Disclaimer: I don't own Black Cat.

Author's Note: So here's how this works. This particular story is being written for the iPod shuffle challenge, but slightly different. I'm still listening to 10 different songs and writing down what it inspires from me, but in this case the drabbles are long, linked together, and will be uploaded over a span of ten days. Let's see if I can do it.

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Strays like Us

01. Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me – Faith Hill

"You know, you're a lot like me."

Sephiria Arks twitched at that.

Just twitched.

"How so, Heartnet?"

Train tilted his head back to look at her, grinning that goofy grin of his that she'd never associated with him before; laying on his back as fireworks exploded in the sky overhead, an opened bottle of milk in his hand. "It's just a feeling," he said noncommittally, gulping a mouthful of milk. "I can't really explain it. Feels like… like you've got this wild, crazy side to you that no one's ever seen before, and you keep it strapped up all the time."

Sephiria raised a brow and forgot to wonder why she was even here in the first place; somehow, in a twist of events, she'd completely forgotten that it was her job to act as security for the festival this year thanks to increased terrorist threats. "How does that make us similar?" she asked calmly.

"Well, you know…" Train shrugged and stood up, finishing his bottle in a single draining gulp and resting it in the grass without a sound. "When I was in Chronos, I kept that side of me locked up, too." He smiled easily, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I didn't even know it existed, honestly."

"I see," Sephiria said slowly, deciding this would be her answer for anything Train said that didn't make sense to her. As he moved towards her, all fluid grace and soft footsteps, she ordered her hands to stop shaking. "Are you saying the stray cat lifestyle would suit me, Heartnet?"

"Stray cat?" Train narrowed his eyes thoughtfully before he shook his head, that same easy smile on his face. "No, no. You aren't a cat."

"I… I see." He was getting too close. Way, way too close.

"You know what you are, Sephiria?" He leaned over her, and with a jolt Sephiria wondered how he'd gotten so close without setting off her senses; anyone else would have had Christ's blade against their throat by now. His eyes were deep and dark, a swirling gold that made Sephiria's legs shake.

"I don't know what I am, Heartnet, you're the one who started this conversation." Against her will, Sephiria's breath hitched.

"You're a dog." He smirked. "Yeah, a dog… that suits you right. Loyal and fierce, gentle and huggable when you wanna be. What do you think, Sephiria? Would the stray dog lifestyle suit you?"

"Heartnet, I'm not following."

Train blinked; his eyes softened before he stepped back, and Sephiria fought against a shard of disappointment, something in her mind that screamed, that's it? Really? That's all you were going to do?!

"I guess you wouldn't." He turned away. "I shouldn't have expected you to, honestly."

"What are you—"

He looked over his shoulder, and Sephiria's mouth snapped shut.

"Give it some thought, Sephiria. Cats and dogs don't usually get along, but… we're both strays." He grinned at her, looking like the kid she'd only imagined he'd once been. "And strays understand each other."

He was gone in a flash of dark movement as bright fireworks exploded in the sky, chasing away the shadows of night and lighting the moon in a variety of colors, and Sephiria was left alone with her thoughts and an empty bottle of milk.

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So here we go. Drabble 1 out of 10 in my Sephiria x Train story... because I like the pairing.

Read and review, please!