Author's note: How goes me amigos? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my first fic just yet. This fic is just something I wanted to get out there before I forgot about it. Rest assured that I am working on chapter 11 of The Day I Met Rosette Christopher. I'm just thinking on how I should take that fic further. Well anyways, the usual crew will be making their return. Except this time, Satella will be playing a larger role. Lets just say she was not impressed that she didn't even get a part in my last fic, and she threatened to set loose one of those creatures she summons on me if I didn't. Easy choice then. Also Joshua will be there and he will not be the usual poor little sick kid. He's been sick enough as it is, cut the kid some slack for once. He will have a more active role this time and when I told him he was very happy indeed. Now I'm not knocking other people's fics but Chrono will not be the perfect saint he's portrayed as most of the time. Rather ironic since he's supposed to be a demon. He will have some character flaws and a very troubled past, you'll read more about that as this fic progresses. Also there will be no special powers or anything this time. Chrono along with Aion will be humans this time so try to imagine them without the pointy ears and you should do just fine. Okay I've said enough. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or any of its characters, nor do I own any of the brands, trademarks etc. mentioned in this fic. If I did I'd be a very rich man indeed.

The Girl Next Door

Chapter 1

It was a usual day. School had just come out, and with the usual enthusiasm students poured out of the doors and into the freedom of the afternoon. Most students had friends they would usually walk home with and talk with about the events of the day. Like the prank that was played on the science teacher during science class. Or the latest gossip that was going around. Who was dating who and who was the most popular? Yes, to the casual observer it would look like young people enjoying their youth. All except for one. A young man of about 16 was walking home on his own, like he had done for 2 years already. Everyday it was the same routine over and over. And he preferred it that way.

His peers in school considered our young friend a bit of an outcast. But he didn't care. Anyone who knew him for long enough would know that leaving him alone was the best option. Maybe it was his unusual looks that gave the impression. His long violet hair was very exotic and unusual looking, tied up in a braid at the back. His eyes had a red shine to them that must've made him look menacing to anyone who didn't know him.

His destination was his uncle and aunts' house, where he and his brother had been staying for the last two years. Ever since their parents experienced problems in their marriage, they were sent to live with their relatives while the parents tried to resolve their issues. He opened the door to the kitchen and a familiar voice asked," So how was your day, Chrono?"

And as usual he answered back, "Okay, I guess, Aunt Kathy."

Then he would make his way upstairs to his room. Since he had no friends to speak of, he would spend the rest of his day listening to some of his rock music. Bands like Linkin Park, Static X, Disturbed, and System of a Down were his favorites. As he put down his bag, he looked at his extensive rock music collection. " So which one will it be today? Hmm…"

He scanned the CD's in the shelf until he came upon one he hadn't listened to in a long time, and smiled. This was one of the first album's he listened to from the band Disturbed, and it so happened that some of his favorite songs, Fear and Stupify, were on that CD. He popped the disk into his sound system and cranked the volume up to full, sat back and listened. He needed it after the day he had.

Normally the volumes at which he played his music would tax the eardrums of most mortals, but not Chrono. His ears had become used to the sound over the years. Luckily for his neighbors, the room was sound proofed. But one could still hear subtle sounds on the outside. So it was with his next-door neighbor. She was trying to do her homework when the music was turned on. "There he goes again. I wish he could play something softer. And I wish he'd pick something more upbeat to play. Why does he always have to listen to that noise?"

Obviously she didn't share Chrono's taste in music. It had been like that every day since he came to town two years ago.

"Asmaria, could you come down here for a second?"

"Alright, mom, I'll be down in a sec." Anything to get away from the noise she had to endure.

Her mother, Missus Lydia Hendric, was waiting for her in the kitchen, busy making dinner. "What's up mom? Is that pasta you're making? Smells good, I can't wait", she said cheerfully. Her mother's homemade pasta was the family favorite in the Hendric household, and tonight they would be enjoying it once more. Asmaria was already imagining it.

"Oh there you are, dear. Dinner's not ready yet, but I have some good news."

"What kind of good news?"

"Remember the house across the street that's been in the market for a few months already? Well, Dad just phoned me and told me finally sold it to a man who's bringing his whole family with him. Isn't that great? Soon we'll have some new neighbors."

"Dad finally sold that house? That's great, Mom! Is that why you're making pasta?", she added with a grin.

"Yes. You know how much you're father loves my homemade pasta and I thought I'd surprise him when he comes home. He'd really enjoy it, don't you think?"

"So do the new neighbors have any children?"

"One teenage girl and one teenage boy, or so your father tells me. He was so excited over the phone. No one had any interest in the house for months, and today he finally sold it. Not that it was the only house in the market but it was sitting there and nothing was happening to it. The point is, he's glad he finally sold it. And so am I."

For the uninitiated, Ricardo Hendric, Asmaria's father, was the local real estate agent. An honest businessman, he worked hard to provide for his family. He was also a good father for his children, or in this case, child. Asmaria was his only child, but she was the light of his life. There was indeed much love in that family.

Meanwhile, in the house next door….

Our friend had just finished listening to his music when there was a knock on his door. "Is it safe to come in?"

"It's okay, Uncle Ryan, you can come in." He knew only his uncle would make a lame attempt at a joke like that. But he was just trying to lighten the mood. The door opened and in stepped his uncle. An unassuming man, he was nevertheless a very hard worker. His moustache made him look older than he really was, even though he was on the younger side of 40 years old. "So what's up sport? How was your day?"

Chrono silently sighed. He knew his uncle only cared about him, but these pep talks were getting a bit old. It was usually about the same thing and usually he gave the same answers. "My day was okay, uncle. Not much to report."

"Woah, tough crowd, I see. Come on, you can do better than that. Met anyone new recently? Got your eye on any particular girl? With looks like yours, I'm surprised you didn't introduce us to one yet."

"Uncle, stop. You know why I don't get out much and why I don't have any friends. Look what so-called friends got me, and every one of them laughed at me behind my back and abandoned me. If that's what friends do to you, then I don't want any. I'm better off on my own."

"Chrono, I know your parents' marriage problems affected you and your brother. I know it weighed heavily on you. It's not your fault. They had problems long before you even got involved with those losers in that gang. You can't compare everyone to them and think that all people are the same. I mean, am I the same as they were? Is your aunt the same as they were?"

"You don't understand uncle. It was more than that. Look, I don't feel like talking about it right now. All I know is that I want to be left alone. It's better that way. People will stab you in the back the first chance they get, and I'm sure as hell not gonna go through that again. Socializing is overrated in my book. I don't need it. Never have, never will. And that's the way it's gonna be. That's what I've decided on and it's final. I mean this with the greatest respect uncle, but could you please stop trying to get me socializing? We have this conversation every time and every time it doesn't get you anywhere. That attempt to get me to go the last school dance wasn't exactly successful, was it?"

"Your aunt and I are just worried about you. What you're doing isn't normal for a guy your age. When I was your age your father and I used to go out to town every Friday and Saturday night. And we had a string of girlfriends. Don't tell your aunt I said that, okay?", he adds with a grin, as if reminiscing about the good old days.

"With all due respect uncle, I don't care about your young days and what you did as a teenager. None of your "friends" ever stabbed you in the back, did they? So how can you begin to understand what I went through? Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't have any idea what it was all about."

"Okay Chrono, I won't talk about it for now. But you can't avoid people all your life. There will always be people around you, no matter how hard you try to get away from them. By the way, Mr. Hendric from next door told me we'll be seeing some new neighbors around here soon. He found a buyer for the house across the street that's been empty for a while."

"And I care because?", Chrono thought to himself silently. He personally didn't care it there were new neighbors or not. All he knew was that they had better stay out of his way. The previous neighbors' son annoyed him no end when they were still there, and it ended up with the boy being the proud owner of two black eyes, and having two of his teeth removed by a well-timed punch to the mouth. Chrono had no time for people who annoyed him, and he made it clear that if the he (the neighbors' son) ever mentioned that Chrono was the one responsible, he would make the next beating even more painful.

"And we'll also be having an extra guest for dinner", his uncle added.

"Aion brought Sarah for dinner again, eh?"

"That's right. I think those two are really hitting it off. And tomorrow they'll be going on a date. Ah, to be young and in love," he said with a smile.

Chrono didn't care in the least how his brother's personal life was going. He was quite happy being on his own without having to hear about Aion's business as well. And he cared even less about Sarah. But for his sake he had to act nice in front if her. It was something he could live with.

"Okay, I'll be down for dinner in a moment, uncle."

"Good. I'll see you then."

The next day…

Chrono was woken up by the alarm clock next to his bed. He had rigged his sound system to play the Limp Bizkit song Breakstuff every morning when his alarm clock went off. It was the appropriate kind of song for him simply because it symbolized the way he felt about every day. As the song said, everybody had better stay out of his way. Breakfast followed shortly after. After that, he got his backpack ready for school. A quick shower followed, after which he opened up his cupboard with all his clothes in and decided what to wear for the day. On this day, he decided on his pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt, along with his favorite pair of sneakers. Then he said goodbye to his Aunt Kathy before he went out the front door and walked to school. On this morning, Asmaria happened to be coming out of house the same time as Chrono. She saw him walking past the house and decided to take a chance. Maybe he's in a better mood than most mornings, she thought. "Hi Chrono", she said cheerfully.

Chrono heard her, but didn't answer back. He just walked past as if he never heard her in the first place.

"Geez, I guess I was expecting too much. He's never answered back so why should he start now? Oh well, I tried."

She wondered why Chrono had to be like that. She knew that deep down inside he was a good person. He once took care of some bullies who were giving her a hard time. Said bullies walked out of that fight with bloody noses and some black eyes. When she wanted to thank him, he simply answered,"Don't mention it. No, I really mean it. Don't tell anyone about this."

But like in any school, rumors spread like wildfire, and soon everybody knew what Chrono had done. It wasn't the first time Chrono had done something similar. A football jock once made the unfortunate mistake of making fun of Chrono's hair. Chrono just smiled to himself, looked up at him, and said, " You, me, after school, behind the dumpsters. See you there."

The jock learned the hard way that Chrono is not one to be mocked. Even though he had the size advantage, Chrono had the speed advantage and so he picked on the vulnerable spots. Soon the jock was tired out. Then came Chrono's chance. First he delivered a numbing blow the midsection that had jock-boy doubling over with pain and gasping for breath. Then he delivered a rain of punches to his face and other vulnerable areas. Then he gave him "the mark of Chrono" as it would later be called: two swelling black eyes. Once again, the news spread throughout the school: someone in a lower grade had beaten up a football jock! This was unheard of. No one had ever dared challenge their authority before.

And today looked like it would be one of those days for Chrono. Chrono never looked for trouble on his own. He stayed out of everyone's way and they did the same. But occasionally, like a certain detective in the Die Hard movies, trouble found him. The trouble would come in the form of Brian Higgins, yet another jock that always got the girls and was always popular to be around. As yet, he didn't know about Chrono and his reputation since Brian had transferred from another school only a few months before. But today he would realize the truth of Chrono's reputation in a most painful way.

It was lunchtime, and only the very desperate and very brave dared the halls of the cafeteria. The legends that surfaced because of the cafeteria made the wary avoid it. One rumor that went around was one about a boy who tried the cafeteria food and the next day, he didn't show up for school. In fact, he was never seen again. Such were many of the legends, all of them untrue of course, but thought to be true by all who listened to them.

Chrono sat down to eat lunch, on his own of course. He found a bench to sit on and was about to open the packed lunch his aunt Kathy had made for him when Brian and his "crew" showed up. Brian, unfortunately unaware of Chrono's reputation, decided he'd like the bench he was sitting on. Feeling confident and cocky, he walked over to Chrono, and in a superior tone, said, "Hey you, I think my crew and I would like this bench, so if you don't mind leaving-"

"Get lost, I was here first", Chrono answered back in an indignant tone.

Brian couldn't believe his ears. No one but no one had ever had the nerve to tell him to get lost. And he wasn't about to let this longhaired freak start. "Excuse me. What did you just say? I don't think I heard right. Did you guys hear that too?", he responded in a threatening tone.

"If you didn't hear that then I can recommend a good doctor 'cause either your ears are full of wax or your hearing's going down the drain. I said get lost, in case you didn't hear the first time."

"I don't think he understands what he's getting himself into, guys. I think we should make him see just what happens to people that insult me", he said to his crew. This would not be allowed to go further. I'm gonna make that little longhaired freak pay for this, Brian thought angrily.

Chrono knew where this was going. He had been in this situation too many times before. "Alright then. If you wanna settle this, then meet me after school behind the dumpsters. I promise it'll be a fight you won't soon forget."

A smile formed across his face. This was going to be good. He just loved making these high and mighty people fall a few steps off their self-imposed thrones.

"So are you ready to go home crying to your mommy?", Brian asked. The scene was set behind the dumpsters, just as they had agreed. A crowd had gathered already. Somehow the news leaked out about the fight, and everyone who heard was there. Chrono was standing across from Brian and wasn't the least bit impressed by Brian's taunting. "That's exactly the kind of talk I'd expect from a brain dead muscle bound ape like you. Can't you think of anything better?"

"Just you wait. All these people are gonna see me turn you into dead meat. You're about to enter a world of hurt," he answered back confidently. There's no way he's gonna win, I'll make sure of that, he thought to himself. "He's gonna wish he was never born."

"All I see in front of me is a oversized gorilla who's being followed by a even dumber bunch of chimps. Are you gonna start this fight or is your plan to talk me to death?"

"Fine then, let's get this started!", Brian shouted as he charged toward Chrono in a blind rage, fist retracted and ready to strike. Chrono dodged out of the way in time and delivered a punch to Brian's midsection that had him gasping for air. He realized however that he couldn't show any weakness in front of the others, so he tried to ignore the pain and got up to his feet again. "Lucky shot, Chrono. But try to dodge this!"

Chrono sighed to himself. "Here he goes again, making the same mistake."

Instead of punching back this time, Chrono sidestepped and tripped Brian who in turn fell down flat on his face. This is too embarrassing, Chrono thought to himself. "He's making a fool of himself without realizing it. I'd better end this quick."

Brian was absolutely furious by now. He was literally boiling over with anger and frustration. "You chicken! You're too scared too fight me head on, aren't you! Stop dodging all the time and fight like a man!"

"It'd help if my opponent was a man to begin with, instead of a spineless bully who gets his kicks from picking on people smaller than him. But if you insist, I'll stop dodging and fight head on. And I promise it'll hurt," he said, smiling mockingly at Brian. "To tell the truth, it's embarrassing fighting you. You're not even a challenge to me."

"I'LL SHOW YOU!", Brian shouted as he charged yet again at Chrono. But Chrono was ready for him. As Brian came in close, Chrono released a punch that hit Brian full on the side of his face, stunning him. Then Chrono unleashed his full fury on Brian. He got Brian in all the vulnerable spots and had him doubling over with pain. Then Chrono delivered his finisher, as the others called it: "the mark of Chrono."

Two hard fists to the side of the face would ensure Brian of having to walk around with two black eyes for the next few weeks. As Brian was lying on the ground in the fetal position groaning with pain such as he had never felt before, Chrono threw a glance in the direction of Brian's "crew."

"So any of you guys feel like picking up where your leader left off? I'm just getting warmed up", he said with a confident smile. Just as he expected, everyone in the "crew" had a different excuse why they couldn't stay to finish it before they ran for their lives. They had no intention of suffering the same fate as their leader.

Then he threw a glance to the crowd that witnessed the fight. "You people think guys like him are so high and mighty, eh?", he asked as he pointed to the groaning form of Brian. "Look what I just did to him. Where's his gang now? They all abandoned him back there. Where's his power now? Don't you get it? He's nothing but a spineless coward who needs to bully others so he can feel powerful. He thinks picking on others makes him a man, but being a man is about more than that. And you people give guys like him the power to bully others when you allow them to do it. He only has power as long as you allow them to have it. It's time to stand up for yourselves. I can't be expected to take care of this all the time."

And with that he picked up his backpack and started walking home. "Today was one hell of a day. Thank goodness it's Friday."

Eventually his house came into view. He welcomed the sight of it more than anything. And as he made his way to his room, he thought of the CD he would be listening to in a moment's time, and smiled. He would need it after the day he had.