"Why did you do it?" Azmaria asked. It was a sweet summer afternoon, the sun casting its light down upon them and the wind running gentle fingers through their hair as the two women sat on the old wooden bench outside the Magdalan Order.
"Hmm?" said the other, blue eyes turning to rest on the small light haired figure beside her. "What do you mean, Az?"
"Why'd you make the contract?" she said, gesturing towards the pocketwatch hanging from her neck. "I mean, think of how much more time you would've had, Rosette."
Rosette ran a hand through her hair, shoulder-length and flaming golden orange in the light of the sinking sun, a wry smile twisting at her lips as she answered. "At this rate, I probably won't live to be thirty."
Tick, tock.
"I remember when Chrono first suggested a contracted," she continued, voice growing softer as she became lost in the memory. "Josh had just- he'd just taken the horns. I agreed on the spot. He asked if that was what I really wanted… I wonder if, perhaps, I was too hasty. Yes, I was younger… no older than you are now. But I had to make the contract- otherwise, Chrono would have lost all his power and died. I had to do it, to save him… and for Joshua." He fingers slid from her hair to the chain of the watch, absentmindedly fiddling with it as she spoke.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
"Joshua, he… his health was never great. Even though he had the power to heal, the only person he couldn't heal was himself. And I think- no, I know- that he hated people feeling sorry for him."
OoOoO
"My body feels so much better now. I felt so full of power whenever I froze one of them! I guess I've gotten strong like you."
"Please, stop! This is too weird, Joshua, this isn't you!"
"It's alright now, Rosette. It's okay.
"You don't need to become a doctor anymore."
OoOoO
"I told Joshua that I'd protect him, but I guess he didn't truly understand me. I made the contract… so that I could tell him that."Her hand tightened around the watch, edges digging into the skin of her palm.
The girl beside her was silent for a minute, light red eyes staring down into her pale, delicate hands as though she was contemplating what she'd just heard. And then- "Do you regret it?"
Rosette threw back her head and laughed freely. "You ask a lot of questions, eh, Az?"
She looked over at her in surprise, and with a just of alarm, a stuttered apology slipping from her lips, but Rosette cut her off before she'd finished. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. Curiosity makes the world go 'round, you know," she said, an air of seriousness darting onto her face.
Azmaria gave her an odd look, and then as one they both burst out into laughter.
Tick. Tick.
Once their fits of giggles had subsided, Rosette leaned back against the bench, hands
resting behind her head, staring up at the vibrancy of the fiery sky above their heads.
OoOoO
I would always… just watch the sky. Because if I looked down, it was too bright for
me to see. So I looked up.
OoOoO
It was few minutes before Rosette replied, eyes still intent on the sky. "Regret… no. I've
done what I can for Chrono. As for Joshua, well… My life's not over yet!" she said, flashing
a cheerful smile that was quite common for her.
"Sometimes I've wondered whether I made the right decision… but I've made my
choice, and now I guess I can say it really has become a part of who I am."
"Does it… hurt you? When Chrono uses his power?" the girl asked timidly, pushing a
sheet of long, very pale hair over her shoulder.
"I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't," she said. "But I've just accepted it as another-
shall I say-hindrance for me."
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
"Doesn't mean I won't do whatever I can to go around it, though. Ah, I hate it when
people just accept the difficulties in their lives, and don't bother to do anything about them!
We can always guess what the future holds, but we'll never know for sure. And since we
can't know, I'm not just going to give up and accept things as they are. Hah, you
won't find me just sitting around, watching he last grains of sand fall to the bottom of the
hourglass. No, you have to do whatever you can do. I'll keep going, right up until the
end."
Out of the corner of her eye, Rosette saw Azmaria move, and then turned to the girl
in alarm. "You're crying? What's wrong?"
She tried to quickly wipe away the evidence, answering (and quite unconvincingly),
"No, I- uh- a-al-allergies."
The nun pulled a handkerchief from a pocket on her long blue dress, handing it to her.
"Here. What have you to be afraid of? You'll feel better about whatever it is after you've
had a good cry."
"T-thanks," Azmaria stammered, taking the handkerchief and gently dabbing at the
corners of her eyes.
When she had lowered her hand, Rosette leaned forward and said, "Is
something wrong?"
The Apostle didn't meet her eyes. "I… I want to be strong like you, Rosette. You
could let the contract and your short life bring you down, but you take it all in stride. I want
to be an exorcist too, and fearless. But I can't. Everyone thinks I'm too small and delicate…"
Rosette looked at her in surprise, but a gentle smile crossed her face. "Then you have
to be happy with yourself. No matter what, the things that happen to you and those around
you, they're not your fault. You didn't choose to have this power, nor to have people desire
it, so don't beat yourself up over it. No one blames you."
The girl was quiet for a minute or so as she fiddled with a loose thread on her sleeve.
She slowly pulled it out, letting it float to the ground. "I've always thought… my wings, my
power, carried the weight of misfortune that followed me like a shadow wherever I went.
But even so, if I try as best as I can, maybe I can change that."
The nun put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "I believe that
you can."
"Sister Rosette! Sister Rosette!"
One of the youngest nuns arrived breathless before the two, deep blue and white coif
slightly askew. "Sister…Kate… wants to see you," she said, taking a deep, gasping breath.
She frowned and stood, adjusting the skirt of her dress, which was creased from being
sat on. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." And then, so that only Azmaria could hear, "I didn't
wreck anything this time, I swear…"
The girl stifled a laugh as Rosette walked off in the direction of the main building
after the younger nun, and then after a moments' pause, called out after her, "Rosette!"
The nun turned back. "Yes?"
Azmaria smiled. "Thanks. For what you said."
Rosette smiled too. "I'm glad I did. Because you know… in a way, it was like
speaking to a younger version of myself."
OoOoO
Don't you think it's unfair? You've cured people. Thanks to you, they can run around and play again. But someday, it's going to end up killing you.
Take these. The horns of a demon- a demon that killed a hundred of his own kind.
Go on, take them! What're you waiting for?
Don't you want to be strong?
OoOoO
The girl's face shone with eagerness, her little golden-orange braids bouncing about
her head as she jumped around in excitement. "You see… we're going to be explorers when
we grow up! We'll go places no one has ever gone before, and then we'll write a book about
it. Right, Joshua?"
The blond boy sitting beside her gave a series of hacking coughs, then straightened
up, giving his sister a weak smile. "Right."
OoOoO
The sun was setting again.
Golden orange hair loose around her face, no longer covered by the Order's required
long hairpiece, the woman once again was sitting on an old wooden bench, looking up at the
sky. But this time, it wasn't the Apostle that sat with her.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
"Chrono?" she asked, turning to the demon beside her.
"Yes?" Red eyes turned upon the blue, a few shorter strands of hair, having fallen free
from the long purple braid, swinging to obscure one eye.
"Remember that story, the one you told Joshua and I when we were younger? About what happens next, with the astral line?"
He inclined his head. "I do."
"I remember that story, but… what about you?"
Chrono didn't seem at all surprised by the question, but his answer was hesistant. "I…
I don't know. I am a demon, after all. Who's to say I have a soul to return to the astral
line? After all, with the contract, I'm taking away yours," he added with a grim smile.
"Taking away?" she said, sounding slightly distressed. "Chrono, it's almost gone. Can't
you hear it?"
Tick, tock.
A shadow crossed the demon's face. "I never should have-"
Rosette cut him off. "There's no use fretting about it now. Besides, I don't regret it. I
just wish…"
"Joshua?" he said softly.
The nun nodded. "I never did get to tell him…"
"I know you said once that you'd heard about the astral line from humans. But what
if it's just that- a story?"
"I don't know. No one is meant to."
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
"Chrono, I'm scared," she cried, voice shaky.
"I won't leave you," he promised.
A hand slipped into the other's; comforting warmth, interlacing fingers. Rosette
rested her head against Chrono's shoulder, felt his body shift slightly as he leaned his head
against hers.
"I love you, Rosette. I could never leave you."
OoOoO
Do you see now? It doesn't matter if you're strong, or weak, or always ill, never able
to play. It doesn't matter. We'll all be there eventually, and strength won't make you any
happier, any better; it won't satisfy you. In the end, it doesn't matter.
You have to live the best you can. Live to be happy with who and where you are, or
how can you be satisfied? Don't be so worried about who you ought to be, because you
never know how long you'll have.
Strength makes you stronger, yes.
But it doesn't make you fearless.
OoOoO
Tick, tock. Tick, tock, tick, tock…
"Rosette?"
"Yes?" she said quietly, voice cracking slightly.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
"We're going to be explorers, remember? You, me, and Joshua." Even without seeing
his face, she knew it carried a little smile. "And what is this but another adventure."
She made to give a small laugh, but suddenly found she couldn't. Her breath was
coming shorter now.
"Chrono, I…. love you too," she said, the words so faint that they immediately faded
into the still air.
Tick, tock.
Lips gently touched her forehead, a hand slowly tightening around her own.
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock.
Rosette closed her eyes.
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock.
Tick. Tick.
Tick.
Tick…
….
…..
Tick.
And then a cracked voice whispered, "So let's go together. All three of us."