A Shot in the Dark - Train Heartnet

Chapter #2

You lifted yourself up through the open window with soft ease. It was late, nearly midnight, and you had decided to climb to onto the roof to spend the beginning of your night. It wasn't unusual, just part of your routine. You put your foot up onto the roof and pulled yourself up gracefully. You came up short and your body went rigid.

"Hey baby girl." His calm, teasing voice said. Your body relaxed and you walked towards him.

"Stop following me." You said simply and he chuckled. He was sitting down with one knee bent up and the other was layed out.

"I told you already, my mission is to save you. I'm not going to leave you alone until you do." Train said gazing at you.

"You sound like a religious nutcase pushing his culture on me and you are bordering on stalker." You stated walking passed him and sitting up on the higher up section of the roof. "Isn't there something better for you to be doing with your time? Looking after a wife?" You asked and you both glanced at each other simultaneously. "Girlfriend?" You continued and he raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?" He looked at you annoyed. "If you're looking for one, I know this guy that would be very interested in you." You said looking upwards at the stars. You sat down and heard Train stand up. You rolled your eyes putting your hands behind your head and layed back. The stars were twinkled with such radiance. It was a true beauty that even an artist couldn't capture on a canvas.

"Why are you up here?" Train asked leaning against the roof you were on.

"Why shouldn't I be?" You asked answering his question with a question of your own.

"Can't you just give me a straight answer?" He asked his eyes turning on you with a penetrating gaze. You avoided them but gave him an explanation.

"Have you ever really looked at the stars?" You asked.

"Yeah."

"What are they?" You asked and he turned to face you straight on. "Just answer the question."

"Balls of fire and gas burning billions of miles away." He explained and you shook your head.

"No. They are more than that. They are an image of freedom, hope, exploration. When you see one sparkle, you can't look away. It captivates your attention more than an artist could fascinate you with a canvas of a lively oil painting. It's a distinctive beauty created by nature and not by impatient humans. It's a true art that is created with time, burns bright for a while, and then fades away into nothingness. It's something even greedy hands can't reach, can't own. That's what a star is." You sat up and looked at him. "You probably don't understand that though and I don't expect you to." You added. "I think I'll pass on my star gazing for tonight." You flipped over onto your stomach and stood up. You jumped down beside Train and started walking away but he caught your wrist. You looked back at him and then down to your hands. "Let go." You said plainly. He ignored you and pulled you back to him. He slammed your back against the side of the roof and you groaned. "Ow. Was that totally necessary?" You asked opening your eyes. You moved your head backwards and moved back against the wall, sliding your hand to your gun. He was too close.

"You speak like a poet but your job is to kill people." He said and he held up the hand he had by the wrist. "Your hands aren't meant for killing people," He said and he put his palm against yours almost like he was measuring its size. "You should be saving them." He said and your mouth parted a bit. He looked down at your other hand and seen what it was clutching.

"I can't save people." You said letting go of Ares.

"How do you know?" He asked. You looked at your hands again.

"Because I've already tried." You said and pulled your hand back. "That's enough star gazing for one night." You added. You walked passed him, gently pushing him aside, and headed for the edge of the roof. "Stop following me."