A/N:This entire story is being redone because, well, I think it really needs some work done on it and let's face it, my writing has dramatically improved since I first started writing this, so let's get down to work here and make it a bit better, with less grammatical mistakes, less OOC-ness, and more coherency. I don't own Black Cat or Elfen Lied.
Chapter 1 The Black Cat
It was an ordinary sight to anyone passing by the road at all. No one would really question it; it just appeared to be an ordinary creature; a cat, lying on the side of the road, mewing faintly, as though talking to someone no one but it could hear.
People had remarked on how cute the cat was and petted it, but none ever suspected that the cat was not just some innocent feline, it was there for a darker, more mysterious purpose. The little white cat was ever patient, waiting day after day, night after night, for the stranger who would inevitably arrive, like he always did, silent as the darkness all around him.
Also, the cat never showed up on nights where the moon wasn't out from behind the clouds. Tonight, the moonlight half-heartedly spilled onto the sidewalk, illuminating the path that several passersby went down, remarking upon the cat's presence, but none really paid it any mind.
The cat turned, went up to the darkest, dingiest side of the road, looked up and let out a loud, piercing keen. Then the sound of rustling could be heard as the cat's ears twitched, hearing the sound of footfalls, as the all-too familiar figure arrived, jumping down quietly, just like the cat before him would have, if he wasn't friendly with this stranger.
The cat took in the young man standing before it, and meowed, again, purring as his hands stroked the cat's fur gently, before it saw the bowl of milk placed in front of it and happily lapped it down.
"Awfully thirsty tonight, are you? I saved that last drop especially for you, since I knew you'd be waiting here for me." His voice was calm and smooth, very refined for someone his age. The moonlight cast down upon the young man, allowing one to take in his visage quite well, that is if one were curious enough to see his features in the first place.
His hair was a chestnut-brown and stuck up all over the place on his head, and in a way, one could say it suited his wild and unnatural ways. He wore a long, flowing black cape that trailed out behind him, and gave him quite a menacing look. There was a dangerous aura about the man, especially in the dark clothes he wore. His eyes were, unusually enough, feline as well, for they were ALSO gold.
Lazily did he brush his hand upon the cold metal lying by his side, a gleaming silver pistol with traces of gold on the sides; and studied the symbol engraved into it with disinterest; XIII, or in other words, thirteen.
He also had the same symbol engraved on his neck as well, which signified that this boy was no ordinary human being, rather he was an assassin for a special yet covert organization known as Chronos. Chronos was a rather mysterious organization; not much was known about its existence other than that it controlled a lot of the events going on in the world and had much political power.
The assassins for this group were known only as Erasers, because they erased their target, wiped clean off the face of the Earth. Golden irises narrowed slightly as the young man suddenly tensed, raising his pistol up to his side, as he leapt back up on the roof of the building, watching, again.
The cat hissed, sensing the sudden movement of figures near it and darted off into the woods as a few people wandered nearby, unknowing of the teen who lurked nearby like a predator in the night, waiting for its kill to come within its grasp.
A young man in his early thirties, in a business suit, walked by, talking to another young man. Instantly, the teen's hands went to his pistol and he wrapped his thumb around the trigger, waiting, as the man approached his doom, unknowing of the grisly fate that would fall upon him mere moments from now, as he walked.
He waited for a few moments, then...now. He pulled the trigger...and fired. The echoing bang from it was so loud that lights flickered on in all the houses nearest the scene of the crime, but the young man merely paused for a second, to make sure that the victim was dead, and upon seeing the lifeless body lying there, a bullet through the head, he smirked in triumph.
He quickly fled, as quietly as a cat, into the shadows, just as people were discovering the crime and calling the police. And so the whispers that could be heard around town probably amounted to something like this: several men would gather in a bar, noisily chattering away amongst themselves about this wicked killer.
"...It's probably the work of an Eraser. The work of Number Thirteen...the Black Cat!"
Yes, the young man who was mentioned before is indeed the feared Black Cat. However, his real name was something else. As he sat there, lazily sipping milk in a cafe, a familiar figure showed up beside him, disguised like usual, but those violet orbs were unmistakable.
"...Creed," The golden-eyed young man spoke briefly, before taking a sip of his milk.
The latter smiled faintly, though the lustful gaze he cast upon his friend spoke that there were greater secrets the latter held about the other that he dared not disclose. "...Train. What a magnificent performance you held for us. Chronos is very pleased with what you have done."
"One job done, many more left to go," Train said quietly, still brooding.
"What's the matter, Train? Got something on your mind?" Creed said, placing a rose near the brunette, who pushed it away in disgust.
"...It's just, I'm not looking forward to going back there." The way he said there made it plainly obvious to Creed exactly what he was referring to.
"...You mean your 'home' right now until you're old enough to get your own place, huh? That orphanage...it certainly isn't full of heartwarming little ones, is it?" Creed laughed at his own joke, but Train merely smirked a little.
"...Even the thought of returning back there just makes everything I've done up till now seem like nothing. That awful oppressive, atmosphere...it just feels like I'm returning back into a cage." Train whispered, his fists curled around his gun.
"Well, not many members of Chronos have living relatives or parents. And someone like you doesn't need parents. You're great without them. There's so much more you can accomplish than the average human being. We're meant for great things, Train." Creed said suavely. "So, have you considered what I told you about?"
Train looked up then. "What?"
"You know, that new...project that Chronos has been interested in. The one about the Diclonii."
Upon seeing the brunette look at him as though he were ten feet tall and with several heads instead of one, he sighed. "Oh, my dear Train, you've already forgotten about it. They're girls...girls who aren't human, with supernatural powers. They have invisible arms that they use to kill with deadly accuracy. Does that sound familiar to you?"
Train raised a brow at that remark, but otherwise remained silent. "...Are you saying they're a lot like me?"
"E-x-actly like you, Train. Born to be killers, bred to be different...superior to the ordinary rabble that walk amongst us with no intelligent thought processes, thinking only of their dull, dim, ordinary lives. Wouldn't it be great if we could team up with them and destroy this world and make it anew?"
"Creed...Chronos doesn't take well to such talk." Train said in a low voice. "You know-"
"Oh, I know what you think, Train. You wear your heart on your sleeve. That's why I think you'd be best suited for taking these girls and eliminating them. Killing them, before they pose a threat to you or anyone else."
"I am not going to kill a child, Creed. We've been over this numerous times and the answer is still no." Train warned, giving him a stare that could freeze hell itself.
Creed laughed raucously, causing several patrons to give them funny stares, including a family of several children, a dark-haired girl with brown eyes, a boy with dark hair and blue eyes, and a little girl with a pink bow in her hair.
Upon seeing the children, Train's eyes softened, and he waved happily at them, causing the little girl to giggle and return the gesture. Though the little boy beside her seemed rather angered at that, if the cry of "Kanae!" was any indication.
"...Cute little vermin, aren't they?" Creed remarked as the two went out of the restaurant.
"...That's what you think. Some of us like children." Train said in annoyance.
"Except for the brats at the orphanage, hmm? Are they the exception to that rule? I mean, ever since your dear parents died, you've been so protective of little brats that honestly, sometimes I wonder if it'll ruin you-"
Upon seeing the pistol cocked at his face, Creed just burst out laughing hysterically.
"...That's the side of Train Heartnet I love to see, the cold, cruel, sadistic side. The true side of you! Embrace yourself! Love and such is for fools. I'll see you around, Black Cat," He said with a bow as he walked off.
Train sighed as he took his leave, sticking his hands into his pockets, walking amongst the crowd, until he bumped into someone briefly. It was the little girl from before, looking at him with curious violet orbs. She wore a little yellow dress and had a blue skirt on.
"Hi, mister," She said shyly. She looked to be around five, or six, at the oldest. "You dropped this...I just wanted to give it back to you." In her arms was a small decoration that looked like a cat.
"I didn't drop this," He said in confusion.
The girl giggled. "My cuz Yuka made it...she said I should give it to someone I like. And you look like a kitty cat!"
Train smiled at that, and patted her head. "Take care now. Don't always talk to strangers, not all of them are as kind as I."
As she ran back to her father and her little brother, she paused to take in the young boy walking back.
"He seemed kinda upset, Onii-chan. Almost like he was going somewhere he didn't like to be."
"I'm sure it was your imagination, Kanae," Kouta said. "Come on, we're going to be late. We're going back home for a while before we go back to see Yuka."
"I figured we'll stay home for a few weeks, and then come back to go to the festival in a few weeks. That recent assassination worries me." Kouta's father said. "And that young man may look polite, but he gave me a bad feeling."
Kanae hummed in triumph. "I'm sure that boy's a good boy, Daddy! Kanae always right."
"Not always," Kouta huffed.
Silence was all that greeted him on his way back to the place he was forced to call home. The orphanage was a rather small and cramped building with bad management, lousy staff, and it hadn't seen a cleaner in years.
As he walked in, none bothered to greet him. Not that he was surprised. No one cared about anyone besides themselves here. That was how things worked.
The children were all selfish, cruel beasts, not like the shy, quiet girl he met back at the restaurant.
"If all people...were as kind and polite as that little girl, perhaps this world would be a better place...and maybe then, someone like me wouldn't need to be an assassin at all." He said the words to himself.
He ignored the presence of the other children as he walked past them, ignoring their stares, their inquiring glances. He walked past the nurses' station, and was unsurprised to hear a ring of chatter from the inhabitants within.
"Not that girl again. She's sick once more. Now we have to waste time babysitting her..."
"I know...and those horns of hers are so hideous, I feel like throwing up every time I see them. Why can't we just kick her out on the street?"
"...She is still a human being, in the loosest way possible. You know, I wonder why her parents even bothered to bring her here in the first place. None of the children will play with her. She's a waste of space, honestly."
Train could feel his anger building up inside him. He knew it was stupid, but then again, sometimes stray cats bite off more than they can chew.
"...The only waste I hear is that you guys are wasting valuable time with lonely kids over gossiping about just one of them." Train said coldly, scaring the daylights out of the cowards, who backed away as he went into his room.
"I've heard that kid is bad news. He's some kind of criminal..."