Rosette:
"Chrono! Rosette! Wait for me!" a voice cried from behind us. Chrono and I stopped and turned to watch our petite friend catch up to us. Her long, silver hair trailed behind her like a shining cape. She came to a sudden halt in front of us and paused, doubled over, to gasp for air.
"What is it, Az?" Chrono asked.
"Jeepers, you look tired! Where were you running from?" I asked, resting a hand on her rigid shoulder. She popped up again, a big smile on her face.
"I've been looking all over for you two! We have a mission," Az managed to gasp out between heaving breaths.
"Has Sister Kate summoned us?" Chrono asked.
"I've got the report right here. We're ready to go," Azmaria replied, holding up a vanilla envelope.
"Alrighty then! Let's go kick some devil butt!" I cheered as I took the envelope from her. I slipped out the paper inside and held it forward so Chrono could read it as well. I skimmed through it, only picking out the important bits: devil activity outside Brooklyn, attacking civilians, located at an abandoned farm…
"An abandoned farm?! She's sending us to some small fry devil at an abandoned farm?!" I exclaimed.
"It makes sense, Rosette. I mean you did destroy three buildings last time. She probably figured it'd be better if you worked out in the country this time," Chrono explained. I gave him a harsh glare that caused him to shy back slightly and give me an apologetic smile.
"We might as well get a wiggle on, then. We should be back before the evening meal," I said with a sigh. I spun and started heading off towards the lot where we kept our cars.
"Shouldn't you visit the Elder first?" Chrono asked. I waved my hand dismissively.
"Nah, not for a puny guy like this. Sounds to me like I could take him with my bare hands," I replied. I heard Chrono sigh behind me.
A couple of hours later we were driving home, all of us covered in dirt, dust, and grime from our battle with the barn dwelling devil.
"Some small fry," Chrono muttered to the window.
"Hey! It wasn't my fault, okay? Nowhere in the report did it say he had friends!" I retorted as I gave him a hard punch in the arm. He winced but continued to gaze unenthusiastically out the window.
"Actually, Rosette, it did," Azmaria murmured from the backseat.
"If you'd actually read the report once in awhile…" I gave him a bonk on the head that cut him off. This time he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
"I hope Sister Kate doesn't get too mad about the barn…" Azmaria mused quietly.
"Or the forest…" Chrono added. I took a sharp turn, causing both of them to fly into the right side of the car.
"Are you done now?" I asked, my voice hard as nails and almost a yell.
"Yeah, we're done," Chrono answered apologetically, rubbing the side of his head. I pulled into the convent. It was already beginning to grow dark and lights were turning on in the windows of the building. The three of us headed inside and marched straight to Sister Kate's office. We received several curious glances and seemingly unsurprised whispers as we walked through the halls. I gave a fierce knock on Sister Kate's door and opened it before even waiting for a reply. After the annoying car ride back and the unexpected trouble at the farm all I wanted to do was shower, eat, and sleep. But first I had to get through Sister Kate's fury. I left Azmaria and Chrono outside the office, knowing that Sister Kate would want to speak with me alone. Before I closed the door, I caught Chrono's eye. He was watching me with pity as I faced the wrath of Sister Kate on my own.
"Goodness! What happened to you?" she asked as I came in.
"That little devil and his friends you sent us after gave us a bit of trouble," I muttered. Sister Kate stared at me with disbelief for a moment, then she shook her head and looked back down at the paper she had been working on.
"They weren't meant to be such a challenge, Sister Rosette," she murmured, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what do you have to report?"
"Our mission was successful. We managed to demolish all of the devils living in the area… as well as the barn and some of the forest surrounding it…"
"Again?!" Sister Kate cried, her head snapping back up to look at me.
"Yes, about that… Um, you see-"
"I send you to the most wide spaced area possible and you still manage to destroy the place! I expect you to type up a full report for me as well as an explanation of your mistakes and how you plan to improve them the next time!" Sister Kate hollered. I stood there in silence, unsure how to respond.
"Yes, mam'," was all I managed to say. I began to back out of the room when she spoke again.
"And, Sister Rosette, you better be keeping that devil in check. I hope he's not adding to any of these problems of yours." I felt my brow twitch with annoyance and rage.
"Chrono is not a problem at all, Sister Kate. In fact, he's probably better at these missions than I am!" I snapped as backed all the way out of the room. I closed the door with a bang, ignoring Sister Kate's desperate calls for me to return. I leaned against the door and took a deep breath then met Chrono's eyes. He was the only one still waiting for me in the hallway.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"No. I have to write an extra page of my mistakes for her," I grumbled as we began to head to our rooms. I wasn't about to tell him what Sister Kate had said about him. He didn't need to hear those sort of awful things.
"Where'd Azmaria go?"
"She seemed really upset about you getting in trouble, so I told her she could go get cleaned up," he told me.
"You could've gone to," I said.
"And leave you behind? I figured you were going to need some support after you were done with that meeting," he answered with a small grin. I stopped in front of my room and turned to him with a smile.
"Thank you," I told him.
"For what?" he asked, confusion plain on his face.
"For waiting for me. And your help today," I explained.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asked with a little laugh.
"What do you mean?"
"Its just so unlike you to actually say thank you to anyone, especially me."
"You could just say 'your welcome'," I grunted as I turned and opened my door.
"Rosette?" I glanced over my shoulder at him.
"Your welcome," he said with a bright smile that illuminated his face and made his red eyes shine. Chrono is the most kind and loving person I know. Though I'm not sure he counts as a person, seeing as he's a devil. However, the fact still remains that Chrono is someone who always thinks of others first and should really be thanked more often. I took in his cheerful expression and felt myself blush.
"I'll see you later," I told him as I headed into my room. My heart was still fluttering as I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the women's bathing room.
I headed back to my room, a towel around my neck as I attempted to squeeze my hair dry and walk at the same time. I pushed open my bedroom door and found Chrono sitting on my bed. His presence didn't surprise me in the least; in fact I'd been expecting him.
"I'm guessing you need help with your hair?" I asked as I sat beside him.
"Yes, please," he answered slightly sheepishly as he turned so his back was facing me.
"What would you do without me?" I joked as I began to separate his long, damp, purple hair.
"I honestly don't know," he replied quietly and even toned. There was a moment of silence between us as his sudden change in attitude made the air around us thicken.
"You'd have to walk around with your hair dragging on the ground," I said, trying to bring the conversation back on the bright side.
"That'd be a problem. I'd be tripping on it all the time," he added with a laugh.
"No you wouldn't! You're nimble enough that you'd step around it without even trying," I replied with a chuckle, "Wow, its getting really long though! Maybe we should trim it…"
"Rosette, do you remember what happened last time you tried to trim my hair?" he said with a shudder.
"Hey! It wasn't that bad!" I retorted. I could practically see him rolling his eyes.
"Okay, maybe it was pretty bad," I admitted in a mumble as I tied the yellow bow in his hair.
"Done," I proclaimed as I stood up and stretched my legs, "Now let's go get some grub!" Chrono turned and smiled at me. I held out my hand to help him up and he took it. I pulled him up off the bed and together we headed to the mess hall.
Chrono:
We headed back to our rooms after eating. Or, more accurately, after Rosette finished eating. I'd been done awhile ago, but Rosette ended up eating fourths and had just now finished with her meals. I offered to stay with Rosette while she wrote her report, but she just shrugged and told me she'd worry about it tomorrow. I wanted to put off leaving her, but I couldn't think of an excuse to stay. After a rough day like today I didn't blame her for wanting to go to bed early.
"Well, goodnight, Chrono! See you in the morning,"she said cheerfully as she opened her door.
"Yeah, sleep well, Rosette," I replied with a forced smile.
"Sweet dreams," she told me with a bright smile as she closed the door. I stood outside her door for a moment, thinking about what she'd just said. Sweet dreams... It'd been a long time since I'd had one. I managed to drag my feet away from her room and to my own down the hall. I opened my bedroom door and stared in at the empty darkness that covered the room. I closed the door and my eyes quickly adjusted to the blackness around me. I collapsed on my bed and watched the ceiling above me shimmer from the moon light. I turned over and gazed out the window at the shadows outside. A sudden flash of awareness struck me as an unpleasant aura filled my senses. I crept off my bed and walked over to my window. Somewhere lurking in those shadows, Aion stood waiting to attack. I could feel it. I saw a golden light soak the lawn a few windows down before I heard the foot falls approaching. The door flung open without a knock and Rosette came bursting in wearing her nightgown, a panicked look on her face.
"You felt it, didn't you?" she asked, her voice low and breathless.
"He's out there. We need to get to Azmaria," I told her with a strained voice that matched hers. She nodded and headed back into the hall. I hurried after her, not bothering to shut the door behind me. A few doors down was where Azmaria slept. Rosette whipped open her door and we flew into her room. The sudden light caused Azmaria's eyelids to twitch and, at the sound of our approaching steps, her eyes flew open. She lurched upright in bed, eyes wide and frightened as she gaped at us. Her eyelids drooped and she sat in total confusion, her tired brain unable to process what was happening.
"What's going on?" she asked timidly.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Rosette said with an attempted reassuring smile. It was amazing how bad she was at lying. But that was one of her good traits: her pure honesty.
"Everything's fine, Azmaria. You can go back to sleep," I told her. The half awake girl gave a feeble nod before collapsing back onto her pillow. Rosette sat on the edge of the bed as she watched Azmaria sleep, her face full of endearment as she stroked the top of her head.
"He's coming for her, isn't he?" she whispered.
"Most likely," I answered quietly. She turned to me, determination on her face.
"I won't let him take her," she said urgently.
"Neither will I," I agreed as I sat next to her on the bed. Rosette and my eyes met and we read each other's expressions. The threat would come, and when it did we would fight together to protect our friend. Azmaria whimpered in her sleep, a sound that caused Rosette's head to instantly turn to her.
"Shh… It's alright," she cooed as she stroked Azmaria's head again.
"Rosette! Chrono! Thank goodness I've found you!" came an anxious voice. Sister Mary came thudding into the room, out of breath and looking desperate.
"What is it, Mary?" Rosette asked, slowly standing up from the bed.
"Its terrible! We've been attacked!" Mary cried, taking another step into the room. A sudden tingling sensation raced through me.
"Don't come any closer!" I hollered as I stepped between Mary and Rosette. The two girls both turned to me with equally confused expressions.
"Chrono... What is it?" Rosette whispered intensely.
"Mary's been taken over by a mind eater," I told her. Rosette's eyes widened and she turned back to Mary with a new expression of fear and disbelief on her face.
"Mary..." Rosette murmured. Sister Mary's face changed from panicked to enraged as she glared at me.
"Sinner! You side with the humans and for that you will pay!" An inhuman screech came from Mary's mouth as her eyes changed to a blank, glowing red. She lunged forward, her hands reaching for my throat. I planted my feet and waited for the attack. An unexpected tug pulled me to the side, sending Mary flying through empty space and over the bed. She gracefully rolled and flipped to another attack stance. Rosette, who had pulled me out of the way, released my arm and scooped up the sleeping Azmaria. The once-was Sister Mary hissed at us and sprang into the air once again. I followed her lead and deflected a punch to my face with my arm. The impact sent her recoiling across the room and into the opposite wall. Mary's head smacked against the wall and she crumpled into a twitching heap on the floor.
"I don't have my gun so you'll have to cover for me," Rosette said, meeting my eyes with a fierce look.
"Of course," I replied, a little surprised. Had she been expecting me to leave her on her own? I jumped off the bed, where I had landed after deflecting Mary, and grabbed Rosette's arm.
"We should hurry before Mary gets up. We'll go find Sister Kate or Father Remington. They'll be able to help us," I told her as I pulled her out into the hall. We hurried past eerily quiet rooms and empty, silent halls. The whole building was fairly dark due to the weak lights that lined the walls. Dark shadows caused any object to look menacing. As we ran, my ears could hear the faint sound of pounding feet behind us. I took a sharp turn down a right hallway. I wasn't sure where I was running to, but I couldn't stop to think about it. I let my feet carry me forward, leading me somewhere safer. I had to get Rosette and Azmaria someplace safe. That was what mattered most right now. I headed down a flight of stairs and took a left.
"Sister Kate's office!" Rosette cried, stopping abruptly. She ran to a door on our left and attempted to open it while holding the still sleeping Azmaria.
"Chrono, take her," Rosette grumbled, holding her out to me.
"Wha-!?" was all I managed to exclaim before she was handed over to me. Rosette shoved open the door with such ferocity that I was surprised it didn't fall off its hinges. Rosette ducked into the room and I closely followed her in. The instant we were inside she slammed the door closed again, leaving us with only the faint moonlight to illuminate the room. The unexpected, harsh click as Rosette locked the door caused me to flinch.
"Chrono, find the switch," she hissed.
"If I do that she'll know what room we're in. We'll have to find our way in the dark," I replied in a low voice. I felt her thin fingers squeeze my shoulder as a form of confirmation. Slowly I stood up, making sure that she followed me to her feet.
"Let's lay Azmaria down so she doesn't wake up," I whispered. Together we headed over to the couch that sat against the right wall of the office. I laid Azmaria down on it and took off my coat for her to use as a blanket. After Azmaria was comfortably asleep, Rosette and I snuck over to Sister Kate's desk. As quietly as as could, we dug through the drawers in a desperate attempt to find a spare exorcist gun. After looking for something we both knew wasn't there for a good fifteen minutes, we headed back to where Azmaria was sleeping and sat on the couch opposite her. There was a long, strained silence between the two of us as we both listened for the sound of approaching steps. I heard Rosette let out a quiet yawn next to me.
"Chrono?" she murmured, exhaustion evident in her voice.
"Yeah?"
"What are we going to do? We have to stop Mary, but we can't leave Azmaria. And we have to find Sister Kate and Father Remington too! But we can't split up and we can't carry Az around with us! What's left to do? There has to be something..." Rosette trailed off as her sleepy brain tried to put her to sleep.
"I think the only thing we can do now is wait. Sister Kate or Father Remington will find us soon, so for now you should just rest," I told her softly.
"'Kay," she mumbled. I nearly jumped as her head suddenly fell onto my shoulder. I sat still, not wanting to move because I was so afraid I'd wake her if she had fallen asleep. But then I became aware of just how tired I had become as well. I set my head ontop of hers, creating a pile of makeshift pillows. She was using my shoulder as hers, and I was using her head as mine. We stayed like that for a while, engulfed in drowsiness and silence.
"Don't ever leave me," Rosette suddenly whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible.
"I won't. Not ever," I whispered. I wasn't sure if she'd been talking in her sleep or if her tired brain was just making her say random nonsense. Either way, I pretended it was meant for me, and that thought brought a small smile to my face. A smile that quickly vanished as pounding feet came down the hall. And it wasn't just a single pair, but several, as if an army was marching through the convent. My head lifted from Rosette's and my hands balled into fists as I listened to the people approach. People... Or perhaps devils. Mary had said something about an attack, but was that just the mind eater talking, trying to confuse me? The sound slowly became louder as they drew nearer to us. Then there was an abrupt silence, as if all our attackers suddenly vanished. The silence, however, put me more on edge than the noise had.
"Mm? Is something the matter?" Rosette muttered groggily. I wasn't sure how to reply. I didn't want to alarm her if they'd gone away, but if something was about to happen she needed to know. I opened my mouth to speak but before any sound could get out there came another pounding. A louder, more violent pounding that rang out from the door and seemed to shake the room. Rosette jumped up to her feet as though she'd never been asleep. At the same time my head whipped around to face the door.
"They're coming," I told her as I slowly stood.
"Who's coming?" a frightened whisper came from behind us. I turned to the now awake Azmaria who was sitting up on the couch with my jacket clutched tightly around her as though she was expecting it to protect her.
"Az!" Rosette exclaimed with surprise. Another loud bang came from the door. How could the whole convent sleep through this? Was there really no one who could hear all this commotion? Unless... My distracted mind shoved the thought aside as soon as I'd processed it. A third bang came, followed by a reverberating crash as the door fell from its hinges.
"Rosette, Azmaria, stay right behind me," I commanded under my breath. Rosette nodded and pulled Azmaria off the couch and into her arms. I looked away from them and into the eyes of the first opponent to enter the room. Mary stood on top of the fallen door, an irritated grimace on her face. I watched as she was joined by the others who had helped to break into Sister Kate's office. They were all people of the convent, mostly sisters and brothers whom I didn't even know the names of. Just as I'd thought; Mary's mind eater wasn't the only one who'd entered the convent.
"What have you done?" I demanded coldly.
"It wasn't me. I am simply one of many who were granted freedom," she replied with a grotesque smirk.
"Chrono, what do we do?" Rosette asked in a whisper.
"I don't know," I admitted quietly and instantly regretted it. I glanced behind me and watched as Rosette's face suddenly hardened into a look of determination, which typically means she's about to do something dangerous. She was staring at Sister Mary, her eyes calculating.
"Rosette..." I murmured, my tone alarmed and warning.
"You're out numbered, Sinner. Hand over the apostle and we won't have to kill you," Mary's inhuman voice called.
"Never," I hissed as I turned my attention back to the army of devils and gritted my teeth. There were so many of them and Rosette didn't have her gun, meaning I'd have to take them on alone. Mary gave a hissing laugh.
"And just how do you plan to escape with your lives?" she asked.
"Chrono, I'll undo the seal," Rosette whispered. My eyes narrowed and I gave a harsh shake of my head.
"Don't do it, Rosette. Its useless, you'd just be wasting your life," I told her, still keeping my eyes focused on our enemies.
"Time's ticking, Sinner. We don't have all night. Will you hand her over peacefully or will you die trying to protect her?" Mary asked. I felt Azmaria flinch behind me.
"Chrono..." Rosette said my name with pressure and urgency. I glanced over at the large window on the other end of the room. If we could make it to the window we might be able to make a run for it. I let out a sigh as I realized it might be our only option.
"When I say 'now' and only when I say 'now', okay?" I whispered to her.
"Right," Rosette replied, her voice forceful and unafraid. How was she always able to stay so strong?
"Azmaria's staying with us," I declared loud and clear. Mary's mouth curved up into a demonic smile.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped then. You'll have to die!" she cried as she lunged forward, her fingers stretching out like claws. I grabbed Rosette's arm and pulled her, along with Azmaria, across the room towards the window. The instant we began to move the entire room broke out into chaos. Devils began to jump forward and attack us from all sides. I pulled Rosette and Azmaria around charging devils, my eyes staying fixed on my target. Only a few more steps. Five, four, three, two...
"Now!" I yelled as we neared the window. The instant the words left my mouth I felt Rosette's arm slip out of my grip. There was a shriek that had to have come from Azmaria and a shout that sounded like it belonged to Rosette. I spun quickly on my feet and took only half a second to observe the situation. Azmaria's long hair was entangled in a clergy man's fist and Rosette was giving him a hard punch in the face. I sprung into action and kicked at the man's ankle. He cried in pain as Rosette's fist and my foot connected at the same time. Azmaria broke free from his grasp and stumbled forwards. I caught her by the waist before she could fall and looked over to make sure Rosette was alright. She met my eyes and nodded, telling me that she was fine. I turned back around and as I took another step forward there was a monstrous roar. The sudden sound made my feet move quicker towards our only exit.
"Chrono! Now!" I heard Rosette cry from behind me. I made contact with the window and the glass shattered. I didn't even feel the impact as I simultaneously transformed into my true form. The sensation lasted only a moment. It was a mere second of being pulled on and stretched out until I was my full size again. I flung my wings out to the sides to catch the air and hovered by the window. I turned to look back into the room to look for Rosette. My eyes had to scan the room until they caught sight of her. She stood where I had left her before running for the window engaged in a weaponless battle against another sister.
"Rosette!" Azmaria hollered as she, too, found her in the turmoil. The call was enough to distract Rosette for barely a fraction of a second, but that was enough time to throw her off. The other sister landed a blow to her ribs, causing Rosette to stumble backwards and clutch her breathless chest.
"Rosette!" I cried and instinctively flew back into the room.
"Get Azmaria out of here!" Rosette shouted back without facing me. I froze in mid flight. What was she saying? I couldn't leave her! But Azmaria was who they were after and if they got a hold of her who knew what would happen? But Rosette didn't stand a chance on her own!
"Chrono! Go!" Rosette had turned to me. She stared at me with her always determined and courageous eyes. Her expression was clear as day and her message was evident. She was telling me that she'd be fine. My heart didn't believe her, but I managed to trick my brain into believing. I gave her a firm nod.
"I'll be back," I told her. She smiled up at me as I turned to fly away.
"You better," I heard her call to me jokingly. Only it wasn't a joke at all. I took off in the general direction of Brooklyn. I was fairly sure I remembered where Satella's house was from when we had the incident with the sealing. I just had to leave Azmaria with her and I'd be able to come back for Rosette. Rosette... Please wait for me. Keep fighting. I'll be back soon.
Rosette:
I watched Chrono fly off before turning back around to face my opponents. I ducked as a fist flew at my face. The momentum from my dodge allowed me to leap forward and land a solid punch in my attacker's stomach. He stumbled back and let out a rattling cough. The distraction was enough to allow me to push past him and attempt to move closer to my only exit, the door. A nun now stepped in front of me to bar my way.
"I don't have time for you," I grunted as I kicked at her shin. She skillfully dodged it by jumping to the side, then used the jump to fuel a kick to my chest.