Some of you know about this story, cause I've already told you about it, so this is for those of you who don't: This is an alternate universe CreedxTrain fic. This first chapter starts them off as being ten years old, but the next chapter will be eight years later, making them all seniors in high school. (Well, except Eve who will be a sophomore, and Kyoko a junior.) This first chapter is a flashback. I don't know if it really counts as a chapter or a prologue, so… just read and you be the judge xD
Though CreedxTrain will be the main pairing, I am gonna have some SvenxEve (since they're both in high school) and JenosxRins. I wanna try to get in some ChardenxKyoko too. Also, Saya is in this, since she's not dead. Some characters might be a little OOC, but you gotta remember, they're all kids now. Some might be a little more immature and you need to factor in hormones and awkwardness teen usually have when concerning love. The rating of this might change too, but I don't know yet.
Anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW! I'm very excited about this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you see here.
Kindred Spirits
Flashback
March 22, 1999
A small, ten year old boy with bright, sliver hair and celestial, sapphire eyes sat under a tall oak tree, which grew in front of a quaint, brick school. He wore tattered clothes that were much too big for his skinny frame, and probably more than thrice his age. His young, delicate skin, which still held its baby fat, was dirty and stained with tears. The boy's knees were pulled up to his chest, one arm wrapped tightly around them as his other occupied itself with a pointed stick, idly drawing figures in the dirt beneath him.
The child's name was Creed Diskence, unaware of how he was named, nor did he really care. The boy wasn't waiting for anything. He wasn't really doing anything either as he sat underneath the tree. He was merely just finding a reason not to go home, and drawing in the dirt was all he had. If you can even call that a home… the silver boy thought to himself, bitterly. This tree is more of a home than that apartment…
You could say he was hiding. That might have been an accurate assumption. The school day hadn't ended, but, unbeknownst his sensei, he snuck out early. He just couldn't take it anymore, the other children were brutal. No one took the time to understand him, to get to know him. They just saw the silver hair and ratty clothes and instantly labeled him as "the weird kid in class". Or as they preferred to call him, "Psycho".
Okay, maybe he was a little strange, but that didn't make him the bad guy. He just… didn't know how to communicate properly. It's not like anyone ever taught him how. Everything he said was weird. He didn't fit in with them… with anyone… It was as if he was from another planet… He got that idea from the kids, since they often said he was from Mars.
He couldn't help the strange comments that came out of his mouth. It didn't help that he got the highest grades in class, so their sensei constantly called on him for answers. That led to jealousy among the others, along with brain jokes. Saying he was an experiment for a top secret weapons development, was becoming popular. He swore someone had actually started writing a book about it…
The child had quickly learned to just stay quiet and not make any movements. That idea quickly failed, since they would then pick on him for how he looked. Not that he was a bad looking kid, Creed always thought he was rather good looking. Then again, what does the opinion of a "psycho" matter? Well, that's what everyone else said when he tried to defend himself.
The hair seemed to get the most attention, though not the kind he wanted. It was a very unnatural, brilliant silver, that earned him many taunts. He'd admit that silver was a very strange color for hair, but he always liked it. He couldn't really understand why they tormented him so. And I take care of it… well as best I can with what I have… but that only seems to make it worse!
Cleaning it made it brighter, shinier, making the silver stand out further. A few times, he purposely didn't wash it, just to see if things changed. They didn't, the kids would just call him greasy. He once contemplated cutting it off, but he chose not to. He still liked it, and refused to admit defeat to those kids.
Other than his hair, his clothes were a great object of torture. Needless to say, unwashed and torn clothes that didn't fit, did not make a good impression. Creed frowned and tugged at his pants leg. I do not shop in the trash can! Mother just won't buy me clothes…
The ones he wore were clothes his mother collected from men she had over their apartment. She didn't even give them to him, Creed had to scavenge them himself. He actually took them from the strangers in the middle of his mother's… "business transaction" with them.
He was able to wash them, just not very often. Having to pick a time when your whore mother wasn't around so you could dunk your clothes in the tub real quick, was actually quite difficult. That fact bothered him almost more than the bullying did. He hated not being clean…
Why do I even come to this place? Because she doesn't want me around? Well, he didn't want to be there either. He only went "home" to sleep and to salvage some food. All he ever got were scraps, making him skinny and adding yet another thing to tease him about.
Creed decided to agree with the woman's demands and attend school, just so he would have something to do in the day while his mother had "guests" over. He thought maybe it would give him a chance to meet people, make some friends. Boy, was he ever wrong. Maybe I just won't go back… I'll find something else to occupy my time.
From a distance, he heard the school's bell go off. He sighed tiredly and started to make a move to get up. Sitting there unmoving was practically like painting a target mark on his chest. Not that he was really any safer at home, but at least there it was a little easier to hide, since his mother didn't go out of her way to torment him. She couldn't be bothered with such a chore. If Creed wanted to feel like dirt, he had to find her.
Just as he stood and pointlessly brushed his soiled clothes off, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who the slap on the back of his head was dealt from, since it was quickly followed by a shove to the side and a kick in the knee. Creed gritted his teeth and remained stock still as three boy his age stepped in front of him.
"You left class early, Psycho. What's wrong? Mommy wants her baby home so they can go garbage picking together?" Remarked the child who sat behind him, Baldorias Fanghini. He was the leader of the three, who started most of the actions against Creed. He enjoyed smacking him randomly the most.
Creed rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that'll be the day…" he muttered mostly to himself.
A shove from behind reminded him of Baldor's little sidekick, Kranz Maduke. He enjoyed pushing Creed. "What was that, garbage boy?"
Creed turned his blue eyes to Kranz slightly, glaring, "Does it even matter? It's not like anything I say would change anything…"
Another kick to his foot made Creed jump back slightly, despite what his mind told him. The boy named Ash laughed and stood beside Baldor. "No, I guess you're right. That experiment must be a success so far."
The silver boy narrowed his eyes, hiding the tears the children brought on. All three still seemed to notice as they laughed as one.
"You know, sensei actually got worried when she noticed you were gone," Baldor remarked as he began to circle Creed. "We told her you weren't worth it. That you probably went to find the nearest trash can so you could go shopping."
Ash began to follow behind Baldor as Kranz disappeared somewhere he did not know. Creed felt it was pointless to have his guard up, since it never did any good, but did nonetheless.
As he watched them circle him fully once, Creed snarled, "What are you guys? Sharks?"
He heard a half laugh, half growl exit Baldor's throat as he stood in front of him again, smiling as if he had a plan. "I think that sounds right, don't you boys?"
Before Creed could respond, Baldor pushed him backwards, making him trip over Kranz who kneeled on all fours behind him. Creed smashed his head violently against the tree and slid slowly to the dirt beneath him. As he lifted his head to shout at the boys, he grunted in anguish and shut his eyes as Ash kicked dirt in them.
He coughed and sputtered, the three boys laughing merrily as he tried to wash the dirt from his eyes. When he finally did, he opened them slowly, blue eyes turning red as tears — caused from both the pain of their words and the pain of the dirt — swelled in the blue depths.
He tightened his hands into fists as the three continued laughing and throwing taunts at him. Creed felt something sharp prick at his skin, making him look down. He smiled slightly as he eyed the rusty shard of glass he clutched at. Looking back to the boys, he began to stand, his silver bangs shadowing half his face.
Creed watched the laughing trio only a second longer before he let out a quiet, sinister laugh. That caught the boys' attention, and they turned to him curiously.
Smalls drops of blood slid from his palm and down his arm as he spoke is a dangerously soft tone, "It's not very nice to keep calling me those things…" His smile widen as he glared at them, "Do any of you know what "karma" is?"
There was no response, making Creed laugh again. "I thought as much, you stupid apes… Allow me to teach you."
He began to run forward, the shard of glass sticking through his fingers, causing more blood to spew from his fingers as he grasped it tightly. Just before he attacked the leader of the trio, he heard the voice of another boy enter his ears.
"Hey! What do you guys think you're doing?!"
All four boys turned their attention in the same direction. Standing there was yet another boy their age, with luminous, golden eyes glaring at Baldor and company. His spiky, brown hair framed his face elegantly, yet held a sort of power you couldn't explain. Creed had never seen him before, and could only assume he was in a different class from them.
Baldor growled and turned to the newest boy, "What business is it of yours?"
The golden eyed child looked at each of Creed's attackers with distaste, before meeting Creed's gaze. Something about the way those eyes shined at him lessened the red glow of Creed's, and made his heart beat fast. For some reason, the look calmed Creed's rage. He felt like they were trying to comfort Creed. Trying to show him that he cared what was happening to him.
His thoughts were proven as the golden boy turned back to the bullies. "It looks like you're picking on that poor kid. Why don't you leave him alone and pick on someone your own size?"
Baldor's glare suddenly turned into a playful smile, "Is that a challenge?"
The brunette returned the smile with a cheeky one of his own, "Not really. I think you're bigger than me too, you moose."
The leader's smile changed once more as he stalked towards Creed's rescuer. His two lackeys followed after him, Ash picking the stick off the ground Creed had been playing with. Before Creed could intervene, he saw the boy slide between Baldor and Kranz, turning around and pushing them both forward, causing them to stumble and trip over one another.
Ash watched in shock as he looked back to the boy. He smiled again and ran at Creed, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him off. The boy pulled him along quickly as he ran from the trio who were yelling and chasing after them.
Creed was in shock as this boy led him away from danger and to what was hopefully safety. He was thrown down an alley, stumbling slightly and grabbing the wall to balance himself, as his wrist was released. The silver haired boy turned to look at his savior, who was peaking around the corner, waiting for the bullies to pass.
After several minutes, Creed heard him sigh, "I hate bullies…"
Creed silently watched as the boy turned around. Widen blues eyes stared at him in shock and confusion as he made his way over. He was at an utter loss for words as the boy moved closer, and could only stare in disbelief. Never in his life had someone else stuck up for him, let alone take him to safety.
Or was this safety?
Creed looked around frantically, as if expecting another group of children to come out and beat him senseless. A soft chuckle brought his attention forward.
That smile crossed the small lips again, "No one else is here. The only ones that know about this place are my friends; that's why I brought you here. Those bullies won't find you."
Creed was still a little uncertain and looked around again. Before he could get a grasp on his surroundings, he felt a hand grab his chin and turn his gaze. His eyes met gold again, blinking several times to get over the shock of the contact.
He blinked even more as the boy frowned. His eyes actually looked concerned, a look which Creed had never seen directed at him before.
"You all right?"
The tone of his voice was also a shock to Creed . It sounded… sincere… Not like all those times when he was offered false kindness, then had it violently ripped away. He didn't respond to the question, merely blinked in amazement.
The boy frowned again, "Your face is all dirty and you have little cuts. You should go home and get cleaned up."
Home… Creed thought wistfully. He couldn't help the next words that came out of his mouth. He was sure they would be thrown back at him as weird. "I don't have a home…"
Surprisingly, the boy didn't respond harshly. He blinked and gave a confused look. "You don't have a home? Where do you sleep at night?"
Creed sighed and forced his chin away, "I have a place to sleep… most of the time… But I don't have a home."
Again, he knew it was probably weird, but he said it nonetheless. He didn't understand why it was weird, since it was completely true. He waited for the predictable taunt and rejection.
Shock hit his chest once again as he felt a hand ruffle his hair playfully. "Sounds to me like you don't get treated any better at home. Don't sweat it. You don't gotta explain if you don't wanna."
Creed watched, astonished and perplexed, as the boy walked over to a corner of the alley and pulled out a large bucket. With a heave and a loud grunt, the brunette picked it up and walked back over to Creed, dropping it on the ground and wiping his brow. He pulled out a piece of cloth from his pocket and dipped it in the bucket. Handing it to Creed, he smiled that same smile.
"Use this to wipe your face off. You don't wanna get an infection."
Blinking seemed to be an overly repetitive gesture for Creed at this point as he took the damped cloth from his rescuer. He washed his face off and handed it back. The boy made a disgusted face, one Creed was used to, and expected to be hurt again. But, once again, he was surprised to see the boy pushing his hand away and shaking his head, laughing a little.
"You keep it, I don't feel like having it after it got all dirty."
Creed blinked, "But… it's yours…"
That smile again, "Well, now it's yours."
He laughed at the look on Creed's face and sat in front of him. His lips contorted into a slant as he studied Creed. The blue eyed child stared back, blinking innocently.
"W-what?" He asked, frightened.
There was silence for another moment as the boy's eyes moved up to his head and examined his hair. "Your hair is silver."
Creed blinked, then narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, what of it?"
The brunette boy reached forward and messed it up a little. "It's just that… it's kinda weird."
Creed glared and smacked his hands away, "So your mess of a brown bush is normal?" He folded his arms and looked away. "Not to mention the color of your eyes. They look like they belong on a cat."
Laughter and a thump brought his attention over to his companion. He continued his blinking once more as the boy before him rolled on the ground, laughing happily. After several minutes, he stopped tossing around and caught his breath. The golden boy sat up slowly and wiped his eyes.
"No, no, no, I meant I like it. It's cool looking."
Creed blushed slightly as the boy smiled at him.
"You're funny kid, what's your name?" He asked in a friendly manner.
Creed had to shake himself out of the shock the complement brought on before he could answer, "I-I'm Creed. C-Creed Diskence." His voice shook slightly as he spoke.
The boy stuck out a hand to Creed and smiled brightly, "My name's Train Heartnet. Nice to meet you, Creed."
Train…
The blue eyed boy watched the hand, as if it were going to bite him. But… there was something about this boy… Something alluring about him… Something that made Creed want to hold his hand tight and never let go. He didn't understand why, but his pulse was racing and his face felt hot. Train's cat like eyes were warming, comforting and friendly. He could tell, just from them, that Train was sincere in both his words, and actions.
A little hesitantly, Creed put his hand out as well, dropping the shard he was holding. Train seemed to hear the clank on the ground and looked down. Creed began to worry once more as his hero eyed the blood covered glass. Is he going to call me a psycho too…?
This was the first time he was ever shown concern, and he didn't want it to end so quickly. He rather liked this boy, and he didn't want him to get a bad impression…
Creed was shocked yet again as Train frowned at the shard. "I see… Well… I guess I can't really blame you. They were saying some awful things." His eyes met Creed's, making the silver boy red in the face, "Plus, they started the fight. How could they expect you not to fight back?"
Relief flooded through Creed and he smiled back, still confused as to why his face felt so hot. He jumped a little as Train grabbed his hand and eyed the cut thoughtfully. Creed was confused further as he felt his face burn even brighter as Train held his hand gently, fingering the cut elegantly.
"Hmm, it looks kinda deep…"
He reached to the side and dug through some boxes, never releasing his hold on Creed's hand. That fact only made Creed's blush stronger as he watched Train in an astonished daze. Train made an accomplished noise as he pulled out a small tool box. It didn't look very impressive to Creed, but then again, he probably shouldn't be one to judge.
Train opened the box and grabbed a roll of bandages. He took the wet cloth from Creed's other hand and dapped the blood away, cleaning it as best he could. Once that was done, he took the bandage and wrapped it around his hand, tight enough so it wouldn't fall, but loose enough to let the blood flow.
When he finished, he smiled proudly, "That should be good enough for now, but you might wanna see the nurse or something to get it cleaned better. I can't say how clean that water is."
He looked up at Creed, who's face was beat red and his eyes glowing strangely. Train frowned in confusion at the look, and cocked an eyebrow. "You sick?"
Creed heard his heart beat loudly and he shook his head frantically. Train shrugged and released his hand. Creed was at a loss to explain why the loss of Train's hand made him feel sad and want to hold it again.
"That's all we really have here. You could say this is kind of out hideout, so we keep certain supplies here, though not much." Train smiled at Creed, making his blush return, "I know what you're thinking. This isn't much of a hideout, but we like it. Eve's looking for a new one though. She says this one's too small. But I don't really care, neither does Sven. Saya seems to though, and she has a way of making us all agree with her. I don't know how she does that…"
Train stopped suddenly as he looked at Creed. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm just blabbering, aren't I? It's probably getting on your nerves."
Creed shook his head again, "N-no, not at all! I-I don't mind." Why am I so nervous?
He looked at the ground, voice turning into a wistful whisper, "No one ever talks to me… I-I'm… enjoying this…"
Train laughed and folded his legs into a pretzel shape, leaning forward on his feet and peering at Creed's face. The closeness made Creed jump back slightly and blush hard once more.
"All right then, we can chat. I have some time before my friends get here." He lowered his brow and leaned on his hands, "So, what kind of name is Creed, anyway? I've never heard anyone being called something like that before. And I know a lot of people with weird names."
Creed blinked as he tried to force his hot face to cool and focus his thoughts. "I-I don't know. I've n-never really thought about it before… I-I didn't think it mattered."
Train leaned back and stared at the sky, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Just a curiosity question."
There was a moment of silence as Creed watched Train watch the sky. The silver haired boy tried and break it, though his voice still sounded nervous as he spoke, "W-well, what kind of name is Train?"
Train looked back down at Creed and blinked, then smiled, "I don't know either. Maybe my mom was a fan of trains? Or maybe my parents got married on a train. Who knows?"
Train looked back to the sky and whistled a short tune, one which Creed recognized, but couldn't place the name of.
"What's that song?"
The golden eyed boy looked back down at him, "Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht. My mom sings it to me at night when I can't sleep. You might know it as Brahms' Lullaby, but mom went through all the trouble of teaching me how to pronounce that other name, so I try to call it that."
He laughed at himself, "Well, I call it that around her. To my friends', I just call it Brahms' Lullaby. Saya yells at me when I say it the other way, since she can't pronounce it. Not many of them can, it took me a long time to be able to say it right myself."
"Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht. I recognize it."
Train looked at Creed, shocked at his perfect pronunciation. "Whoa, that was good. How'd you do that so quickly?"
Creed looked at him, a little scared that the next thing he was about to say would weird Train out, "I-I spend most of my time in the library, reading or at the computer. I like music, so I-I've looked up a lot of stuff. I… w-wanna learn the piano…"
Creed waited to be teased, but it still never came. Train actually smiled and nodded knowingly. "You're really smart. I can't stand reading, my sensei says it'll be my downfall in the future." He shrugged again, "Whatever, I don't think I need to read books to know how to live."
Train looked at Creed and winced at the sad look he was getting. "I'm not knocking your hobbies, it's just not my thing. I think it's cool that you wanna play the piano."
Creed smiled, feeling his heart and his face burn again. What's with this feeling? It's not that it's a bad feeling, I like it. But… what is it? Why does he make me feel so… comfortable? So… happy? I… don't feel alone right now…
He continued watching Train, who had found a bug crawling on the ground rather interesting. Why have I never seen him before? Why has it taken so long for someone to actually want to talk to me? So long for someone to… care?
"What class are you in?" Creed couldn't help but ask.
"Takahashi's class. He's waaaay at the end of the hall. We barely know other classes exist."
Creed frowned. He was hoping his class was at least close to his own.
"Ya know, it's kinda ironic that you compared me to a cat earlier."
The blue eyed boy blinked at Train. "I-I didn't mean to poke fun…"
He felt fingers ruffling his hair playfully again and sighed quietly at the friendly gesture. "No, you did. Don't lie. But you were just trying to defend yourself. That's what you should be doing."
Train smiled and sat back again, "What I meant was, it's ironic that someone else compares me to a cat. That's what everyone compares me to."
Creed titled his head, "It doesn't bother you?"
Train shook his head, "Not at all. It's true, and I actually take it as a complement. I do act like a cat, plus I like them. No one's trying to make fun of me." He paused, and thought over his words, "Well, maybe at first they were, but I think since I took to it and went along with the stereotype, it turned into a short of nickname for me. All my friends call me Neko or Cat Boy, if they're messing with me."
"Act… like a cat?"
Train smiled that cheeky smile again. Creed was beginning to think it was his trademark. "Yeah. They say I'm stubborn, like attention, and do what I wanna do. Plus, I love milk. Then, of course, there's the eye thing that you pointed out before."
Creed couldn't understand it. That must have been strange, yet this boy didn't seem to get picked on at all. He actually seemed pretty popular, considering all the friends he talked about. But… he still seems strange, in his own way. So… why is it that I get picked on for being different, but he gets praised?
He wanted to learn more about him. He wanted to continue asking him questions and speaking cordially with him until he knew everything about the Cat Boy. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go, he had all day. All week, all month, all year. He could sit there for as long as it took to get to know every detail about Train. It's not like he needed food. He proved that after that week of having nothing but water.
But before he could ask another question, a female voice came from behind him, catching both boys' attention.
"There you are, Train-kun! We've been looking all over for you. We didn't tell you to meet us here!"
Creed turned around, angry at whomever it was that interrupted him. Standing at the entrance of the alley, was a girl the same age as him, with short hair and teal eyes. Behind her was a younger girl with long, blonde hair and bright, ruby eyes. On the other side of the short haired girl, leaning on the wall, was another boy their age with short, green hair and two different colored eyes. One was sort of a copper color, while the other was a lighter shade of blue than Creed's.
He heard Train stand and looked over quickly, watching as his savior brushed himself off.
"I know, I know, but I had a little… side quest I needed to do."
All three kids at the alley's entrance looked down at Creed. He felt a little uncomfortable with all those eyes on him, not to mention scared at what they might say. The boy against the wall smiled knowingly.
"Ah, I see. Playing the knight in shining armor again?" He said, jokingly.
Train laughed, "I guess you could say that."
The blonde girl jabbed him in the side. "Don't say that, Sven, it's mean."
The boy named Sven looked down at the girl and frowned, "I don't see why, Eve. Train knows I'm kidding."
"Yes, but what about that other boy? You might make him feel bad," said the girl in front.
Train patted Creed's head as if he were a puppy. "Creed knows we're not bullying him, Saya. Isn't that right, Creed?"
The boy was blushing once more at the contact, but was able to force out a nod.
He smiled the smile Creed had grown fond of, "Well, I gotta go. Maybe I'll see you later."
Creed's hero ruffled his hair one last time before walking towards his friends. The silver boy sadly watched him leave, feelings the loneliness settle in already. Inwardly, he wanted to follow after him and barrage him with more questions, but he didn't. He was afraid of getting on his nerves, or saying something wrong and making his savior hate him. For some reason… that thought made him feel like crying.
All that kindness… all that friendship and all that caring was walking away from him, leaving him speechless and lonely. He felt unbelievably depressed, but also happy. Train obviously went to this school as well, and even if their classes were far apart, Creed would find a way to see him.
He clutched desperately at the cloth given to him and sighed peacefully. The earlier thoughts of never returning to this place again had completely disappeared. The once Hell had become sort of a Heaven, and he had just found a reason to stay...
If anyone has ever seen Hey Arnold, I think that might be why I thought of this idea. It's going to be a lot more angst in it than that kids' show. Though, it was a good show… I miss it…
I put Ash in as the third bully cause he was the only one I could think of to fit the standards. (Well, he wasn't really in the manga or anime, so I can make him act however I want. Yay!) There's no last name, cause I don't think he has one.