that he slowly began to realize why his soul had secretly told his mind, to command his body to do so every night. It was to immerse his troubled mind into the sounds of the city, to take the edge off, and drown his barely alive conscience in the proverbial nothingness of the night. The thoughts of every person he'd ever murdered, everything he'd ever done, the guilt from every action that he had ever undertaken, all seemed to gather within him in the depth of night, when the adrenaline had worn off, and the weight of everything that had happened that day bared down on him. When Hades seemed just a tad bit heavier sitting in its holster, then it had in the hours before. He would walk around in whatever town he happened to be in that day, in no real particular direction, and think through the events of the day. And after his body got tired of walking, he would return to his apartment and go up onto the roof, where he would then proceed to think about...absolutely nothing.

He would clear his mind and look to the stars, while bathing in the moon's rays. And as the night waned on, he would eventually get tired and leave the rooftops for his room, and stay in solitude until the coming of the sun. Even though he was no longer with Chronos, his body still continued to guide him through this tradition. It would occur everyday without fail, and this night was no exception.

Train looked up into the sky and wasn't surprised see the signs of oncoming thunderstorm. He had felt it coming all day, even when the sky was as blue as a robin's egg. There was a certain charge in the air that was unmistakable to him, even when others didn't seem to notice it. Maybe it was the cat in him, who knows?

Rain wouldn't stop him, but also like his namesake, he didn't quite enjoy it. So slowly, he began to direct his steps back to the shabby motel, where Eve and Sven had already left for hours ago. It had been a long day for all of them, they had bagged a big target today, and it had been exhausting, but the money had made it worthwhile. He wondered what Sven had gotten them for dinner tonight; he seriously hoped it wasn't bread scraps or cardboard-tasting dinners again. Eve would probably make some smart comment to him again, about his appetite or his nature towards the rain, and he would just make another comment right back at her.

He smiled lightly as he thought of his partners, who had slowly turned into his friends. When they had first met, most would have thought they would have turned out to be lifelong enemies, or at the very least, not care the least about their well being. Yet, by some miraculous and strange sense of fate, they had not only learned to work alongside each other, but had become almost necessary pieces to his life. He could not actually imagine life without them.

Not that he would admit that of course, but it was nonetheless true…

Shifting his eyes ever so slightly over his shoulder, he swore silently. He had begun noticing the two men following him about ten minutes ago. His first thoughts went to Chronos or the Apostles of the Stars, but the way these two men were acting were neither of the two groups' styles. He could tell that if these men didn't want to be seen by their prey, then they wouldn't be. They held an air of professionalism around them that was almost overpowering, and they walked as if they knew that he was aware they were following. It was like they didn't care, and were almost taunting him. As he walked down the empty streets, he thought about whether or not he should actually confront his followers. It wasn't really his problem if they wanted to follow him all over the place. He could honestly care less! It was their choice!!

However, his curiosity was also getting to him. Who were these guys? And why were they bothering him? Man, this is annoying…

Normally, he would have been contented to just keep going on about his business, but he was tired, and being followed right about now, was not part of his agenda.

“Heartnet? Train Heartnet?”

He stopped, breathing out an annoyed yet relieved sigh. Thank goodness they weren't going to extend this charade any longer, or his good mood would be completely gone, and things might have gotten messy.

He looked behind him at the two young men, his eyes glinting like molten gold in the waning light. It was a look that had softened over time, but could still turn any man's soul to ice. However, the two were completely unperturbed as they stood about four feet behind him. His cat-like eye then moved slightly in order to take in their appearance. They were tall, wearing long black cloaks that were pinned at the shoulder by a gold bird-shaped pendant. The full lengths of cloth covered up almost everything except for their faces and black-booted feet. Though slightly hidden by the shadows, Train could easily make out their features.

Both looked to be in their twenties, but the one on the left was younger than the one on the right. The young man was about his age, with short, spiky blond hair and eyes as blue-green as the sea. There was a slight swagger to his stance, and a half smile on his face. He's probably the loose cannon of the pair, since the other one looks like he could have been etched in stone. He was about Sven's age with a solid build and an emotionless air about him, a long single thick braid of black hair fell around his neck, and his dark blue eyes seemed to go on forever. Strange, it's almost the opposite of his extremely pale skin. But there is something about those eyes…for some reason, they put a bad taste in my mouth, and make my stomach queasy, like when I eat too many of those bad TV dinners Sven gets when we're running low on cash. Train thought mindlessly. But he's still obviously the leader of the pair.

Train looked at both of them from his side vision, one half of his brain mildly interested in what they wanted, and the other half was sizing them up, figuring out their threat level to him. Since these were obviously not normal people, they were probably not here for a normal reason either…

“Who wants to know? Cause you two obviously know who I am.”

The brunette, who had been the one to call out to him, spoke again. “We wish to speak with you, Heartnet-san.”

Train turned fully around, lightly flinching from a lonely raindrop splashing on his shoulder. “Well then make this quick, I don't have all night—and I don't like the rain. Who are you, and why the heck are you following me so openly?”

The blond this time answered drolly, “Well, it wouldn't make any sense to follow you secretly now, would it? Since we were trying to catch your attention, doing that would have been pointless wouldn't it, Train-kun?”

“True, so why did you follow me period?”

The leader pushed his partner back sternly, before he could say another snide remark. “Forgive his curtness, Heartnet-san. He is young.”

Train hunched his shoulders uncaring, “Aren't we all…”

“I am Dante Machiavelli,” The dark-haired man said civilly, before pointing to his grinning blond partner. “And this is my partner, Llewellyn Satoshi.”

“That's nice to know and all, but what exactly do you want? I have other stuff I could be doing, and you're starting to bore me.” Train yarned unenthusiastically, while scratching his thick dark hair.

The blond, Llewellyn, pushed away from his partner's guarding arm, moving with such fleeting footsteps, that one could hardly see his motion, before he was suddenly right in Train's face—definitely too close for comfort. Leaning into the former assassin's face, his eyes of the sea looked into Train's orbs of saffron, the glint within them could almost match that of the notorious Black Cat's, albeit with a look of unbalance that made the guy's motives, unstable.

His voice held humor in it as he spoke, but also a perilous trace of menace. “I don't like your relaxed, blasé attitude. It's not everyday that you get visits from people like us. We're not like the run-of-the-mill sweepers, and don't talk to us as if we are, Train-kun. Or did you really forget the dignity that comes with that mark that will not leave your chest—Thirteen? For that matter, why do we even need you?”

Train stepped back, the initial surprise passing quickly before he did a silent and graceful complete back flip, putting another three feet between him and Llewellyn, his interest piqued, but instinct had him lay his trigger hand on Hades hilt.

“It normally defeats the purpose, if you insult the person you want something from. Could you keep your partner on a leash, Machiavelli? Understandably, I don't like dealing with lapdogs that are all bark and no bite. And who is this `we' that he talks about?” He asked with light, but evident sarcasm.

Dante was by his partner's side in a second, and with a little more force than before, pulled the blond behind him, a warning glare in his dark eyes. He spoke something into Llewellyn's ear, which was most likely a harsh rebuke from the look of it. With a single angry look back towards Train, the blond regressed and leaned against the nearby building, his arms crossed in quiet, brooding discontentment.

Dante watched him harshly for a second, before turning back to the golden-eyed sweeper, an apologetic half-smile on his firm face. “Pardon his words, Heartnet-san. He forgets himself, often speaking without using his head. We've been sent by our superiors in order to offer you…a proposition.”

The gunman looked at him questionably, “A proposition? From whom?”

“We represent an organization known as PHOENIX.”

“Never heard of you.”

Llewellyn spoke up from his spot near the building, a flash of lightning glinting in his water-like eyes, “We would be more surprised if you had…PHOENIX is a group that only makes itself known when it wishes to.”

Dante nodded in agreement, “What my partner says is true, however, at this moment, our business has to do with you, Heartnet-san. We know much about your history and your ideals, and you have caught the eye of my superiors. They would like to speak to you concerning some matters of loyalty.”

Train sighed, he could see where this was going. He had a pretty good idea what these men wanted and why they were here. “Loyalty? My ideals, huh? Well, if your superiors knew anything about my ideals, my history, or my loyalties—they would know that it hasn't been very long since I unchained myself from an organization. I enjoy my freedom, and I give my loyalty to no one. I live for myself, and work for myself. I will not be joining any type of organization any time soon.”

Dante smiled, “We were told you would say something like that…You say you have no loyalties Train Heartnet-san; that you are only for yourself. However, that is not true, and you know it. There are people who hold your allegiance…Vollfied-san, perhaps? Eve-chan? Or Walker-san? And even the famed Chronos still holds a few puppet strings that just refuse to be cut…do they not? Do you deny it?”

Train felt the rain drops fall more rapidly upon his shoulders, a dark shadow came across his features and his eyes became harder as he felt the man's words, like his eyes, seeming to bore into him, making him feel threatened. His voice dropped some of its nonchalance and a sense of gravity set in. “What of it? What are you getting at?”

Dante smiled, taking a step closer, his dark eyes seeming to swallow Train whole. “They trust and rely on you, and you come when called. You acknowledge them as your friends do you not? Do you not protect them from danger if need be?”

Train could almost feel the man's words physically; they rang within his head as if the voice was his own, making the sickening feeling within the pit of his stomach, even worse. What's with me all of a sudden? My head is suddenly killing me and my vision is getting ridiculous. This man's words make no sense, but are nonetheless making my heart tremble. Something's wrong…did I underestimate them? He grasped Hades hilt for stability, only to find that his hand was shaking uncontrollably. “W-What are you talking about? Of course I do.”

Dante looked at him peculiarly, taking another step towards the golden-eyed sweeper. “Isn't that a little hypocritical?”

“What?”

“You claim to be only for yourself, you who were once an infamous assassin who lived and breathed by the command of Chronos, and didn't know the difference between free-dom and free-sia. Yet, you broke their bonds supposedly and say you are free, that you value your freedom. However, in reality, you are not truly free. You still have hidden chains that bind you. Once you've been assimilated into their folds, Chronos never truly lets go of you. If they ask you for help, under the right circumstances, you will go to their aid, and in some ways, vice versa. You've chained yourself to these sweepers, these so called friends of yours, they have taken away your will and your choice. You go where they go. You give them help when they ask. How can you dare to think that you are truly free?”

Train staggered a little, the thunder roaring in the air, was battling with the strange bewitchment that had over taken his mind and body. He at first thought it was just stress, but now it was too intense, that it was unlike anything he had ever faced before. His body was shaky and weak, no matter how much he had tried to get back his self-control; it was no less than impossible. His vision was now blurred and flighty, and the closer that this Dante Machiavelli came towards him, the farther away he seemed. This man was doing something to his head and he didn't know what. He struggled to get a handle on his senses, but neither his mind nor his body wanted to obey his common sense. The fight was beginning to drain him. He was beginning to feel his mind give in to the man's words, despite the opposite that his soul was screaming.

He tried to speak, but his voice had lowered to almost a whisper. “I-I am…free…”

However, Dante ignored his weak words. He instead looked at him with even more intensity than before. Unbeknownst to Train's senses, the pupils of Dante's eyes had began to glow a bright illuminate cerulean blue. His voice now ruled Heartnet's entire mind, it was like a sea of sound that was drowning him. “No, you're not; you just think that you are. This pathetic life has blinded you. I—can show you true freedom, liberty beyond your wildest imagination. All you have to do is accept me…come with me. No friends, no Chronos…nothing to weigh you down, only power. Wouldn't that be a better freedom than the false one you have now?”

Train could no longer resist, he never could have—it was a losing battle from the start. Little did he know, that the moment he and Dante's eyes met, he would never again be able to resist the man's voice. It was like an implanted switch that could be turned on whenever the man spoke…and that switch had been turned on in force. He felt himself agreeing with the man's words more and more. Of course they made sense; they felt so true, so right…

Dante took one more step, now face to face with the young man. Grasping his right shoulder, he whispered into the shaking Cat's ear. “You know what I say is true. It's the wisest choice…don't you agree?”

With those last three words, Train lost all sense of self and fell into a complete comatose, mindless state. As he dropped to his knees in the now constant rain, his once bright, keen golden eyes, turned dreary and tired, seeing, yet unseeing. Where self-determination and willpower once dwelled in abundance, his mind could now only see and hear the words of the PHOENIX agent.

Hearing the guy fall, Llewellyn smiled, having enjoyed the show from a distance. He knew full well the incredible hypnotic abilities that his partner was capable of, and always enjoyed watching him bring person after unsuspecting person to their knees. Standing up straight, he walked to Dante's side, the glow from the older man's eyes slowly dissipating. “Well, that went faster than I thought.”

He tilted up the spellbound Black Cat's head, grinning as he looked into the sightless, dull eyes. “Your words are like an inferno, Dante. They consume everyone they touch.”

Dante glared at Llewellyn, “You have such a way with words(1)….and it would have gone a lot smoother if you had not run your mouth so much.”

The blond hunched his shoulders in excusal, rainwater shaking off his spiky locks. “Can I go against my nature?”

The elder sighed in disgust, shaking his head. Looking back to Train, his eyes began to glow once again. “Stand, Train.”

The one-time assassin did as commanded, like a puppet on a string—which in a way, he was… Another example of why the Machiavelli's codename was, “Puppetmaster”.

As Dante raised his hand, making as if to snap his fingers near the cat's ear, his partner grabbed his shoulder. “You're going to wake him? Wouldn't it be easier for him and us, to just leave him as is?”

“Yes, but they want him to make his own choice. So what will be done, is done.” He answered back, “We're only making an example, Satoshi.”

Llewellyn shrugged and went back to leaning by the side of the building. “Whatever, this guy better be worth it. He's getting on my nerves, and I don't like staying out in the rain either.”

“Everything has a way of getting on your nerves.” He responded, before suddenly snapping his fingers, the abrupt noise echoed loudly in the empty streets, only lightly muffled by the rapidly increasing rain.

Swiftly, Dante's hold over Train mind was broken. The light began to return to his cat-like eyes, and his awareness and senses returned their ownership back to their original owner.

Train blinked, putting a hand to his head, his brain was pounding and his body was still shaking. What happened? The last thing I remember was heading home, when these two guys came out of nowhere. He shut his eyes tight in thought. They asked me to come with them and I refused… that's when the foreign one with the strange eyes spoke…

“Head beginning to clear, Heartnet-san?”

With the sound of that voice, it took him only a split-second to realize that he was not alone, and that this was no time to be standing dazed and pathetic. Faster than even his opponents could blink, Hades was out of its holster and deathly steady in his hand, aimed clearly at black-haired man's chest. The dangerous glint had returned to his golden eyes, showing the pure anger that was starting to build within him. “What the hell did you do to me?”

Dante didn't even bother looking at the gun, but instead changed his demeanor from polite and caring, to serious and callous. “I merely showed you a small sample of the power of PHOENIX. I have the power to command you to do anything, now that I've made eye contact with you. Even your determination, can not resist my will. I had you completely under my power but a minute ago. All I had to do was say the word, and I could have had you jump off a nine-story building if I so chose.”

Train growled, that was impossible, how could someone have so much power over him and they had just met?! “Liar! If that were true, why didn't you just command me to come with you, rather than asking?”

Dante's eyes began to glow once again, “Put the gun down, Train.”

Train was aware this time with amazement at the man's eyes, but he was even more surprised at the fact that no matter how hard he tried to resist, his gun hand fell shakily but steadily, back to his side, Hades dropping back into his holster.

“I don't lie, Train.” The man went back to explaining, “The reason why I awoke you, is because we believe that you should have the freedom to chose for yourself. Yes, it would have been easier to just have you obey me, but that would have been worse than you in Chronos' hands, wouldn't it? You would have no will of your own.”

Train looked at his hand, flexing it to make sure he was in control again, but still unable to totally grasp what had just happened. This power was stronger than Tao, it was practically absolute. He had been as in control of his body, as a quadriplegic vegetable! Who were these people? This PHOENIX? Why had he never heard of them till now? Did Chronos know about them?

“We can offer you power like this and more, Train. A freedom beyond anything you've ever known, and an opportunity to work with people who are like you, and understand you. We're not asking for you to choose right here and now. All we're asking is that you meet with our leaders, that you talk to them and let them explain in truth, who and what we are. Is that so much to ask?”

Train felt the water fall down his back, his clothes now thoroughly soaked by the rain. Slowly, he looked up at Dante, and this time, it was the agent that felt uncomfortable under the sweeper's gaze.

This time, when the Black Cat looked at him, his intense eyes were like that of his former self: silent, deadly and more than likely, would bring the target of their gaze…bad luck. His voice was quiet, but dangerous. “Listen to me very carefully, since you didn't seem to get it the first time. I—want nothing—to do with you and your little group. I've already told you my answer, and that answer will be the same, no matter how many times you ask. And if I ever see you, or blondie, around me again, you will regret it.”

Llewellyn smiled and shook his head, like I didn't see that coming…

It didn't take long for the surprise on Dante's face to disappear and be replaced by solemnity. “Is that your final decision?”

“What do you think?”

“You will regret your decision, Train Heartnet. My superiors will not be…thrilled.”

“Do I look like I care? That's your problem, not mine.”

Dante sighed in bereavement and stepped away…only to look back with those infinite, clairvoyant, illuminant eyes. “You will truly regret this, Heartnet-san. For there is one thing you must not forget. You have killed, and no matter how much you try, you will never be able to get that blood from out of your veins. You will only bring bloodshed and anguish to those so-called friends of yours. Remember that I have said this to you, and remember the choice that you have made this night.”

As Dante released him, Train shook his head to clear his fuzzy mind, knowing that he had once again been hit by one of the older man's enchantments. He gritted his teeth angrily, tempted to shoot the guy straight in the face. If only he didn't have that unearthly power over him…

“Do that one more time, and you're going to wish you'd never laid eyes on me. We won't meet again.”

With that last parting word, Train leapt in the air and onto the awning of the closest building, and from there onto the rooftops, using the true agility and litheness that came with his infamous pseudonym. His figure was soon swallowed up, by the darkness and rain.

Dante spoke to his partner as he watched the Black Cat's fleeting figure, “Report to the Celestials his reply, and inquire as to our next move.”

Llewellyn walked to his side, flipping closed his cell phone which he had been talking into for the past five minutes. “Already did, they said go ahead with Stage Two. Looks like you hurt the kitty cat's pride Dante, with your little puppet show. Oh well, it's more fun this way. I like prey that fights back!”

The other man shook his head with a light smile, before clicking speed-dial on his own cell phone. “Well it's no surprise why your codename is `Shinigami'(2).” He then turned to speak into his phone's mouthpiece, “05 this is 07, do you copy? 05 this is 07, Vision, are you in position?”

There was a second where the only answer was the sound of rain, but soon a man's voice responded, one laden with a heavy Cambridge accent. “I'm in position, Puppetmaster. I guess things didn't go well. What happened, Shinigami act stupid again?”

“Not really Vision, the Cat's just really feisty. We've gotten the okay to move to Stage Two.”

Llewellyn snatched the phone away exasperatingly from his partner, “Enough of this codename crap, it's not like anyone's really listening in. Are you clear, Clear?”

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High on a rooftop, some yards away, Vision a.k.a. Clearington Cline, ground his teeth at the sound of his annoying nickname. “Of course I have a clear shot, Shinigami. And I'm going to take you out next, if you keep calling me that name.”

Llewellyn's voice cackled from the other side, “You always say that, Clear.”

Clearington snapped the phone closed in irritation. “Cheeky bastard…”

Thrusting the phone into his pocket, the golden-haired, violet-eyed Briton put out his wet cigarette on the ground and then proceeded to pick up the large sniper rifle that lay by his side. The firearm fit easily into his hand as if it had been made to fit, which, in actuality, it had…

Lying down on his stomach at the roof's edge, and lifting the gun's sight to his eye level, he watched his fleeing target running and leaping across rooftops with superhuman speed.

Normally, not even the greatest snipers could hit such a swift moving target, but Cline wasn't a normal sniper. Not only was he the fastest and unsurpassed of all the snipers out there, but he also had something that no other triggerman had…

As he looked through the scope, his pupils of his eyes began to glow a brilliant purple light. Everything in his line of vision seemed to stop in his mind, he could now make out every detail of ever raindrop, of every shadowy corner of every building in his line of sight, and most importantly, the distinct parameters of his young, brown-haired target. After all, his codename wasn't “Vision” for nothing…

“Gotcha, Kitty…”

Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, letting the bullet discharge noiselessly, all sound muffled by the silencer screwed on the end of the barrel.

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Train ran on top of the buildings, his good mood totally ruined by his meeting of the PHOENIX agents. He had to get rid of this bad buzz before he went back to Sven and Eve, who were probably worried about him by now. They would all get concerned over him, or even scold him for underestimating the enemy. Either way, he didn't think he would be able to handle either tonight.

What is it with those guys? In a way, they're worse than the Apostles of the Stars. At least I know what to expect from them, but these guys…that blonde kid was a psycho for sure, and the foreigner with that eerie mesmerizing power…

Train shuddered as he remembered the feel of the man's words in his brain. It was just plain disgusting. He had started the evening wanting to clear his head, not have it taken over and manipulated!

Ugh, what's wrong with that guy?! What did he mean by my friends chaining me down? Bloodshed and anguish? Man, thanks to that guy's hypnosis powers, I can't seem to forget what he said. That is so annoying! It just pisses me off.

Why would he ever get rid of his life with Sven and Eve? Despite the fact that they sometimes annoyed him beyond end, and that they were from three very different worlds, they had somehow ended up being very similar. Because of those two, and Rins, and…Saya, he'd actually been able to know what a real life felt like. Why in the world would he want to give that up?

That's when he heard the gunshot…

To a normal human ear, the sound of this gunshot couldn't normally even be noticed, let alone heard. But to Train, who knew firearms like a chef knew hors d'oeuvres, he could instantly tell the make, model and how many bullets had been fired.

Sniper?

Before his mind could even bother to think the thought, his instinct took over his movements. Hades was in his hand and instantly blocked the rifle bullet from hitting him square in the forehead, the metal imploding due to the power of force and the strong Orichalcum metal of Train's pistol!

Instantly on guard, Train watched the crushed bullet plummet to the ground. A German-made sniper rifle with an ultra-silencer, 9mm, and long range… He's coming from at least twenty feet away, but from which direction? Who is this guy? It's too much of a coincidence that only minutes ago; I left those two creepy goons. Is this guy from PHOENIX too?

“Pst…”

Turning at the sudden sound, he looked around only to receive a swift heavy fist straight in the face! Falling to the ground from the impact, the wet concrete roof slammed hard into his head, making his vision turn white for a second. And just to add further injury to the situation, his brain smashed against his skull, followed by blood running down from his forehead.

STEP…STEP…

The sound of footsteps approaching made him flinch as the noise brought more agony to the pounding space between his ears. Suddenly, he felt a small, but sharp jab of pain against his shoulder!

Looking up through the rain, he saw Llewellyn standing above him with that annoying grin, flipping a bloody dirk dangerously between his fingers. “Nighty-night, Kitty.”

Touching his wounded shoulder, Train's finger-tips came away covered in warm, wet, crimson liquid. As he looked at the blood drip to the ground, his vision began to swim. Swearing groggily, he abruptly collapsed onto the wet rooftop, the rainwater covering him like a sheet, blood and water swirling and mixing on concrete.

That blond psycho…must have had something on that blade…drug or poison. Crap! So this was the real attack…that sniper shot was only a homing beacon…a distraction…Damn it!

Train Heartnet's mind slowly shut down, his last thoughts before everything went black—was of what he was going to do to that blond bastard when he woke up and…what Sven had gotten them for dinner; he was starving…

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Llewellyn was already back on his cell phone, picking up Cline's crushed bullet from off the ground. “Did you have to aim for his head, Clear? I mean we do want him alive.”

He heard Clearington sigh into the phone, “It was a shot and I took it, okay? Besides, I wouldn't have aimed at all, if I didn't know that he could block it with ease. Did it work?”

“Of course, the diversion was perfect.” He looked down at the fallen, unconscious Train laying on the slick ground, kicking him over on his back with his foot. “The black kitty is sleeping like a baby, and will stay that way for the next 7 hours. Dante and I will go to Site A. You and Weiss gonna take Site B, Clear?”

“Stop calling me that, and no, my partner wasn't able to join me, he had some business to take care of. I'll be going to Site B myself. I won't be doing anything special mind you; I'm a long-range kind of chap. I lack your finesse, Shinigami.”

“Well thank you, Clear. I do, like what I do.”

“Stop bloody calling me that!!”

Llewellyn laughed aloud, “Ha ha! You're so funny when you're mad, Clear. I'll see ya later.”

Flipping his phone closed, the blond looked down at the young Black Cat, the XIII mark showing plainly over his collarbone. “Kitty's about to learn that when you show PHOENIX your claws, you're gonna get `em clipped…”

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Sven Vollfied looked at the cold tuna casserole sitting on the table with a warm bottle of milk next to it. It had been sitting there, unconsumed and uneaten for the last couple of hours. Train had done such a spectacular job today, and had been mostly responsible for catching the target, that the olive-haired sweeper thought it would be right to give the guy a nice reward and have actual good food, catered to the room; it had been the gentlemanly thing to do. But Train was late, and he was tired of waiting for him. He had finished an entire pack of cigarettes in an attempt distract his worried mind.

Listening to the sudden grumbling of his stomach, he looked over kindheartedly at Eve, who sat quietly on the other side of the table, eyeing the food with her scarlet eyes. He could tell she was hungry, but that she was also worried about Train.

“Don't worry Eve, Train's just probably slowed down by the rain or something.”

The girl nodded, her yellow tresses bouncing cutely, but his words didn't erase her heavy heart.

Despite his words, Sven couldn't stop his thoughts, which must have been much like Eve's. Like that's ever stopped him before. What can be keeping that guy? If he comes in here with some half-brained answer, I'm going to clobber him! I'll teach him not to worry me! Why am I even getting worried? He can take care of himself. On the other hand…Oh, would he just get back here!

Suddenly, as if in answer to his inner thoughts, a startling knock on their hotel door surprised them out of their quiet melancholy!

Snapping up from his seat, Sven almost charged at the door. Boy, was he going to give that cat a piece of his mind! Getting them all worked up…

Jerking at the doorknob, he yanked the door open. “Train, I swear! If I ever find out where you've been…”

The words dried up in his throat as his eyes made contact with that of the man standing opposite of him. Those dark blue, vast, endless eyes…

When the man at the door spoke, his voice seemed to echo in Sven's head is if it belonged there. “Good evening, Vollfied-san. I am a friend of Train's and I do apologize on behalf of Heartnet-san, in that he will not be able to join us tonight.”

Sven blinked, shaking his head a little. What was this sudden headache? “Um, yeah…'us'?”

“Why don't we go inside? I'll be able to tell you the details of Train's predicament.”

For some odd reason, Sven felt oddly compelled to let this complete stranger in…it took all of his inner-strength to tell the man to just wait a minute. Closing the door, he looked back at Eve, who stood looking at him curiously. Looking at her, he quickly judged the character on the other side of the door and decided that at this moment—he'd rather be as far away from the guy as humanly possible.

Quickly and quietly locking the door back, Sven grabbed his metal attaché case from off the nearby table, along with his hat from the stand. He nodded to the golden girl by his side, who instantly understood that it was time to go. She followed him to the window as he slowly raised the shutter, so as not to warn the guy waiting on the other side of their door. However, just as he was about to put his foot out the window, a sudden voice spoke from behind him, easily chilling him to the bone.

“You know? I still don't know how Train-kun could choose being in the company of crummy people like you, and staying in rundown shacks like this, over what we're offering him.”

The two spun around, to find another stranger somehow miraculously standing in the middle of their hotel room. This one wore a cloak like the first stranger, but had taken off his hood, exposing his spiked blond hair and his dangerous sea-green eyes. The man was playing with a dirk, flipping it in the air expertly by the blade with his left hand. It looked more as a gesture to pass the time, then an actual threatening act. Sven looked back to the door to find it amazingly still locked. Who is this guy? How did he get in here? Walk through a wall or something?

The blond stranger's pupils glowed a turquoise light, as shifted his hand towards the window; causing the pane to fall down with a slam and lock, closing the three of them into the room.

Sven looked at the window in surprise; somehow registering in the back of his mind that they guy possessed some kind of telekinetic powers. Shifting slightly in front of Eve, he held his attaché case defensively in front of him. “What the heck do you want? And where's Train?”

The blond smiled at him disturbingly, before raising his hand to the door, easily unlocking it with his mind. The door opened and the first stranger entered, taking off the hood of his cloak, revealing his unseen features and his long jet black hair tied in a single plait down his back.

Llewellyn nodded to Dante as he entered, closing—and locking—the door behind him, before turning back to the two sweepers before him. Slipping his dirk back into his sleeve, he looked at Sven gleefully. “Train won't be here tonight, but we're gonna leave him a message. You'll deliver it to him for us, won't you?”

Sven snorted, eying his opponents, “That depends…who's it from?”

Llewellyn unclasped his rain-soaked cloak, throwing it on a nearby table, Dante following suit. “Oh, don't you worry about that, old man.”

He grinned enthusiastically, “He'll know…”

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(1) Dante is refering to Llewellyn's play on words, both parts of Dante's name come from classic writers, the one Llewellyn was referring to, was Dante Alighieri who wrote the famous Divine Comedy, including Dante's Inferno.

(2)Shinigami is a Japanese word that in its most literal form means, "Death god", it's western counterpart is the Grim Reaper. Those who have seen anime like Bleach, know what I mean.

A/N: Hello Everyone, thank you for reading. This is my first full shonen-ai/yaoi fanfic, so bear with me. Before anyone gets started and asks, this is a CreedXTrain fanfic, so anyone who doesn't like it can go away. However, anyone who would like to read, I welcome reviewers and messages!